|
contents | jazz | |||||||||||||
| The Birth Of 'Betto by info@imainnation.com The beginning of January ushered in a unique New Year's birth, 'Betto a character designed by Djinn Carl Lewis and spawned by Pittsburgh native, trombonist and veteran of the Count Basie Orchestra, Nelson Harrison. Constructed from an Amati brand pocket cornet the trombetto is a one-of-a-kind brass instrument it was conceived in 1980 by former trumpet and baritone horn player turned trombonist, Dr. Harrison. Fitted with a trombone mouthpiece, which gives it the timbre of a velvety-rich French horn/flugelhorn combination, the final version was commissioned then custom-crafted in 1990 by Ted Weir. Author and publisher of "The World According to Bop", Nelson presently holds a Regents' Lectureship at University of California, Santa Cruz in whole-brain jazz and creative writing on The Metaphysics of Music' as well as the Living Encyclopedia of Global African Music project. The 'Betto character began as a discussion in 2004 between Mr. Lewis, Dr. Harrison and Miraflores Music's Marcia Migét on the concept Internet and digital imaging usage to market and create branding for Jazz musicians. The intent is to create a vehicle that captures the attention of the populace and educates, especially youth, to the rich heritage of Classical American Music and its historical impact on the world. In this current technological coming of age of the Musician the presence of Jazz and Latin artists needs to be as visible and multiplatform as the Pop icons. This is the underlying reason for the JazzIcons Project. Last year saw the development of MeeJ, a flute-nosed, keyboard-chested, alto-winged creature splashed on the site of pianist/flutist/saxophonist Ms. Migét paired with her signature sound. MeeJ is the focal character in her animated project-in-development and product line prominent on www.mee-j.com. A photographic artist represented in six major museum collections including the Smithsonian, imajinnWEST's Djinn Lewis incorporates caricatures of musicians and images from the 'captured' laser illusions within his oeuvre to create the JazzIcons. The firm consults with the musician on appropriate usage, products, market research and researches manufacturers willing and able to produce the Limited Edition goods. The end results are quite identifiable thus establishing a 'brand' for the musician. "We at imajinnWEST are extremely enthused at Marcia and Nelson's participation and our collective vision. As we step forward with this concept for the Classical American musicians I see the ability to re-capture a segment of the marketplace that is visually-oriented. This also begins a process of creating vehicles to engage our youth.", stated Mr. Lewis. write your comments about the article :: © 2007 Jazz News :: home page |