Wolfie Taninbaum

Groovekiller

Groovekiller

Distinguished Member
Distinguished Member
I visited Wolfie today on the pretense of getting a bass sax mouthpiece refaced. I didn't really need another bass mouthpiece, but it was a good excuse to hang out with one of the great Florida mouthpiece makers.

In a very short time, Wolfie made a mouthpiece that I wasn't crazy about into a great piece. For those who don't know, he was the original maker of "Wolfe Tayne" mouthpieces, "Guy Hawkins" mouthpieces, "Bari" mouthpieces and plastic reeds.

He's now well into his 80s and sharp as a tack. His work is superb and his rates are low. If you need a mouthpiece refaced, give him a call. (954) 561-7804.
 
What a great story Randy! Great to hear that he is still able to ply his craft.

One of my favorite mouthpieces for tenor is a Wolf Tayne that I got way back in Jr. high sometime when I'd only been playing a 3 or 4 years. It was way beyond me then, but now, when I want a great jazz tenor sound, that's the piece I slap onto my Mark VI... It turns this rocker, into a jazz-sounding player. It's an amazing piece. The stock ligature was unique as well.
 
Wolfie played with Les Brown, Frank Sinatra, Raymond Scott, and too many others to mention. He was a monster on the New York scene. Google Wolf Taninbaum or Wolfie Taninbaum and you'll find pages and pages of info on a guy who stopped playing gigs before the internet.
 
Groovekiller said:
Wolfie played with Les Brown, Frank Sinatra, Raymond Scott, and too many others to mention. He was a monster on the New York scene. Google Wolf Taninbaum or Wolfie Taninbaum and you'll find pages and pages of info on a guy who stopped playing gigs before the internet.
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Many years ago I went to his factory in Ft. Lauderdale for a mouthpiece and he
taught me his method of balancing reeds. He could make almost any reed play.
martinm
 
I would like to pick his brain on phrasing for 'Love to Keep Me Warm.'
 
hakukani said:
I would like to pick his brain on phrasing for 'Love to Keep Me Warm.'
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I think that was Ted Nash, who still lives in the Los Angeles area. Try to find his solo on Skylark on the Paul Weston record "Mood for 12" (Tenor) or his alto solo on the Paul Weston record "Solo Mood" where he plays You Are Too Beautiful.

Actually, it's not hard to find Ted Nash's playing because he was one of the most recorded sax players in history. He just never got any credits listed on the records.

Wolfie sounded different - a little "Greasier." I like 'em both.
 
A while back, I asked Wolfie about the Les Brown band. When he played with that band, it was full of the best players in the world, many of whom became the top L.A. session players. He said that he liked bands with a little more "grease."

But the real reason I'm posting here is this - I bought some mouthpieces from the widow of a great Broadway woodwind doubler. He was a baritone/bassoon doubler, and the baritone mouthpieces included what you would expect - Slant sig Link, metal Link, New York Meyer, and the clarinet mouthpieces were also interesting.

But there was a Guy Hawkins metal tenor piece, facing number 10, that was amazing. Despite the big number, the tip was .110", It's nickel plated brass, and the shape of the chamber makes me think that it was Wolfie's answer to the Dukoff Power Chamber D mouthpiece. There was a ton of work involved in producing this mouthpiece. No wonder i've never seen another one.

The only problem is, if I make this my main mouthpiece, and something happens to it, what will I do?
 
It was an education to be able to sit and watch Wolfe work on my pieces, both from understanding the refacing process to tooling and gear. The view from his zillionth floor, ocean front condo was spectacular as were the chicks in bathing suits, stopping by frequently, to see if he needed anything:)
 
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