TMI: My Tangents
My Journal

Previous Entry :: Next Entry

Read/Post Comments (0)
Share on Facebook



Icons will be bygones, to the early 70's and back.

The quote was about 40 years ago in Rolling Stone Magazine, about some people ". . .thinking Chris Wood and Bobby Keys are the greatest sax players in the world." One of the sax players, either Dick Morrisey or Dave Quincy from a British jazz-rock band named "If", said this and probably in disgruntled fashion. I was on his/their side by then and going further yet, but for we in our respective instrument families, icons will be icons.

Headed for the home where I have gone for Thanksgiving dinner since the late 90's I had a thought for someone who said she'd take Bobby Keys over Tim Ries, while I, whatever my practice deficiency, am very respectfully the opposite.

From over a dozen people by dinner time it was down to a mighty but quieter four this year, moves and even deaths intervening, and one of the missing was C., who made the sax preference quote. She was generally pop and I am whatever you've seen on this site but our annual discussions were fun: lots of crossing over and simple joy shared about music and especially good live shows.

She is a huge Rolling Stones fan, and I last saw them live about the time of the "If" article. Bobby Keys was joined in the touring horn section in recent years by this Tim Ries. I have seen him with Maynard Ferguson and have his two CD's under the aegis of "The Rolling Stones Project". The latter was the theme of a show he did at CSUN a couple of years ago which counts as a huge favorite in my history. For C. "Brown Sugar" was a tune on which Keys was iconic and I agree.

On one of the CD's, which features many musicians and fascinating concepts for the Rolling Stones tunes he interprets, he does Brown Sugar on soprano sax, with a Portuguese lady singer and Cuban acoustic guitarists whose beautiful plucked lines shine like the points on the seasonal decorations bubbling up during this writing. Tribute through contrast, a concept one picks up after a lot of music under the bridge---and chorus.

Monday, driving home from my saxophone/music lesson, I had an NPR affiliate program on and to introduce the story which would finish out the hour there was a snappy rhythm and blues instrumental. More than ever I appreciated the sax-centric horn line and jabbing guitars, as I have over the years wondering about so many unidentified instrumental breaks which have come and gone.

Wonder not for whom the credits roll, it was from a term which bounced around during the 70's like a cross between the class clown and class sophist: a solo album, in this case from Mr. Keys. He had just died.

One solo from Bobby, which did not involve his frequent growling and squalling, was on a Graham Nash album during a song which had lyrics about "[Changing} the rule." Mr. Keys was subject to a rule we can't seem to change, but until then we blow on.


Read/Post Comments (0)

Previous Entry :: Next Entry

Back to Top

Powered by JournalScape © 2001-2010 JournalScape.com. All rights reserved.
All content rights reserved by the author.
custsupport@journalscape.com