Jasmine, Don Juan's Trumpet

I got Jasmine (my trumpet) back from my trumpet doctor yesterday (Dave Williams). I had her valves adjusted one more time so all her tubes are perfectly aligned and she is much more open and responsive now when we play together. Also I had her valves lightly lapped once more (which is a polishing process). So now when I tickle her valves she really screams with pleasure. The Doc also changed out her rubber valve pads with felt ones that helped bring her valve ports into a more perfect alignment with her tubes and slides so now there is no disruption or turbulence as the air column flows through the valve ports and into her main tubing. The felt pads are also quieter so you don't hear as much valve noise.

The new felts were red and I didn't like the way they looked so when I got home I took them out and dyed them black, let them dry and then put them back in. The black matches the blue and gold beauty of /Jasmine's/ body much better than a gaudy red. I also added some icons and talismans to her case. I carry her in a "Walt Johnson" http://www.johnsoncases.com/ hard shell gig bag that I found on e-bay for $100. (they normally go for $300). It is black with blue spackling and is carried by a strap over the shoulder. This kind of case can also be taken up top in the passenger section on an airplane as carry on luggage.

I added a leather name tag, a Chinese brass medallion with a "luck dragon" on it. And a beautiful iridescent sticker with the Hindu symbol for OM. The Om (or Aum) sign is the main symbol of Hinduism. Most religions indicate that creation began with sound-- In the beginning was the word... For the Hindus & Buddhists, Om is the primordial sound, the first breath of creation, the vibration that ensures existence. Om sign signifies God, Creation, & the One-ness of all creation. I also added a few little brass bells near the shoulder strap so it rings a little when it is picked up. (I thought I might notice the sound if some thief tried to steal /Jasmine /away from me). I played her last night till late in the evening. I play her along with TV soundtracks and commercials. We fell asleep together about midnight. I woke up this morning with her warm body still in my arms.

You know some people dream at night about people and places and their fears and hopes etc. etc. Well I've been dreaming about "trumpet mouthpieces".

My trumpet mechanic Dave Williams has been cleaning out his warehouse and he told me that somewhere in there he had a giant box full of hundreds and hundreds of trumpet mouthpieces. All kinds, makes, sizes and shapes. He said the box weighs over 50 lbs. Anyway yesterday he said he had finally found this "magic box". And he has put all of these silver mouthpieces in an acid bath to clean them and polish them and make them like new. This afternoon he is going to give "me" the whole box to take home to look through and try out

. All my life (well since I was 12) I have wanted to be able to try out all the possible combinations of trumpet mouthpieces. No one's mouth is the same and there are thousands of possible mouthpiece sizes, shapes, configurations and dimensional combinations. Now for the first time in my life I will be able to try out hundreds and hundreds of mouthpiece possibilities. Trumpet mouthpieces cost $50 to $200 a piece so it is extremely rare to have access to this many different trumpet mouthpieces at one time to choose and compare how they feel and work with my emboucher (mouth). This is a golden (silver) opportunity for me and I'm so excited about this prospect that "last night" I dreamed I was sitting on a floor somewhere in the middle of piles and piles of shiny silver trumpet mouthpieces all around me and I was scooping them up and playing and touching them like some treasure pirate with a mad glint in his eye scooping up thousands and thousands of sparkling silver dabloons.