I've been listening to a lot of C Mel content lately and I just love the sound. It's like a tenor but with more clarity and just a touch of alto sweetness. Beautiful!
I was wondering when I read "Selmer Mark VI C-Mel.....I've NEVER seen one before, hell, I've never even heard that Selmer made one. The fact that there are only 5 would explain a lot......but if they introduced a C-Mel in the late 50s, that was a boner idea to begin with, the C-Mel had just fallen off the radar as far as sales are concerned by the end of the 30s. This vid is awesome!
The Mark VI is noticeably brighter in tone, and seems to have better intonation as well. Both sound incredible in JC's hands. I assume he's using a tenor mouthpiece?
Towards the last part, you can clearly see a short fat mouthpiece....most likely a C-Mel....plus, an Alto is too small in diameter to fit the cork and a tenor is too large and will slide all the way over the cork on a standard C-Mel neck. You'd have to shape the cork for either of those to fit properly.....so a guy coming up to 'test' a C-Mel and expecting his Alto/Tenor mouthpiece to fit, he's gonna be disappointed either way. Only if someone re-corked the neck to be either really thin corked to fit an alto mouthpiece or really fat to fit a tenor....OR some custom Tenor mouthpiece that will never fit an average tenor neck.....it's too much to ask for "hey, come check out this C-Mel and see how it sounds, and bring your own mouthpiece"
@@hamjohn8737 My King C-Mell fits most Tenor mouthpieces and some alto mouthpieces. I have never had a tenor mouthpiece slide off. I have played it with both tenor and alto mouthpieces they both worked well enough(I even tried it with a Bari mouthpiece for lol's) I prefer tenor mouthpieces as they do go onto the cork farther and compared to alto mouthpieces which just sit fairly close to the tip of the neck.
@@hamjohn8737, that's definitely an alto Lawton metal mouthpiece, which is his regular piece. (The unique ligature is unmistakable). These saxes would have been recorked or the cork sanded down in more recent years anyway, and since the alto piece doesn't go far onto the neck cork with a C mel, it fitted ok.
Its interesting because the longer I listen to the Mark VI especially there is no inherent advantage to C-melody. James sounds great but eventhough we mostly only hear him on P Mauriat these days it honestly doesnt quite sound as amazing as he normally does (as amazing as it is). The extreme bottom and the left hand second octave seem problematic intonation−wise and stability-wise. I can see why people didnt buy them.
@@llm468 No in the 90's James used Lawton mouthpieces with all Yamaha Custom saxophones for soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone he endorsed it. He sounds better now on Mauriats but that could just be he is a better player now.
Videos from 90s : " Laura" - Conn Chu tenor Newport jazz - Selmer mark 6 silver " pick up the pieces " - selmer serie 3 black A few other concerts from 97 - soprano selmer serie 3 " I wonder where our love has gone ...." - Conn Chu Berry To me he sounds the best on selmers ... more brightness...@@mambojazz1
James, step away from yourself for a moment, clearly the size alone should be your first clue. How far do you think they would make it by playing a Tenor and calling it a C-Mel on youtube?? You think the guys at Saxquest would be so ignorant?
Tenor sax is too big. Alto sax is too high. C Melody is the perfect sax in my opinion. The sad part is there is no quality modern C melody out there to buy. We need someone with courage and money changing this situation.
After some review I am agreeing that the silver bow necked sax is a C-Melody. During my years in high school at Amarillo High ... My friend Robert Scott's dad played a c-melody. I kind of lost respect for the C-Melody only because the horn had such terrible intonation. The sax of this topic is for sure a Selmer but most likely from the Super Balance era.... not a Mk VI.
Wow... each one single note that James Carter blows at this horns is coloured and amazing!!! Is a great player indeed!!
I went to a James Carter concert in the 90’s The way he walks onstage holding 4 saxophones is such a flex.
I've been listening to a lot of C Mel content lately and I just love the sound. It's like a tenor but with more clarity and just a touch of alto sweetness. Beautiful!
I was wondering when I read "Selmer Mark VI C-Mel.....I've NEVER seen one before, hell, I've never even heard that Selmer made one. The fact that there are only 5 would explain a lot......but if they introduced a C-Mel in the late 50s, that was a boner idea to begin with, the C-Mel had just fallen off the radar as far as sales are concerned by the end of the 30s. This vid is awesome!
I am green with envy. Thanks for posting!
so is jc
That is the true meaning of COOL! The idea of no transposition needed and a horn that you make sound so good. Remarkable.
first tune is...NOSTALGIA!
My Buescher C-melody is actually now my favorite to play.
I have a 1922-23 Conn with ("man-on-the-moon") tenor neck
Blue and Sentimental (Count Basie) on the second instrument (Balanced)
Time for a re-issue!
браво!
When James Carter decides to *really* play the sax, he really CAN play. No doubt about that.
The Mark VI is noticeably brighter in tone, and seems to have better intonation as well. Both sound incredible in JC's hands. I assume he's using a tenor mouthpiece?
He's using his Lawton alto mouthpiece by the looks.
I don't understand this debate, why not use a C-Mel mouthpiece? It comes tuned to the intonation....lol
Towards the last part, you can clearly see a short fat mouthpiece....most likely a C-Mel....plus, an Alto is too small in diameter to fit the cork and a tenor is too large and will slide all the way over the cork on a standard C-Mel neck. You'd have to shape the cork for either of those to fit properly.....so a guy coming up to 'test' a C-Mel and expecting his Alto/Tenor mouthpiece to fit, he's gonna be disappointed either way. Only if someone re-corked the neck to be either really thin corked to fit an alto mouthpiece or really fat to fit a tenor....OR some custom Tenor mouthpiece that will never fit an average tenor neck.....it's too much to ask for "hey, come check out this C-Mel and see how it sounds, and bring your own mouthpiece"
@@hamjohn8737 My King C-Mell fits most Tenor mouthpieces and some alto mouthpieces. I have never had a tenor mouthpiece slide off. I have played it with both tenor and alto mouthpieces they both worked well enough(I even tried it with a Bari mouthpiece for lol's) I prefer tenor mouthpieces as they do go onto the cork farther and compared to alto mouthpieces which just sit fairly close to the tip of the neck.
@@hamjohn8737, that's definitely an alto Lawton metal mouthpiece, which is his regular piece. (The unique ligature is unmistakable). These saxes would have been recorked or the cork sanded down in more recent years anyway, and since the alto piece doesn't go far onto the neck cork with a C mel, it fitted ok.
Its interesting because the longer I listen to the Mark VI especially there is no inherent advantage to C-melody. James sounds great but eventhough we mostly only hear him on P Mauriat these days it honestly doesnt quite sound as amazing as he normally does (as amazing as it is). The extreme bottom and the left hand second octave seem problematic intonation−wise and stability-wise. I can see why people didnt buy them.
Absolutely man ..... in 90s he sounded even better on Cohn and selmers mark 6 and serie 3 ( black one )
Don't you know which melody sounds first?)
@@llm468 No in the 90's James used Lawton mouthpieces with all Yamaha Custom saxophones for soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone he endorsed it. He sounds better now on Mauriats but that could just be he is a better player now.
Videos from 90s :
" Laura" - Conn Chu tenor
Newport jazz - Selmer mark 6 silver
" pick up the pieces " - selmer serie 3 black
A few other concerts from 97 - soprano selmer serie 3
" I wonder where our love has gone ...." - Conn Chu Berry
To me he sounds the best on selmers ... more brightness...@@mambojazz1
First one sounds much better than P.Mauriat which Carter since 2006 always plays.
1:15
likee muy mucho
what tune is he playing when he starts blowing on the balanced?
Adam, that’s Blue and Sentimental . . .
Nostalgia by fats Navarro, not out of nowhere
What mouthpiece does he play on?
Lawtons, I do not remember what the facing was but he typically plays very open facings, very open.
The C melody saxophone is perfect for the Wham! song “Careless Whispers.” The other saxophone for that song, is the E flat alto saxophone.
nah that a tenor and he's just massive
Out of nowhere
Now we need a G sax between alto and soprano. Sop is a little too high for me.
There a F sax exist. Example, mezzo-soprano CONN 24M.
There is a Danish sax builder that makes exactly what you just described
Some one needs to correct this post. The sax shown is not a C Melody... it's a Mk VI.
James Rowton no it’s definitely a C-melody. Some of them were made with the tenor-like neck but most were made with an alto-like one.
It is a Mk 6 C-Melody Saxophone
James, step away from yourself for a moment, clearly the size alone should be your first clue. How far do you think they would make it by playing a Tenor and calling it a C-Mel on youtube?? You think the guys at Saxquest would be so ignorant?
@@coltranesaxIV He's never seen a Conn New Wonder I or a Buescher TT from the 20s??? lol....I think not.
Mark vi is more in tune
Tenor sax is too big. Alto sax is too high. C Melody is the perfect sax in my opinion. The sad part is there is no quality modern C melody out there to buy. We need someone with courage and money changing this situation.
From reason, acoustically Eb & Bb sound better it's a fact.
@@dusseldorfkrakow You are incorrect because to say that "sound better" is subjective and so imposible to prove. It is just you opinion my friend.
After some review I am agreeing that the silver bow necked sax is a C-Melody. During my years in high school at Amarillo High ... My friend Robert Scott's dad played a c-melody. I kind of lost respect for the C-Melody only because the horn had such terrible intonation. The sax of this topic is for sure a Selmer but most likely from the Super Balance era.... not a Mk VI.
Tenor
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