Bill Bell / VW Concerto -- recording?

[arpthark]

A recording of William Bell's American premiere of the Vaughan Williams concerto used to be available about 15 years ago but I can't find it anymore.

Closest I got is a dead/half-deleted thread on TubeNet: http://forums.chisham.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=7309

Anybody know of a current source...?

[bloke]

I'm thinking that I bought a CD when they were offered, but - of all the things that I have bought and have no idea where they are - that's pretty low on the list of "stuff that I wish I knew where it was".

I don't know if I should comment on it, but that has never stopped me before, so here goes:

I'm thinking that he was getting fairly close to 60 years old, and I suspect I know how difficult his King F tuba was to negotiate. Also, it wasn't as if he grew up with the piece - as did so many of us - and he was just having his first look and first run at it. Considering all those things, I believe he did an admirable job. That having been said, I certainly would not consider it a reference recording.
I hope that sounds fair...

[arpthark]

Thanks. Yes, mostly interested in it as a historical piece of trivia.

If anybody has that CD laying around and happens to know who made it or who I could get in contact with (or even wants to sell me a bonafide compact disc in the year 2022 AD) please let me know.

[bloke]

Thanks. Yes, mostly interested in it as a historical piece of trivia.

If anybody has that CD laying around and happens to know who made it or who I could get in contact with (or even wants to sell me a bonafide compact disc in the year 2022 AD) please let me know.

I might be wrong, but I'm thinking that someone went to a lot of trouble to get permission to copy the recording owned by the New York City Library - or whatever the correct name is for that Library.

I will tell Mrs bloke that someone would like to borrow my CD if she happens to see it, but I don't think either one of us are going to see it because there are mountains of CDs around here.

[Billy M.]

I'm thinking that I bought a CD when they were offered, but - of all the things that I have bought and have no idea where they are - that's pretty low on the list of "stuff that I wish I knew where it was".

Not to hijack the thread but I'm confident you are far more interested in finding a recording of Bobo playing the John Williams, instead.

Getting back on topic, I wonder what it would have been like to hear Mr. Bell's sound live. I know the recordings we do have that are available provide a lovely sound (as can be recorded)...

[bloke]

I'm thinking that I bought a CD when they were offered, but - of all the things that I have bought and have no idea where they are - that's pretty low on the list of "stuff that I wish I knew where it was".

Not to hijack the thread but I'm confident you are far more interested in finding a recording of Bobo playing the John Williams, instead.

Getting back on topic, I wonder what it would have been like to hear Mr. Bell's sound live. I know the recordings we do have that are available provide a lovely sound (as can be recorded)...

Bill Bell's solo l.p. was recorded with the microphone stuck up in his bell.
I have not been told this, do not "know" this, but can clearly HEAR this.

Something tells me (drinking, etc.) that he was probably an even better player during the 1930's - 1940's (photographs of a young William Bell show him to have been tall, slim, and handsome) than when he was in his late 50's and into his 60's.

me...?? Rip-roarin' "licks" (etc.) were easier to execute thirty years ago vs. now, and I'm not any sort of a drinker.

me...?? If someone handed my Bill Bell's 4-valve King F tuba (surely similar playing characteristics/intonation to those small King E-flats [yikes!], and having to fake low G/F#) and told me that I was expected to play Ralph Vaughan Williams' "Tuba Concerto" with that instrument, I would laugh at them.

[hrender]

The thing that's struck me about Mr. Bell was the huge degree of admiration and respect he received from his students. Reading the ITEA historical accounts from his students, all of them comment on how amazing his sound and his technical proficiency was. Art Hovey said listening to Bell was "life changing" IIRC. I recall one of his students recounted the story of telling Bell he was having trouble with an etude from Cimera or a similar book, when Bell picked up the book and proceeded to sight-read the etude flawlessly on 3 or 4 different horns each in a different key, including the "pea-shooter" F.

Young Bill Bell:

[Casca Grossa]

I'm thinking that I bought a CD when they were offered, but - of all the things that I have bought and have no idea where they are - that's pretty low on the list of "stuff that I wish I knew where it was".

Not to hijack the thread but I'm confident you are far more interested in finding a recording of Bobo playing the John Williams, instead.

Getting back on topic, I wonder what it would have been like to hear Mr. Bell's sound live. I know the recordings we do have that are available provide a lovely sound (as can be recorded)...

Somewhere buried in boxes in my basement is a recording of Bobo and a recording of Ron Bishop doing the John Williams. Both are fantastic. Maybe someone here knows better, but I believe Ron Bishop played it on a CC tuba. I worked with one of his former students that was studying with him at the time of the recording and said Mr. Bishop was practicing it on a CC prior to the performance.

[edfirth]

A little off topic but just in case some of you aren't aware of this, Bill Bell played the legit stuff,Carnival of Venice, Osis and Osirus, Judas Maccabeus, and Jolly Farmer on his King rotary valve C and all of the others on a King four valve Eb sousaphone(maybe Hall of the Mountain King was also on the C), and according to Walter Sear the session was during the winter in New York City in an unheated facility. The quote I remember was "you could see your breath". The other thing about Bill Bell was that he played Everything. Parades, rodeos,you name it and enjoyed himself doing it. After his "episode" whatever it was, possibly a stroke he was in a nursing home in Louiville, Ky. and Lee Richardson, who took lessons from him all thruogh high school and had just gotten out of the Air Force Band (with Col. Gabriel) started going to visit him fairly regularly. After awhile Mr. Bell's daughter came to Lee and asked him to stop comming and when he asked why she replied that Bell couldn't remember who he was and told him it was sad because he was asking for Harvey and Don and the others of his former students who were working pros but didn't make time to go see him. Sad ending but he had a great time while it lasted.Tutakatut Mr. B, Ed

[prairieboy1]

A little off topic but just in case some of you aren't aware of this, Bill Bell played the legit stuff,Carnival of Venice, Osis and Osirus, Judas Maccabeus, and Jolly Farmer on his King rotary valve C and all of the others on a King four valve Eb sousaphone(maybe Hall of the Mountain King was also on the C), and according to Walter Sear the session was during the winter in New York City in an unheated facility. The quote I remember was "you could see your breath". The other thing about Bill Bell was that he played Everything. Parades, rodeos,you name it and enjoyed himself doing it. After his "episode" whatever it was, possibly a stroke he was in a nursing home in Louiville, Ky. and Lee Richardson, who took lessons from him all thruogh high school and had just gotten out of the Air Force Band (with Col. Gabriel) started going to visit him fairly regularly. After awhile Mr. Bell's daughter came to Lee and asked him to stop comming and when he asked why she replied that Bell couldn't remember who he was and told him it was sad because he was asking for Harvey and Don and the others of his former students who were working pros but didn't make time to go see him. Sad ending but he had a great time while it lasted.Tutakatut Mr. B, Ed

Wow, That's very sad.

[eeflattuba]

I remember many years ago buying a copy of this talked about CD from Dan Oberloh's shop out in the Pacific Northwest.Sadly,over the years and several moves later the CD has gone missing.I do not remember much about the CD other than the recording quality was very poor.I see that the CD is still listed as being for sale on his website www.oberloh.com.

[hrender]

I remember many years ago buying a copy of this talked about CD from Dan Oberloh's shop out in the Pacific Northwest.Sadly,over the years and several moves later the CD has gone missing.I do not remember much about the CD other than the recording quality was very poor.I see that the CD is still listed as being for sale on his website www.oberloh.com.

Thanks for this! CD listing is here: http://www.oberloh.com/sales/media.htm