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bobstad
Member
- Messages
- 71
- Location
- Bellingham, WA
Opps, that was horrible; needed to proof read, and divide into paragraphs, sorry about the scree in other words: gosh, and the beat goes on. Once we are at home, we can use the email on our cell phone, to organize drafts, to then transcribe here at the library. However, as long as we are here of the moment; we will try to create ex tempore.
We are a late blooming self-proclaimed prote'ge' of Bulgaria's greatest alto saxophonist Yuri Yunakov; whose 2005 workshop at noon on the lawn Saturday next the Sebastopol, CA VFW hall in Ives Park we were part of-with our Yamaha YAS-23. Same instrument by chance which Yuri Yunakov played in the famed band of Ivo Papasov, one of the world's two best clarinetists during the active part of his illustrious career-a year our junior. We also both by chance play Beecher B10 "white diamond" mouthpieces; ours a S4S facing, one of a few alto mouthpieces at Forrests Music, 1849 University Ave, sold us by Audrey Jackson circa 1996. www.forrestsmusic.com
During one of the annual California Herdeljezi Festivals. www.voiceofroma.com Their self-created style of music; earning the title "Wedding Music" since the Bulgarian government worried they'd corrupt the traditional folk music of the nation, allowed them to play only weddings.
Which were always overrun by uninvited guests; like hundreds, or thousands? Dance tunes lasting up to six hours, extended improvised solos, dusk to dawn and beyond. The musicians were sometimes arrested by the government who'd have their heads shaven, and Yuri Yunakov did some jail time too. Other occasions had the whole band crossing rivers with their instruments to avoid border crossings. On YouTube, he'd commented in an interview that the resistance was what made their music so popular.
The use of the saxophone then was unique, as were electric guitars and elements of jazz & rock; and also the synthesis of several different styles from various sources, like Armenian, Bulgarian, Romani..just our guessing here of the moment-probably accurate. Thus a nice way of getting more work, from anyone associated with any of those styles of music.
The ending of socialism in eastern Europe screwed their livelihood there however, since no longer could anyone afford to hire Ivo Papasov's band for five day weddings, circumcisions or whatever else traditionally, musical endeavors suited best. Thus Yuri Yunakov's relocation to New Jersey, and his career as a limousine driver; while gigging in NYC often.
Yuri, er Mr. Yunakov to you dud; was also Bulgaria's middleweight boxing champion three years in a row as a teenager; revered there as a boxer, as was Muhammad Ail world wide.
And, to continue mostly about women saxophonists and other women musicians; hey, and the local university women's basketball team WWU Vikings played in their home court for the national championship last year-and the place was nearly empty?!!
Kate Olson and I were for a brief while thinking about studying tenor saxophone together..we are horrible..though boxing too; our suggestion, using the leather mittens which we'd had to do winter-pruning while a four seasons apple worker, and fruit picker of all types, following our sojourn trying to find anyway to support ourselves* after an unusual music oriented BA at Evergreen College, as a one time member as a second tenor saxophonist in the briefly instituted jazz ensemble.
We did have a woman also interested in joining us with the Kate Olson boxing/tenor sax fantasy which didn't work out; a friendly grocery checker whose job disappeared during the breaking COVID-19 epidemic. We'd simply broached the notion off the cuff without much thought..people love the idea of playing saxophone!!
*We've some severe back problems, due a pair of spinal diseases prior to adulthood; so are trying to lobby in favor of getting our spine restructured with synthetic bone material. From birth or an idiopathic problem, creating a severe scoliosis to the right out of the pelvic floor; then a juvenile disease where cartilage failed to form between the vertebrate behind our sternum for awhile. Seeing our first back x-rays at age 24, there were tiny scallops where bone had rubbed against bone; before the cartilage reformed..
Stupidly our parents; folk with six births and five survivors, while trying to practice birth control; had fallen for the belligerent notion some M. D. s tried to foist upon innocents, telling our mother her milk would poison her children-so we were all raised on baby formula exclusively-no colostrum-zip, nada. Ick!! Said to cause both upper respiratory problems, and also musculoskeletal difficulties. Wonder who cooked up that sort of a notion; striking me as eugenics during the 1950s.
Oregon's great; where the Ku Klux Klan was said to run the whole state during the 1920s. [ boo!! ]
We moved from Kalama, WA to Eugene during 1957; where I'd gone to kindergarten and grade school at River Road Elementary, starting band class in fifth grade using our father's old saxophone; get this, who'd soloed as a sophomore alto saxophonist on "Harlem Nocturne' " under the baton or whatever, of Hugo Helmervick there in Aberdeen, WA class of 1942.
Hugo Helmervick went on to become the director of public music education first in Minneapolis then New York city.
Hey, ugly or not; our computer time at the library..is nearly over..ta da?
We are a late blooming self-proclaimed prote'ge' of Bulgaria's greatest alto saxophonist Yuri Yunakov; whose 2005 workshop at noon on the lawn Saturday next the Sebastopol, CA VFW hall in Ives Park we were part of-with our Yamaha YAS-23. Same instrument by chance which Yuri Yunakov played in the famed band of Ivo Papasov, one of the world's two best clarinetists during the active part of his illustrious career-a year our junior. We also both by chance play Beecher B10 "white diamond" mouthpieces; ours a S4S facing, one of a few alto mouthpieces at Forrests Music, 1849 University Ave, sold us by Audrey Jackson circa 1996. www.forrestsmusic.com
During one of the annual California Herdeljezi Festivals. www.voiceofroma.com Their self-created style of music; earning the title "Wedding Music" since the Bulgarian government worried they'd corrupt the traditional folk music of the nation, allowed them to play only weddings.
Which were always overrun by uninvited guests; like hundreds, or thousands? Dance tunes lasting up to six hours, extended improvised solos, dusk to dawn and beyond. The musicians were sometimes arrested by the government who'd have their heads shaven, and Yuri Yunakov did some jail time too. Other occasions had the whole band crossing rivers with their instruments to avoid border crossings. On YouTube, he'd commented in an interview that the resistance was what made their music so popular.
The use of the saxophone then was unique, as were electric guitars and elements of jazz & rock; and also the synthesis of several different styles from various sources, like Armenian, Bulgarian, Romani..just our guessing here of the moment-probably accurate. Thus a nice way of getting more work, from anyone associated with any of those styles of music.
The ending of socialism in eastern Europe screwed their livelihood there however, since no longer could anyone afford to hire Ivo Papasov's band for five day weddings, circumcisions or whatever else traditionally, musical endeavors suited best. Thus Yuri Yunakov's relocation to New Jersey, and his career as a limousine driver; while gigging in NYC often.
Yuri, er Mr. Yunakov to you dud; was also Bulgaria's middleweight boxing champion three years in a row as a teenager; revered there as a boxer, as was Muhammad Ail world wide.
And, to continue mostly about women saxophonists and other women musicians; hey, and the local university women's basketball team WWU Vikings played in their home court for the national championship last year-and the place was nearly empty?!!
Kate Olson and I were for a brief while thinking about studying tenor saxophone together..we are horrible..though boxing too; our suggestion, using the leather mittens which we'd had to do winter-pruning while a four seasons apple worker, and fruit picker of all types, following our sojourn trying to find anyway to support ourselves* after an unusual music oriented BA at Evergreen College, as a one time member as a second tenor saxophonist in the briefly instituted jazz ensemble.
We did have a woman also interested in joining us with the Kate Olson boxing/tenor sax fantasy which didn't work out; a friendly grocery checker whose job disappeared during the breaking COVID-19 epidemic. We'd simply broached the notion off the cuff without much thought..people love the idea of playing saxophone!!
*We've some severe back problems, due a pair of spinal diseases prior to adulthood; so are trying to lobby in favor of getting our spine restructured with synthetic bone material. From birth or an idiopathic problem, creating a severe scoliosis to the right out of the pelvic floor; then a juvenile disease where cartilage failed to form between the vertebrate behind our sternum for awhile. Seeing our first back x-rays at age 24, there were tiny scallops where bone had rubbed against bone; before the cartilage reformed..
Stupidly our parents; folk with six births and five survivors, while trying to practice birth control; had fallen for the belligerent notion some M. D. s tried to foist upon innocents, telling our mother her milk would poison her children-so we were all raised on baby formula exclusively-no colostrum-zip, nada. Ick!! Said to cause both upper respiratory problems, and also musculoskeletal difficulties. Wonder who cooked up that sort of a notion; striking me as eugenics during the 1950s.
Oregon's great; where the Ku Klux Klan was said to run the whole state during the 1920s. [ boo!! ]
We moved from Kalama, WA to Eugene during 1957; where I'd gone to kindergarten and grade school at River Road Elementary, starting band class in fifth grade using our father's old saxophone; get this, who'd soloed as a sophomore alto saxophonist on "Harlem Nocturne' " under the baton or whatever, of Hugo Helmervick there in Aberdeen, WA class of 1942.
Hugo Helmervick went on to become the director of public music education first in Minneapolis then New York city.
Hey, ugly or not; our computer time at the library..is nearly over..ta da?
