Kevin Eland

Kevin is a well respected musician in the north east of England probably best described as a “gigging” musician playing everything from soul to salsa. big band to brass band and most things in between. He has played lead trumpet on the QE2, the tower circus and travelling circus’ home and abroad, theatre work and recording sessions. A strong lead player but equally at home in the section or in a small combo.

I spent a few months digging up all I could about Leigh and Eclipse Trumpets talking to guys who played his trumpets and the feedback I was getting was exceptional, so after a lot of years on a “Xeno” I finally took the plunge and rang Leigh, we talked at length confirming what I’d thought and we went for the medium red as I was playing a few cross-over gigs. Due to logistics Leigh ended up having to get his passport out and travel north to deliver my trumpet which was service beyond the norm. After a few weeks blowing it in and getting the feel of it everything was great, the sound, the tuning, the valves, all what I had hoped for and more but I was was doing everything on the 6o pipe so Leigh told me to come down and try a few other trumpets. After battling my way through a sleet storm (he said it was snow) I spent a couple of days in the shed playing various combinations of pipes and bells eventually settling on the large yellow with a large lead pipe. I’ve played this “beast” for a few months and in all honesty it is the best trumpet I’ve ever blown, it screams at the top but can be so “Chet” when you whisper through it. I’ve left the trumpet raw as I’ve found the sound I want and love and don’t want to change it.

As for my flugel once again what can I say it plays beautiful, true in all registers, superb valves, finished in silver with gold accents to match my Sterling cornet (thanks for that) it has that gorgeous warm sound you come to expect from an Eclipse Flugel, and it looks pretty (so everyone says).