Don Menza's setup??

[Keith Ridenhour]

I pulled Channel One Suite off Kazza and was relistening to one of my favorite tenor solos ever. Don tears it up with the Buddy Rich Band. Any clue what tenor and piece set up?. There was a Don Menza hard rubber piece on the market for awhile. Don't know who produced it. K

[CodyW]

I don't know what his setup is, but that is really one heck of a solo. One of my favorites.

[PB]

It is hard to say, because he changes his setup often. I like him most with his Brilhart Tonalin. Other pieces are Berg Larsen metal and rubber - very open. He had his own mouthpiece series. One of my old teachers played with him in the 70s and he still plays Don`s mp. It is a metal mp comparable to a 130/0/m Berg Larsen. VERY loud!! His horns were a SBA in the 60s and early 70s, Mk6, and he now plays Keilwert horns. But I don`t know him personally, so ?????? A friend told me that he has a collection of 30 horns or so: Conn, Selmer, King ... And one of his all-time giants is Gene Ammons.

[super20dan]

i think i have one of his mpcs. it looks like a metal berg but is made of rubber . bullet chamber and duck bill . no markings on it anywhere. i asked on the old form but nobody seems to know

[Keith Ridenhour]

I heard a guy with a great tenor sound (King Perkoff, Northbay performer) and super alt register and asked what piece he was using. He said a Don Menza Hard Rubber. It had a double chamber (whatever that means) and that was why it had the great alt. Very cool. ( This guy sounded good but not as good as Menza.) K

[PB]

The guy you are talking of is not Ben`KING`Perkoff who lives in germany???

[Bill Mecca]

Looks like it's the same guy

http://www.wak.com/music+show/artists/PerkoffBen.html

[PB]

Okay, he is it. I played with him together here in Berlin a few times on some R&R jobs ( this kind of music he plays better than me by far) . A really nice guy a one of the best Rock-Tenors here in town. He has a lot of fans.

[Keith Ridenhour]

Same guy. He used to front a band every sunday at the Grant and Green in San Francisco. Very nice guy. Our band shared a gig with Red Archibald and the Internationsl who Ben was playing with at the time. Ben (king) played one heck of a nice , long version of When A Man loves a woman. We did a group jam on a tune at the end of the gig and I tryed to not embarass myself. Seems like you can "make it" as an RnB player in Europe easier than the states. I had this discussion with a number of people around here wondering if they should go to Europe and leave the 50 dollar bar gigs behind. K

[Andres]

The pro I study with has a menza piece that he picked up in the late 70's. It looks kinda like a silverite Dukoff, it's marked as a .120, and weighs almost nothing. Lightest mouthpiece I've ever held.

[PB]

Dear Keith,
when you think it is easier to get your money as a musician here in Europe, try it. I don`t think so. Just ask my bank!!

[bari_sax_diva]

I recently saw Don at Charlie O's in Los Angeles. He was playing a metal Link... seems like it was 'bout a #7 or so, but if anyone wants me to research this, I'll... ahem... make a sacrifice for the group and head out to see him again.

(Hey, Tuesday is a rehearsal night for me!!!)

Cheers,
Leanne

[Subtone Sam]

PB,I agree with you 100% on that one :(

[PB]

just on this one, dear sam ??

[MikeH]

About Don Menza, one of my all time favorites. A tip for you other Menza fans on the board. Concord records is having a sale of cd's on their backlist. A raft of them are going for $4.00 each, yes, no mistake, $4.00 as in four dollars each. I bought a bunch, including the Louis Belson Quartet "Live at the Jazz Showcase" in Chicago. This disc contains the best sustained Don Menza playing that I am aware of. He is on fire. The sound quality is exceptional also.

[adamsax]

Where do you find these? What is the URL?
Thanks

[jazzbluescat]

About Don Menza, one of my all time favorites. A tip for you other Menza fans on the board. Concord records is having a sale of cd's on their backlist. A raft of them are going for $4.00 each, yes, no mistake, $4.00 as in four dollars each. I bought a bunch, including the Louis Belson Quartet "Live at the Jazz Showcase" in Chicago. This disc contains the best sustained Don Menza playing that I am aware of. He is on fire. The sound quality is exceptional also.

MikeH, I checked that site, no Don Menza, per se, listed. Do you happen to know a good recording that he appears as a sideman[small group]?

[MikeH]

I knew about the sale because I I received a sale catalog in the mail. There doesn't seem to be anything on Concord's web site about the sale. Theonly thing I could suggest is giving Concord a call. I did place my order over the phone.

[alastair]

Hey K, the last time I saw Menza, he came walking out on stage with a Keilwerth black and gold or silver and a mouthpiece that looked like an old Brilhardt Ebolin, you know the plastic huge things? I thought, "hmm, this should be interesting." Well, I sure was right! Menza proceeced to blow the doors off the place and scared every young tenor player in the audience half to death.
I went up to him after the show and he was putting his horn away. He was his reputed "gracious" self. Not! Anyway, who cares? Do you want a doctor who can perform or a nice guy with ten thumbs?
I was in shock for a week after that.

[Tim Price]

Menza is a genius- no question about it.

An innovator AS WELL ...he took all the elements and developed HIS voice.

I heard him play bari on a record of his with Sal Nistico on tenor and Menza was just THERE.On top of the ax big time.When I spoke to Don about Sal on the record he was very humble about Sals talents and beaming with respect.
That sais a lot. Menza and Sal I think are on the same level with guys like Byas etc.They are THAT happening.
When I used to work as a clinican for Guardala one of the highlights
for me was Menza coming to the booth at NAAM to hang out and play.
A interesting guy with no BS or jive.Straight ahead and cool.
He knows more about mouthpieces than anyone, and has chops for days.
I really think he should be as well known as ANYONE.I can't imagine why Menza not on festivals etc in the same ilk as Rollins and others.
Ever hear his tune " Samba De Rollins" ???? AMAZING!!!
Yea, Don Menza..a monster and a man that stands for something.
He did my friend Kenny Hings ( currently W/Basie) mouthpiece recently and it was super.I think he did a berg rubber and a Link for Hing.BTW-Hing is another unsung master tenor bad boy.
I wish the biz of music would pay attention to guys like Menza-he's saying something vital and VIVID on his horns.He needs more exposure.

[Tim Price]

oppps. I also was gonna say..on the Menza mouthpieces.
For years..Ernie Watts played a bronze Menza metal.With a huge tip opening. After that..came the Link w/sculpee wedge that he uses now with the plastic reed.Ernie musta used that Menza piece on a hundreds os soundtracks and records.
Also, Jay Migliori used to have a Menza rubber piece that was really open.
He used that in Super Sax.( Jay also recorded one of my tunes on it to :D ...on a date that was never released. ) BUT-Jay sounded great on the Menza piece.
I think the blanks were from a German source. Zinner? Maybe?
Anyhow- when Don got done with them, whatever they were...they were ready for action big time.

[jazzbluescat]

Tim(anyone),
Could you enlighten me to some of Menza's particularly good recordings(under his name or anyone's, other than MF, preferably small group); you know, specific titles?
[I've read in various places of one or two solos in particular that were absolutely astounding.]

BTW he's been doing it like bitching for quite a while. I caught him live with MF back in the early '60s and he blew my whittle mind freaking away!
:!: :D

[Tim Price]

150 MPH  Louie Bellson

Airmail Special: A Salute To The Big Band Masters  Louie Bellson,

Live At Claudio's  Don Menza/Pete Magadini...

The Louie Bellson Explosion 

Skin Deep Louie Bellson

The Concord Jazz Heritage Series  Louie Bellson, Louie Bellson

Live At The Jazz Showcase  Louie Bellson

Bones Blues  Pete Magadini/Don Menza

[m3pilot]

Buddy Rich's "Mercy, Mercy" album.

AND

There's a video available through that Great Chefs of New Orleans (it's a cooking show on I believe PBS). It's Don playing at Lulu White's Mahogany Hall in New Orleans with Cedar Walton, Sam Noto, Tony Dumas and Ralph Penland. It was shot in early '91 but I just got the video a couple weeks ago. Crazy thing is, I was there in the audience. You can see the back of my balding head in quite a few shots! I was there for the IAJE convention and Menza was there doing a clinic. THe best I can tell from the video is that he was playing a 10M with some kind of hard rubber piece.

He was actually quite gracious when I went and spoke with him after his clinic. Probably because I didn't ask him about music.

The gig was absolutely amazing and the video is a good representation of it. I really can't understand why he hasn't gained more respect and been recorded more. He's one of those guys who seemed to be able to get just about anything out of his horn.

[jazzbluescat]

Muchas gracias.
May the boid o' paradise lay gold aiges for yore GAS. :)

[Kenn]

I took lessons from Don Menza back in the 70's and he made his own mouth pieces then. He brought blanks back from Germany and bored them out in his garage for anyone who wanted one. He chaged $50 for one back then. The were bare brass. I had mine silver plated ten years later, and I'm still playing it. It's the best mouth piece I've ever tried.
He also had a black tenor. Don't know the make, but it was the only black tenor in Los Angeles at the time. It was cool. He said he got it in Germany too. Don is THE BEST.

[Subtone Sam]

I've been listening to the Buddy Rich "Mercy,Mercy,Mercy" live album.Don Menza's work in INCREDIBLE :!: That unaccomppanied cadenza on "Channel 1 Suite" is something else!! This guy has THE chops! And great sound!!!

[CashSax]

True, Don is a total Mind Blower and one of the finest ever in my book..Sal too, those guys are from another planet!! :shock:

[Saxa]

The Mouthpiece. www.saxmouthpiece.com TENOR Don MENZA .140 Metal Brass High baffle model Original Menza model Very FULL & LOUD! $500 TS48

You can see a pic of it, I tried it out......Monster is an understatement. But there's nothing like it.