Alto Big Band mouthpiece?

[Saxaholic]

Anyone have a big band style mouthpiece they use for lead alto? I would think any lead jazz piece would work....just wondering if opinions differ for the slightly different style.

[Andres]

A HR Meyer is the gold standard for lead alto mpcs, IMHO. A Runyon Custom/Custom Jazz would also work well.

[colibri]

A Morgan 8M or 8E should work in both big band and small combo.

[MS]

THe Runyon XL (Smoothbore is metal version) works well for me if I play in a really loud big band. Otherwise I use a Bill Street 6J.

[super20dan]

i agree with the above post.the runyon x.l is the way to go if you play in a loud big band. also like the beechler diamond inlay and runyon jazz custom . the metal yani can work well too

[The Martin]

I use a V16 A7S on my humble early Bundy alto....
Perfect sounding (though a little (really a little) more power would be welcome)
Warm if I want to, bright if pushed.....
And very comfortable to play.

[MBushaw]

What type of music does your Big Band play?
If it the from the swing era, (30's -50's), an appropriate mouthpiece could be a Soloist D or E to allow easy blending. If you are playing more modern charts, you will probably need something with a lot more edge and volume. If you are playing a combination of old and new, you may want a more flexable piece in the Meyer tradition.
I play mostly swing, When playing lead alto I use a Barone NY 6 HR. When playing alto2 I use a Barone Jazz 5 HR. These give me a fuller sound than a new Meyer, and the NY has a very nice edge when pushed. The Jazz is one of the nicest blending mouthpieces I've ever played. Check for Phil's specials on ebay, they are very good values.

[ralph lh]

Most of the time I use a Meyer HR 7M. I have two, one that is stock and the other that was worked on by Jon V.W. I find that I play Jon's mostly and it works both for ensemble blend as well as for lead. My music varies from traditional big band style to more modern, up-tempo, stuff with a harder edge. For my purposes the Meyer provides the best of all worlds without having to worry about what I'm going to play tonight.

This also means that I don't have to remember to play 'to the mpc' since I'm using the same one, mostly.

However, I also have a Berg Larsen 95 that I pull out every once in a while. This mpc has a much bigger 'bite' and I like the edge to the sound of the alto that this mpc gives. Part of the reason for this is the large baffle and more open tip. The mpc takes a lot more effort to play and I've got to concentrate more on playing it when I do play it.

I would make the point though, that the sound you hear is very much in your head. Tape yourself playing different mpc's to really hear what they sound like. I do believe that most of the sound of a mpc/horn comes from the player, not the equipment.

Bottom line on mpc's - play what YOU feel most comfortable with and are most accustomed to.