Lionel

Five years ago: Vibraphone virtuoso Lionel Hampton died in New York City at age 94.

Mutiny In the Roy Ayers Band

Showbiz but pretty cool!!!

Bells and Bells and Bells.

I Dug this

I never heard of John Cocuzzi. Are these New Orleans ‘cats’? They swing. I dig John’s playing.

More About Deagon

My Atlantic City gig is over. For about 2 months I played on THAT beautiful Deagon Vibraphone.

I remember being on a message board. I was arguing with some other players as to what the best sounding instrument was. My pick was Musser. One guy chimed in a couple of times about Deagon. I kept thinking who’s this loser talking about some instrument they don’t even make any more. Well, that loser was Terry Gibbs!! Definitely not a loser!!

Well I knew I was defeated. Sure taste is taste, but this ‘cat’ played all over the world he had played on many different vibraphones and he knew more than me.

Move forward several years to my Atlantic City gig. Resorts Casino has a set of Deagons (Don’t know the model) from their Merv Griffin Days. That instrument played behind all the great crooners. Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy, Tony Bennet.

I would show up a little early each night before the gig just to play on them and listen. While the bars were a little smaller I fell in love with the sound. What a beautiful instrument. I loved that fact that it was a warm sound but had a lot of ‘cutting’ highs.

I felt like I could see what inspired Milt, Terry and Cal back in the day. I could see how that sound would cut through a big band, how it would work in a small band with amplification like it was then.

I would love to own a Deagon, just to play on it and get that sound. I mention in another post, I wish Musser or Yamaha would make those bars again.

Any Deagon players out there? Are you loyal? I can see why!

Deagon

Man I’ve been playing that instrument for a month over at Resorts in Atlantic City. It gets me thinking about the times and jazz way back, and more.

I usually warm up for a while on the instrument and just listen to it. I’d love to hear from a Deagon player.

To me it sounds like an instrument that sounds best when played louder than softer. At a medium volume it sounds soooo beautiful. Terry Gibbs said it is ‘the’ best sounding instrument. I see what he means when I play it. I bet sticks were different back then. You think? Made for different instruments maybe?

I don’t like the bars being so close. However 4 mallet playing was not what it is now. I still wonder if the musser ‘enabled’ 4 mallet playing to expand… Unless there were deagon models with the same width?

I don’t know and I’m not an expert but I just dig thinking about it and speculating. Why don’t other manufacturers offer instruments with different sounds, you know like linux distributions (computer geeks know what I mean). Why can’t I buy a Musser vibes with a deagon sound.

Well just posting some stuff in my head. My wife reads this and laughs. Imagining vibe players talking about this stuff is funny to her!!!