Bird on a Holton!

[geauxsax]

This has been posted before in another area, but this website (in Japanese?) purports to show Charlie Parker on, among other things, a Holton (alto).

You be the judge. .
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj58/oldcheapsaxguy/CharlieParkeronHolton.jpg

Here's the link:
http://www.ne.jp/asahi/jazz/jazz/horns.htm

[mascio]

bird was famous for having his horn in hawk and playing what ever horn he could come up with (and making it sound like a million bucks) but i can't see enough of this players face to convince me it is bird. i read a story where bird allegedly borrowed jackie mc clean's horn and then hawked it, severly upsetting the owner.

[hakukani]

I wouldn't be surprised if Bird played every make and model of sax available in his lifetime.

[BlueTrane2028]

Yeah, that was supposedly right before Bird died. They talk about it in the Ken Burns series, fwiw.

[SuperAction80]

Yeah, that was supposedly right before Bird died. They talk about it in the Ken Burns series, fwiw.
The pic in question was taken right before Bird's death? I'm not sure about that. Wasn't he a lot more "bloated" in his later years?

Aside from that, why would any photographer take a picture of a famous musician playing a horn, and then cut off his face? If they were trying to focus on the fact that Parker was playing on a Holton, they would still want a clear shot of his face. Call me a skeptic, but I'm saying Fowl. Get it, bird...fowl...er...nevermind.

[SoLongEric]

I've seen the full pic of this one. Bird got on some round shades..they used pic on Ken Burns Jazz when Bird played Ko-Ko.. It's an early pic. I THINK its round the time of the pic wit Bird, Dex or Lucky, and Mclean in the background...but don't quote me on it.

[BlueTrane2028]

Yeah, that was supposedly right before Bird died. They talk about it in the Ken Burns series, fwiw.

My comment was not about the date of the picture, but rather about the story where Bird pawned Jackie McLean's saxophone.

[jazzbug1]

Bird perished on our Thanksgiving table, eaten by a Holton fan.

[milomo]

That picture is Jay McShann era Bird, I think it's from a record date date or rehearsal.

http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh249/milomo/spotlite103early_bird-jaymcshann-1.jpg

That's Gene Ramey on bass