I started playing Saxophone when I was about 28 in 1979. You can only do so much work on the diatonic vamper harmonica, so I took up the Chromatic harmonica. Also I wanted to play jazz, the Blues Harp was more restricted so I bought a Chromatic. It was not as easy as the Blues Harp, which is for me about playing by ear. I realised that I would have to learn music – scales etc. So it was like a new instrument. I kept loosing or breaking the Chromatics. Then I bought a tenor sax from a friend of mine for £50. It was a Boston tenor sax. Not a great sax but enough to get going and realised that I could play it. When I was in London I went to the famous Dobell’s record store in Charing Cross Road. I came home with 3 albums Ben Webster, Gene Ammons and Eddie Lockjaw Davis. I went to Joe Coughlin for a few lessons. Again I only played by ear similar to the harp. But I was getting a good sound.
Tone was important to me on any instrument, so I studied Ben W & Gene A. Eventually I put a down payment and paid when I had a few pounds to Danfay / Yamaha on Georges St. Dublin 2 and became the proud owner of a Yamaha student tenor. A great improvement. This was the instrument I used on most of the Rocky De Valera Rhythm Kings tracks with my Berg Larsen 100/0 metal mouthpiece. I got this raspy bright sound which suited me and the band.
At the end of the gig I used to take the sax & stand off the stage and place them in the dressing room then go back for the case and other bits. Rocky had invited 2 drunken bogmen into the dressing room.When I stepped back into the room I saw in slow-motion one of the bogmen falling forward like a sack of spuds onto the sax. I quickly pulled it back into shape whilst it was still warm. This was good for a while but I realised that I needed a more robust sax.
So I flew to Paris (with my small inheritance) and scoured Rue de Rome. I settled on an instrument shop called Menetrier. They allowed me to trade in the Yamaha with cash for a brand new Selmer Super Action 80 tenor a great sax which I still have in France as a spare.
