Baltimore’s “Little Italy” is a great place for pasta, but for a different taste of Italy, discerning sax players should head to the Baltimore suburbs and experience the largest assortment of Rampone & Cazzani handmade Italian saxophones assembled anywhere in North America.
Located inside the Rovner Products manufacturing facility, the new Rampone & Cazzani showroom opened in October to a curious and enthusiastic gathering of local players.
Says George Reeder, owner/president of Rovner Products, “For me, it’s personal.” He refers to both the fact that there are three Rampone horns in his own collection, and to his approach to introducing the brand to a broader market in the U.S. “I want people to have an opportunity to experience these beautiful horns firsthand. That’s the only way they will be able to appreciate the unique characteristics that produce their distinctive and exceptional sound.”
The Rampone & Cazzani company was founded in 1818 and originally produced a wider range of brass and woodwind instruments. Their focus in the 21st century has been strictly saxophones, which they make in many combinations of vintage bare metals, solid silver, and heavy gold and silver plate. Visitors to the factory in Quarna Sotto, Italy will find a rambling structure housing age-old equipment for forming parts as well as modern machining equipment. Says vice-president and co-owner Claudio Zolla, “For us it is strictly about sound. To create the Rampone sound we must first honor the history of our manufacturing processes. But we live in a modern world, which we must also accommodate.” The factory is steeped in decades of music-making history thanks to both the clutter of instrument parts that line the shelves and to the many notable artists who have visited over the years to play and purchase the finished products.
Rampone & Cazzani has been Rovner Products’ sole Italian distributor since 2012. This solid business relationship resulted in Zolla eventually approaching George Reeder about the possibility of a reciprocal arrangement. Reeder’s love affair with the horns aside, the two brands clearly are complementary. “Although dealer inquiries are certainly welcome,” he says, “I think of this more in terms of being an importer than in being a distributor. I plan to personally take the horns to as many events as I am able, in a grassroots effort to build awareness.” Next stops are JEN, the U.S. Navy’s Sax Symposium, NAMM and NASA. The Rampone showroom is open by appointment. To arrange a visit, send an email to:
info@ramponecazzani-usa.com
www.ramponecazzani-usa.com
www.rovnerproducts.com
