[Somes]

An SBA that belonged to Eric Dolphy is for sale at auction. There is also quite a nice story about it. Coincidentally I had happened on an old thread about what a kind and generous person he was.

Eric Dolphy | Skinner, Inc.

Eric Dolphy Selmer Super Balanced Action Alto Saxophone, c. 1949, serial no. 41245, the neck stamped with matching numbers, with Walt Johnson case; according to Carl Grubbs, "In 1963 my brother Earl Grubbs was going to New York to visit with Naima Coltrane. I asked him to find me a decent alto...

live.skinnerinc.com

 

[Lambros]

If the provenance is legit, what a find!

 

[datsaxman]

I am always a little confused about celebrity worship, and how it is extended to objects.

This is more than just a beat up alto because maybe it belonged to Eric Dolphy. Okay.
Does one purchase such an object to play it, or just to bask in its presence?
The provenance does seem a bit shaky

 

[Somes]

That’s a good point. I guess for collectors it matters, having “a piece of history “ is what it’s all about. As they expect to get a staggering $30-40K for it, I guess you’d have to be way into collecting or a museum...

 

[datsaxman]

Yes, a good price if you are selling.

 

[dirty]

I would never (and could never) pay that, but it's cool to lay eyes on a horn that was used to make such important music. I also have no idea who the market is for that horn and I somewhat doubt it will ever be played again.

 

[datsaxman]

Well, too bad it would not be played. My Dad used to have old cars. Packards.
All the Packard guys were drivers. Kind of a point of pride among the club.

I would not pay that much for a sax either. But I would play it if I had it!

 

[allenlowe]

or, the Horn that Eric Dolphy Didn't Want (if you read Grubbs' story).

 

[datsaxman]

Sure. The one he did NOT keep.

 

[Jcam44]

The Visitors! The Grubbs brothers could play!

 

[Rackety Sax]

What am I missing? "Provenance: Guernsey's, February 20, 2005, Jazz Auction, Lot 272; Carl Grubbs, 1963; Eric Dolphy." Yet there's no mention of any sale in Carl Grubbs's story. Maybe they tried to sell it in 2005 and it didn't sell?

 

[Kritavi]

I can answer some of the questions here. I have been the caretaker of this horn for several years now on behalf of the buyer at the Guernsey auction. Now he has decided to offer it up for sale again by way of this auction. I find it unlikely it will sell at this time and if not, it probably will not be offered again for some years. Adjusted for inflation it is selling for about what it did in 2005 at what was a mammoth jazz auction.
My tech did the restoration on the horn a few years ago. During that time I've made it available for use to some of the great local players like Jerry Bergonzi and Alan Chase as well as a few serious players who passed through this area. All were in agreement that it was a phenomenal horn and the experience of playing it was quite special.
This was Dolphy's only alto for most of his career, purchased new in LA around 1949 and used by him exclusively until it went to Trane's nephew in Dec '63. For the last few months of his life Dolphy used a VI. He used this SBA while with Mingus, with Trane and on Blues and the Abstract Truth among others.
I had the great pleasure of playing this horn with Rakalam Bob Moses who, as a boy, sat in with MIngus, his neighbor, and played alongside Dolphy using the same horn.
Obviously for serious people and institutions in the jazz world, the horn holds some real value and historical significance. It has been my great honor to have it in my care...

 

[Lambros]

Kritavi, it's a wonder that Dolphy doesn't get the respect he so rightfully deserves here, even if he's a giant in the jazz world. For some reason, I thought that Eric also had an original SA with the separate bell B-Bb key guards as well as this one.

 

[SimonJazzSax]

Kritavi, it's a wonder that Dolphy doesn't get the respect he so rightfully deserves here, even if he's a giant in the jazz world. For some reason, I thought that Eric also had an original SA with the separate bell B-Bb key guards as well as this one.

To the best of my knowledge the Altos went to a single guard for B and Bb around the upper 22xxx in the Balanced Action run very shortly after they came out with 2nd BA engraving (the lake scene).

I've never seen a SBA alto with separate guards. Just the tenors.

Sent from my HD1925 using Tapatalk

 

[Guto]

here is this horn's description from the 2005 auction catalog. it did look a bit cleaner back then (none of the green build-up), and it looks like it's been tweaked a bit, e.g. missing side key risers, felts were red, now black - maybe part of the restoration Kritavi described?

 

[dirty]

Thanks @Kritavi for enlightening us here. Playing Dolphy's horn must have been a special, special experience. One of my heroes, for sure.

 

[datsaxman]

Interesting history indeed. Thanks for adding some detail!

 

[Lambros]

To the best of my knowledge the Altos went to a single guard for B and Bb around the upper 22xxx in the Balanced Action run very shortly after they came out with 2nd BA engraving (the lake scene).

I've never seen a SBA alto with separate guards. Just the tenors.

Sent from my HD1925 using Tapatalk

thanks Simon. You're right and I guess way back when there was a blurry photo where the shadows around the bell obscured the one piece B/Bb key guard.
Here's a clear photo of Eric Dolphy with this horn. Remarkable to observe that he also used a standard 2 screw ligature inverted; he did this on bass clarinet too.

 

[Rackety Sax]

I can answer some of the questions here. I have been the caretaker of this horn for several years now on behalf of the buyer at the Guernsey auction. Now he has decided to offer it up for sale again by way of this auction. I find it unlikely it will sell at this time and if not, it probably will not be offered again for some years. Adjusted for inflation it is selling for about what it did in 2005 at what was a mammoth jazz auction.
My tech did the restoration on the horn a few years ago. During that time I've made it available for use to some of the great local players like Jerry Bergonzi and Alan Chase as well as a few serious players who passed through this area. All were in agreement that it was a phenomenal horn and the experience of playing it was quite special.
This was Dolphy's only alto for most of his career, purchased new in LA around 1949 and used by him exclusively until it went to Trane's nephew in Dec '63. For the last few months of his life Dolphy used a VI. He used this SBA while with Mingus, with Trane and on Blues and the Abstract Truth among others.
I had the great pleasure of playing this horn with Rakalam Bob Moses who, as a boy, sat in with MIngus, his neighbor, and played alongside Dolphy using the same horn.
Obviously for serious people and institutions in the jazz world, the horn holds some real value and historical significance. It has been my great honor to have it in my care...

Thanks for the clarification Kritavi. That auction listing really needs some attention as it is not doing justice to this instrument or the seller.

 

[Rackety Sax]

thanks Simon. You're right and I guess way back when there was a blurry photo where the shadows around the bell obscured the one piece B/Bb key guard.
Here's a clear photo of Eric Dolphy with this horn. Remarkable to observe that he also used a standard 2 screw ligature inverted; he did this on bass clarinet too.

View attachment 5276

In those days there weren't a whole lot of options: two-screw lig in standard position or two-screw lig in inverted position. I'm sure there were a few more but it was a very different era in terms of ligature options.