Re Alex’s great Bird/Desmond interview:
Many interesting stories and anecdotes and always interesting to actually hear these supremely talented individuals speak. Two things in particular stood out for me:
- First, here we have the musician who is widely regarded as the greatest to ever play this music on the alto saxophone; a giant in the true sense of the word. Yet, notice the deference and respect with which he addresses and talks to Paul Desmond. Desmond was another giant, but with a different voice.
- “I don’t consider myself too old to learn”- Charlie Parker
C.P. – well,you make it so hard for me to answer you, you know, I can’t see where there’s anything fantastic about it all. I put quite a bit of study into the horn, that’s true. In fact the neighbors threatened to ask my mother to move once when we were living out West. She said I was driving them crazy with the horn. I used to put in at least 11 to 15 hours a day.
C.P. – that’s the facts anyway. (chuckle)
P.D. – I heard a record of yours a couple of months ago that somehow I’ve missed up to date, and I heard a little 2 bar quote from the Klose book that was like an echo from home…
C.P. – yeah, yeah. Well that was all done with books, you know. Naturally, it wasn’t done with mirrors, this time it was done with books.
P.D. – well that’s very reassuring to hear, because somehow I got the idea that you were just born with that technique, and you never had to worry too much about it, about keeping it working.
J.M. – you know, I’m very glad that he’s bringing up this point because I think that a lot of young musicians tend to think that…
P.D. – yeah, they do. They just go out…
J.M.- It isn’t necessary to do this.
P.D. – and make those sessions and live the life, but they don’t put in those 11 hours a day with any of the books.
C.P. – oh definitely, study is absolutely necessary, in all forms. It’s just like any talent that’s born within somebody, it’s like a good pair of shoes when you put a shine on it, you know. Like schooling brings out the polish of any talent that happens anywhere in the world. Einstein had schooling, but he has a definite genius, you know, within himself, schooling is one of the most wonderful things there’s ever been, you know.
https://youtu.be/DP7E0K4IMqo
