William Lewin, Tuba

[hbcrandy]

I saw a photo in a book entitled the "Encyclopaedia of Music" of a gentleman named William Lewin with a King CC, Artist's Model, rotary valved tuba. Does anyone know anything about Mr. Lewin?

Thank you.

[Chuck Jackson]

A quick Boolean search on Google (William Lewin+tuba) turned up some interesting information. Enjoy!!!

Chuck

[hbcrandy]

Chuck:

Prior to writing the inquiry about Mr. Lewin, I did a Google search that turned up very little. Can you post links to specific articles on Mr. Lewin that you have found in your Google search?

Thank you.

[Bill Troiano]

Bill was a Long Island musician. I think he was a teacher, but he also played in the Long Island Symphony, a per service orchestra at the time. I subbed for him when he couldn't do a gig. This is back in the mid 70's. Many years before that, he played with Guy Lombardo. When I got the Lombardo gig in 1976, I wanted to use a CC just because I was nervous about screwing up on the gig and CC was all that I played for years. In hindsight, a BBb would have been a much better choice for the sound. Guy only insisted that I use a bell-front tuba. I knew Bill had one. So, I ended up buying his King CC with 2 bells and using that with the Lombardo band. After I left the band, I sold the tuba to Joe Burton. Bill passed away several years ago.

[Mikelynch]

I could be wrong, but I think Bill played with the National Symphony, maybe in the late 50's or early 60's (maybe after Louis Pirko).

He has also been listed as playing with the Band of America. I know a couple of people who knew Bill, and both always spoke very highly of his playing.

[Bill Troiano]

That sounds right, Mike. I'm not sure that he was a teacher, unless he did that after the Nat. Sym gig.

[hbcrandy]

Bill and Mike:
Thanks for the information. Was Lewin a Bill Bell student?

Mike:
Did you buy an "Artist's Model" King rotary valved CC tuba back in the 1980's? Was that Lewin's tuba?

Bill:
Also, back in the 1980's you advertised a 4 piston valved King CC tuba with a .750" valve bore that I considered buying. Was that the tuba that Lewin used with Guy Lombardo? I wound up with a 5 piston valved King CC tuba that I got from Warren Deck. Was the tuba that I got from Deck the same one you had for sale. Warren's tuba supposedly came from Fred Geib.

[Ken Herrick]

I don't know that this will be any real help to you but, thouht I would pass it on anyway.

Very late in 70. or more likely early 71, Harvey "suddenly" had a King 4rv CC. I vaguely recall him having said that it formerly belonged to a tubist with Lombardo. "He" had also done some TV backing things "The Thin Man ???? It had just been overhauled with a clear lacquer finish and looked like new. It seemed to have been a pretty good restoration job except for the valves.

I realligned the valves, installing neoprene bumpers and retensioned (possibly replaced) the springs and lapped the valves in. Unfortunately whoever had done the job was not very good with rotary valves and the edges of the ports were a bit rounded resulting in them not being as air tight as they should have been. This could have been rectified.

As I recall there was only an upright bell and no cases with it. I played on it a fair bit and would have liked to buy it to go along with my BBb King. It played quite nicely - better than the MW "Bell" models which were a direct copy of the King. Tuning was not quite as good as my BBb, but again better than the MW.

The big attraction was the "easier" more focused top end and the sound. It was more"focused" and a bit more compact (and MUCH nicer than the MW) and to me was more suitable for what was desired on the east coast. (The big "Jacobs" sound had not quite taken over there at this stage.) All in all it was an instrument most anybody would have been pleased with - IMO.

Harvey was selling this and told me not to bother buying as the new Conn 2J would be out soon and I was to get one of the first ten - gratis. I Still would have liked to buy it though!
I believe it sold for something like $800 and he had me drive down from Boston and deliver it to the new owner in Manhattan. Sorry, I can't recall the new owners name.

This instrument was a bit smaller bore than the .750 of my BBb and I think the serial number was something like 210xxx which made it a bit newer than mine with 180xxx.

[Bill Troiano]

I believe Bill was a Bill Bell student.

That must be the same horn that I sold back in the 80's to Joe Burton.. And, it would be the horn Bill Lewin sold to me. I can't say for sure that he used it in the Lombardo band. I really don't remember what he might have told me. Warren's tuba was not the same horn.

[Bob-Tuba]

My father -- originally from Aurora, IL -- went to:

• Julliard (BA)

• Columbia (MA-teaching)

Bill Bell taught him.

He was already an accomplished tubist by the time he graduated high school, so they put him in the Navy Band -- on a very big boat, bringing troops back from Europe after WWII ended.

He played:

• With Guy Lombardo, before I was born.

• In the New Orleans, National and Long Island Symphonies. I know he was playing in the National Symphony prior to 1955, I know, and in 1960. We lived on Long Island in 1964.

• In the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

• On Broadway: "Around the World in 80 Days"; "Stop the World, I want to Get Off"; "A Stranger Among Us."

• In the Goldman Band, summers, with his very good friend Bill Barber (Massapequa Symphony tubist), in the Central Park band-shell.

• I don't know where all else.

• He played a C tuba in the LI Symphony. In the Goldman Band, he played a silver-plated, bell front, rotary valve, B-flat, Buescher tuba with a gorgeous sound that was later sold to a tubist in Texas.

• He was known for playing loudly. His philosophy was that if you can't be heard, there's no point playing.

• My father taught band in two secondary schools on Long Island.

[Bob-Tuba]

I saw a photo in a book entitled the "Encyclopaedia of Music" of a gentleman named William Lewin with a King CC, Artist's Model, rotary valved tuba.

I would love to have a photo or poster of my dad. I don't have any.

Does anyone know anything about Mr. Lewin?

I know a thing or two. Mainly I just did my best to respond to what I read here in this thread.

Thanks for sharing that, sir. Very interesting stuff!

My pleasure. If there's anything else you'd like to know, please feel free to ask.

[Josephaud]

Hello,

I have been sifting through some open reel tapes, and I have found a recording of William Lewin playing the Mozart Bassoon Concerto transcribed for Tuba!

Where it came from? I don't know! But I've transferred it to digital.

Jeff

[Josephaud]

Here's a link to the recording on Soundcloud.

I just uploaded it.

Jeff

https://soundcloud.com/josh-joseph-10/m ... -lewin-441" target="_blank