Pat Harbison’s blog

This past summer marked my 30th year on the faculty of Jamey Aebersold’s Summer Jazz Workshops. I have grown tremendously and learned more than I could measure from my colleagues on the faculty at these workshops–present and past.Over this time I have had the opportunity to work alongside, befriend, and learn from such fabulous musicians and educators as Woody Shaw, John McNeil, Bobby Shew, Barry Reis, Randy Brecker, Dominic Spera, Tom Harrell, Kevin Dean, Ken Slone, Ingrid Jensen, and many others.

However, as fabulous as all of those people are I do not think we have ever had a better team of trumpet faculty than the six people who have worked together the past few years. Everyone here is a true team player. Each of these guys plays well, and some are absolutely stunning trumpet players. Each person is articulate about what they do and dedicated to teaching. Each person knows and fulfills their particular role in the overall scheme of things. They are all such beautiful open people. That’s not a bonus. That is why everything else is so good.

I am truly blessed to be working with these folks!

Anyway, one of the things we all hate (and one of the things that students are inevitably interested in) is the eternal questions about what horns and mouthpieces we all play. I thought that posting this info here might solve this problem.

Students are almost always surprised that none of us play freakishly expensive “super horns” or $300 mouthpieces. Frankly, in my experience most of the people who own those kinds of horns and mouthpieces are hobbyists and not professional jazz musicians. The pros grab basic gear and go off to practice!

Anyway, here is a list of the horns and mouthpieces played by the trumpet faculty at our US workshops.

Pat Harbison Bach Strad 37 bell & a Bach 3C
Jim Ketch Selmer Paris 80J & a Bach 5C
Jim Rotondi Selmer Paris 80J & aGreg Black custom mouthpiece
Bob Symer Bach Strad 37 bell & a Bach 3C
Steve Thomas Yamaha “Z” & a Schilke 14B
Scott Wendholt Bach Strad w/reverse leadpipe 72 bell (NOT 72*) & a Holton Collegiate mouthpiece

(Note: I am often ably assisted by some wonderful UK-based players such as Henry Lowther and Steve Waterman when we do our jazz course in London. I do not know their gear, although I think Henry is playing an Eclipse trumpet.)