As part of what has become Immortal Performance's annual Thomas A. Edison Birthday Celebration on the 11th of February to which Central Texas antique phonograph collectors are invited I am planning to record wax cylinders of a few of Austin's very best jazz musicians. However, results obtained with an Edison Triumph Model B phonograph with end gate & unencumbered by four-minute gearing, an 1890s 3 ft. conical horn & an Edison Recorder have been disappointing. The baby grand Steinway with conical horn pointing right into lid was weak & a 'cellist playing quite loudly with end of horn less than a foot from the instruments "f" holes was also very weak. Only with my head right at the mouth of the horn & singing loud in a quasi "operatic" voice was I able to make a recording of suitable audibility. The local antique phonograph repairman was able to acoustically dub a 78 played on a Victor VI using smaller horn pointing into the recording horn with fair results.
The jazz musicians would probably include clarinet/saxophone/bass saxophone (hopefully "channeling" Adrian Rollini, my favorite jazz artist), trumpet, trombone, tuba & percussion with piano used if it can be recorded. Would like to have used a fine string bass player but am pretty sure his efforts would not register at all. Would anyone have suggestions for tweeking the Edison two-minute Recorder to obtain optimum results? Would anyone have an excellent recorder for sale? Would anyone have old Dictaphone cylinders for sale which could be cut off & shaved down to record on? In the Edison "American Experience" documentary shown here on PBS yesterday evening, an 1890s film clip was shown of a violinist playing into a recording horn from at least a foot from its mouth. Lionel Mapleson recorded fragments of actual Metropolitan Opera performances between 1901 & 1903 on an Edison cylinder phonograph. If the recorder Mapleson used was a weak as mine, he would have gotten absolutely nothing even with his gigantic recording horn situated many yards from the performers yet we know he caught an amazing lot. Therefore, the problem must be with my Recorder. The Edison Birthday Celebration will begin at 6:00 P.M. on the 11th of February 2015 & will take place at my home located at 1404 West 30th Street, Austin, Texas 78703-1402. My 'phone number is (512) 478-9954. Please let me know if you plan to attend. It should be fun, especially if the jazz musicians attend & I get the Recorder functioning properly! Jim Cartwright Immortal Performances, Inc. 1404 West 30th Street Austin, Texas 78703-1402 (512) 478-9954 Jim Cartwright IMMORTAL PERFORMANCES, INC "Austin's Eclectic Used Record Store Since 1971" 1404 West 30th Street Austin, Texas 78703-1402 USA (512) 478-9954 E-mail: [email protected]
