Mark Turner's Tenor Stolen

[drakesaxprof]

Adam Niewood sent me the following, on behalf of saxophonist Mark Turner. If you have any information, please PM or email, and I'll forward to Mark or to Adam.

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I'm helping to put the word out for a friend -- Mark Turner had his horn "stolen?" in Lisbon Portugal. Unfortunately, the horn was in the trunk of a taxi-cab... when he got out - the cab drove off with his horn in the trunk. This happened last Sunday (Sept 7th) the cab company was contacted - and no word yet...

Please forward to anyone you know in the saxophone community, repair tech or music-store world. Look out on eBay and other on-line sites... If a Selmer Tenor with 49256 serial number shows up for sale - it's stolen property, and should be returned to the rightful owner.

"The horn is a Selmer Super balanced action, serial number 49256. It is in a black Walt Johnson case with two mouthpieces in it( otto link # 7, morgan # 9). Also there was a blue backpack with an iphone in it and a purple rolled up yoga mat. Thanks again for all your help. I look forward to see you soon.
All the best,
Mark"


-Adam Niewood

New York, NY USA

[Rackety Sax]

... and a purple rolled up yoga mat...

Now we know the secret of his tenor mastery...

[sonnymobleytrane]

Now we know the secret of his tenor mastery...

Yeah I would have left that out!

[Swingtone]

Maybe he uses it to do sit ups. :D

[Nefertiti]

Man, that stinks. I hope he finds it. He must be devastated!:(

[Rahspeak]

Please, no more yoga jokes in this thread. Keep it solemn. Mark Turner is a HEAVY, one-of-a-kind cat, who needs his horn to do his work, which is great work. Think about how you would feel if ONE of your axes was stolen (and some of us have way more gear than we need or deserve as players, don't we?), and then realize that Mark Turner's loss and the injustice done to him is exponentially worse. He lives through that horn. I hope his horn is found and that the perpetrator is punished, but I'm not holding out hope.

[sonnymobleytrane]

Please, no more yoga jokes in this thread. Keep it solemn. Mark Turner is a HEAVY, one-of-a-kind cat, who needs his horn to do his work, which is great work. Think about how you would feel if ONE of your axes was stolen (and some of us have way more gear than we need or deserve as players, don't we?), and then realize that Mark Turner's loss and the injustice done to him is exponentially worse. He lives through that horn. I hope his horn is found and that the perpetrator is punished, but I'm not holding out hope.


I love Mark Turners playing and have been aware of him for a long time (He had the lesson before me with Billy Pierce while I was at Berklee)

I was not making light of his situation with the yoga mat remark, What else is there to say about one's horn being stolen Its terrible, awful , sucks, stinks, rots......How many ways can you say it?

Oh and I actually "BUY" his Cds.

[whaler]

A little word of advice for the guys with good horns that travel. I hate to say it, but my MarkVI doesn't leave the country anymore. First, I think the airlines will make me check it and then lose it or trash it, second, instead of being able to hang after the gigs, you have to worry about getting your horn secure somewhere. If you do chose to take your good horn, buy a duffle bag or a nylon bag to put your case in. They might be less likely to bother stealing something if it just looks like your dirty laundry.
That's why they make Japanese horns. Easily replaced and they play good enough to deal with.

[Tim Price]

1- I hope he gets his horn back. PERIOD.

2- I also hope he HAS Insurance on his gear !! So many don't, and just can not afford to. I hope he does.

3- A YOGA MAT. I'm not surprized, this guy is inspiring that way. You can check him out and see, he's about the real- and in it for the music.

4- a former Billy Pierce student. I'm not surprized at all. A super hip tenorman and a super teacher. I'd love to hear those two do some tenor-tear it up together. If I had $$ , I'd put it into a project like that. Pierce is a master.




On insurance, I use 1-800-vivaldi...I have to. There's no other choice. To not have instrument insurance is a foool hardy thing. So, that means I do a few extra rock gigs/ Friday nite passion-plus weddings etc- So it goes......That's what ya gotta do. Survival 101.


Another note, I NEVER LEAVE A CAB, in the US or overseas till he opens the trunk. Then I exit- grab my stuff and PAY HIM. Taking a mental note of the guys cab number- and his name is helpful too. Its a drag, but IT'S THAT KINDA WORLD...Ya gotta take the gloves off. But- I never pay the dude till I got all my stuff. 9 X outta 10 I get my horns right in my hands.

Rule number one- NOBODY TOUCHES MY STUFF. NO STAGE HANDS, NADDA.



Poor Mark, I feel for him. What a drag- Damn shame.
i SURE HOPE HE GETS HIS STUFF BACK....

[Rahspeak]

I love Mark Turners playing and have been aware of him for a long time (He had the lesson before me with Billy Pierce while I was at Berklee)

I was not making light of his situation with the yoga mat remark, What else is there to say about one's horn being stolen Its terrible, awful , sucks, stinks, rots......How many ways can you say it?

Oh and I actually "BUY" his Cds.


My bad man. I see how my original post was a little preachy and I shouldn't have come off like that...it's just that when I read about this news I got really mad because Mark Turner is one of the real deals, IMO. I buy his CDs and went to see him play every chance I could when I lived in New York. It really made me mad to hear about what happened to him, but it's not your or any other poster's fault so I shouldn't have approached it like that.

Let's hope this all works out in the end.

[Sigmund451]

Now THAT should be a capatol offense.

I think reeds under the fingernails will sufice for bamboo.

Chances are slim but I hope he gets his horn back.

Why cant thieves steal gear that is replacable?
Oh yea, I work with them.....For the most part they are idiots.

[Ike Webkins]

I saw him yesterday playing (with J Redman), he had a quite old sax (did he recover the fist one, or got another one : I don't know)

[drakesaxprof]

2- I also hope he HAS Insurance on his gear !! So many don't, and just can not afford to. I hope he does.

On insurance, I use 1-800-vivaldi...I have to. There's no other choice. To not have instrument insurance is a foool hardy thing. So, that means I do a few extra rock gigs/ Friday nite passion-plus weddings etc- So it goes......That's what ya gotta do. Survival 101.



I use Clarion Insurance (http://www.clarionins.com/), as they offer discounts for AFM and North American Saxophone Alliance members. It's very good coverage.

[Adam Niewood]

My friend Chris Cuzme (http://www.myspace.com/cuzme) had his horn stolen the same way. Trunk of a Cab...

I just today, got another email forwarded to me, that Wayne Escoffery (http://www.escofferymusic.com/) had lost his instrument, the same way... Trunk of a Cab... on Sept 11th.

The personal connection that one develops with their instrument, over time, can not be put into words. I hope all three guys mentioned above, have their horns come back to them.

It happened to YO-YO MA - but he did get his cello back.

So -- lesson to be learned (note to self). Don't put your instrument in the trunk of a taxi cab. Keep it up front on your lap.

[JS]

Geez! When did Cuzme's horn get stolen?! I just read about Wayne Escoffery's horn this morning. I hope that all three of them get their instruments back soon, and I certainly hope that they had their instruments insured (I also use Clarion). Adam's exactly right - I always keep my tenor with me, on my lap, in the cab. Tim's got a great idea as well, don't get out of the cab until the trunk's been opened, and take note of what the cab company is and the driver's name.

[sambeaux]

I got myself into the habit of always asking, "Can I get a receipt?" when I get out of a cab. That way, you always have the cab's number when you realize you left something or that your wallet or keys fell out of your pocket. Plus you have the receipt when it comes time to itemize expenses.

But I hope those guys get their property back...

[BlueTrane2028]

Another option, never use a cab...

I have yet to use one ever for any reason and probably never will.

[HeavyWeather77]

Mark Turner is probably my #1 favorite player alive. Hearing about this makes me want to rip that cabby in half.

Pawn shop-goers, keep your eyes open! This is serious. While Mark SHOULD not have to worry about money due to the caliber of his artistry, I think he has a family, and undoubtedly has enough things to worry about without trying to recover an instrument that's twice as valuable as my car. Uncompromising artists like Mark are not famous for having unlimited amounts of time or money. SPREAD THE WORD! Help Mark out!

[Swampcabbage]

I was just talking with a friend about this the other day. He was talking about having to clutch his horn while riding the trains and touring through Europe. I have a suggestion for some of you. You can buy a computer lock/cable that has an alarm on it (defcon has one, etc...) It's not going to keep a thief from cutting the cable. But, if you find yourself on a long trip and having to hold your horn or need to pile up your stuff in a club, it's really handy. Just lock up your case and lock it together or tosomething and yourself (I might suggest som sort of bracelet or cuff that is hard to remove.. The alarm is piercing and loud and would wake you.

Personally, I'd be interested in getting a gps Lojack for some horns too.

And always insure.

[Adam Niewood]

I just got an email from Mark saying that he got his horn back. Not sure of the fine details... but I figured I would spread the word. Good things do happen to good people.

[DanPerezSax]

Sweet!

[daigle65]

Great !

[sonnymobleytrane]

I just got an email from Mark saying that he got his horn back. Not sure of the fine details... but I figured I would spread the word. Good things do happen to good people.

Great News.

[BlueTrane2028]

I figure it goes something like this:

Mark raises hell with the cab company, the cabbie gets in to station, gets reamed a new exit orfice, finds sax in trunk, calls Mark, sax returned.

If it was an intentional theft, it'd have been long gone, I'm sure.

[unbalancedaction]

I hope to assume the best of people, and that the cabbie was probably unaware of what was in the trunk (or he looked at the horn and thought, "oh man... why couldn't it be new") and it took some time to figure out which cab driver had Mark (and the horn). I'm glad that Mark got it back, and Adam's right-good things happen to good people (that's real Karma working for Mark).

[sonnymobleytrane]

I hope he got back the yoga mat!