Celeste...why?

[king ubu]

Tremendously enjoying the bits of music left by Luis Russell's terrific band (with Higgy, Red Allan, Charlie Holmes, and some other great soloists) - there's some celeste there as well - used to great effect, in my humble opinion!

[jostber]

Sun Ra does a great celeste track on "Blues at Midnight" from the classic album "Jazz In Silhouette".

He also plays celeste on the more obscure album "Impressions of a Patch of Blue" with the Walt Dickerson Quartet.

Edited August 19, 2008 by jostber

[Shrdlu]

I like a little celeste by Fats Waller (no-one's mentioned him yet) and Gene Harris on that first Three Sounds album.

Some people get the celeste and harpsicord mixed up - they sound and look way different from each other. The U.S. reissue of Freddie Hubbard's "Blue Spirits" has a bonus track on which the harpsicord is listed as a celeste.

For me, the harpsicord sucks and I think they should all have been burned with the old streetcars.

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

becasue the fender rhodes wasn't invented yet

[Chas]

For me, the harpsicord sucks and I think they should all have been burned with the old streetcars.

A (not) well-tempered clavier (comment)

[Shrdlu]

That's right really. The piano was invented, and tuned, in order to cope with any key and still sound in tune. This involves a small compromise in the pitch of each note. As you know, the harpsicord has to be retuned for each key - otherwise it sounds even worse, if that were possible, .

[randalljazz]

For me, the harpsicord sucks and I think they should all have been burned with the old streetcars.

the great one plays the great one

more landowska

scarlatti

rameau

[7/4]

That's right really. The piano was invented, and tuned, in order to cope with any key and still sound in tune. This involves a small compromise in the pitch of each note. As you know, the harpsicord has to be retuned for each key - otherwise it sounds even worse, if that were possible, .

No...12 equal temperament was conceived to play close to in tune in any key.

You can tune either instrument to what ever you want.

[paul secor]

James "Steady Roll" Johnson - Lonnie Johnson's brother - plays celeste on Lizzie Washington's "My Low Down Brown". The combination of celeste and Henry Moon's slide guitar is oddly effective, though I think it would be wearing in larger doses.

[Teasing the Korean]

I mentioned Les Baxter and Villa Lobos using the celeste - to stunning effect - earlier.

I forgot about Sun Ra.

Talk about a trifecta.

Three geniuses of 20th Century Music. We may as well close the thread.

Edited September 2, 2008 by Teasing the Korean