TromboneChat

I just came across someone playing the jazzophone - a trumpet with bell curved forward like a saxophone.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jazzophone

It occurs to me a valve trombone could be shaped that way and be useful in a tight pit or other small area. Has that been done?

Yes, except it was a larger-bore horn in F—the cimbasso! (The modern instrument, not the historical one.)

The wikipedia link shows a two-belled instrument. Other photos I’ve seen have a single bell. IIRC, an American company (Martin?) made a small production run of jazzophones in the 30’s or 40’s.

On a more serious note, a repair tech with enough time (!) and parts could likely re-arrange some of the tubing or substitute parts to create that shape. It would certainly be a unique instrument. The sound project upwards from the floor would be interesting.

tenor Normaphone

John Sandhagen once built a Bb tenor "something" in that shape with a five-ish position slide and an f-attachment. I think there's a video floating around FB of me playing (well, making an attempt to play) it.

timothy42b wrote: ↑Sat Jan 27, 2024 6:55 am It occurs to me a valve trombone could be shaped that way and be useful in a tight pit or other small area. Has that been done?

A flugabone or trombonium would get the job done.

I think a saxophone-shaped trombone should have a similarly cute name. Saxbut?

If we want to be extremely, disgustingly pedantic, a one-bell sax-shaped brass instrument is called a normaphone, while one with a second echo bell is called a jazzophone.

Tenor normaphones have been custom made here and there. I've never seen a tenor jazzophone, but I wouldn't be surprised if it exists. And I've certainly never seen an alto normaphone or jazzophone. Sopranos are way more common (relatively), which I would guess is just because there are so many dirt cheap old student trumpets and cornets floating around.

As for pit use, there are a few tenor valve trombones out there with the cimbasso L shape, such as the Jürgen Voigt J-24-CL. But a garden-variety flugabone is infinitely more practical for that purpose than one of those or a normaphone/jazzophone.

Finetales wrote: ↑Sun Jan 28, 2024 12:11 am If we want to be extremely, disgustingly pedantic, a one-bell sax-shaped brass instrument is called a normaphone, while one with a second echo bell is called a jazzophone.

I didn’t know this. Organology reveals its secrets only to those inducted into the Order of Extremely, Disgustingly Pedantic Organologists.

Yes, it was done:

https://collections.ed.ac.uk/mimed/reco ... s+trombone

My first thought was that with one of these things, you'd gain the ergonomic advantage of a neck strap. But I don't see an attachment point. The weight seems supported by the pinky hook. In that University of Edinburgh photo, the angle of the mouthpiece receiver makes me think most players would need the whole instrument to go to the player's right side, like a bari sax. Which means the left arm can't do much holding.

My first thought is how little fun these might be for your face. It's hard enough to play the trombone with more-or-less complete control of the mouthpiece on your chops, and at least with euph and tuba the instrument is stable on your lap. (Having said that, ophicleide isn't too bad, so...)

I added a bit about the Normaphone to the valve trombone article. That article still needs work, but one thing at at time...

There used to be a guy from Boston who played Normaphone jazz gigs in DC about once or twice a year. I don't remember his name but I think that was his main instrument.