Trumpet, B-flat
Maker
Andrew Taylor
Date1998
Place MadeNorwich, England, Europe
ModelUtley Collection Custom Shop
Serial No.none
SignedEngraved on mouthpiece rim: TAYLOR. U.K. UTLEY CUSTOMMarkingsPainted in gold and green on bow fillings: UTLEY Collection
Painted in gold inside bell: UTLEY COLLECTION
Stamped on valve stems, respectively: 1, 2, 3
DescriptionBrass, integral mouthpiece, body and bell finished with motorcycle paint (as applied to Hi-buck Chopper motorcycles) in black and pearl-green marbling with white and gold highlights, clear lacquered brass (mouthpiece rim, valve slides, finger buttons, and valve caps), nickel-silver ferrules, green Swarovski-Crystal imitation of colored flat-backed glass (finger buttons and knob inlay), massively solid appearance with filled-in bows and braces between leadpipe and bell, single loop, main tuning side at first bow, three Périnet valves (1, ½, 1½), top-sprung, spring outside hollow stem, alignment by one lug on black plastic spring anchor plate, nickel-silver-plated brass pistons, trigger with pull ring at third valve, windway 3-2-1.
In 1998, Joe Utley commissioned this trumpet as a special focal point for his collection, calling it the Utley Collection Custom Shop trumpet. Andy Taylor confessed that “this is the most involved and difficult horn I have ever made.” Taylor was inspired by car and motorcycle design: “I am constantly looking at car development and bikes. The best looking bikes have these sexy curves.” The filled-in bows of this trumpet had to be made with double-skinned metal, and it was tricky to join the straight and the curved tubing. For the decoration of this artistic trumpet, Taylor drew on the experience of motorcycle painter and airbrush artist Ty Lawer, owner of Pageant Paintwork in Norfolk. For Lawler, the challenge was to paint an object which is to be seen close up, not at a distance like motorcycles; this meant greater attention to detail. The larger than normal bell provided more surface area for the art work, but also helps to create a bigger sound.
DimensionsHeight: 529 mm
Tube length: 1359 mm
Bore diameter (tuning slide, valve slides): 11.93 mm, 11.98 mm (0.472 inches)
Bell diameter: 145 mm (5 3/4 inches)
ProvenancePurchased in 1998 from Andrew Taylor, Norwich, United Kingdom.
Published ReferencesNMM catalog: _As Good as Gold: The First 50 Years (1973-2023)_. Vermillion, SD: National Music Museum, 2023. (pp. 65, 70-71)
Credit LineJoe R. and Joella F. Utley Collection, 1999
Object number07316
On View
Not on view
