Jazz for aficionados
"This record, as much as any other from the period, makes the case for Parker one last, brilliant time. Then you think about Parker arriving without his own horn, and having to borrow a Grafton saxophone — this dinky plastic alto with metal keys. It was just one more reason why this concert should have never happened, should have been a disaster. Should have never seen the light of day." Review from 1953. Cheers |
Don’t know about hindsight, never mind 20/20 (and not sure what you mean by that); but I can tell you this: Parker was under contract to play only a certain brand of saxophone when outside the USA. He had hocked his horn to buy heroin so he needed a horn. He was offered the Grafton by a salesman for the Italian company. I never suggested that “fans should know better”. Hoffman, who is neither a saxophone player nor professional musician, is an audio gear head and audiophile who always thinks it’s all about the gear. He made the same mistake that fans would make assuming that a “plastic” saxophone would be a “dinky” toy and nothing more. The subject of the plastic horn is the stuff of legend among players and the general concensus is that while it may not be the best horn in the world, it’s not bad at all. Far more important is the mistake that Hoffman and some fans make of not understanding that, as acman3 points out, in the hands of a talent like Bird it wouldn’t matter that much. Bottom line: listen to the end result of the quality of Bird’s playing and/or clips I posted of the saxophone being played. The author of that review is correct: makes a great case for the brilliance of Bird. |
Mary_jo, knowing you are concerned about my health makes me feel better. "That's all I can say about that." I'm in a strange mood this evening; how about a little Dr. John, maybe I need some of his Gris-Gris. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4J8VrprrGE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWvdO3l4_P8 |
