[gary]

ya My name is Raymond J. Johnson Jr...but ya doesn't has to call me Johnson! anyone else remember that comic?

Oh yeaaah! That cat used to fracture me. Bill Saluga.

He predates the gong show, although I think he appeared on it. He goes back to the Carson, maybe even Steve Allen, show.

Never forget the opening to one of his bits is he's waiting at a bus stop but he's got his back to the audience (and traffic) with the busses going by behind him. Really funny opening bit.

I was also in Jr. High and we'd do the "ya doesn't have..." regularly. I think he would wear something like a zoot suit and would carry a cigar. Nice memory, Bill, thanks. That cat was funny!

Oh, by the way. He didn't play a bisher.

 

[goodsax]

Yes, but how do you pronounce that? French style ("Mart-an'")? Best wishes Bruce

Last time I checked, Martins were made in the US of A, not France. I say "Mahr - tin." My tenor is an LA Sax, even less ambiguous, to most.

 

[saxophrenic]

Or you can call my Johnny ---

Bill Mecca,
I remember this guy, he was a burlesque comedian. Anyway, I remember seeing him at the old burlesque show in San Diego on Broadway. This was in the mid 60's. It closed down not too long after that. I think the strippers all went on Medicare (they were all rather "mature").
It was there that I first heard a sax playing flutter tongue. Whether he played a" bisher "or a"busher" I couldnt' say, doubtful a Mark VI player would ever deign to play in an old dive like that. :twisted:

 

[Rackety Sax]

I've got an Buescher ad featuring various Duke Ellington sidemen and their Buescher instruments -- Al Sears (400 tenor), Jimmy Hamilton (400 alto), Russel Procope ("140" alto), Johnny Hodges ("140" alto), "Scad" Hemphill (400 trumpet), Al Killian (400 cornet). With that line up I guess it's from the late 40's or the 50's.

Geez Hornlip, where were you and your ad when I was asking a few months ago about prominent jazz players who played Buescher saxophones . You've got three names there I think that didn't come up (Hodges of course was mentioned).

At the bottom of the ad, in parenthesis, that ad states "(PRONOUNCED BISHER)".

That settles it for me, I'm a "Bisher" man from here on out, the Rascherites be damned .

 

[bruce bailey]

In the 60s I bought King horns from a geezer who actually worked for the family and he insisted it was Bisher. I use Busher as it doesn't confues people as much.
Call me anything but call me often.

 

[Pinnman]

Re. the two comments about the pronunciation of Martin:

Martin Handcraft, Committee, etc. saxes were made in the USA (Elkhart, of course). However, Martin Freres were made in France. So, too I believe, were Martin Busine, although I think they may have been stencilled (by Beaugnier?).

I can handle the French pronunciation, but what concerns me is that early Yanagisawas (and made in Japan) were labelled Martins (the old USA name under Vito-Leblanc ownership). Now, how do you pronounce Martin in Japanese?!

 

[goodsax]

...Now, how do you pronounce Martin in Japanese?!

Martin-san?

 

[gary]

Now, how do you pronounce Martin in Japanese?!

Mar(u)tahn.

 

[Rackety Sax]

Hurling, is it time to consider pinning an FAQ at the top of the Buescher forum? I nominate "How is 'Buescher' pronounced?" as the first question and would volunteer to try to summarize the couple of recent threads on the subject for an answer.

 

[paulwl]

Jimmy Hamilton played a 400 alto? I thought he always played tenor. (And clarinet, natch.)

 

[Rackety Sax]

I'm sure some of you recall an old thread on the topic (now lost from the archives I believe) where someone (anyone remember who?) reported quizzing Carina Rascher on this subject and offering the variants discussed here for her reaction. She was emphatic that it was "Busher". Not to say she was correct, just emphatic . So paulwl is probably right that Rascher and his followers played a role in transforming "Bisher" to the now more common "Busher".

 

[Hornlip]

Geez Hornlip, where were you and your ad when I was asking a few months ago about prominent jazz players who played Buescher saxophones . You've got three names there I think that didn't come up (Hodges of course was mentioned).

I didn't have the ad back then!!

Jimmy Hamilton played a 400 alto? I thought he always played tenor. (And clarinet, natch.)

I looked at the ad again & I didn't give the whole story. Quoting Mr. Hamilton: " '400' alto has plenty of power, good intonation . . . wonderful '400' tenor also outstanding. I am delighted with both." In the picture he's holding a 400 alto.

It's kind of odd that Hodges refers to his alto as a "140". Was that the number for the Big-B Aristocrat, and when did they start nubmering them that way? And for that matter I'm sure I've seen pics of Hodges playing a 400 alto.

 

[Hornlip]

Geez Hornlip, where were you and your ad when I was asking a few months ago about prominent jazz players who played Buescher saxophones . You've got three names there I think that didn't come up (Hodges of course was mentioned).

I didn't have the ad back then!!

Jimmy Hamilton played a 400 alto? I thought he always played tenor. (And clarinet, natch.)

I looked at the ad again & I didn't give the whole story. Quoting Mr. Hamilton: " '400' alto has plenty of power, good intonation . . . wonderful '400' tenor also outstanding. I am delighted with both." In the picture he's holding a 400 alto.

It's kind of odd that Hodges refers to his alto as a "140". Was that the number for the Big-B Aristocrat, and when did they start nubmering them that way? And for that matter I'm sure I've seen pics of Hodges playing a 400 alto.

 

[Claus]

I guess we could long argue what the "correct" pronuciation of Buescher is. Given the fact that most people chose the "Bisher"-variation and Buescher himself didn't object to it, this seems sufficiently correct.

But if you want to know what the original pronunciation before Bueschers emigration to the US (probably) sounded like, listen to this:

Ferdinand August Buescher

I thought that might be easier than trying to explain how to pronounce it.

 

[gary]

Klaus: "error 404: Datei nicht gefunden! Das angegebene Dokument konnte auf diesem Server leider nicht gefunden werden."

 

[Claus]

I'm sorry, there seems to be something wrong with the server (the file is actually there).

Try this instead.

 

[Rackety Sax]

Hmm, that sounds more like "Boosher" than "Bisher", but if the early ads said "Say Bisher", I'm saying "Bisher"

 

[Rackety Sax]

I didn't have the ad back then!!

Guess I can't argue with that

It's kind of odd that Hodges refers to his alto as a "140". Was that the number for the Big-B Aristocrat, and when did they start nubmering them that way? And for that matter I'm sure I've seen pics of Hodges playing a 400 alto.

bmsj and Hurling F address these model numbers at length here (scroll down when you get there): http://www.saxontheweb.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=22722&page=2&pp=10&highlight=140

As for Hodges, you've probably also seen pictures of him playing earlier model Bishers too. His career spanned pretty much the True Tone era on. As for the later horns, quoth paulwl: "Hodges played a Big B from the mid 40s and after that, a "vertical" buescher - late 400 or hybrid Crat/400. He then switched to Vitos!" I'm pretty sure he's too young in the following pic to be playing a Big B: http://www.apoloybaco.com/johnnyhodgesbiografia.htm

 

[Hornlip]

Guess I can't argue with that

bmsj and Hurling F address these model numbers at length here (scroll down when you get there): http://www.saxontheweb.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=22722&page=2&pp=10&highlight=140

Thanks.

As for Hodges, you've probably also seen pictures of him playing earlier model Bishers too. His career spanned pretty much the True Tone era on. As for the later horns, quoth paulwl: "Hodges played a Big B from the mid 40s and after that, a "vertical" buescher - late 400 or hybrid Crat/400. He then switched to Vitos!" I'm pretty sure he's too young in the following pic to be playing a Big B: http://www.apoloybaco.com/johnnyhodgesbiografia.htm

Hmm. That saxophone appears to be a Conn -- maybe one of the "tranny" horns or an early 6M with the elusive "New York" neck. Looks like it's got the mercedes-logo low-C keygaurd, too.

 

[DirkW]

Buescher = Büscher

it's a german name.

ü =ue

I too have a German name; my last name is Weibel. When my great-great-grandfather emigrated from Switzerland, he was processed at Ellis Island (I forgot the year, but it was late 19th century). At Ellis Island, there was someone to assign an American pronunciation to each immigrant's name. My great-great-grandfather did not like the pronunciation that he was assigned, but he did adapt a different pronunciation from the original German. Since Weibel is a relatively common name in Germany, I have met several Americans with the same last name with no apparient relationship. I have heard four distinct pronunciations that all differ from the original German (and none of them wobble).

An interesting note: The following German website says that the pronounciation is "bischer". http://www.oldtime-saxophone.de/hauptteil_buescher.html