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It's no secret that I have been friends with Mark Sepinuck going back 19 years to when I lived in Boston and worked at the old Mars Music in Framingham. Mark has been insanely generous to me and my family over the years, and has never failed to send me pieces he thought I might dig -- even if I wasn't in the market for them, but just because he knew I geeked out on trying new and rare stuff. He's found horns for me and mouthpieces, and always made me great deals on gear that he knew I wanted. When his Robusto came out, I was one of the first to get a prototype, and then a metal 9. When the Black Widow came out, ditto. A few days ago he sent me his newest brainchild -- the Chameleon in ultem -- and this was the piece I always wanted but didn't know how to ask for.
Some things to know. This is a piece for a working musician who needs the flexibility of playing in a big band, playing R&R or R&B, playing acoustically in a small jazz setting, etc. It's very fat, very rich, can get very loud, can scream in the altissimo and absolutely rattle the bell keys in the low register. It's got a high, long rollover that drops into a medium sized chamber. Looking at it, I didn't think it would have the kind of cut and edge that it did once I started playing. And once I started playing, I couldn't stop. I gave it the business with a green box vandoren java 3, a rigotti gold 3 light, and a red box java 3 and all three types responded with richness and depth all over the horn.
It's effortless -- it's got such an efficient design that I can use reeds to increase resistance if I want it, but it's designed to produce a fat, big, round and projecting sound with minimal effort. Your effort-to-tone ratio is off the charts, meaning the gear gets out of your way and lets you focus on what you are playing.
It's flexible -- so long as you like a big sound, you can do big-dark ala an Illinois Jaquett, or you can do big-bright like a Kirk Whalum or Bob Berg.
It's prominent -- this isn't a mouthpiece to hide behind. The sound concept is squarely in the fat and raucous wheelhouse, so you're not going to get buried or struggle to hear yourself and, more importantly, to make sure the audience hears you
I've been fortunate to try out just above every high rollover under the sun -- RPC, Freddie Gregory, Drakes, Navarro, Lawtons, Vandorens, etc and for me, this one offers more sizzle to the sound and more flexibility in the tone than any of them. I'm working on a high quality video now to demonstrate, but I'm not kidding when I say I can lay way back and get a very Ben Webster-ish tone, and then push it a bit and be pumping out Sonny Rollins lines and tone. None of those other pieces have been as versatile, which is the big thing for me. I love the volume of Drake's, but have never played on that didn't get brittle when pushed. Navarro's could never get that sizzle in the sound when pushed. The chameleon gets out of my way and makes getting my sound as easy as can be, meaning less for me to think through when playing, and more energy focused on making the music.
Be on the lookout for a new demo in the next 24 hours. And contact Mark!
Some things to know. This is a piece for a working musician who needs the flexibility of playing in a big band, playing R&R or R&B, playing acoustically in a small jazz setting, etc. It's very fat, very rich, can get very loud, can scream in the altissimo and absolutely rattle the bell keys in the low register. It's got a high, long rollover that drops into a medium sized chamber. Looking at it, I didn't think it would have the kind of cut and edge that it did once I started playing. And once I started playing, I couldn't stop. I gave it the business with a green box vandoren java 3, a rigotti gold 3 light, and a red box java 3 and all three types responded with richness and depth all over the horn.
It's effortless -- it's got such an efficient design that I can use reeds to increase resistance if I want it, but it's designed to produce a fat, big, round and projecting sound with minimal effort. Your effort-to-tone ratio is off the charts, meaning the gear gets out of your way and lets you focus on what you are playing.
It's flexible -- so long as you like a big sound, you can do big-dark ala an Illinois Jaquett, or you can do big-bright like a Kirk Whalum or Bob Berg.
It's prominent -- this isn't a mouthpiece to hide behind. The sound concept is squarely in the fat and raucous wheelhouse, so you're not going to get buried or struggle to hear yourself and, more importantly, to make sure the audience hears you
I've been fortunate to try out just above every high rollover under the sun -- RPC, Freddie Gregory, Drakes, Navarro, Lawtons, Vandorens, etc and for me, this one offers more sizzle to the sound and more flexibility in the tone than any of them. I'm working on a high quality video now to demonstrate, but I'm not kidding when I say I can lay way back and get a very Ben Webster-ish tone, and then push it a bit and be pumping out Sonny Rollins lines and tone. None of those other pieces have been as versatile, which is the big thing for me. I love the volume of Drake's, but have never played on that didn't get brittle when pushed. Navarro's could never get that sizzle in the sound when pushed. The chameleon gets out of my way and makes getting my sound as easy as can be, meaning less for me to think through when playing, and more energy focused on making the music.
Be on the lookout for a new demo in the next 24 hours. And contact Mark!
