[Dixielandjazz] Saxophones and Steve Jensen

Sat, 22 Jun 2002 13:35:48 EDT

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In a message dated 6/22/02 10:43:35 AM Central Daylight Time, 
charliehooks@earthlink.net writes:

> Must say, ad was essentially correct.  To play sax well: a lifetime.  To
> merely play sax: about half an hour.  I remember Steve Jensen, trumpeter
> extraordinaire, now deceased:  "I tried saxophone at the University and
> thought, "Holy s..t!  That's all there is to it...?"
> 
> Well, o.k.: I'll admit: the half hour is only if you already play clarinet!
> 
> charliehooks@earthlink.net
> clarinet player who misses Steve Jensen

   Charlie hooks is both a fine clarinetist and a fine saxophonist ( tenor, 
alto and soprano, I believe) and I respect his last word on this belabored 
subject.  As a trombonist I picked up a sax on ocassion and managed to get 
something passable off.  Not so on clarinet.  I took a month or so of 
clarinet in Music ed. and this is one tough instrument.  In my opinion, one 
who learns to play clarinet correctly can easily pick up the sax.  To play it 
really well, though, requires as much work as any other instrument.

   The trombone is one SOB.  I was recently listening to an interview with 
the great trombonist, Trummy Young.  Trummy tells of coming to Chicago with 
the Earl HInes band in the 30s.  The other trombonists in the band told him 
that he ought to get serious and they sent him to Jerry (Jaroslav) Cimera who 
lived in Oak Park.  Cimera was a great classical-virtuoso trombonist and 
reknowned teacher.  At the first meeting Cimera had Trummy play some scales 
and other things after which he said to Trummy, "You get played for playing 
like that?"  Trummy laughs in recalling that.
Cimera also told Trummy, " If you are not going to practice the lessons I 
give you don't bother coming, I'm not looking for students."  Years later he 
told Trummy that , "he was the most 'apt' student he ever had."

I guess the point is that no matter what the instrument, it will take a lot 
of work to play it well...not much work at all to play it badly.

I, too, miss Steve Jensen, a wonderful trumpet player who brightened the 
Chicago Jazz scene for a number of years.  HIs sudden and unexpected death a 
few years back was very traumatic to the Chicago scene.  One of the best jazz 
blowouts ever
was a memorial to him held at Fitzgeralds.

Jim Beebe

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<HTML>In a message dated 6/22/02 10:43:35 AM Central Daylight Time, charliehooks@earthlink.net writes: 
 
 
<BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">Must say, ad was essentially correct.&nbsp; To play sax well: a lifetime.&nbsp; To 
merely play sax: about half an hour.&nbsp; I remember Steve Jensen, trumpeter 
extraordinaire, now deceased:&nbsp; "I tried saxophone at the University and 
thought, "Holy s..t!&nbsp; That's all there is to it...?" 
 
Well, o.k.: I'll admit: the half hour is only if you already play clarinet! 
 
charliehooks@earthlink.net 
clarinet player who misses Steve Jensen</BLOCKQUOTE> 
 
&nbsp;&nbsp; Charlie hooks is both a fine clarinetist and a fine saxophonist ( tenor, alto and soprano, I believe) and I respect his last word on this belabored subject.&nbsp; As a trombonist I picked up a sax on ocassion and managed to get something passable off.&nbsp; Not so on clarinet.&nbsp; I took a month or so of clarinet in Music ed. and this is one tough instrument.&nbsp; In my opinion, one who learns to play clarinet correctly can easily pick up the sax.&nbsp; To play it really well, though, requires as much work as any other instrument. 
 
&nbsp;&nbsp; The trombone is one SOB.&nbsp; I was recently listening to an interview with the great trombonist, Trummy Young.&nbsp; Trummy tells of coming to Chicago with the Earl HInes band in the 30s.&nbsp; The other trombonists in the band told him that he ought to get serious and they sent him to Jerry (Jaroslav) Cimera who lived in Oak Park.&nbsp; Cimera was a great classical-virtuoso trombonist and reknowned teacher.&nbsp; At the first meeting Cimera had Trummy play some scales and other things after which he said to Trummy, "You get played for playing like that?"&nbsp; Trummy laughs in recalling that. 
Cimera also told Trummy, " If you are not going to practice the lessons I give you don't bother coming, I'm not looking for students."&nbsp; Years later he told Trummy that , "he was the most 'apt' student he ever had." 
 
I guess the point is that no matter what the instrument, it will take a lot of work to play it well...not much work at all to play it badly. 
 
I, too, miss Steve Jensen, a wonderful trumpet player who brightened the Chicago Jazz scene for a number of years.&nbsp; HIs sudden and unexpected death a few years back was very traumatic to the Chicago scene.&nbsp; One of the best jazz blowouts ever 
was a memorial to him held at Fitzgeralds. 
 
Jim Beebe</HTML>

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