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Torchy Jones Quintet
Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2014 3:53 pm
by Alex C
Don't know if this has ever come up here but I recently saw a FB post which had a link to the Torchy Jones Quintet recording. This was the Philadelphia Symphony Brass Quintet, playing a little jazz. Follow-up research yielded this gem of a story. This story is from (
http://tubagear.com/info/torchyinfo.html )
L-O-N-G before The Canadian Brass launched their "jazzy" attempts at arrangements for brass quintet, the Torchy Jones Brass Quintet was SMOKIN'!
According to Art Hovey, the group went to very significant expense to commission Frank Huster's arrangements of twelve classic tunes for brass quintet and rhythm section. After much rehearsal a recording date was set with Columbia and "Catch the Brass Ring" was soon released...
It seems that Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra Director Eugene Ormandy FLEW INTO A RAGE when he heard this recording and DEMANDED that all existing copies be pulled from the shelves and, in fact, that the album be taken entirely out of circulation! HIS MUSICIANS COULD NEVER, EVER be heard in this context! (Gone are the days when conductors could wield such tyrannical power - phew!)
Columbia immediately complied with Ormandy's wishes and the album was consigned to the dust bin. Except for the initial release sales, the album altogether disappeared...
A download of the album used to be available from this website. Very nice recording of Abe Torchinsky (alias "Torchy Jones?").
A couple of vinyl copies are for sale on Amazon.
Re: Torchy Jones Quintet
Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2014 6:54 pm
by Ed Jones
The name "Torchy Jones" refered to Abe Torchinsky and Mason Jones, Philadelphia's principal horn at the time. When I was an undergrad, I worked evenings in the music library so I had a lot of time to listen to recordings that interested me. There was a copy of the Torchy Jones quintet recording and I remember listening to it several times. At the time I had no idea how rare it was. Years later when I returned on a visit, the recording was gone. I guess someone did know the rarity of that record. There was also a copy of the New York Philharmonic brass quintet recording. The cover photo of that recording featured Bill Bell with a sly grin on his face while the other members of the quintet are looking at him with great disdain.
Re: Torchy Jones Quintet
Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2014 11:48 pm
by Art Hovey
I think it was the summer of 1961 or 62 when my father lined up the Philadelphia Brass Quintet to perform and give masterclasses at the annual NYSSMA summer reading clinic. They had just made the Torchy Jones recording, and performed some of the charts with a local rhythm section at that conference. I went to Abe T's lecture-demonstration, during which he suggested starting promising kids off on CC tuba. Somebody asked where a school could obtain CC tubas, and he had no idea. (When I met Warren Deck years later he told me that Mr. T had indeed started him off that way.)
Anyway, I have the copy of the Torchy-Jones LP that Abe gave to my father. When Dave Gannet started selling records I made a copy for him and told him he could market them if he cared to, but please not to mention my name because of potential copyright issues.
I think the recording was also discussed on this forum around that time. It must be in the archives.
Re: Torchy Jones Quintet
Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2014 9:37 am
by Wes Krygsman
Will either of these be released on CD?
Re: Torchy Jones Quintet
Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2014 10:31 am
by ppalan
Re: Torchy Jones Quintet
Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2014 3:50 pm
by Alex C
The link for sales (above) no longer supports a product.
The vinyl recordings are fairly easy to find, if pricey, but I haven't even touched vinyl in three or four presidents.
Re: Torchy Jones Quintet
Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2014 8:41 pm
by ppalan
Re: Torchy Jones Quintet
Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 9:14 am
by MaryAnn
That link says it costs $1.99 but just downloads a .exe file that my computer objects to. I'm a little confused as to why it would be a .exe instead of an mp3, and why it says it costs something but in fact does not. I'd really like this file if it is truly available.
Re: Torchy Jones Quintet
Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 2:33 pm
by ppalan
Go here:
http://tubagear.com/index.html
Read the directions, pay then you'll receive a code to decrypt the .exe file with the music.
Pete
Re: Torchy Jones Quintet
Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 5:31 pm
by MaryAnn
Thanks....I'm not sure how that will work when my computer says the file is dangerous and refuses to even try to run it. Unless the decrypt file runs the .exe, it could be a waste....I'm very unlikely to go do something I don't understand ahead of time.
Re: Torchy Jones Quintet
Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 7:47 pm
by ppalan
This is beginning to look like I've got a stake in this site. I do not. I believe the site is run/owned by Dave Gannett. I purchased the album in question several years ago. The procedure, I seem to recall, was somewhat different. I actually got several albums and there weren't (at the time) any glitches that I recall. Again, I have no personal interest in this enterprise. I was just passing along info/experience that I thought might be of use to others.
Pete
Re: Torchy Jones Quintet
Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 11:09 pm
by eupher61
Dave Gannet is a good guy (and used to lurk around here, but may not do that anymore). If you've ever heard "Tubas from Hell", that's him. Harvey Phillips' student at New England Conservatory, legendary trad jazz player. I know the site had some glitches a few years ago that caused him to take it down for a while, but last I bought something, like a year ago, it was just fine. Read the directions he gives, it all works out. Mary Ann, you should be able to override your computer's balking at the .exe
There is a contact on the page for Dave, too, if you really can't make something work. He'll help if he can, and if it's obvious you're having stupid issues caused by the site.
Re: Torchy Jones Quintet
Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2014 11:49 pm
by Art Hovey
Dave is the only guy I know who studied with Bill Bell, Harvey Phillips, AND Rich Matteson. And he also has a black Buescher BBb helicon, but it only has three valves.
