I love the clarinet. I think it’s probably my favourite instrument. I’ll never know what all the fuss is about the saxophone – give me Sidney Bechet over Charlie Parker any day of the week. Couple this with my enthusiasm for small instruments, and you’ll see why I like the Hot Fountain Pen. In the 1920s and 30s, an American jazz musician, Adrian Rollini, arrived in the UK with a couple of eccentric instruments in his bag. One was the Goofus, and the other was a Hot Fountain Pen. These pictures are about the only ones I can find of a Hot Fountain Pen, taken by (and featuring) ace clarinettist Brian Hills.
It had a thin body, not unlike a penny whistle, but with the addition of a small clarinet mouthpiece. Measuring only 10″ long, it has that distinctive mellow reedy tone of a clarinet. There is more information about them HERE. Hot Fountain Pens are almost impossible to find these days. I myself have plumped for a Clarineau, which has a range of about two octaves and, in the right hands, sounds amazing!
