Conn multi-vider

[MrHCinDE]

Just saw this:

https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-anz ... 7-172-3880

What on earth is it?

It looks to have some kind of pick-up or mic built into the mouthpiece and presumably can then apply some FX?

[rabiddolphin]

There are a couple versions of this sold under different brands like King, Vox, Selmer. It basically works like the old divide down organs to generate the octaves. These were used with a Barcus Berry mic, check out Eddie Harris records and Urbie Green's Green Power for recorded examples of their use.

[MrHCinDE]

That’s pretty cool!

[2bobone]

I'm positive that it was a Multi-Vider that Urbie Green was using when he played a club date at Blues Alley in Washington, D.C. probably somewhere in the early 70s. Steve Jordon [a great guitarist] was on duty that night as manager and corralled Urbie to come and chat during his break with myself and John Marcellus. John and I were colleagues in the NSO and were amazed at what Urbie was doing with his new "Toy", the Conn Multi-Vider. As amazed as we were at his playing, he seemed equally amazed at how we could sit on a stage and follow a conductor! What a great talent he was !

[Kingfan]

For an example of electronics added to a brass instrument, check out the trumpet player Don Ellis's later work. Most radical example is his version of "Hey Jude". I think he used an echoplex and a ring modulator, among other effects.

[dukesboneman]

Kingfan,
Thanks for posting "Hey Jude". It`s been decades since I listened to that.
I`ve always been a fan of Don Ellis. I saw the Band live once at Batavia High School (half way between Rochester and Buffalo, NY) and the Band was on FIRE. Had the string section at that point.
We played alot of Ellis charts when I was in High school. So much excitement

[Kingfan]

Kingfan,
Thanks for posting "Hey Jude". It`s been decades since I listened to that.
I`ve always been a fan of Don Ellis. I saw the Band live once at Batavia High School (half way between Rochester and Buffalo, NY) and the Band was on FIRE. Had the string section at that point.
We played alot of Ellis charts when I was in High school. So much excitement

We also played Ellis charts in high school and I saw him live at Lakewood High School in Cleveland. I hope that someday I can convince a big band I play in to try one of the charts I have the sheet music to - Rock Odyssey, or Final Analysis.

[stanzabone]

See also: Eventide, a pioneer in pitch shifting technology used by David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera......