R1 Jazz horns suitable for classical??

[Saxaholic]

Curious question for anyone who owns/has played one of these horns. Are they suitable for classical work? Can they be controlled enough to play in a large classical ensemble, a quartet, or for solo classical repertoire? Seeing as these have the largest bore of any sax on the market, I'm wondering if they can be used for any classical...or if they're a "jazz" horn. Responses appreciated, thanks!

Saxaholic

[xuanvu]

Hi Saxaholic,
I've been playing my R&C R1 Jazz curved soprano for awhile now and I think it suited for all kinds of music, not just "jazz" like the name printed. My band play mostly pop/smooth jazz and sometimes rock, classical (depends of the singer in the gig). Also, mouthpiece choice is another factor. With a Dukoff, I got that smooth jazz, pop sound; while with the Morgan 1C, I got that classical, soft, warm and mellow sound.

Kenny.

[bkiser]

I would say that with a proper setup, it would be fine, but still not the horn's forte. I have found that the larger bore of the horn does require a bt more work to play than my S80 series I did. When playing with a small ensemble, I definitely have to think more about blending in than I did before. The R&C horns have a definite core to the sound, but its a different sound than the typical French classical sound. My R1 Jazz has a fantastic full tone up and down the horn, but doesn't have quite the sweet, singing upper register than my Selmer did, but again, this is using the same piece which I used on my Selmer. Now that I am more familiar with the R&C horn, I am about to start changing my setup and I feel pretty sure I will be able to get the sound that I want.