[Kritavi]

Without question one of the most capable saxophonists of all time.

 

[Jaice Singer DuMars]

Earl seems to have played every major brand of horn in his career as well. He definitely had a case of G.A.S. like many of us here. BTW, he was a big influence on me personally as a young player. His gritty virtuosity is really something special.

 

[Sacks Of Phones]

He was truly remarkable.

 

[Lambros]

truly one of a kind; with every phrase and sound he seems to defy category and genre. Definitely rooted in what was pre R&B and then he time travels into an almost modern rock guitarist zeitgeist mode.

 

[Lambros]

Earl seems to have played every major brand of horn in his career as well. He definitely had a case of G.A.S. like many of us here. BTW, he was a big influence on me personally as a young player. His gritty virtuosity is really something special.

I've read his anecdotal musings about this, he was a gear nut for sure.

 

[sonnymoon]

Incidentally, that youtube channel is a treasure trove.

 

[Hassles]

Bostic was rumoured to have once given a saxophone lesson to Charlie Parker. the 4 disc set "The Earl Bostic Story" is a knockout - although hard to find at present. I got mine pre-loved auctioned on-line

https://www.bear-family.com/bostic-earl-the-earl-bostic-story-4-cd.html

http://earlbostic.com

 

[Mike T]

He played some tenor and soprano too, but concentrated almost exclusively on alto - and you won't find an alto player with a better technique than Earl Bostic - in fact you won't find one to equal him either, not even Charles Parker. Bostic was just awesome. Added to that he had a superb sense of phrasing, of melody and of dynamics. The one area you might fault him is in slow sentimental ballads, where he had difficulty harnessing his technical mastery to the presentation of a beautiful melody almost totally unadorned.

He was from Oklahoma, but he went to Xavier University in New Orleans and played in Fate Marable's band on the riverboats. The leading altoist in New Orleans in those years was Captain John Handy, who recalled that Bostic often came to hear him play at various gigs in New Orleans (as did Louis Jordan, too, by the way). Bostic's mature style, with its strong rhythmic attack and its rasping tone owes a hell of a lot to Handy. The Handy influence is strongest in recordings like Flamingo, which was a big hit for Bostic. However, his mastery of the altissimo was all his own work. It was a challenge, so he set out to master it, and succeeded, as no one else has done, before or since.

Just about every recording Bostic made - and there were hundreds and hundreds of them - is available on YouTube, which says something about his appeal. Here are the two recordings which for me best exemplify Bostic's music:

And for the altissimo, you won't find a better example than Up There in Orbit:

 

[Kritavi]

Does anyone know of any live performance footage of Bostic? I've looked over the years and never came across any.

 

[Mike T]

That's a bloody good question ! There's a fair bit of live audio available — but I've never seen any video footage. I hope it's out there somewhere.

 

[Reet McVouty]

Coltrane played in Bostic's band in 1952. I read in a Coltrane bio that Bostic had worked out the best altissimo fingerings for all the different brands of horns.

 

[ToomanyTenors]

'Up there in Orbit' features absolutely sensational altissimo - it inspires but also depresses me, knowing how good that guy was and how I'll never get within a million miles of him.

BTW, can you name the number 'UTIO' is based upon - it's a surprising answer!

 

[littlewailer]

'Up there in Orbit' features absolutely sensational altissimo - it inspires but also depresses me, knowing how good that guy was and how I'll never get within a million miles of him.

BTW, can you name the number 'UTIO' is based upon - it's a surprising answer!

When the saints go marching in?

 

[pumseig]

Somebody actually did a transcription of "Up There in Orbit". It's on page 45 of this document:

https://wesscholar.wesleyan.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1786&context=etd_hon_theses

Amazing.

 

[ToomanyTenors]

Yes indeed - 'The Saints' will never be the same again!

 

[Kritavi]

I wonder sometimes about what if Stravinsky had decided to write for Bostic, recognizing that he was maybe the only man on earth capable of doing some things with the saxophone...