Lately I have been listening a lot to the DG recordings of Bernstein/NYPO from the eighties (Ives 2, Mahler 2+3, Copland 3!). Incredibly exciting, must be some of the best brass playing ever! Does anyone know which year Alessi moved from Bach to Edwards? Mid nineties maybe? Was he using a straight regular yellow brass 42 before his Edwards?

Joe Alessi joined the New York Philharmonic as Principal Trombone in the Spring of 1985.

I think these DG recordings were made that Fall - his "rookie year!"

I’m pretty sure he was using a straight 42 with a Denis Wick 5Al on those recordings. Still my favorite Alessi sound and maybe the greatest orchestral trombone sound ever recorded.

He moved to the Edwards around 1991 or so.

[quote="chromebone"]I’m pretty sure he was using a straight 42 with a Denis Wick 5Al on those recordings. Still my favorite Alessi sound and maybe the greatest orchestral trombone sound ever recorded.

He moved to the Edwards around 1991 or so.[/quote]
Cant remember the cup, but it was a 3AL rim.. <EMOJI seq="1f609" tseq="1f609">😉</EMOJI>

Mr. Alessi had a variety of mouthpieces, but there are photos of him using a Denis Wick, as well as a Bach with a 3 rim before going to Black/Hill.

His 42 was a straight bell section with a rose brass slide that Glenn Dodson gave him. He also had at least one 42 with a thayer valve for when the rep called for it, probably a mod on his original 42B he used with the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Joe was playing a Bach 42 - both straight and (stock) trigger versions with a Wick 5BL and 5AL (depending on the rep.) when he first went to NYP from Montreal (he was playing that equipment when MSO came through town here on tour, after he had won the NYP job, and was to start there in the fall). During his first few years in NY, he played some other Bach's, including a Thayer version that he told me he wasn't too sold on - it took a few tries on Thayer instruments before he found what he liked and moved to Edwards. Also, he and the rest of the section started moving to larger mouthpieces, starting with some experiments combining larger rims on more conventional cups - working with Greg Black at his old shop (Black & Hill). They may have also made some Bach combinations first, before starting to make their own versions with large sized rims mated to smaller cups.

The straight 42 from Glenn Dodson came a bit later, after Glenn retired from the Philadelphia Orchestra. That was a Mt. Vernon horn that had been given to Dodson by his former teacher - Gusicoff (sp?) - a former Philadelphia principal. That 42 provided some of the inspiration for the 396A Edwards, although the new horn wasn't exactly a "copy".

There are some "pirated" copies of Joe's first solo appearance with the NYP playing the Creston - Fantasy in those early years. It just sounds easy when he plays it. Great orchestra recordings as well from that time.

Jim Scott

[quote="CalgaryTbone"]

The straight 42 from Glenn Dodson came a bit later, after Glenn retired from the Philadelphia Orchestra. That was a Mt. Vernon horn that had been given to Dodson by his former teacher - Gusicoff (sp?) - a former Philadelphia principal.

Jim Scott[/quote]

That's Charles (Charlie) Gusikoff. Trombonist with the PO from 1931-1959. Also Henry Charles Smith's teacher, among others.

That Mahler 2 recording was a very important inspiration for me...not the recording itself per se, but I was given a ticket to an open rehearsal for it through my HS band program on Long Island, and sitting there hearing that was one of the factors that pointed me towards a career in music as a trombonist.

Anyway, I talked with Joe about it once and told him how important it was to me. He told me a funny story: for one of the performance he was caught in such a terrible traffic jam on (I think) the Tappan Zee bridge that he abandoned his car there, walked the rest of the way over the bridge, and got to the hall very close to the downbeat.

[quote="CalgaryTbone"]

There are some "pirated" copies of Joe's first solo appearance with the NYP playing the Creston - Fantasy in those early years. It just sounds easy when he plays it. Great orchestra recordings as well from that time.

Jim Scott[/quote]

I would be interested in hearing this.

I have heard the tape, but it isn't a legal recording with the appropriate fees paid to Joe and the orchestra. Even if I could track it down, I would not feel comfortable sharing it, particularly on a forum like this. I would not be surprised if the NYP decides to make some sort of commemorative recording of Joe's solo appearances and some of his major moments in the orchestra when he decides to retire, as they did for Phil Smith when he retired as Principal Trumpet. I would expect the Crsston would be included if it's in their archives.

Jim Scott