Sax on the Web Forum banner

Toots Mondello

3K views 6 replies 6 participants last post by  rmbennett 
#1 ·
Hi all,

I've been converting my old records to CD's and did so with an album entitled, "Velvet Brass" which featured Toots Mondello on alto - IMHO, what a great classic lead alto sound! Does anyone have a clue as to what he used for equipment. I'm guessing either a Buescher or Conn?

Any clues,


Burt
 
#3 ·
He used a Paris Selmer Mark 6. My late father, Louis Soloway and Toots were army buddies, and after my father passed away in 1998, my mother gave me A horn that Toots had left in his will to my dad. My father went to N.Y. to visit Toots from time to time. So the sax is gold plated with high F and Toots had added a piece of rounded built up cork to make the octave key higher. Steve Soloway.
 
#4 ·
Here's a Selmer ad picturing the sax section of Kostelanetz' ork at CBS, circa 1936-'37.
Toots' horn show a visible left side bow guard, suggesting a Super or Radio-Improved.

AIUI, New York studio alto players went just about 100 per cent Selmer by the early 1930s. Tenor and bari took much longer to become Selmer-dominant.

I know Chet Hazlett endorsed the Buescher New Aristocrat when he was with Paul Whiteman. Presumably, he either didn't want or couldn't play that horn when he went into radio.
 
#6 ·
Yes, this probably was the horn he used with the Goodman band in 1935 and again in '39-'40. He was featured fairly often with Benny but not much else survives from that era. He always, always, had a beautiful sound - even when I heard him live 50 years later.
 
#7 ·
I own a Selmer Alto "Cigar Cutter" that an excellent source has attributed possibly to Toots Mondello as the previous owner. I wrote directly to paulwl about it. I would appreciate assistance to help identify the previous owner. I bought it in the 1950's from my clarinet teacher, Ernie Mauro. I recall him telling me that it belonged to Jimmy Abato who played it on the Ed Sullivan show. However, I was recently put in touch with Victor Morosco who said that it was unlikely that Abato ever played the Sullivan show and the more likely owner was therefore Toots Mondello, who did play the show. I have attached a picture of the Alto.
 

Attachments

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top