alto
Sax On Fire- 2 blowout sax students hook up having known each other in the 80s and play a gig!!
“In 1983 I started a nightclub in Dean Street, Soho. London called ‘Alice In Wonderland’. The nightclub was like none other playing a mixture of sixties psychedelia, punk, glam rock and goth. The club DJ was The Doctor of ‘Doctor and the Medics’ who in 1986 had a number one hit with a cover version of Norman Greenbaum’s ‘Spirit In The Sky’. The nightclub was a phenomenal success and was voted Nightclub Of The Year in 1985. Sometime in 1985 a band called ‘The Mystery Girls’ featuring saxophonist William Heath played at the club and I remember William well, standing at an impressive 6’8″ tall we chatted at the bar, his head disappeared among the toilet paper we religiously hung from the ceiling! I even wrote a paragraph about it in my book
Forward wind a few decades and in 2015 I played a gig in Bath with Mark Archer’s Blowout Sax. We played a Burlesque version of Britney Spears ‘Toxic’, I played alto and who should be playing baritone but none other than William Heath. It wasn’t until I was driving home after the show that the penny dropped, surely there can’t be that many 6’8″ sax players in the world? I later checked with Mark who confirmed it was indeed the same guy.
I contacted William through Mark and asked if he would play with my little sax ensemble ‘Sax Is On Fire!’ at a mini festival in Hertfordshire. William said he would be delighted to, so at the August Bank Holiday weekend 2019 we met up after 34 years and played together for the first time. Alto, tenor and baritone sax together with guitar, bass and drums we played six songs: ‘Wild Weekend’, ‘Bad Moon Rising’ ‘Red River Rock’, ‘Tequila’, ‘Telstar’ and ‘The Legend Of Xanadu’. It was great fun and well received by the small crowd enjoying the glorious sunshine. It was a joy to meet William after all these years and is proof that the world isn’t as big as we think it is!”
Christian Paris August 2019
Summer shots of Mr Blowout Sax wearing our famous orange in Barcelona
Some ace shots of Our Party In The City May 17th 2019 at The Arch..all black and white shots taken by www.simonarcherphotography.co.uk
Blowout Sax Mini Gig
PARTY IN THE CITY
Set List For MAY 17TH 2019.
SET 1 included Students playing tracks like ROCK FORT ROCK by The Skatalites
SHAKE YOUR TAILFEATHER by Ray Charles
SWEET EMMA by Cannonball Adderley
TADOW by Masego
WILL YOU by Hazel O’Connor
NO MAN NO CRY by Jimmy Sax
Mark Knopfler Goin’ Home LOCAL HERO
BAKER STREET…Raf Ravenscroft Gerry Rafferty
ONE STEP BEYOND.. Madness
and the SET 2 was a big and exciting jam on original House dance and reggae tracks which sounded fantastic live and in the moment.
The coolest arrival to being late for your saxophone lesson -sax aready slippers on ready to play
Party In The City Bath Festival 2018 www.simonarcherphotography.co.uk
Here’s some amazing shots from uber-talented Simon Archer of top Blowout Sax students from Bath’s world famous sax school having performing a this
Blowout Sax Mini Gig
PARTY IN THE CITY
The FIRST Set List INCLUDED SWEET HOME CHICAGO,PINK PANTHER,WILL YOU,DIKALO,PETER GUNN,FOOD FOR THOUGHT,ONE STEP BEYOND AND BAKER STREET.
Half time Bath Guitar School 3 songs
SET 2 was a DANCE REGGAE JAMMING SESSION ON ORIGINAL MATERIAL AND WAS A LOT OF FUN.
SO DO COME ALONG IF YOU CAN FRIDAT 17TH MAY 2019 TO HEAR 2 NEW SETS OF INSPIRING SAXOPHONE MUSIC PLAYED BY BLOWOUT SAX STUDENTS ?
Chris jamming on his sax in the West Indies
One of Blowout sax star students Chris sent me this ace shot of him jamming on his sax with some pro musicians..sure looks fab!
New Saxophone shop Headwind Zetland Road Bristol
Check out this superb shop with an excellent selection of saxs,mouthpieces and accessories.They are friendly and knowledgeable.
Say Mark Archer sent you and ask for Tom.
Visiting the hallowed plantation where Rico Reeds are grown-the ones I have blown for the past 30 plus years!!
From a plaque big brother Simon saw in Hyeres lead us a couple years later to head for Hyeres.
We were met by a wonderful gregarious big in stature and character Le Monsieur Philppe Weichel the head of the Rico Reed Plantation.
He hailed from the Alsace spoke immaculate English with a self-deprecating sense of humour.
He started working in the wine industry and 8 years ago was brought in by D’addario to run this plantation and with that brought in a more organic approach.All rejected reeds some 2 to 20 percent of the crop are mashed and recycled by the roots of the rows and rows of bamboo cane.
This is part of the cultivation alongside Philppe’s addition from the wine world of some wild berry trees,then a lot of water,Cote D’azur magical sun and some mineral spray make this crop grow and grow.It has no Macbeth,nothing that can destroy it,it is resilent to any disease.
(All photos by Simon Archer www.simonarcherphotograpy.co.uk)
The timing of the harvest varies but often after a frost in November then the cane is stripped and those that make the grade are dried out in the hangers.
There is a continual re-evaluation process as the cane that is deemed to knotty are literally weeded out so not to contaminate the good cane.
Each cane has different properties.The thicker part at the top can be for baritone,the next part down tenor,then alto,soprano sax..
other canes are strictly depending on their width for baritone,tenor or even clarinet…
and how many reeds per cane?
I said hundred..the reality 10 to 12!!!
Once dry the good cane is cut by special one off machines indoors and the very best quality are sent to the USA to be branded into Rico,Rico Royale and all the other affliated brands.
Over a million reeds orginate from this plantation and another near the sea in Hyeres.
Thank you Philippe for an informative tour.
I shall never think of a reed in the same way.
Footnote.
He’s not forgot his roots he’seven growing some vines on site so Mr D’addario can have his own branded bottle of wine!
Lat week
A revised lighter portrait of Mr Blowout Sax by Neill of ‘capture the spirit’
Playing like Sonny Rollins in New York under a railway tunnel-lovely accoustic a lovely ‘dream.’
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