Jackie Kay -- Trumpet

[pigeonhed]

When jazz trumpet star Joss Moody dies the world learns that he was really a woman, spending over 40 years with his breasts bound, in men’s clothing,.and avoiding situations where he might be discovered.

Trumpet however isn’t his story, of how he lived that way.  It is the story of those around him, particularly his widow, Millie, and his adopted

Comments

[denelian]

(Just one thing bothered me though. How could a trumpet player perform with his chest bound as tight as Kay suggests?)

i can't imagine it would be worse than a corset. and i know a couple of trumpet players who during high school did the "vitorian dinner" on full corsetry)

i did it with clarianet. it was so corseted i could barely walk. but you breathe lower for playing. it hurts, but i imagine that after a while you just sort of stop noticing it. especially if it was ONLY his breasts - all of the breathing he needed would be from lower than that.

[moondancerdrake]

I bound myself pretty tight when I was doing Frank n' furter in the late 80's and I could still talk and sing...it was darn uncomfortable though, and when I unbound myself it was a feeling better then sex, let me tell ya, and that was just a couple nights a week.

[rosalux]

Well, there's Billy Tipton, but he was a pianist, which doesn't require as much breath.

[heyiya]

Oooh this is one of my favourite books in the whole world. :)

[marykaykare]

The important thing for wind instruments is the support the diaphragm gives -- which is under the chest. Yeah, you need to breathe, but the power comes from there.

MKK