Calling All Cimbasso Players

[Timswisstuba]

Ok, I'll be the first to bite.

I own a cimbasso in F with 5 rotary valves. I made it with a friend in Italy. I freelance with it here in Switzerland. In addition to opera, I also play jazz on it. It was last seen at the Montreux Jazz Festival.

cimbasso sm.jpg

[Sam Gnagey]

I use my cimbasso whenever appropriate. As many of you know I build them in Eb and F. You can hear me playing my Eb on a very interesting piece with the Buffalo Philharmonic. It's Tyberg's Symphony #3 which is being released on Naxos on September 1. It's a great work in the style of Mahler/Strauss using the full forces of their instrumentation...tuben, Hecklephone and all. My part was intended for contrabass trombone. The composer died in a Nazi concentration camp during WW II. They discovered that he was something like 1/8 Jewish and put him away. You'll also enjoy Don Harry's great tuba playing on the CD.
Here's a picture of one of the Ebs that I built:

[J.c. Sherman]

I have an use Cimbasso regularly. I've been through two now, and am building another as we speak. I have recorded with my quintet on it, use it there often, and have preformed several operas on it. I've also used it in orchestral performances as both a "cimbasso" and Contrabass Trombone.

Currently, I play an instrument in F with a slide and 2 valves. It's not really proportioned like a traditional F contrabass trombone... it's more of a shortened BBb. I'm currently building a Cimbasso very close to the Trombone Contrabasso Verdi and Puccini specifically worked with, as well as an F instrument for early Italian parts which are often difficult to sort out the "is it a Pellitone/valved Ophicleide/Viennese tuba/WTF?!?" issue.

A valve section for the silde instrument is coming soon.

My first instrument was a CC.

J.c.S.