- Completed on July 13, 1923
- Wood tubing
- Sterling silver mechanism
- Embouchure: 9.20 mm x 11.06 mm
- Embouchure height: 0.138″
- A=440 Hz (with head at 2 mm)
This piccolo was recently overhauled by Seung Jeon and Paul Rabinov in December 2023. It also has a new Haynes case by Northwind. The original owner was Matt Utal, who played a variety of instruments with the NBC orchestra, Les Brown’s band, and many other professional groups. (See bio below).
This piccolo has been well cared for and plays very much like the early Powell wood piccolos – very smooth, even, and with a beautiful ring to the sound.
Price: $3,800
Sold as is. Sales tax is applicable to purchases within California. For inquiries on purchasing, please contact Gary Lewis.
Matt Utal: 7/13/1926 – 9/5/2019
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Matt studied piano as a boy when the family moved to California and was preparing for a music career by age 10. In junior high, he started to play the clarinet and loved the music of Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, and Count Basie. As a teen, he visited the world-famous Hollywood Palladium, listened to Les Brown and his Band of Renown, and formed a dream to one day play with them and Benny Goodman, become a studio musician, and travel the world. He was playing professionally by his junior year in high school.
Matt started to attend UCLA, but in 1944, he enlisted in the Maritime Service to assist the
country at the end of the war. Placed in a band at a base on Catalina Island, he discovered the band was made up of studio musicians with a wealth of knowledge and experience. Several became his mentors and advised, “Practice, study, and always try to play with the very best musicians.” The band was frequently sent from Catalina to do recording sessions in Hollywood, preparing Matt for a very rewarding career.
In 1946, he enrolled in Westlake College of Music to focus on commercial music, learning flute and arranging. He graduated in two years and began playing with a variety of bands, including Earl Spencer, Henry Busse, Ted Fio Rito, Leighton Noble, Jerry Gray, Xavier Cugat, Stan Kenton, Cy Touff/Richie Kamuca Octet, Red Ingle, Bill Clifford, Dick Pierce, Skinnay Ennis, Alvino Ray, Benny Goodman, Billy May, and Gordon Jenkins.
In 1952, Matt auditioned for Les Brown’s Band, securing a job that lasted 33 years. He also
played for seven years with the NBC Staff Orchestra. During these years, he traveled the world with the Bob Hope USO shows, performing at different armed force bases in Europe and Asia to entertain troops during the Vietnam conflict and playing concerts and command performances for royalty.
He also played for the Dean Martin Show, Jerry Lewis Show, Laugh In, Andy Williams Show, Name That Tune, Peggy Lee TV shows, Frank Sinatra, Mel Torme, Bing Crosby, Tony Bennet, Sammy Davis, Jr., Doris Day, Perry Como, Barbra Streisand, Rosemary Clooney, Dinah Shore, and others.
Discography
MuscianBio
Musicians Union Bio
Matt playing a sax solo