Tmea

[Asianeuph]

Is anybody going to TMEA? I'm going with my school as a member of the TFME chapter! Can anybody recommend things to check out while I'm there?

[davewerden]

I THINK Adams will be there with a variety of models. Give 'em all a try and report your impressions if you have time. A lot of folks are looking for opinions on what the various metal/etc. options do to affect the horn.

[58mark]

I went, I played..

Adams. wow. totally impressed me. Best I've ever played
Miraphone. Light years better than they used to be. Top Marks
Besson. Much improved build quality, deserves to be included in the ranks of the top dogs again

[davewerden]

Thanks, 58mark.

It's great to get a little taste of events we can't attend (or to hear other perspectives on events we can attend).

I'm not sure Besson would ever not have been among the top dogs, but I am really happy that the brand is being well-cared for now. Even during the times when they had some quality control issues there were a lot of fine horns being made, and those horns will be around and kicking for decades yet.

[58mark]

I'll have to post a pic of my 1952 3 valve compensating besson. Still looks and plays like a new horn. Always been a besson fan

[58mark]

Here's a pic of steven mead giving an impromptu concert on the convention floor. This morning he played Napoli (with cadenzas) as a unison trio with a student of mine and one other person

[58mark]

Sotto voce was there too. Highlight of the convention for me

[Asianeuph]

The two days that I spent at TMEA were THE BEST TWO DAYS OF MY LIFE! I tried so many horns, and of course Adam's were my favorite. I could honestly say I regret buying my Yamaha. Miel brought a sterling silver bell, a brushed lacquer, a bright silver, and an E2 in bright silver. I tried all of them and I personally could not hear a difference. The only thing I noticed was that the E1's were extremely light and and the E2 was very heavy, especially the valves. The E2 sounded darker. I got Miel Adams signature and a photo with him!

[Asianeuph]

I'm not going to lie. I HAVE A MOUTHPIECE BUYING ADDICTION. The original plan was to get a Denis Wick Travel Mute, but two days before i went i decided i wanted to get a mouthpiece. I was interested in the G&W pieces, so I chose one similar to my BB1 and got the Kadja! I love it! I got it in satin finish. I've only had it for two days so far, so I can't really give it a review. I got a picture with Ivan, the man who designs their mouthpieces!

[Asianeuph]

I have one more post after this........
I'm sure everybody know's who Frank Tichelli is. My favorite piece by him is Blue Shades. He was the director for the 5A Concert band this year, and it was amazing!
Their program included..
High Wire- John Mackey
Irish Tune from County Derry- Percy Aldridge Grainger
Flourishes and Meditation on a Renaissance Theme- Michael Gandolfi
Angels in the Architecture - Frank Tichelli
Blue Shades- Frank Tichelli

When he got back on the podium to conclude the concert with Blue Shades, he picked up the score.......... and threw it on the ground. At first the Audience was like uhh....
but the they realized that he meant that he didn't need the score.. he wrote the piece!

I got him to autograph my program and I got a picture with him, but he was in a hurry and my friend somehow got his finger in the frame.

[Asianeuph]

When I first arrived at the convention I found the Besson booth, but sadly Steve Mead was not there. They told me he would be there around 5, but I had to go to a meeting at 5. The next I finished all my meetings so i spent the rest of the time trying horns, yes I went back to the Adam's booth to try the horns again , I walked back to the Besson booth around Noon, and I picked up a prestiege to try and i turned around, and STEVE MEAD was walking towards me! my jaw fell to the ground! He dropped his jaw at me to joke with me :P i asked him for an autograph, but he said i had to play for him first. I played the first movement of Sonata in F - Marcello for him and then the second valve had trouble and he worked on it for a minute. After the first valve was fixed he played Sonata in F with me! I got a poster with his autograph and a picture with him! This was the highlight of my trip!

Steve was actually in my town and he performed at my local University, and my lesson teacher , who played with Mead, didn't tell me about the concert until the day after!

[bbocaner]

Kadja is nice. It's a good blend between a singing 51d/BB1 type of sound but with a little larger rim and a little bigger sound. The super large throat doesn't do any huge favors for us Besson players trying to bring down the 6th partial either! Nevertheless, I'd still be playing mine if it weren't for my wish to have a trombone mouthpiece in the same rim size.

Totally agree that Adams are really impressive.

Besson's manufacturing has been second to none since Gerhard Meinl started making them in 2007. I like their designs an awful lot too, but I'm getting pretty tired of the rotten customer service. So are some of their dealers. Spoke with two different retailers recently who are just about to the point where they are going to drop Besson as well as B&S and Meinl Weston.