Jimmy Rowles' Holton/Leblanc Trumpet
I purchased this trumpet from Stacy Rowles in 2009, a
very short time before her untimely and tragic death. On
the same visit, she left her Calcichio pocket trumpet for
some repairs and returned to pick it up just a few days
before the car accident that lead to her passing. Stacy was
always straightforward communicator but she seemed
especially appreciative of the repairs and fact that I had
purchased three of her instruments, since she needed the
funds to pay her mortgage. With an enthusiastic hug, she
was gone from my shop. Stacy had told me that this C
trumpet was specially made for her dad, the legendary jazz
pianist, Jimmy Rowles. She told me that her dad played
just a little trumpet in the military, although had not
become very proficient. Only after seeing her success on
trumpet and flugelhorn and the two of them enjoying
performing together on their respective instruments did he
decide that he would like to play the trumpet with her as
well. This trumpet was custom built for Jimmy by G.
Leblanc Corporation, parent company of Holton as well as
distributor of their French products (Courtois, Leblanc,
Noblet etc.). I now wish that I had asked more questions
of Stacy regarding the origins of this project, although she
did tell me that his request was to have a trumpet that he
wouldn't have to transpose all the tunes that he knows on
the piano, but still have the sound of a Bb trumpet. Sure
enough, it has the bell and mouthpipe from Holton's Bb
trumpet model T101, which was their new model at the
time. This trumpet is certainly well built, but any
experienced brass repairman could have taken the bell and
mouthpipe from a Holton trumpet and cut them to the
correct lengths to fit the existing Leblanc C trumpet valve
assembly. I'm quite sure that Stacy's story is true however
and this trumpet is an excellent playing instrument,
certainly not a chance assemblage of parts. The bore is
.441", the over all length is 19 1/16"" and the bell diameter
is 5".
very short time before her untimely and tragic death. On
the same visit, she left her Calcichio pocket trumpet for
some repairs and returned to pick it up just a few days
before the car accident that lead to her passing. Stacy was
always straightforward communicator but she seemed
especially appreciative of the repairs and fact that I had
purchased three of her instruments, since she needed the
funds to pay her mortgage. With an enthusiastic hug, she
was gone from my shop. Stacy had told me that this C
trumpet was specially made for her dad, the legendary jazz
pianist, Jimmy Rowles. She told me that her dad played
just a little trumpet in the military, although had not
become very proficient. Only after seeing her success on
trumpet and flugelhorn and the two of them enjoying
performing together on their respective instruments did he
decide that he would like to play the trumpet with her as
well. This trumpet was custom built for Jimmy by G.
Leblanc Corporation, parent company of Holton as well as
distributor of their French products (Courtois, Leblanc,
Noblet etc.). I now wish that I had asked more questions
of Stacy regarding the origins of this project, although she
did tell me that his request was to have a trumpet that he
wouldn't have to transpose all the tunes that he knows on
the piano, but still have the sound of a Bb trumpet. Sure
enough, it has the bell and mouthpipe from Holton's Bb
trumpet model T101, which was their new model at the
time. This trumpet is certainly well built, but any
experienced brass repairman could have taken the bell and
mouthpipe from a Holton trumpet and cut them to the
correct lengths to fit the existing Leblanc C trumpet valve
assembly. I'm quite sure that Stacy's story is true however
and this trumpet is an excellent playing instrument,
certainly not a chance assemblage of parts. The bore is
.441", the over all length is 19 1/16"" and the bell diameter
is 5".
Click on photos for larger views.