CONN DAY !!

[jak Swift]

Hi folks, hope everybody is good….
First things first…Mums back home and although still very weak she’s doing just fine.
Thankyou all for your thought and best wishes, it means a lot …☺
So, I picked up my 10M this morning. It wasn’t the cheapest of repairs but Richard has done a great job. The underslung octave mechanism was totally out of whack. Ten days of convincing myself it was me not the horn proved wrong…phew !!!!
As I was picking it up, Richard ( store owner ) asked me to take a look at a horn somebody had GIVEN him…
The most beautiful Conn transitional tenorsax. It needs quite a bit of work doing, possibly a full re pad. I took out my wallet and offered to buy it on the spot. The idea being, I would have it and offer a ” Gentleman’s agreement “. When the time comes, I would take it back in and ask that he do the full overhaul. Man, he pondered…. and pondered…. I really thought it was mine.
Finally we agreed that he would do the work first and give me first refusal…great !!!!!

Its been a tough coupla weeks, and I’ve had to really think things over. As Peter said , ” a day at a time “. For the first time ever, I thought, I’m not quitting playing , but am selling my tenors and bari and just buying a nice little alto. As you know , I had to take a year out to get used to the fact my left arm is a mess of metal elbow and plates and screws. I lost everything that year and was down to a useless $150 tenorsax. Time is a great healer, but I honestly started to doubt myself, my confidence, and wondered whether my playing days were done , and to come to terms with it. Playing alto from the Bird omnibook, maybe a little busking, travelling. It really was so close. Thankfully, I like to think a ” quitter ” is the last thing I am.

So, where and what now. The family home is safe for the near future, but what occurred to me ??
If I have to find a new place to live, why not use the limited capital I have and start buying and selling horns again. At the moment it is something I’m really thinking about. A real small store, with an upstairs apartment…?? I’m going to speak to my Brother in law, and a close friend to match my capital. There is a guy in Liverpool, came over from Belgium, and opened the same but guitars. At first it seemed a bit of a joke. Just a couple of acoustic, electric, an amp or two….strings etc.
Now….Dobros, Gretsch, Gibson…beautiful vintage collection. The offer of the Conn tran has me thinking this is a real possibility.
Speaking of altos, I’m going to phone a guy who has a Conn alto on ” preloved “….( a kind of smaller E bay ). It makes sense. The price is right…. I’ll let you know.
Most of all ( hornwise ) I’m just so glad the 10 M is back in good shape. I honestly don’t know how I managed to get even close to that full chromatic altissimo register. A double socket ( over )…and underslung ….man , what a problem. If the worst came to it, I couldn’t even buy a replacement neck.
As I said, as much as I love my vintage horns, after sixty, seventy, years of use, they can become high maintenance. The ” Lupifaro ” I mentioned is still very much on my mind as my own tenorsax. A few good deals, as a dealer, it would pay for itself.

Thanks folks !! Your best wishes have really kept me together. If it hasn’t gone, I’ll be buying this alto ASAP…I’m going to bell the guy right now.
If perchance you are looking to buy or sell a horn, a mpc….please let me know. I have limited capital, but a feeling I can make this work ….☺☺
Obviously looking after Mum comes before any sax stuff, but yup…the tenor is great….!!
I had a real wobble; thought maybe it was time to say ” enough “…..” Its just an occasional hobby “…
I’ve never done anything else, from age eighteen, to now at fifty five, its been saxophones twenty four seven. The issues with the Conn really had me thinking, maybe after the ” accident “, my better days are gone. Today….the altissimo is near perfect, Mums on the mend, and I realise just how much I love what I do. More now than ever, with Mum home and my beloved 10M….FIXED ….YEAH !!!!☺☺
Anyhow, enough…. I’m going to phone this guy about the alto….
Speak soon, have a safe and happy Weekend…jak😉

[jak Swift]

It goes without saying, IF I buy or sell anything on Johnny’s site, I will be kicking back a % into the funds . Its only fair. For now….a day at a time.
Its been a good day, in fact a GREAT DAY !!☺☺

[Anonymous]

Great ! Glad you got your 10M sorted out – all we need now is to hear some uploads from You and BC!

Sounds like you’re turning into a Conn Merchant? lol – only joking. Best of luck in your new adventures.

[jak Swift]

Yup….jak the Conn man ….☺☺ ( in the nicest of ways !! ). The idiot with the alto, left the wrong number on the advert. Left a message to phone me, but I’m not holding out much hope.
Would you buy a horn off of a guy who can’t remember his own number…. DUH !!
It was only a Texas made 20M, but it would have been a great starter horn for somebody.
The tran was \ is stunning….
Richard is also a shrewd dude…
He’s going to let me know when its ready and hit me with a price. I know its coming my way as being a brass specialist, hes pretty clueless about makes, models, years, that stuff. I had to explain to him what it was all about.
Why didn’t I say ….” No wonder they gave you this, these are the worst horns ever made, here’s twenty pounds , and I’m doing you a big favour “….😉😉
Not in my nature, I’m afraid….though there are many that would….
Thanks Sxpoet, the 10M is amazing. Man, I thought it was playing fine other than that fork stuff. He’s vented some of the lower stack and re seated the low Bb….all that tech stuff !!
For a brass dealer, he’s done a great job….

[jak Swift]

Just for the record , how many times have I had to tell people saxophones are WOODWIND…. NOT BRASS !!
( Reed – wood …Wind ?…..possibly the lamb vindaloo I just had…😉

[jak Swift]

Love the new avatar Sxpoet. As for some downloads, nothing would give me greater pleasure, but I’m not hooked up with the tech. If I was I’d be clueless anyhow.
So happy to get the 10M back yesterday, but I had been so down with things I took off half a day to think of the future. Some contingency plans if you like.
The possible job I mentioned a while back, working with folks in recovery from drug and alcohol issues ?? Well, its a long story. The previous ” events manager ” was owed a few months salary….missing funds !!!!!😡😡
Can’t really go into that one….its not a possibility anymore…
On the positive, some studio time I mentioned will be going ahead in the not too distant. The guitar player and myself are on the same page. Do the work slowly, thoroughly…. and well.
Tired of being hassled to play bar band gigs for pocket money. Ive done that long in the past…
As soon as something is recorded , you good folks will be the first to hear. I’m not a ” jazzer “…. No $$ in ” cover bands “…..
It has to be original material, to even get on the map these days , regardless of who you have played with in the past….
Its tough but man , I wouldn’t change a thing ☺☺……

[jak Swift]

Bro C….last , but most certainly not least. I saw in a mail, you had the bts for ” sentimental mood “….nice one !!
Its not a tough tune…beautiful but not too challenging. If its OK with Johnny and you get stuck, shoot me a pm….I’ll talk you through it ☺
Enjoy the rest of your weekend folks….
May as well check ” preloved ” on the off chance the guy has managed to get a message together…😉

[Anonymous]

Yeah – i had a look at the Sax scene in the Midlands, there’s tons of solo professional sax platers out there, mainly doing weddings, corporate events etc.., asking for £200 upwards, and If you want to get in an amateur orchestra or jazz band you have to have at least grade 5. Good thing i only play for personal pleasure otherwise i’d nail my sax to the wall and grow plants in it. lol

Finaly bought a no. 3 V21 reed, and the altissimo is sooo much stronger and it allows me to go higher without straining and hit a lot of altissmo on random keys not associated with the normal keys i use in my altssimo scale – its insane, to let your fingers fly around a lot of keys and hear altissimo coming out of them when i don’t even know what keys i am pressing – free as a bird.

I can see your point about original material, some songwriters refuse to listen to other people – frightene of becoming influenced by their work and sounding like copies of them and not coming out with anything orginal – one of the reasons why i don’t listen to a lot of sax music.

[brother cavefish]

sentimental mood is easy and straight forward, i play by ear

[jak Swift]

Nail it to a wall….LOL !!
Yeah its tough Sxpoet. ” Reverbnation ” is set up as a p!atform for exposure. Free studio time, possible airplay on mainstream and college radio. A ton of stuff. But they insist on ” original material ” or no go….
The free altissimo sounds great. Have you seen ” Lost Highway ” by David Lynch ?? The first track is ” Red bats with teeth “….
Bob Sheppard played the sax parts I believe; David Pullman ( sic ) played the part. Its incredible !!
I’m pretty much the same; don’t listen to much sax players anymore. I did do for years, now it doesn’t bore me but I’ve kind of heard it. It has been useful in learning a load of standards, but what use have they done me ??…..NONE !!
Ever searching for that something, that will define my style. You just have to learn twelve of everything and get on with it I guess.

Bro C….just offering a bit of help man. You said you had the track, but it was going to take a long time….good luck !!

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