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Clarence Clemons

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#1 ·
Yes, I have been taking a stroll down memory lane ;-)

I was looking for a tape last night and came across one I haven't had in the player in quite a while. Clarence Clemons and the Red Bank Rockers... Have this one on vinyl.

Popped the tape in on the way to work this morning, and it got my engine going, Raw, gritty, raucuous rock and roll....Clarence adding is unique tenor to these fantastic tunes.

Made me remember seeing the band once on Alan Thicke's late night talk show, can't remember the name, but they did Rock and Roll DJ, it was getting some airplay at the time. Another on this tape was from the Michael Stanley Band, 3 or four tunes off that album were graced with the Big man's tenor. One rose well on the charts, with Kevin Raliegh singing lead.... He Can't Love You.

for a sampling http://rockin_sax.tripod.com/Clemons.html
 
#27 ·
Sub, I used Plasticovers with success on this m/p for years and still use them on bari I but returned to regular Ricos on alto and tenor because I like the sound of cane with edge. I buy a box of 25 at a time and usually find a fair number that will work. I always have about 6 of each and rotate them on each gig. When I play them out of the box I simply listen for a certain tone that has some "reedy" quality with edge and a whole lot of volume. But I use baritone reeds on tenor and tenor reeds on alto. Works for me.

I used Plasticover for years. Great for rock and I would not hesitate to use them again but with the total variety of music I am playing these days I need a reed that will get rowdy yet turn around with some embouchure adjustment to get a mellow warm subtone. I have simply had better results with cane for this purpose. Ricos are also cut a little on the thin side so they lend themselves to the reedy tone.

Glad you like the m/p. Let Rovner know! You know..now that I think about it, I did receive a gold model tenor from him that had a black plastic insert. I did not keep it so I never questioned it. Maybe I should have removed the insert. I also have one w/o the insert. Nice m/p. However, I am partial toward the stainless steel for some reason. Maybe I will go back and try the gold model again. That is what I use on alto and it is nice.

I normally use LaVoz or Vandoren for classical quartet work because they are cut a little thicker which helps to produce a darker tone depending upon the strength and make of the m/p. But some rockers use them for that style as well so it just depends on what works best for you.
 
#31 ·
Spaz Johnson said:
I, too am prepared to commit that most heinous of SOTW crimes....

Not hearing the spark of greatness in a player worshipped by the majority!

While I don't find his playing offensive, Clemmons has his relationship with Springstein as his only real credential as a major player. Take that away and he's Holiday Inn material! A black Alto Reed!

This is my curse!
Show BIz doesn't necessarily have anything to do with musical talent. Woody Herman was a mediochre player at best, and Ringo aint exactly Tony Williams. its about STAR power, which is an equally valuable and rare commodity, and Clarence Clemmons happens to be a fine saxophonist but not a genius, he is a HUGE star, a true superstar, WITH HIS OWN UNIQUE VOICE, and I love him for it.
 
#32 ·
If a non-player would be permitted to make a few observations about CC.

In the R&R world there aren't many sax players know by name to the general public. About the only one I can think of is Jr. Walker. I am sure that there are "better" sax players who play in the bands of big name talent, or on recordings, but I don't know who they are. I'm sure other sax players know who they are.

The E Street band may not be the greatest collection of rock musicians in the world, but as a back up band the members may be the most well know. What I will say, as a child of 60's R&R, in my own very personal opinion, is that the band captures the essence, energy and emotion of "classic" R&R better than just about any other band. Music is about emotion. If Springsteen and the E Street doesn't get you in the gut, then CC's playing won't either. CC may not be a great sax player, but his playing is perfect in the context of the band.

This performance of Jungleland from the Capitol gave me chills when it was broadcast live in 1978, and I still love it. (I might add that my 15 year old son, who does play the tenor, was amazed at CC's solo that runs around 2 ½ minutes. I tell him to practice his long tones.)
 
#33 ·
and Coach Daddy, tell him it took Clarence 16 hours in front of the mic, under Bruce's direction, to get that Jungleland solo exactly as The Boss wanted it. or was it 19?

Many struggle to have a recognizable voice on their chosen instrument. Clarence is immediately recognizable and has had a great career.
 
#34 ·
I as well had that disc.Loved the redone tune Ressurection Shuffle.
Springsteen's stuff was more enjoyable ,for me,up to Born To Run and one reason is more sax presence on Clarence's part.
I lost interest during Bruce's acoustic,harp playing,Dylanesque dirges but that is another story.
Springsteens' repertoire is so vast ,that even on the Live in NYC dvd,CC's sax sits as a prop,except for a spattering of timely jewels,when he does play it.
For most of what I saw, CC played his tambourine.
In the earlier period CC'S sax was characteristic of a Springsteen song.In the grand spread of The E Street Band to date, Clarence's sax playing serves as symbolic.
 
#35 ·
saxphil, what you say is true, I throughly enjoy Bruce's earlier stuff, Spirits in the Night is one of my first "favorite" tunes. C used to play backing lines etc, From BTR and after it was mostly the "requisite sax solo."

The Big Man's other solo effort, PeaceMaker is very different. He has a new one out with Narada Michael Walden on drums, TM STevens on bass, etc,.,,, on youtube.
 
#36 ·
I'm not really a Springsteen fan. I think there are many more rock artists that sing much better than he does. I think the only artist from that era that he sings better than is Bob Dylan. I know this thread subject is on Clarence but I wanted to show you guys this.

Bruce sings at 2:15 and he does a little duet with Stevie Wonder at 4:56. I can remember being a teenage kid joking about the way Springsteen expressed himself in this video. I would say that it looks like he's trying to take a dump!:D I do like Bruce's hit "57 channels and nothing on." Bruce is different, kind of blue collar. Maybe thats why he was and is so popular.

Clarence definitely has a good and distinct sound, I guess I can kind of compare him to someone like BB King. Not a lot of notes, but lots of feeling behind those notes.
 
#37 ·
Bill Mecca said:
saxphil, what you say is true, I throughly enjoy Bruce's earlier stuff, Spirits in the Night is one of my first "favorite" tunes. C used to play backing lines etc, From BTR and after it was mostly the "requisite sax solo."

The Big Man's other solo effort, PeaceMaker is very different. He has a new one out with Narada Michael Walden on drums, TM STevens on bass, etc,.,,, on youtube.
Ha,memories.
Used to sing and do sax part in Spirit,in an earlier band, 30 yrs. now.
Spirit In The Night was on the flipside of the Born To Run single 45.
Thanks for the other Clarence reference Bill.
 
#38 ·
gary said:
OK, I know this is sacreligious but I'm willing to take the heat in exchange for a good answer that I can use. I just don't see what's great about Clarence Clemons. It's an honest question, not a slam on him or anyone liking him. First, none of you above are saying he's the greatest player on earth. But you obviously regard him very highly and my post is not just about that but about other comments in the past that have been very praiseworthy. After hearing a lot about him I got an album, Clarence Clemons and the Red Bank Rockers "Rescue", 1983, CBS 32580. Now, you gotta know I don't listen to things, go to concerts, etc to criticise or to have a bad time. I really just want to enjoy myself, so I listened to this album with no agenda. Here's what -I- heard. Good band, nothing exceptional. Songs were indistinguishable from thousand of others in the same style. Nothing innovative in either the music or the sax playing. Clemons plays loud. I don't hear any melodic ideas that rival Jr. Walker or King Curtis and I don't hear any rhythmic ideas that rival Maceo Parker. If we are talking about sax players in that genre, I think to be considered great, they should at least be able to hold their own with the above sax players, as well as guys like Sil Austin, Red Prysock, Lee Allen and many others. I just don't hear it. Can you folks recommend albums that are "better" than the one I've got so I can get a better appreciation of him or have I already heard it? Thanks.
Gary, I'll go along with you on this. I always thought CC was a junior, Jr. Walker! He was in the right place, at the right time. Did anyone hear him play the National Anthem last year! Ouch! It was HORRIBLE!
 
#39 ·
Clarence Clemons is an uncomplicated saxplayer. In an interview for the magazine "Muscians" # 42, April, 1982 CC tells Chris Doering:

MUSICIAN: "I'm sure all the horn players reading this want to know how you get that sound. It's unbelievable."

CLEMONS: "Well, it's animal. It's an animal that lives inside of you that you can't be afraid to unleash. Everybody's got it, but a lot of people are afraid to let it go, because they can't control it.
I don't practice a lot of scales. I practice circular breathing, which builds up your diaphragm and your embouchure. Circular breathing, keeping a note right there on that same pitch for 10 or 15 minutes. You do that three or four times a week and you'll create something. You'll see that animal come out. It's your approach to your instrument, you mastering the instrument instead of the instrument mastering you. I look at the saxophone as an extension of myself. It's a part of me, and kind of developed each other as we went along".
 
#40 ·
BTW. In the same interview CC also tell us about his thoughts about his mpc and reed. He used a Larsen in those days. I think it's the same mpc that Lenny Pickett is on? I prefer the Berg Larsen stainless sound to the Rovner mpc. The stainless Larsen hit hard ..... . Clarence climbed into my life for 35 years ago and he is still here!!!

MUSICIAN: Did you have to look around for different mouthpieces and reeds?

CLEMONS: Yeah. I fluctuate between three or four different mouthpieces all the time. l still haven't gotten that one mouthpiece. For the last couple of years I've basically stuck with a Berg Larsen 130/0. It's a very open lay, it takes a real dedicated person to get into it. You gotta blow it hard, you gotta be an animal, you gotta be on it. You get a little soft lay, you cannot get that sound out of it, it's impossible. With a little mouthpiece, a little sound comes out. Sweet, you know? The saxophone can be a sweet instrument, it can be a hard instrument, it can be anything you want it to be, it's just technique. Playing rock 'n' roll, l need that big thing. The rock 'n' roll saxophone is a hard thing, it's in competition with all those watts back there on guitars, so you gotta be out there, you gotta be kind of nuts.

MUSICIAN: What kind of reed do you use?

CLEMONS: l use LaVoz basically, LaVoz medium or medium- hard. Nothing too soft, because l have a tendency to overblow. I get so excited when I play, especially with Bruce, onstage with him, or even with my band now, I get this extra. ... . Adrenalin is the best drug in the world. There's something about adrenalin, so I have to use a hard reed to kind of keep me in line.
 
#41 ·
CC said:
The rock 'n' roll saxophone is a hard thing, it's in competition with all those watts back there on guitars, so you gotta be out there, you gotta be kind of nuts.
Haha, amen!!! I've seen Clarence up close and the guy is HUGE. I mean, I know what his nickname is, but the dude has to be like 6' 7". I'm surprised that he's in his 60's. He's aging well, that's for sure.
 
#42 ·
I met him at the airport once. We were both getting our baggage from the carousel. I'm 6 feet. I had to tilt my head back and look up to talk to him. Oh yeah, he's big.
 
#43 ·
Bill Mecca said:
As for acting: He was also in some TV series where the superhero was a sax player, something with Night, or Knight in the title on the WB, or Fox or UPN
Bill, I think you're talking about "Nightman", it was a TV series from the early 90's or so. I didn't see much of it because I was pretty young back then, maybe some of the geezers around here remember it better :p But I do remember that the superhero's day job was as a solo tenor sax artist, I think in Chicago (well, thats not really a "day job" but you know what I mean). I never saw the Clarence Clemmons episode.

On stage CC looks pretty big, but I'm sure actually getting to meet him up close is a whole other story. When I see pics of him with the E Street Band he towers over everyone. There must be a 3ft height difference between him and Van Zandt.
 
#44 ·
as for acting, didn't Clarence Clemons do a cameo appearance in one of the Bill and Ted movies (either Excellent or Bogus adventure--can't remember which)? I remember him being one of the three intergalactic judges--anyone else remember this?

I'm actually serious!:D
 
#45 ·
brentembry said:
as for acting, didn't Clarence Clemons do a cameo appearance in one of the Bill and Ted movies (either Excellent or Bogus adventure--can't remember which)? I remember him being one of the three intergalactic judges--anyone else remember this?

I'm actually serious!:D
I am not sure, but I don't think so. If it is, it is obviously the middle one.

 
#50 ·
brentembry said:
as for acting, didn't Clarence Clemons do a cameo appearance in one of the Bill and Ted movies (either Excellent or Bogus adventure--can't remember which)? I remember him being one of the three intergalactic judges--anyone else remember this?

I'm actually serious!:D
Yep that's him. He also was a guest star on that Damon Waynes sitcom "My Wife and Kids". He played a jazz saxophonist of all things. I think he was jamming on a black nickle SX-90 in several scenes.
 
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