Holy Moley!! By some arcane and borderline set of circumstances I actually received in the mail today FIVE (count ‘em, FIVE) whistles. Their points of origin ranged from London to upstate New York to California. Without doubt the real (and only) gems in this windfall are the three John Sindt whistles(an A, a B-Flat and a C), which came precisely when promised, if not, in fact a bit early!! Another was this odd looking antique early plastic (composite would be too high-falootin’ a word to call this stuff) 'D’from London, about which I will be seeking some information fron you folks down the road–I have never seen anything like it. It was E-Bay Item # 1519864438, but the photos have been stripped off the E-Bay posting, so you’ll have to take my word for it. I will take some digital shots of it and e-mail them to anyone who thinks they might be able to shed some light on the origins of this one. Sticking out of the otherwise closed mouthpiece is a pipe that is about an inch and a quarter long and the diameter of a soda straw with a ‘wing’ on either side to insure that you place it squarely in your mouth. There are no commerical markings on it to assist in the identification. I was disappointed at the sound at first and wondered why it did not play ‘as advertised’ until I inspected the barrel–it was full of cobwebs!! I also got about half a teaspoon of dust out of it. It sounds a little better now. I have fond hopes for this one, if only as a curiosity. Lastly, (and perhaps appropriately so) I got a Susato Kildare “A” which I also ‘won’ at auction on E-Bay. (I use the term ‘won’ advisedly.) If only I could have held out and waited for the Sindt ‘A’ to arrive… But, alas, the Whistle Acqusition demon was on me and I could not help myself.
The doorman is starting to get suspicious about my lurking in the lobby and showing signs of increasing desperation as I eagerly await the the arrival of all these tubes in the mail. Wait until the Jaw Harps start rolling in!! Two of those are also en-route, along with an irresistable set of ‘cheater’ hardwood spoons, all brought to you by those friendly strangers on E-Bay. Is it possible that I am developing a problem here? Why can’t I listen to my wife when she suggests that I learn to play one instrument (poorly) at a time?
Oops! Gotto Go, I’ve only got about three more minutes until the bidding closes on this really rare set of matched Uzbeckistani Temple Gongs, which can also be used as serving dishes or, if you are really large-lobed, as earrings. Unfortunately, the instuctions are in a mixture of Old Nepali and Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit, but that won’t deter me. I’m a man on a mission.
Be well,
Tom D.
