Seriously, I got a gig on a big Christmas concert because I can play the solo on 'Rockin Around The Christmas Tree'. This was Boots's first major recording gig in Nashville. I loved that solo the first time I heard it and eventually worked it out although I never had a chance to play it with a group. Some of my buddies who were already on the bill put my name in when the question came up.
Also, at the rehearsal, one of the older guys showed me his 1967 MK VI tenor, saying he's retiring (he's 87) and going to sell it. Its a 140xxx, has had a relacquer and it has a good sound. He bought it new. When he decides to actually do it and how much he wants for it I'll post it on the marketplace. I figured $4K since it hasn't had any major incidents.
Sam Butera! Another awesome, roof raising sax man with high energy stage action.
Shortly after I started playing in 56 I saw a double feature at the local theatre. One Rock & Roll film with Alan Freed and another one featuring Prima and the band. Sam Butera was doing his thing. I had never seen or heard anything like it! One hell of an era for sax players. So many different styles on the airwaves and jukeboxes back in the day.
That show was scheduled for 12/9/18. That turned out to be the day of a very heavy snow here so the show was cancelled. They already know they are going to do basically the same show this coming Christmas so I probably will do it again. BTW I love the Louis prima stuff with Sam Butera and Keely Smith. They were all such wonderfully talented and accomplished entertainers. One thing I really enjoy is figuring out the parts when the trombone player and Sam are doing horn riffs. You may have noticed that just the two of them can sound like a whole horn section because of the voicing of those parts. Typically they both are playing in the upper register, and the parts are so tight there is no 'space' between them to even hear which is doing what. Total professionals, great musicians and incredible entertainers. Nobody today can hold a candle to what guys like that did every night.
Watch them on You Tube - you'll get a kick out of it. Butera just had a loud, raucus, throaty but penetrating sound and very precise articulation.
Which is a shame. Somehow a lot of today's players of all ages have gotten away from those roof raising energetic styles that the audiences and dancers really liked!
A high school jazz band teacher I know whose team won first place at Berklee a couple of times once said it was depressing walking through the practice room area there and hearing Coltrane coming out of every room.
Yes, Coltrane as a singular reference has been cliche for, oh, 50 years now...
Cool on the solo. Always like Boots. I'd love to do it, but haven't had the chance, mostly no band yet to pull off the vocals and the guitar part, and yes I'm picky about covers being faithful. Related, Edgar Winter got me a gig, aka Frankenstein, although it takes two of us to be Edgar!
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