Mellophone and Mellophonium in Jazz

The Mellophone is a brass instrument typically pitched in the key of F, though models in E♭, D, C, and G (as a bugle) have also historically existed. Mellophonium: C.G. Conn developed its 16E “Mellophonium“ and first marketed it in 1957. It is essentially a “classic“ or “concert“ mellophone that has figuratively been partially unwrapped to form a bell forward instrument. American bandleader Stan Kenton himself was not involved in the design of the mellophonium; in 1961, however, he provided an endorsement for Conn’s advertising upon adopting the instrument. Kenton had, for several years, wished to add another brass voice alongside the trumpets and trombones in his orchestra and experimented unsuccessfully with additional instruments, before discovering the Conn Mellophonium, which bridged the gap he was seeking to fill. 1. James Deuchar (June 26, 1930 in Dundee, Scotland – September 9, 1993 in London, England) was a Scottish jazz trumpeter, mellophonium player