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Al Cohn - Playing a Personaline?

6K views 40 replies 11 participants last post by  Kritavi 
#1 ·
Hey I was just wondering if I'm right about this... does anyone have first-hand knowledge? In this video, it sure looks like a Brilhart Personaline... in hard rubber I think (it looks a bit brownish).
I ask because I've never seen him playing anything other than his standard short shank Soloist, or what looks like a Tone Master on some 1950s records.
This couldn't be an S80, could it? The shank on the Personalines looks a lot like an S80, but my money says this is a Personaline.
 
#10 ·
Well I've got one of these hard rubber Personalines and I managed to upload this photo of me playing it from my phone...
https://vault.myvzw.com/webcs/app/share/invite/sa8ulRY0VU
I hope this link works.
This is it and I call it the Ultimate Sleeper, disguised as an S80, with Selmer ligature and I even have the cap to match.
And I do believe this is what Al is playing in those videos from the 1980s.
Again, none of this really matters... I'm just curious.
 
#17 ·
The Dukoff was bought from Artie Pincus- When Artie told me I could imagine that on that Selmer he played. I always took note the legends were trying newer pieces. Eg- Eddie Barefield had a Lawton. . you guys know what I mean. Big George had a Lawton. . . etc.

My thought on the odd shaped piece...my guess would be- Proto type Vandoren piece! Al was tight with Kenny Davern- Kenny hooked guys into the Vandoren circle and also Kenny gave Al a few RIA's he had. ( the RIA crystal clarinet pieces were very good. Exact!) In the Poland video I'd bet ya that was a Vandoren proto-type! That was the era Vandoren copied Mulligans piece....I forgot the guys name at Vandoren but he was very good. Jean Paul ....?? somebody like that. Just a thought.

But also I do remember a hard rubber Personaline Frank Wells had in State street shop that he re-faced for Al. It was open. . And he said Al used a 2 reed.
So what looks like a Brill....just might be. Also Wells was known to alter the outside of the piece if he felt the urge!:bluewink:

Then again...I bet Al's son Joe ( great guitarist) has all that stuff as he was playing his dad's tenor a few years ago as well.

I got all these cassette tapes Dick Hafer made me of Al in LA with Lou Levy, he sounded fantastic all the time. I'm gonna go listen now- Dick made a cassette of each set the entire week.
 
#18 ·
One more thought -

One of those long hard rubber pieces...might be a Frank Wells hard rubber piece. They had a long shape- and were quite good. The projection on that one vid reminded me...it just might be a Frank Wells!
 
#36 ·
#32 ·
Well that is the best picture yet of this mouthpiece so I went and grabbed my HR Personaline, and I disagree with Jim that the shank in the photo looks "a little long". Its proportions are WAY longer. Also, the beak is not scalloped out (cut low) where it meets the body, which is how the Personaline is.
Somebody had it on pretty good authority that Al played a Vandoren in this period, which may have had some custom/prototype aspects to it, so I'm pretty sure that is what we're looking at here.
 
#34 ·
Al's granddaughter Shaye Cohn has a really fine trad group called Tuba Skinny, and she is one hell of a good cornet player.
Al's son, Joe Cohn (Shaye's father) is also an incredible jazz guitarist.



The force is strong in that family - see nice picture below - 4 generations of Cohns: grandfather Dave, Al (62), Shaye (5) and Joe. - November 24, 1987 (Thanksgiving).

Trousers Jeans Shoe Furniture Couch
 
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