FOR GEAR HEADS ONLY:

I am often asked, "What the hell is that thing??" Referring to my horn, of course. Well, it's basically a trumpet with an identity crisis...but yes, it DOES look like a cornet: it has a shepherd's crook loop-de-loo, and it is shorter than a typical trumpet. It takes a trumpet mouthpiece, and has a trumpet valve section and bore, so it's technically a trumpet. But because of its odd shape, t's kind of a hybrid between a trumpet and a cornet.

It was made by Bob DeNicola in Murrel's Inlet, SC, and he named this model the "Pujé," pronounced "Pudgy." He spelled it that way to be humorously cute and faux-Euro. Bobby recently passed away after a battle with cancer. He was a truly great man, a real mensch, and I'm very thankful I had the privilege of being his friend. He designed and made other unique horns (a couple varieties of real cornets, a more standard-looking trumpet, etc.), he was a mouthpiece maker and instrument repairman, and an excellent trumpet player.

I love this horn, I've been using it as my main ax since the end of '94, and find that I can get a cornetty sound when I wanna, and can cut through like a trumpet when I honk on it. It seems to me to be capable of getting a big fat sound. I have several different horns that Bobby made, including some prototypes--he was a bit of a mad scientist--fun stuff. The Puje' (and some of his other designs) has a tuning crook that is part of the bell next to where you would normally have a first slide crook, which means you can tune (flatten) any note, any valve combination with it. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...oh, sorry, I put myself to sleep there. If you want to know about my mouthpiece,* well, you are sick and should seek professional help immediately. Heh heh.

(*OK, OK, it's a Greg Black custom jobby, he's great.)