I played the bassoon one year in middle school - I started with the saxophone, but since there were lots of other saxophones but no bassoon in our “wind ensemble” (which also included electric basses), I figured I’d give the obscure instrument a shot.
I was never as good with it as I was with the saxophone (which I continued to play all the way to the end of high school, and in a garage band after that), but I did learn some things about the bassoon. Although the bassoon is big, it is in no way a sluggish instrument like many other large instruments are. The keywork on it is very precise and responsive; it’s arguably just as capable in a solo capacity as a clarinet or flute. I got good enough at it to play a Mozart piece at the regional solo cometition and earn a second place medal.
There are a lot of skilled bassoon players who can really rock the thing, and a number of jazz musicians utilized it - saxophonist Illinois Jacquet was one of them. I first listened to this rendition of the Monk’s “Round Midnight” back in middle school, and it’s still one of my favorite re-workings of a jazz standard.
I was in Prague listneing to some street musicians. It was a quartet; bassoon, violin, and I can’t remember who else. It was very casual, they were sitting on milk crates or something. They finish one song and then the violinist pulls out a cymbal on a little stand and starts tapping our a very familiar rhythm. Then the bassoonist plays the Pink Panther Theme.
Fucking awesome.
Wow, that that kid has good breath control to finish that piece in just a couple inhales. You can hear her huffing I think 3 times. I don’t know if this is amazing, but I can’t help but think there’s some stamina involved.
A few years ago onn Chicago’s classical station, they played several versions of that piece consecutively for Rimsky Korsakov’s birthday. I don’t remember if a bassoon version was included.
Whoa. I played that piece on the piano for my senior recital, and it almost killed me. I can’t imagine playing it on a wind instrument.
Tuba. :eek:
I like the one comment, “That’s one fat bee.” Ayup.
The comments can be the best part about youtube when you are checking out non-mainstream music =)
I bet that guy could be a killer freediver!