Favorite Recordings Featuring Odd Selections of Musical Instruments.


I do a fair job of spoiling my inner child. One area is collecting CDs where the choices of musical instruments are other than main stream.

 

An example might include the Modern Jazz Tuba Project. Their CDs include 2001 “Live at the Bottom Line” and 2003 “Favorite Things”. Howard Johnson & Gravity also had a tuba jazz trio and may have done it first with 1996 “Gravity” and 1997 “Right Now”. In all four CDs they select music to optimize the fun of a tuba trio, yea it is just great fun. Exercise your sub woofers. 

 Somewhere I have CDs of upright bass trios, I’m having trouble remembering who and where? Sometimes I get half-heimers; it is expected at my age now that I am middle aged.  Found it!  Ray Brown 1997 “Super Bass” (Telarc) and 2001 Super Bass, Vol. 2” (Telarc) both highly recommended. The Vol. 2 has a trio of upright basses playing “Papa Was Rolling Stone” in parts that will kill ya. It is all good. Might leave your sub woofer with stretch marks.

 Brent Lewis seems to get more out of percussion-only than one might reasonably expect.  Start with his CD 2004 “Drum Sex” because it is entertaining to listen to. He is worth looking up on Youtube so one can try before they buy. I like his stuff.  Find a pair of #2 yellow pencils so you can play along on your desk. Oh, Brent Lewis has a percussion Christmas concept CD named 2000 "Jungle Bells"  that is a riot. It is actuality done very well.  I own his whole catalogue.

 Somewhere I picked up 1991 “An Organ Blaster Sampler” from TELARC which has some nice demo organ cuts.

 Short of howitzers for the "1812 Overture" do you have any recordings featuring out of the ordinary musical instruments that you can highly recommend?


timothywright
"I was in a band with a bassist who loved Jack’s tone, and thought it was inherent in the Guild Starfire bass he played. So he bought himself one, and was disappointed when it arrived; he didn’t know Jack’s tone was more a result of the roundwound strings than the Guild bass."

bd24 always coming thru with R&R fun facts.
I was never aware bassists were into flat wound strings.  Never really thought about it, but would assume roundwound is the go to.

I use a set of flatwound "ropes" on my archtop for channeling my inner Jim Hall Wes/Montgomery/Barney Kessel.

 After 40+ years, still failing miserably. Maybe fussing with the tubes in the Reverb Deluxe will help?
@wideload

 I got over the redhead, and count my blessings I missed Woodstock.  At age 16 I would have smoked almost anything, dropped almost anything if a cute face and a great shape was involved. Spending 4 days in the rain and mud somehow is less attractive to me now days.

I did see Alice Cooper at a church dance before he became successful. He was very weird up close.
I saw the Who when they were an opening act for the Monkeys.


bdp24 -- How many times did I go to McCabes?  A thousand?  I went to high school not far from the shop, and was a regular there during my hippie days.  Stroll in.  Take a Martin guitar off the wall and give it a go.  Me and the wife bought several instruments there.  Ever heard of an Everett guitar?  It's one of my wife's go-to guitars.  Saw lots of acts there.  The Pentangle.  John Fahey.  Judy Collins.  I'd still be going there if I hadn't finally moved out of L.A.