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April 20, 2007

Bird's "Plastic" Alto: Going, Going...Long Gone

Just in case you have lost track of the famous white plastic Grafton alto saxophone that Charlie Parker played for a time, here's a reminder. The horn, actually cream-colored and made of acrylic, was among items sold at Christie's in London when the Chan Parker Collection was auctioned in 1994. Chan, never legally Parker's wife, was the mother of two of his children and inherited most of his possessions when he died in March, 1955.

As part of the pre-bidding activity, alto saxophonist Peter King played the horn, with the auction tag dangling from it. Rifftides reader Don Emanuel sent this link to a video of King demonstrating the alto with his regular rhythm section of the time, pianist Steve Melling, bassist Alec Dankworth and drummer Steve Keogh. The eight-minute clip has more than curiosity value. King can play.

The city of Kansas City, the birthplace of Charlie Parker, won the bidding at $144,500. The saxophone is in the collection of the American Jazz Museum in KC.

Posted by dramsey at April 20, 2007 1:05 AM

COMMENTS

I saw the plastic alto in K.C. last year--it was nice to be able to see it up close. However, I have to say the rest of the museum was a disappointment compared to the obviously much better-funded Negro Leagues Baseball museum next door--other than the alto and a few contracts (and a relatively new trumpet with the caption, "A trumpet. Louis Armstrong was a famous trumpeter") there really wasn't much else to see.

Posted by: Ian at April 20, 2007 10:09 AM

I bought a Grafton plastic alto from some old guy from whom I hitched a ride when I was about 17. Neither of us had a clue what it was. I took it away to college, and it was a regular on the Oxford University gig scene in the late 80s (with 'The Cube Club' and 'Jazz Liberation Front'...). It made an OK sound. The story of its inception and demise is a fascinating one - built by a Hungarian refugee, Hector Sommaruga, and driven out of business by the rest of the industry - though the horn certainly has its flaws... Pete King, on the other hand, is a superb British alto player, worthy of international acclaim.

Posted by: Andy Williamson at May 25, 2007 5:15 AM



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