Tuba after American bandmaster John Philip Sousa, resembles a hélicon with the bell pointed up (in the original models as the J. W. Pepper prototype and Sousa's concert instruments) and then curved to point forward (as developed by Conn and others). Some ancestors of the tuba, such as the military "bombardon", had unusual valve and bore arrangements compared to modern tubas. During the American Civil War, most brass bands used a branch of the brass family known as "saxhorns", which, by today's standards, have a narrower bore taper than tuba—the same as true cornets and baritones, but distinct from trumpets, euphoniums,
The Ray Draper Quintet featuring John Coltrane The Ray Draper Quintet featuring John Coltrane The Ray Draper Quintet featuring John Coltrane is the second album by tuba player Ray Draper recorded in 1957 and released on the New Jazz label. Scott Yanow of Allmusic reviewed the album, stating "Draper had ambitious dreams of making the tuba a major jazz solo instrument; the tuba/tenor front line is an unusual and generally successful sound... One does admire Draper's courage, and it is a pity that he hardly recorded at all after 1960 because he had strong potential". The All About Jazz review by Douglas Payne stated "Even though Draper's