The general consensus around here on Bechet is that he played (mostly) a Buescher soprano of a relatively early vintage (round pearl G# key). No one has been able to come to any conclusions on his mouthpiece, unless some new info has been found recently.

Wayne Shorter uses a hard rubber Otto Link mouthpiece with a very open tip (#10, I believe).

 

Thanks Saxydude. What kind of horn does Wayne play?

 

Jaleel - Last I heard Wayne was playing a Yamaha Custom soprano in silver.

 

Thanks.

 

I'd be curious to hear what you're playing on, Jaleel.

 

Wayne is using an old Slant Signature Otto Link for soprano (word is that its a 10*, but it could realistically measure anything), and he is a Yamaha artist - so his soprano changes depending on what he's helping them develop.

According to the Yamaha guys up here in Canada, Wayne is playing one of the prototypes for the Custom-Z soprano, which up until recently was based off the 875 scale. From what I was told, they were 90% going to release it like that, and Branford Marsalis had borrowed a 62RS (Bent neck, and silver plated) in Europe and came back to them saying - "This is what I want". Seeing as how Yamaha destroyed the tooling for the 62R, they have been working hard to reverse engineer it with some subtle changes (that's why we haven't seen the Z soprano).

Jaleel, contact Yamaha. If you try and buy a used 62RS, it will probably run you the better part of $3500 (and you won't be able to try before you buy if you buy online) when you can probably either A). get an endorsement from Yamaha, or B). wait for the new Z soprano to come out and it will be cheaper. Word on the street is that they are going to be pricing it low compared to the Yanagisawa and Selmer sopranos.

YOU sound great man!

 

wait for the new Z soprano to come out and it will be cheaper. Word on the street is that they are going to be pricing it low compared to the Yanagisawa and Selmer sopranos.

Hmmm... production NOT in Japan?

 

FYI--Mr. Shorter's COMPLETE Setup--from a few years back

FYI--

http://forum.saxontheweb.net/showthread.php?t=25593&highlight=shorter%27s+complete+setup

To my understanding this was found on a very early bulletin board that is now defunct, and may have been posted by Wayne himself (or someone very close to him). I tend to believe it, too, given the "Pompano" references; (sounds like language Wayne or another eccentric pro would use ).

 

Shorter plays on a Silver Selmer Series III Soprano.No idea about the mouthpiece or the reed.
But Jaleel, for sure you have been closer to Shorter than anyone of us.
Great job in the Mingus Big Band, i saw you guys many times.Just one time i saw you in the Opera House in Cork City (Ireland) and the Band just played three songs.The public was really annoyed.
Now i've got to get deeper in your solo work.
Best regards.

 

i hold wayne`s soprano in my hands 2 years ago and it was heavy and very old,i think it was an old yamaha,it had a leather`"coat "on the thumphook(sorry for my bad english)

 

You'll probably pay a lot more than USD 3,500 for a YSS-62RS!!!!!

 

Ooops... Sorry for the delayed response... I haven't been here in a while.. Thanks for your answers. Does anyone know what kind of reeds they play/played?
Heavyweather77 - I play a Keilthwerth SX90. I've had it for yeaaars now.. I'm thinking about switching soon though. I've been checking out Yamaha's Sopranos and I hear they have a new one coming out very soon.
Thanks Joe Bananas! I'm sorry to hear the crowd didn't dig that Mingus Band Performance... Was it really just 3 songs? lol! I've been there since with Roy Haynes... I guess that was actually over 3 yrs ago now...
Well, hope you're all well and thanks again...

 

I just read this post. Jaleel, I don't think the comment meant the crowd didn't dig the Mingus band, rather that it was annoyed because they ONLY played three songs.

 

Bechet bought a new Lafleur inLondon in 1919 he then used a TT and in later years aConn Selmer made an exact replica of his mouthpiece in 1960 approx anybody ever seen one

 

Wayne Shorter is now playing a Yanigasawa 991 bronze model as of 8 months ago. I just met him and he said he really liked it.

I would like to know his tenor setup though

 

Wayne Shorter is now playing a Yanigasawa 991 bronze model as of 8 months ago.

Aha! That explains the underslung neck octave key on the soprano he's playing in this VIDEO

 

Yani bronze line ends in 2 so that would make it a S992 which is a very nice instrument.

 

Regardless what Wayne uses now, I much prefer his Weather Report-era sound, with the slant sig. Link and the Mark VI. I like the oboe/English horn quality of the large-chamber Link he used. His sound seemed to fit his less-is-more playing style.

 

that's THE SOUND!

 

Very nice album Mr. Shaw

I know it's not the forum for it, but have you listened to much Eric Kloss?

 

Re: Very nice album Mr. Shaw

Thanks Pastmyprime... I haven't checked out Eric Kloss. Alto player?

 

Re: Very nice album Mr. Shaw

Thanks Pastmyprime... I haven't checked out Eric Kloss. Alto player?

Alto player from Pittsburgh, I think. One of the first guys to perform on a wind synthesizer.

 

Re: Very nice album Mr. Shaw

Saw Wayne just hours ago in Melbourne. He got a standing ovation and an encore .
He was (from what I could see) playing a plain lacquered Yanigisawa 991 Curved neck soprano with his usual mouthpiece..
Sounded phenomenal.

 

Re: Very nice album Mr. Shaw

Saw Wayne just hours ago in Melbourne. He got a standing ovation and an encore .
He was (from what I could see) playing a plain lacquered Yanigisawa 991 Curved neck soprano with his usual mouthpiece..
Sounded phenomenal.

I was getting my tenor fixed by Emilio in Boston years ago and I spoke about wanting to try a Yani to replace my MVI. He let me try two he was working on. I loved them and remarked that they sounded so much like Wayne to me. He laughed and told me they actually were Wayne's horns!

 

Wayne's gig tonight was ridiculous! Blade, Patitucci and Perez was so amazingly in tune with each other and Wayne was killing.

 

I was there tonight too! What an experience!

 

According to old Peter Strohkorb, ex-Germany and now Australia, who knew Bechet in Europe and is a great disciple, Bechet got Meyer blanks or low number weak mouthpieces, and, worked them up with knife, sandpaper, etc until he got what openness he wanted. He did this constantly. I have an old (useless) Meyer mouthpiece of Peter's, who then did the same for years to try to get that wobbly vibrato, but punchy and personal. I heard many disciples of Bechet, but none gets really close.

 

Most late pictures suggest he used different ones, certainly Conn. I've commented here a bout his Meyer mouthpieces in his later years.

 

When I visited New Orleans in about 1990 when I worked at Citicorp, I visited the jazz museum there. The Bechet soprano on display there was clearly a Conn with the large ring for a thumb rest. It is possible that he had several horns over his years, as sopranos could be bought in pawn shops for little money. The two Buescher sopranos I've had were both about $10.

 

There is another recent thread about Olivier Franc playing Summertime (in deliberately very Bechet style). Here is part of my attempt-at-humour response:-
"the only reason Olivier sounds so good is that he is playing Sidney Bechet's actual Soprano, according to:-

If only one of us had've had deeper pockets than the 120000 euros it fetched, we would be the one automatically playing like that..."

I don't doubt that the Soprano Olivier Franc was playing IS a Bechet Soprano, and that Olivier (or Guy Demole, who passed it on to him) could probably answer many questions related to Bechet's Mouthpiece/s etc, if anyone cares to contact him...

 

It looks like Wayne is back to Yamaha, based on pictures from the 2013 Newport Jazz Festival: http://www.npr.org/blogs/ablogsupre.../ablogsupreme/2013/08/04/208894301/newport-jazz-festival-2013-day-one-in-photos

 

As I've seen in some very recent pictures he is playing a custom EX soprano silver plated with the curved neck. It has to be an Ex because it is the only Yamaha soprano with detachable necks. But, I do agree that he sounded best with the link and the mark VI soprano.

 

875 customs were the first 2 piece yamaha sopranos, early 90s at least.