Jazzophone

The jazzophone is a bit of an odd duck-it’s a trumpet but is wrapped like a saxophone. Looks really funky and cool and sounds great, though you can’t use mutes with it. In over 10 years of dealing in vintage instruments.

The jazzophone is thought to have been invented in 1920, is made up of trumpet mouthpiece and valves, but a double head of saxophone-type bells to transit sound. One bell is left open, while the other has a harmon mute more usually associated with a trumpet, opened and closed by stem on a trigger like the valves on saxophone. When employed it produces a wah-wah type effect.

The Jazzophon is an almost forgotten instrument, a trumpet in the shape of a saxophone with two bells. One bell sounds like a normal trumpet, the other like a muted trumpet. In a July 3rd, 2011 recording Scott Robinson shows the possibilities of the instrument.