It is silver and old
 

You know how everyone has spent their pandemic learning to bake bread, working on their house, or picking up a musical instrument?

Seriously. I went by a musical instrument store yesterday and asked how they were doing, since musicians are not gigging and high school bands are not banding. They said they were doing fine. Musicians are buying podcasting and Zoom gig gear, and WFHers are learning guitar and keyboard.

I was at that store because I got tired of spending the pandemic just working and working. 10 months of working every weekend is enough, I think. So, what instrument to learn? I have a guitar, am fairly terrible at it, and don’t seem inspired to learn more than the handful of chords I’ve known since high school. I used to play clarinet, practiced for a few years, got to the point of being able to open a fakebook and noodle some jazz standards, not well but people didn’t ask me to move out either. But I gave my long neglected clarinet to the neighbor kid a decade ago.

So, I have now acquired an alto saxophone. This is a silver plate SML Super 47, made in - yup - 1947, in postwar Paris. Naturally, I wanted something cool and vintage, because let’s be honest, there is a very good chance it will spend its life as a office decor item. Buying a vintage sax on eBay is said to be a mug’s game, but I think I kind of lucked out. It has newish pads and cork, one spring is weak but otherwise everything functions, finish is very good in an honest 73 years old way, body straight, one key guard has been sloppily resoldered and two tiny body dings but nothing else that I can find, neck fits well and undamaged, two keys have a little play and one tone hole looks a little grungy, basically it seems like a reasonable horn that is cleaning up very nicely and actually emits recognizable and not too offensive sounding notes. Which, considering I haven’t made an embouchure in a quarter century, is better than I expected.

I will need to move out soon, of course. Wife is not going to be pleased when I bring this home.

Anyone have a basement room to rent to a fellow Pelican?

P.S.: There seem to be a lot of nice horns for sale out there. I’m guessing the unemployment checks are running out.

video of you playing or it didn't happen

You’re more likely to get a video of me pole dancing.

I forget what movie it's from, but the dialogue goes something like......

Joe: So what do you do Marty?

Marty: I play saxophone at an all night burlesque show.

Joe: What's the pay?

Marty: $50 a night.

Joe: That's not much.

Marty: It's all I can afford.

I have a room for you in Ohio! What you’re doing is so cool. I’m not musical but strum out a few chords on my guitar. MrsWd can’t sing but tries and dances so well no one notices what she sounds like. We can have a trio! Recording contracts! International tours! Groupies! Ya! ya! ya!

As long as the groupies are asleep by 10 pm and I mean actually sleeping.

You guys (and gal) could start a garage band..."The Pelicans" !

I'm over near Burnside.

We play a lot of funk and need a horn player. Cmon over.

Well...,alright. But if you can hang on the pole with one hand and play the sax with the other, I guarantee you will go viral and make thou$and$.

Let me find my ear plugs and eye bleach :eek:

:D
Best
Les

Was hoping this thread was a discussion about this thing

New Disney Nose Art for B-17 'Swamp Ghost'

Would actually be nice to see a picture of it! Bet that sax is lovely!

Funny - I was staring at the case in the back of my closet the other day (the one that holds the trumpet I used to play - high school band, honor band, youth symphony, and all that) and thought about bringing that out to play again. I occasionally do so when nobody is home. My chops are shot...