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I was just curious as to what horn/horns Bill Barber played on when he played with Miles and Gil Evans. Anybody know?

Nick

In all the photos and videos that I have seen with Bill playing with Miles, he was playing a .687 bore, rotary valve King, with a recording bell. There are some videos available on DVD and on YouTube that show him with that horn. I understand that at some point, that horn was stolen from his car.

Mike

Heh, and I thought it looked like a Conn to me. There really isn't much about Barber anywhere save what's on Tubenet. Never heard about the horn being stolen thing.

Here's another one: What about Don Butterfield?

Nick

Bill played his roatary valve King on the Miles Davis sessions - the famous photograph show him with that horn in the Encycopedia of Jazz - Leonard Feather.

Bill passed away three years ago I believe. His last gig was the Goldman Memorial Band; the band's management gave him a retirement plaque for something like 40 years service in the band. The band is gone now too. Bill was a fine gentleman and is remembered fondly by everyone who knew him.

I don't recall Don B doing much with Miles Davis. Don did work with Dizzy, Clark Terry and Charlie Mingus, etc.

Miles Davis' orchestrations changed a lot from album to album - he wasn't much interested in rehashing old stuff - always something new. I'm not an expert on Miles Davis, but I believe that the tuba kind of disappeared after the period in th early 1950s when Bill was doing the work. New ideas, new orchestrations, new groups - all the way.

Mark Heter

Uncle Markie wrote:I don't recall Don B doing much with Miles Davis. Don did work with Dizzy, Clark Terry and Charlie Mingus, etc.

No, he didn't work with Miles. I was just curious as to what horn he used as well. I heard him in the "Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus" album, and loved his sound.

I'm a jazz bassist, and on moving out to Orlando, was told a number of times to get a tuba and get some chops up on it. So, naturally, I was curious as to what the older guys were playing. I'm most likely going to stay with the smaller horns, but I was just curious.

Nick

Don Butterfield used a modified King 3 valve BBb tuba circa. 1912. This was a one piece bell, monster size tuba, similar to the current 2341. He had pull rods added to the first and third slide to play it in tune. He felt that a fourth valve interrupted the natural taper of the instrument and affected the resonance and response. He had a number of other similar instruments in his stable, but "Old Deuteronomy" as he called it, was his favorite. He also told me that he played a King rotary CC for eight years, and those were the worst years of his life! You can also hear Don prominently on Maynard Ferguson's "Screamin Blues".

I think that the tuba Bill Barber used when I saw him play at the Knitting Factory a few years before his death was a 4 valve rotary BBb Sanders.

Frank Ortega

Everyone's posts in this thread were extremely informative. Thank you.

Nick

Mikelynch wrote:... There are some videos available on DVD and on YouTube that show him with that horn.

Bill Barber with Gil Evans / Miles Davis "The Duke"