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The Forgotten Players

4K views 31 replies 10 participants last post by  Tryptykon 
#1 ·
The Bands.. Sax and other players working for chump change..How many people do we entertain..??

Kinda sick..playing for Kudos and peanuts..not famous, never will be..just cats pumping it out week after week..no, we will not be remembered.

But never mind, we are strong.. we play because of the Music.:|
 
#2 ·
I feel your pain.
I remember when the DJs got hot, and a lot of bands were not being hired anymore.
Then it turned into a computer with a couple of speakers were all that was needed for a gig, instead of hiring real musicians. You are a real musician and you make a difference every time you play!

It’s not easy making a living as a player out there, that’s for sure!
 
#3 ·
I have a long career, many good gigs, many (?) ..well.. I needed the bread. I hope that my time on this earth is remembered fondly. I treat every performance like it's my last. Thanks for your kind words Mark, I know you know where I'm coming from.
 
#5 ·
99 views..Hmmmm...only one response..(thanks Mark) ..here's the deal..the Veterans know what I'm talking about,, the kids? well you'll find out..but honestly I hope you do what I do. I play because I love to play..$$$$ be damned. I don't regret living the Life of a Musician..I always thought any job playing my horn was worthwhile and better than any "day job"

..Now at an advanced age..? well maybe in some ways I wish I'd done things different. But as a Sax player I don't think I could have, my horn is my Life.
 
#7 ·
The thing is, Cash, right now you got ability. But painful as it may be, ability ...don't last. And your days are just about over.

Now that's a hard fact of life, but that's a fact of life you're gonna have to get realistic about.
See, this business is filled to the brim with unrealistic musicians.. players who thought they would age like wine.

If you mean it turns to vinegar, it does. If you mean it gets better with age, it don't.
Besides, Cash, how many gigs do you think you got in you anyhow?

You came close but you never made it. And if you were gonna make it, you would have made it before now.

But I think when all this is over you're gonna find yourself one smiling mofo .
 
#8 ·
Hey T I can't argue at my age.. but actually I find my golden years are pretty good, and for what it's worth I'm playing better than ever..but you're right, how many left IDK..good question..

But here's the deal, I know I'm working this week-end how 'bout YOU..??

OH yeah, I forgot, I did 3 yrs w/wayne newtons orch til '09..I suppose that was the pinnacle, but man I got memories only a sax player has..whatta you got ??:mrgreen::mrgreen::mrgreen:
 
#9 ·
Funny–-I can look back on a life of achievement, on challenges met, competitors bested, obstacles overcome.
I’ve accomplished more than most men, and without the use of my legs. What makes a man, Mr. Farrar?

Is it being prepared to do the right thing? Whatever the cost? Isn’t that that makes a man?
 
#13 ·
No, what I meant was my earlier posts were edited quotes lifted from a couple of movies('Pulp Fiction' and 'The Big Lebowski').

I was just having some fun though so, no disrespect intended to you or your thread topic. Lotsa great playing still ahead for you, I'm sure .
 
#15 ·
OK back to the real world..Actually last weekend the Sunday breakfast Jazz Brunch crowd was good..we got our Hundred Dolla Bill each from the Venue, and then my Duo split $135. in Tips.:twisted:


FWIW my Kid called me last week said he had a bad month, only made 18K..:(
 
#17 ·
Well just being a weekend-warrior and not really a true pro I'd have to go a long way just to reach the level where I could be forgotten. But I get your drift and I often think about the many really fine sax players and other musicians we have here in the Denver area. Many of them are fantastic but since they choose to make their homes in Colorado and don't tour much few people have heard of them.
 
#18 ·
My dad and uncle both played the saxophone and my uncle(RIP) was 6 years older than my dad who looked up to him when they
were coming up.

Anyway my uncle lived and played in Denver from the mid-60's to his death in 1995 .

On one of his visits home he was talking about playing with ex-Max Roach sideman Billy Wallace on some gigs and that Billy
was playing tenor saxophone.

I mentioned that Billy played incredible piano with Max and my uncle was completely shocked that I knew that .
Billy is still alive last time I checked .
 
#21 ·
You're not forgotten as long as you're remembered by someone! :)

Nowadays it's not easy to become famous as a sax player like Parker or Coltrane (unless you paint your hair pink and perform funny dances whilst playing some tricks you learned on the horn). People listen more and more with the eyes and less with the ears. But I think commercial aspects are the main reason in killing opportunities for 'real' musicians to do their thing and grow as a performer (because the people I see during concerts always enjoy live music).

I only play as a weekend warrior on amateur level, with a style deeply rooted in 40's and 50's sax playing. That drives me personally, but I also have to smile when I see a young child watching our Big Band with open mouth when we have a street gig. That child could become the next Parker or Coltrane in the future if the general attitude of the society would change again towards quality music performed by musicians in real live performances.
 
#23 ·
Never got to hear Bishop Norman but he's held in high esteem from everything I've ever read .
Love Hadley Caliman's playing ! Would've liked to have met him lots of questions I'd have for him.

Actually I haven't managed to hear Mel Martin play for some reason . Jules Broussard also, although I've probably heard him
on recordings and didn't know it .
 
#24 ·
My saxophone teacher back in high school will only be remembered by those whose life he directly touched. He grew up on a farm near a small town in western Minnesota. His father taught music and was quite strict with his lessons. His heroes were Benny Goodman and Coleman Hawkins. He had a small big band (11 pieces) that played at a radio station in the Fargo Moorhead area and played for dances on weekends as far out as Montana. He did this though most of the thirties.
Then the war broke out and his health was too poor to enter the service so he worked as a tool and die maker at an arms plant. After the war he spent most of his life repairing instruments, teaching (Saxophone, Clarinet, Trumpet, and Trombone) and playing old time music in local bars.
He was definitely skilled way beyond his notoriety. The thing is he always seemed happy and lived to a ripe old age. He left a good mark on me and all his students. Isn’t this what life should really be about. Live a good life do the best you can and enjoy.
 
#28 ·
I first heard Vince at the Jukebox a small Jazz club in the Haight around '66..he walked in with his horn in a brown paper shopping bag, I remember his tenor was a beat up copper colored thing. He was already somewhat known. His playing was strong and intense..stayed that way for many years.

I got to know him well and we recorded a vinyl 45 years later for Barbara Mauritz. Steve Douglas was also on that session.
 

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#29 ·
I first heard Vince at the Jukebox a small Jazz club in the Haight around '66..he walked in with his horn in a brown paper shopping bag, I remember his tenor was a beat up copper colored thing. He was already somewhat known. His playing was strong and intense..stayed that way for many years.

I got to know him well and we recorded a 45 years later for Barbara Mauritz. Steve Douglas was also on that session.
Thanks for that Cash .

I just noticed that it's been five years since Vince passed Oct. 2 2012

I also found a nice little film on him online .


 
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