Havana Palava is a World music street band which sports fabulous hot pink outfits and plays African, Caribbean, Gypsy, Klezmer and Blues around at festivals, community events, and more, bringing a great carnival vibe.
a mirror to the diversity of creative musical activity, welcoming all those, whatever their origins, who respond to a spirit that celebrates the right to be different, to challenge orthodoxies and to find ways of working with others
Past and coming up
some past gigs – Wetlands Festival [Alphington – Fairfield]; HonkOZ [ Wollongong NSW Honkfest]; Port Fairy Folk Festival; The Pleasure Garden, St Kilda; Edinburgh Gardens festival Fitzroy; Brunswick Music Festival; Preston Market; Save Preston Market; Ballarat Begonia Festival; the unique Fish Creek Tea Cosy Festival; Natimuk Frinj Festival; Melbourne Fringe Parade and Lygon Street BLOCK PARTY, and many more
Harry B. Jay was a cornet player in what was America’s best-known internationally renowned Sousa band, which was based in Illinois not far from Chicago. In around 1909 he set up Columbia Band Instrument Company.
His Columbia instruments were renowned and widely used in Chicago, a major jazz center. You hear the sounds of his instruments on recordings of the 1920s – the cornet you hear played by George Mitchell in Jelly roll Morton’s Red Hot Peppers, the trumpet cornets you hear played by King Oliver and Louis Armstrong in King Oliver’s Dixie Syncopators, and the trumpet cornet you hear played by Jabbo Smith of the Rythm Aces.
George Mitchell played one of the cornets on all the Jelly Roll Morton recordings (and others) as did Tommy Ladnier in those of the Original Dixieland Jazz Band. A lot of other traditional jazz band cornet players used H.B. Jay Columbia instruments in the 1910s and 1920s. One anecdote about H.B. Jay instruments coming into 1920s jazz in Chicago is from cornet player George Mitchell –
“When I made the [Red Hot Peppers] records with Jelly Roll, I used a Harry B. Jay cornet, made here in Chicago. The reason I bought that Jay cornet was, I was working with Jimmie Noone at an after-hours club down on 35th Street, and Muggsy Spanier used to come and sit in with us. One night I was telling him that my horn was going bad and that I needed a new one. He mentioned the Jay he had and said, “You can play that tonight.” He left the cornet there, and I liked the tone so much that I went to the factory the next day and bought one, a Jay. That’s what I used on those records. …”
Exactly when Louis Armstrong first played trumpet is a topic of jazz folklore, but what is beyond doubt is that in 1918 he went to Hollis Music where for a price of $68 a Harry B. Jay trumpet/cornet was purchased for him. It came with two alternative detachable mouthpipes, one to take a cornet mouthpiece, and one to take a trumpet mouthpiece. Whether or not Louis had a preference for one, or for the other, or for choosing the shank according to the sound he wanted for the next tune, is virtually impossible to tell visually because they look the same.
Harry B. Jay produced just over ten thousand Columbia instruments between about 1910 and the late 1920s after: they included violins, several varieties of trumpets, cornets and trumpet cornets, euphoniums, trombones, and other instruments. The quality of H.B.Jay instruments is fantastic, in terms of playability, design, construction, and sound. But more than that, they are truly icons of the jazz age.
In Australia, where mostly British instruments – Besson, Higham, Hawkes, Boosey & Hawkes – and some Bohemian instruments held sway in our Musical instrument stores, Harry B. Jay instruments were not marketed at all. Jay instruments are rare anywhere, but outside the US are even more so. One player from the UK [Mike Durham famed for his Newcastle Jazz parties] had a major collection of Jay instruments.
Date of manufacture and serial numbers
This instrument was made by Harry B. Jay of Chicago in approximately 1917. I have sighted a cornet guarantee certificate for serial number 2210 with a verifiable date of 27 August 1915; and I know of a “vocal cornet” serial 3239 verifiably purchased 17 August 1915. I know of another cornet serial number 3827, which was shipped to a man in Indiana in 1916. I have an H.B. Jay valve trombone serial 3578 which was shipped with a guarantee dated 17 April, 1917. I mention these serial numbers and dates because they show that without documentation it’s impossible to be sure of dates.
This trumpet cornet is over a century old
Tuning
Tuning can be adjusted in three ways: by moving the mouthpipe in or out [and then tightening the screw], by moving the tuning slide in or out [it’s designed to allow a quick key change to A] or by the bell tuning slide located on the bottom left.
Around 1916 The Martin company introduced its “Superlative” removable shank model trumpets possibly looking to replicate the H.B. Jay two shank system.
Reverse leadpipe patent
The tuning mechanism is the subject of a Harry B. Jay patent. Design-wise this telescopic tuning slide is based on a tuning slide patent registered by Harry B. Jay which these days would be described as for a reverse tuning slide or reverse lead pipe: the patent can be found online. It is fair to say that whilst other early 20th century makers, particularly in Chicago, utilised reverse lead pipe tuning, Harry B. JAY used it on all his brass instruments [except for the Arrigoni model trumpet].
Step bore construction
The tuning slide on this instrument comes out of the leadpipe and then expands over its length and leaves the tuning slide at a slightly larger diameter, making this a step bore instrument. Holton, whose manufacturing would still have been Chicago based when this instrument was made, also used a reverse lead pipe tuning slide, but his instruments – perhaps because of his relationship with Herbert Clarke who seems to have been unrepentantly bent on preserving the traditional form of cornet which bears both their names — did not use a step bore.
The jazz age: cornets before trumpets
The Columbia trumpet/cornet invented and manufactured by Harry B. Jay straddles the period of the jazz age in which in which cornets in jazz bands were still mandatory: it was politically incorrect to play trumpet. These attitudes are evidenced by cornet virtuoso Herbert Clark in a letter to a young Elden Benge [later a Trumpet player in the Detroit Symphony and the Chicago Symphony, and an instrument builder] on 13 January 1921. He wrote –
My dear Mr.Benge:-
Replying to yours of the 19th just received, would not advise you to change from Cornet to Trumpet, as the latter instrument is only a foreign fad for the time present, and is only used properly in large orchestras of 60 or more, for dynamic effects, and was never intended as a solo instrument.
‘ I never heard of a real soloist playing before the public on a Trumpet. 0ne cannot play a decent song even,properly,on it,and it has sprung up in the last few years like “jaz” music which is the nearest Hell, or the devil, in music.
In Louis Armstrong’s later reflections about that era he said, in his own words [“Satchmo” at page 213]-
Of course in those early days we did not know very much about trumpets. We all played cornets. Only the big orchestras in the theaters had trumpet players in their brass sections. It is a funny thing, but at that time we all thought you had to be a music conservatory man or some kind of a big muckity-muck to play the trumpet. For years I would not even try to play the instrument.
McGill Jazz Professor Kevin Dean, an admirer of Jay instruments, has said that the dual bore H.B. Jay Columbia is regarded as one of the primary influences of the celebrated Martin Committee, which he suggests was conceived about 10 years after [ HBJay trumpet #7401 circa 1928] was made. Others could say that to refer to the Jays merely as a “primary influence” falls far short of reality, and that the reality is that the step bore reverse leadpipe Jays are the true genesis of the Committees.
This trumpet/cornet
Will accept any modern mouthpiece
Has good compression – slides pop when you pull them
has very nice typical Chicago engraving
union stamp indicates it was hand made by union members
large bore [measures .464”]
step bore
All slides pull
bell tuning slide [shown]
silver is hardly worn and is in excellent condition without the frequently seen areas of worn silver
Comes with a cornet shank
date of the patent is stamped on the fitting on the lower part of the tuning slide
Comes with a Bach 7C cornet mouthpiece
is expressive and controllable, and a delight to play
some scratches dimples [one on the bell throat which is shown] but overall in excellent vintage condition
the last photograph shows a silver patch, and a very slight mark where the bell has been straightened which is located in line with the end of the main tuning slide
gold wash bell
This trumpet/cornet is completely playable and sounds and feels fantastic.
Brasspedia has an entry about WIMO trumpets in its section on Ernst Modl [https://brasspedia.com/index.phptitle=Ernst_Modl_brass_instruments ]
Wilhelm Monke
Wilhelm Monke (1913–1986), son of brass instrument maker Josef Monke, opened his own independent shop in 1945, which sold a variety of instruments until it closed in 1994. He bought ready-made components and used them to build his instruments. He also bought ready instruments and engraved them with his name. It’s possible that he bought Modl’s instruments, or that he bought the same parts. But I don’t think that Monke made Emo instruments. The ones I found so far have different details but look like more or less like Modl instruments. The serial number 52 would fit in the Modl list, but the number looks a bit weird. And there’s also a Buffet mentioned on Answers.com with the same serial (but without a picture).
That website shows some photos of a silver WIMO –
[from brasspedia.com ][ from brasspedia.com ][ brasspedia.com ]
According to the Grove Music Dictionary – from the article on Josef Monke by Edward A. Tarr –
A second firm, run by Monke’s son Wilhelm Monke (b Cologne, 27 Nov 1913; d Cologne, 8 Aug 1986) and later by Wilhelm’s son Friedrich Wilhelm (Friedhelm) Monke (b Cologne, 19 Feb 1943), existed from 1945 to 1994. A third firm, associated with the second, has been run by Friedrich Wilhelm’s wife Brigitte (née Rose, b Flammersfeld, 20 Sept 1943).
A company by the name Musikhaus Wilhelm Monke GmbH, existed in Köln [Cologne] between about 1980 and 1997. The current Joseph Monke website relates that –
On 1st November 1997 “Josef Monke GmbH” was taken over by Stephan Krahforst (master brass instrument maker) born in 1963 in Cologne.
Beuchel, another brass instrument master [www.Beuchelmusic.de ] relates a background with Wilhelm Monke-
In 1973 Gottfried Büchel began an professional education as a craftsman specialized for wind instruments at company Wilhelm Monke in Cologne. In 1976 he took his apprenticeship certification exam at the Chamber of Crafts in Cologne. After 4 years working at the company of Wilhelm Monke, he moved to the company Josef Monke GmbH, which he already knew from his education time.
In 1982 he subscribed to his craftsman’s examination in Düsseldorf and finished this exam in 1983 with the annual best performance. His produced masterpiece was a F-Tuba in gold brass with 6 valves.
The WIMO [WIlhelm MOnke] brand was used on other instruments including guitars. The formulation of the name is reminiscent of EMO [for Ernst MOdl ] and may have been triggered by it. Modl did make parts as well as stencils. The sharing of parts by brassmakers – whether in Chicago, Indiana, or Europe – is a practice that has always had much to recommend it.
It seems curious that Wilhelm Monke’s significance to the manufacture of musical instruments has been enveloped by a haze of controversy, exemplified by a discussion on www.trumpetenforum.de in which various contributors put quite definite but completely contrasting points of view, in a theme titled “Wilhelm Monke really that bad”. I have several Wilhelm Monke trumpets, and for myself, claims by heavyweight commentators that Wilhelm’s trumpets are not excellent instruments are quite preposterous. A sampling of the trompetenforum comments [some of which relate opinions of others] is –
* Wilhem Monke was one of the first instrument makers in Germany to recreate the legendary Conn Connstellation, and he is said to have done it quite well …
* Unlike his father, Wilhelm Monke did not make any instruments himself. Instead, he has instruments from others … [completely wrong]
* I also have a very nice specimen with a Heckel screw and an “angular” bell bend. Extremely beautiful in sound, very individual. Cannot keep up with modern instruments in terms of intonation and volume. But for me alone it is wonderful to play
* I have been playing a Wilhelm Monke B concert trumpet since 1960 . No other player I’ve played in my long wind career comes close to her. …
* Ansgar Nake from the Blaeserforum did his training at WiMo, as did Bernd Schramm
Another comment relates that Wilhelm fell out with Josef; another that Wilhelm Monke learned the craft of instrument making in his father’s business, but then went into business for himself, and another Wilhelm was the daughter’s brother (cumbersome but son) and, for reasons unknown to me, did not work in his father’s business and did not take over it.. [to be compared with, or seen in the light of, two trumpetmaster forum contributions: first – As far as I know (I used to be at the shop in Köln-Ehrenfeld a lot) the Monkes never were antagonistic, and Wilhelm’s shop was not far away from Josef’s. Wilhelm just spezialized in selling band instruments, and Josef just made trumpets.; and second [the reply] “I have read somewhere that, although Wilhelm wanted to, Josef didn’t let him build complete instruments. Wilhelm started his own business, but most instruments he sold under his own name came from shops in Austria and Czechoslovakia. ]
Yet another comment may hint at the dynamics of paternal/familial approvals or disapprovals occurring :
it may be that Wilhelm Monke had the trumpet from “Papa’s” workshop and then wanted to “adorn himself with strange feathers”, ….
One trumpetmaster forum commentator gave this solemn advice –
When looking for Monke trumpets try to avoid the Wilhelm Monke models. Though nicely looking trumpets, they don’t even come close to “the real thing”. As the story goes, Wilhelm was Josef’s son and Liselotte’s brother. He couldn’t get along with his father and left the family business. He then started his own company by ordering complete instruments elsewhere and stamping them with his own name. These trumpets are often cheap Heckel copies. Good looking trumpets, but not very good players…
Precisely what Liselotte did in the business is somewhat obscure: an article by Johanna Imm [Sophie Drinker Institute] might be taken as suggesting that it was probably business administration, management, and sales:
“The historian Andreas Schulz confirms that in the 19th and 20th centuries women in handicraft households were often responsible for the sale of goods and, when the husband died, they took over the business as a master widow until they remarried. [3] As the daughter of an instrument maker, Liselotte Monke from Cologne also worked in the business administration area of her father’s company and after the death of her father in 1965 took over the management of sales and operations.[4] “
My advice – unless you are either a committed afficionado of the “real thing” stereotype, or you believe father always knows best – is to explore Wilhelm Monke instruments for yourself .
Trumpets built as “Cologne model” are in the tradition of Monke-trumpets. They are heavier and produce a darker sound. Sometimes They require more effort to fill them with air. These were the big stereotypes of rotary-trumpets yesterday
While it may be difficult by now to pin down whether the Wilhelm/Josef dynamic arose squarely because of Wilhelm’s situation as the son of Joseph Monke’s wife, leading to unusual family dynamics, loyalties and precedences, or whether there was a philosophical difference in approach [it is apparent – for example – that Wilhelm liked Jazz, widely regarded by German authorities as the embodiment of musical and cultural decadence – Wikipedia refers to burgeoning hatred of jazz and its subculture infected the entire Nazi party structure that Hitler and his followers were trying so desperately to erect] but none of that should lead to his talents and contributions being minimized so as to ensure that Joseph Monke is the one who is given the credit for anything and everything iconic about the Monke name.
Wilhelm Monke the author
Unfortunately – as far as I am aware – this work by Wilhelm Monke and Horst Riedel, a textbook on Music Manufacturing in Germany has never been officially translated into English. And as I don’t read or speak German, I have had to scan my own copy and – with some trepidation – get an online automatic translation. It is fair to say that the book is a veritable tour de force of the German Musical Instrument trade.
Textbook of the music trade Issued by Wilhelm Monke and Horst Riedel on behalf of the Gesamtverband Deutscher Musikfachgeschafte e.V.
Wilhelm Monke & Horst Riedel p. 195 – trumpetsp.196p.197 posaunes – jazzposaunep.198 – waldhornsp. 199
p. 204
A post war first hand account of a day in the life of the Monke establishment in Cologne
In Stretch: Coming of Age in Post-War Germany the author was among those relocated in what may have been the largest forced resettlement of a population in modern history – the expulsion of at least twelve million people from the former German provinces of East Prussia, Silesia, and Pomerania, as well as from German enclaves in Eastern Europe. West Germany’s population swelled with the arrival of millions of refugees. With housing already scarce, jobs hard to come by, and religious differences often setting them apart, the newcomers were not always welcomed with open arms. STRETCH provides a fascinating glimpse into German life during a period when the country was experiencing a transformative economic recovery, but also at times struggling to confront the shadow of its recent Nazi past.
The book [published 2010] gives an illuminating glimpse into what Wilhelm Monke was doing in that period, and into the way he treated these newcomers. These are Gunter Nisch’s words –
Finally, on our fifth day of looking, [[for work]] we took the tramway to the Ehrenfeld Station and walked a few blocks to the shop owned by Josef Monke. Before going inside we stopped to admire the shiny brass saxophones, trombones, and trumpets in the window. Wilhelm Monke, the owner’s son, greeted Hubert cheerfully, as though they were old friends. He needed an additional apprentice to learn musical instrument making and repair and he wasn’t about to be put off by Hubert’s attitude problem. 207 To my astonishment, Hubert looked up and smiled. “Yes, Herr Monke. I’d love to.” “I could be here tomorrow, Herr Monke.” “Why don’t we make it April first since that’s the traditional time to start an apprenticeship? If you come back here tomorrow, I’ll have the contract ready for you to sign.” Then he turned to me. “I’ll need you back here, too, Herr Nitsch, since your parents can’t come. I assume you’ll be willing to sign as Hubert’s guardian?” “Of course, Herr Monke, and thank you!” I replied, trying my best to sound enthusiastic. Being Hubert’s guardian was a bit more than I had bargained for.
He goes on to relate their return next morning to Cologne-Ehrenfeld to sign the paperwork, and that Wilhelm’s talk turned to Jazz:
“You don’t happen to like jazz, by any chance?” [p. 208] “That’s my favorite kind of music, Herr Monke. How’d you guess?” “Remember yesterday I told you and Hubert that we do repairs for the Cologne Philharmonic and the Opera? I should have also mentioned that our shop serves world famous jazz musicians. When Louis Armstrong, and Jack Teagarden, and Harry James perform in Cologne or in Dusseldorf, chances are they’ll drop by to see us. The reason I mention it, is that I think you’d make an excellent addition to our front-office sales force. When you’re discharged from the army, keep us in mind. If you decide not to go back to Arminius AG, give me a call or, better yet, stop by.”
Perhaps no comment is necessary: but for my part I find this a fascinating and quite compelling account of the man, one which is far, far, removed from the overbearing negative impressions floated by some.
Mouthpieces
Another Trompetenforum.de contributor who in 1963 or 1964 went to Monke and shook hands with old Josef himself, relates that “Josef must have worked until his last day, because my teacher told me that he had suddenly fallen behind his lathe to the ground” also relates visiting Wilhelm once, in about 1970 –
to buy a (cheap) alto trombone and to make a zinc mouthpiece. That was in Gutenbergstrasse, very close to his sister Liselotte. I remember Wilhelm as a rather rough man who nevertheless worked very skillfully and with obvious love at the lathe. I stood by myself when he made a good mouthpiece in a very short time. ….
Intricate floral bell engraving – with a butterfly on each sideShowing part of the engraving against the open caseHolton badge on the caseShows the deep Holton 40 mouthpiece, the counterbalance mounted on the tuning slide, and the handslide with patent marking and the Revelation stampThe engraving extends right along the bell – surrounding the Revelation name and manufacturing details – and the outside face of the bell is engraved as wellDespite the obvious wear in some places the overall effect is stunning Butterfly detail
The horn is marked L.P. = low pitch and has a “3” which ordinarily means large bore: however some Holton catalogs referred to bore of “4”.
Has the original Holton 40 deep mouthpiece. With this mouthpiece [the only one I have tried it with] slotting is excellent, and high notes are attainable.
Photographs show that this has seen plenty of use and shows typical finish wear, with some dinging/denting in some areas of the bell section, but the horn is solid and straight. The not particularly well done solder repair on the bell stay near the slide is obvious, [photo below] as is the tape on the slide handle. The unevenness on the bell could be worked through by a competent brass tech
The slide moves extremely freely without dragging and does not appear to have high points or dings. is pretty good, but – with this much potential as a great horn – could do with attention from a brass tech.
The period case – complete with Holton badge and one out of three working latch and hinges – shows a lot of wear and is in only fair condition. Handle is disintegrating.
Friction fit slide/bell attaches well and feels solid
I have seen many Holton Revelation trombones, but not one with the rare finish of this one which – from the serial number – was manufactured in about 1926. The probability is that this was a custom engraving for a professional trombone player.
Frank Holton was firstly an artist on trombone, and the first Holton promoter. Holton sales literature from the 1920s noted that Holton always kept a trombone at his desk to play for guests and promote his products.
[from the Holton catalog at www.brasstacks.de ]The most usual mid 1920s Holton Revelation silver finish
Swiss trumpet – extraordinary “Jackson Super “- compact fitted original case, mute, music stand, and Vega mouthpiece Superb engraving has both matt and smooth finish – From the style it could be from the mid 1930s to the early 1950s, but there is no serial number.
This trumpet – which would be at home in a decorative arts museum – came from a professional trumpet player in Switzerland, who after describing it as an incredibly beautiful vintage trumpet, [ he thought it looked like a Buescher or a vintage Conn, and he attributed the region of manufacture as United States] said – “The cosmetic condition is amazing! No dents, no dings, no scratches, no signs of wear at all!! It looks as if the trumpet has never been used and slept quietly in its case for the last almost hundred years!! Look at the beautiful engraving, look at the perfect silky silver plating and all the charming details at the valve-casing as well the decorations on the slides. The valves are working perfectly and all slides are free and easy to move……” and “The horn has the brilliant sound of the small-bore-horns of the early 20th century. It also has great intonation as well as a full range of sound from lowest whispering to highest screaming! A real collectors item!”
All of these comments are absolutely right, except that there are two micro-dings on the bell bow.
However when you take into account that this is engraved – “Jackson Super Deposed [and further down – just above the rim] Kofmann Geneve 12 Tour Maitresse” it is not open to treat this as an American instrument. The word “Deposed” is perhaps an anglicised version of déposé – registered
The case has an enamel badge – “Kofmann & Engel Modern Music S.A. 12 Rue Tour Maitresse Geneve”
There has been some trumpet group discussion about this instrument, and its perceived similarity to Victory trumpets, which included speculation that it was Czech / German made by F.X. Huller [predecessor to Modl/EMO] or Huttl. One contributor – from Victoria Australia – made the comment –
“As to the “Jackson”, I suspect it is a copy of something (what I don’t know), rather than a stencil. My cynical mind made me think it looked too good to be true ..”
For no better reason than the fact that the engraving is extremely reminiscent of a trumpet previously in my possession which was made by Meister Otto Meinel of Klingenthal, I think it may be a Meinel. I’ve searched far and wide [internet, New Langwill Index, etc] for more clarity, and I’d love to hear from anyone who knows more or knows better. An Australian trumpet fancier wrote – “I searched digitalised Swiss newspapers and could find only a few advertisements for the company in Geneva, (Modern Music SA) from 1944 and 1945 – nothing apart from that. There was an advertisement in 1948, however, offering for sale a second-hand trumpet, brand-name Jackson (this was in French, in the newspaper La Liberte.) Given that sort of date, I would think that either Harold Jackson or Jack Jackson would be about the only candidates for the name Jackson – and of course, it could actually be both. There were radio broadcasts of Jack Jackson and his band to Switzerland in the late 1930s, and Harold Jackson was a well-known cornettist and trumpeter (solo cornet for the Black Dyke Mills Band in the 1930s “ He also suggests that this might possibly be an Eggers trumpet, pointing out . – Adolf Egger established his firm in 1940 in Switzerland and made trumpets and other brass instruments – so could this be an Adolf Egger trumpet? (Nowadays he is better known for baroque trumpets, but he also produced modern trumpets.
My best guess as to the maker remains Meister Otto Meinel, but the provenance remains elusive. But on all the tangible tests of vintage trumpets, this masterpiece is absolutely sensational as a looker and as a player.
