Where is the most unlikely place for saxophone signage you can think of? Last weekend I did something I haven’t done in a number of years: I went to the Abbotsford International Airshow. It was the 55th year that Canada’s National Airshow was held, and for me it was a …
The tale of yet another stolen Mark VI On Sunday night as I was coming home from my jazz combo rehearsal, my minty 1991 Volvo wagon was loaded with a couple of my favourite horns and gear: my 198XXX Mark VI tenor, a vintage Dukoff S7 tenor MP, my 266XXX …
Website hosting issues… A feeling of déjà vu Some of you might have noticed that I haven’t been doing a lot with regards to updating my gallery, my site, or even writing a lot on this weblog. There is a reason for that. My Bassic Sax site has gotten so …
A few days ago, as I was virtual window shopping on eBay, I happened across a most unusual little gem. It was a promotional shot of a professional female saxophone player from Germany. The card was dated May 28, 1945. Source: mondopix on eBay.com Else Köhler-Sprato was a solo saxophonist, …
Today is the day that my American friends and neighbours are celebrating their country’s 241st birthday. So to all of you south of the 49th, I wish you a wonderful holiday. Here is one of my favourite US cities, all lit-up on a previous July 4th celebration. Seattle does a …
Here in Canada our patriotism is pretty subdued. We generally don’t chant our nationality at sporting events; fly our flags from our homes; or wrap ourselves in our national colours as (fashion) statements. That however, doesn’t mean we are any less patriotic than those people living in countries who do …
Last night I went to see a saxophone player I had never seen in concert before. Branford Marsalis was performing at the Vancouver Jazz Festival. His performance was done partially with the VSO, at the Orpheum Theatre. The first half of the 2½ hour show was classical in nature, and …
If you are a fan of original big band music, then the name Abe Lyman is likely familiar to you. Lyman was a drummer turned band leader, who had a very successful career that included: playing in the hottest clubs in California; performing on the radio starting in 1922; touring …
Last week I decided to undertake the first of a few new vintage saxophone reference charts for my website: A stencil sax chart unlike any other that you will find online. Why is it different you ask? Because wherever possible the stencil names are linked to photos. If you’ve googled …
Saxophones: the clowns of the band Saxophones are capable of laughing; braying; singing; talking; barking; yelping; crying; sneezing; meowing. In short, saxophone effects are almost limited only by the imagination of the player. The Brown Brothers were a saxophone band from the 1920s who exemplified just how far the instrument …