Theo Wanne Tenor Durga pass around

[Spooner]

Hello all,

Theo asked me to organize a pass around for the Theo Wanne tenor Durga mouthpiece, so here it is!! This is a pretty amazing, very unique piece and I'm pretty excited for people to play it.

The rules will be similar to our previous pass arounds on SOTW:

1) Once the mouthpiece is recieved, please PM me to let me know who has it and where it is, and I will message you back letting you know who the next peron in line is, and their contact info.

2) You may keep the mouthpiece for up to 5 days.

3) After five days you commit to shipping the mouthpiece on to the next person on the list, using the provided packaging.

4) Add your thoughts to a Durga review thread (to be started by the 1st person in line--I will edit this post to have a link after it's started)


The Durga will be a size 8 tip opening (.110").


If you are interested, please PM me with your information:

SOTW USER NAME
ACTUAL NAME
ADDRESS
EMAIL ADDRESS
PHONE NUMBER


PLEASE NOTE!! since I'm now coordinating a number of separate pass arounds (I am organizing a Kali pass around as well), please specify which mouthpiece you are wanting to try out in your PM to me-----------thanks!

[Spooner]

The list is growing...

The Durga will go out today to the first person on the list---and so it begins!

[Tim Price]

LET ME SAY THIS- Theo sent me some DURGAS.

Theo is one serious and creative human being. I see it myself in these pieces. There is no conclusion- this man is a work in progress.

He is about change, Nothing is a done deal in sonics; we study to enter the flow of change, to find new ways, new ideas, new challenges. Theo is on that path.I'll be right behind him, I've known him for a long time and the DURGA is something from a deep place.
Also it has Philly soul which is a nutha' part of Theo. He is a unique soul today, in this life, he's open, respectful, curious, compassionate.

I enjoy the serious dedication that he put into these pieces called DURGA.

YOU GUYS ARE GONNA LOVE THEM!!:)


PS- If Dexter Gordon was alive today- He'd be all over everything Theo does.
They have that essence and that dexterity. I put the new Durga on my baritone sax and hours sweep by-It is really something else. But- more on that later.

[Eye Kwubeck]

Tim, could you give a comparison between the Durga and the Kali?

[Tim Price]

Tim, could you give a comparison between the Durga and the Kali?


Eye do you have SKYPE ?

I 'd love to play them both for you, and have you describe what you heard here!!

I love them both, and they are amazing pieces but...I think to play them for a person whom is interested like you might be fun. An something SOTW needs. I mean I could say about the DURGA that it's tone is as wide as a Cadillac and has the precision of a surgeon.There is a bold attack clearly in BOTH pieces: A Theo benchmark.

These Theo pieces make it easy to get to the places I hear. The depth of the tenor is very much in attendance in both pieces.

If you would like Eye- I'd play these for you on SKYPE and you can let SOTW folks know what you heard. Could be some fun-and educational. There is some serious parameters of sonic enhancement in these pieces and I enjoy them very much.

Eye, get me @ timpricejazz if you got a SKYPE account and lets set a meeting time on Skype to do this. I look forward to it. Thank you.:)

[bongop57]

Spooner- Any plans for a passaround on the upcoming alto piece(s)? If so, sign me up right now!

[DanF]

Spooner, Once the passaround starts will we be informed as to an approximate date we will recieve them? Thanks

[Spooner]

I'll be messaging each person before they receive the piece to try out. I'm trying to include each person's position on the list when I respond to the PM's for people signing up, just so they can extrapolate when they might be getting the Durga to try out---it's a bit of an imperfect method because shipping days are going to vary, and folks might not hang on the piece for the full five days.

If any of you ever get antsy and want an update, feel free to PM me and I'll let you know how far off it is.

[saxplayer59]

I would like to be added to the pass around list please. Now playing a Sugal KWll copper 8* for 2 years and love it. Would be very interesting to see if it out performs it.

[magical pig]

Count me in!

Victor.

[MyMartinTenor]

Well, I've had this for my allotment of 5 days now, so I guess I have to send it on. But man, I want to KEEP THIS MOUTHPIECE! (Don't worry, Theo, I won't, but wow.....)

I've always questioned Theo's pieces. "Can it really be worth $800? Can any mouthpiece really be THAT different?" The answer to both questions is a seriously resounding "H*** YES!"

I've played a LOT of pieces over the years. I tend to like larger chamber, lower baffle pieces. Although right now I have a Sakshama-refaced STM 7* and a Berg 120/2 HR SMS in the case. The STM satisfies my straight-ahead jazz needs, and the Berg is for rock/blues/etc.

This Durga is unlike anything I've ever played. I can absolutely see why a pro would find it worth $800. The volume, clarity, and focus are unlike anything else I've blown. Volume-wise, this easily whipped my 120 Berg (which is a LOUD sucker!). It is the purest, clearest sound I've ever gotten from a mpc.

In terms of bright/dark, I was shocked. I fully expected this to be a bright screamer. But its not (at least not necessarily). Yes, it can scream pretty nicely when pushed all the way (which takes some real air). But the depth of tone is so amazing that I could really manage a very competent modern jazz sound on it, even with the baffle size. I believe I could easily take this to a straight ahead jazz combo gig and blend in -- that's truly amazing for this style piece.

The response is sickeningly fast. Truly, amazingly fast. It sounds instantly, and I was having fun trying to rip off those Potter licks that run up from B3 toward F3 and then drop and continue from B1 to G1 -- the mpc kept up (even if I couldn't! ha). Altissimo is as easy as anything I've played.

Basically, this is a totally unique design, and very worthy of the $800 for a pro.

BUT, THIS IS NOT A MOUTHPIECE FOR BEGINNERS (even if they could afford the price). The response is so fast, and the tone so clear, that any articulation flub BLASTS out, amplified 100,000 times. The pitch bending is so easy that, on a rock performance, I was pulling pitches down many full steps and back up a full tone sharp, without trying hard at all. For an inexperienced player uncomfortable with their pitch, this is WAAAY too easy to pull off center.

In terms of setup, I had GREAT results on my '54 The Martin tenor. The naturally big and spread sound of my The Martin was a wonderful mix with this mouthpiece -- the mouthpiece clarified and complemented all the great depth of my horn. I had great experience with quite a number of different reeds (java 3s, V16 3s, RJS 3H, in particular). Most interestingly, my favorite were 3.5 rico orange box BARITONE reeds, which just SCREAMED with the lig back in a farther-back position -- I really urge everyone else to try this to give a bari reed a blow. Very cool compliment to the mpc.

I used it at a rock/blues jam tonight, and got 3 offers for gigs, for whatever that says. (Someone video'd it and is supposed to send me a copy -- if i get it, I'll post it).

Basically, I'm blown away. Personally, I'd like to try one step darker in Theo's arsenal, because I think with just 1/2 step darker I could use it for EVERYTHING with ease. Theo is doing cool, cool work. I'm stunned.

Edit: spelling

[alastair]

MyMartin, see if you can't get a hold of a Gaia. For me, it's the perfect blend of darkness and brightness. Good report, BTW. I agree totally with your assessment. Theo's pieces are very much worth the price.

[MyMartinTenor]

Here's a youtube video from last nights jam on the Durga....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5WWhTJjZfM