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I suspect it's because Bobo is unfairly pigeonholed as primarily a soloist, since L.A. doesn't have the cachet of Chicago, N.Y., Boston, Philly, etc. Those are the groups whose recordings get heard when looking for examples of excerpts. The only time anyone hears Roger is when "Gravity Is Light Today" gets put into the CD player.

That guy was a m-----f----- of a player. You and I aren't the only ones who think so; Gene Pokorny (at TUSABTEC a few years ago,) Chuck Dallenbach (at the ITEC in Saskatchewan a few more years ago,) and Tommy Johnson (at an Arizona State masterclass many more years ago) all spoke in no uncertain terms about how highly they regarded Bobo's work.

What, in your experience with these new horns, makes them quirky? I think two of their newer models, the Firebird and the 1291 are fantastic instruments, as good as any model Miraphone has ever put out.

I recently had a chance to play a Firebird (3 of them, actually) at Dillons and immediately knew that they are the best F tubas on the market. Listen to Alan Baer's new CD. I think Bobo would be proud.

The 1291 (even better, in my opinion, as a 1292 with minor changes suggested by Alan Baer) plays big but VERY nimble, and really in-tune. It's an absolute bargain too, compared to the horns it is competing with. It's not what you think of when you think "Miraphone", but it IS a great instrument. And, despite your contention, the "quirky" new 1291 is NOT "much higher" than the models Bobo played. Check out WWBW and you'll see that the 1291 is only about $400 more than the 188.

Joe, I love the sound of those classic Miraphones too. I own, and play frequently, a 184. It's a wonderful horn. I read in a recent thread that you made the finals of an orchestra audition on one.... do you still own it? If not, think about the reasons you sold it, and I think you'll be able to answer some of your own questions.

To weigh in on the topic of Roger Bobo, I have a relatively simple thing to say. His first album was my very first tuba solo album. Each time I listened to it, it caused me to contemplate two possible courses of action--practice more or quite and never play another note on tuba. Fortunately, I haven't given up, yet. It is highly doubtful I will ever approach his level of playing, but it has certainly motivated me to a higher level than I might otherwise have attained.

Bobo was/is one of the giants in the tuba world. Perhaps the youngsters don't know that he was a great orchestral tuba player AND soloist. If that is true, it is too bad. The man could play!

bloke wrote:I listen to old L.A. recordings and I cannot imagine anything that I would change about the sound of the tuba...

Since you mention it,

I've enjoyed Holst's "Planets" and Mahler 5.

Can you recommend other "must hear" L.A. recordings with Bobo?

joshstanman wrote:Even though I have never heard any of Bobo's works....

Josh,

Take a few dollars of the money you saved by buying a used horn instead of new and buy some Roger Bobo solo recordings. It will be money well spent.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00000 ... oding=UTF8

Flame me for being an amateur who knows NOTHING, but please accept the fact that I encountered horns that were limiting what I could do musically. This is what I feel happens all the time when anybody testplays horns to choose a new one, and it is the motivation why I went out and bought horns rather than stick with my (good!!!) 3-valved 3/4 BBb I started on.
The equivalent must be valid with pros chosing or neglecting certain horns (tools) for their work. The minute you prefer one tuba over another, you clearly state that the horn you neglect limits your playing, since there is another horn yo canplay "better" on.

Barney wrote:

joshstanman wrote:Even though I have never heard any of Bobo's works....

Josh,

Take a few dollars of the money you saved by buying a used horn instead of new and buy some Roger Bobo solo recordings. It will be money well spent.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00000 ... oding=UTF8

Concur
And, don't be fooled by the Yamaha on the cover, his endorsment status changed but some of us have the old records with the pictures of the mirafone. Man though, get out of the house and get those recordings!!!!
Peace.
ASG

He told me that the Barat was played on a tiny Miraphone F, after I had exasperated myself trying to sound like him on a PT-10 (there's only so much you can do before you just need to accept the sonic limitations of some horns), and I'm guessing it was the same one used on the Galliard judging from the sound. I think he played the Hindemith and the Kraft on his 184.

Tony E wrote:"Roger Bobo plays Yamaha instruments exclusively"

Well correct me if I'm wrong, but "plays" implies present tense. Therefore, it's not lying if they don't mention the instruments he 'played' to record any album, old or new...

Tony E wrote:

Arnold wrote:
And, don't be fooled by the Yamaha on the cover, his endorsment status changed but some of us have the old records with the pictures of the mirafone.

Arnold, the link you posted opens to the Bobissimo CD. I was aware that he used the miraphones on many orchestral recordings, but I had always assumed (due to the cover, I suppose) that the solo recordings on the Bobossimo CD were made using the 621F.

I am no expert on Mr. Bobo's equipment, I just used the same logic that you used, and quite frankly, I thought that everybody had. I do remember him endorsing 3 different companys over his career, and I'm sure there is stuff recorded on the Yamaha, His equipment link is here, http://www.rogerbobo.com/instruments/index.shtml and I'm happily reminded to go get the CD out and listen to it before work.
Peace.
ASG

edit--Having done a tiny bit of work, I found this link, http://yamaha.com/yamahavgn/CDA/Content ... TE,00.html doesn't prove that it was all mirafone in 1978, but it proves what it wasn't--click and scroll
Also, his equipment page provides at least 1 (surprising to me) answer

To fully appreciate Mr. Bobo's unprecedented (and IMO, yet unmatched) contribution to tubadom, you have to consider not only his incredibly clear and vocal-like tone quality, previously unmatched technique/range, and of course, the conviction with which he approached everything that he ever played, but also the years during which he accomplished all of this. If I'm not mistaken, he played the first tuba recital in carnegie hall in 1963. Think back to that year and what was going on tuba-wise. Aside from a handful of outstanding orchestral tubists, a poorly reviewed English concerto that had been premiered some 9 years earlier, and for all intents, a virtually dismal market for professional quality instruments, not much. He not only set a new precedent for the rest of us on many levels, but more importantly, he turned the ear of non-tubists onto the sonic possibilities of our instrument. He has been called the Heifetz of the tuba, but I think "Liszt" is a more appropriate analogy. And as Bloke pointed out, he did all of this on instruments that current thinking would likely label as limiting. Maybe it's just that times have changed, as well as our concepts of what sounds good. On the other hand, maybe it's time to revamp our thinking . . .