Cifford Scott, What Tenor

[Mikey B]

Anybody know what the late great Cifford Scott set up consisted of?

Regards, Mike

 

[John Laughter]

Mike I do not know but here are some photos that might help. In one of them he appears to have a new sax which is unlikely to be the one he used on "Honky Tonk" unless he had it relacquered.

http://www.landing.com/profiles/scott.htm

http://www.austinmusicvideo.com/site/images/gallery_/pics2/CliffordScott_1.jpg


http://www.cduniverse.com/images.as...,+Clifford+-+Mr.+Honkytonk+Is+Back+In+Town+CD

http://cgi.ebay.com/Clifford-Scott-...1646374?pt=Music_on_Vinyl&hash=item563c776a26

I have an old email address that his nephew, Bill Doggett II sent years ago. I will see if it still works. If so he may know.

Another person who may know is Tim Price if you want to ask him. Tim knows what m/p's Scott used over the years;
http://www.timpricejazz.com/

 

[John Laughter]

Mike, disregard my note about Bill Doggett II. I had the wrong person in mind. Unlikely that he would know.

 

[Jules]

Ah- one of my heroes.... no idea what he played though... I'd guess a Mark VI and a Berg Larsen....

 

[thomsax]

Guys like Clifford Scott, Red Prysock, Big Jay McNeely, King Curtis, Noble Watts, Lee Allen ..... sounded like themselves no matter what setup or sax they played! I think they changed setups and horns over years. On they early pictures I have with Red Prysock he is blowing a Selmer BA, SBA or Mk VI with a link mpc. In the end of his carreer he was on a King Super 20 with Berg Larsen. According to my sources is perhaps best to admit.

I can't say what setup he used but on most pictures I've seen he was blowing a HR mouthpiece. His horn had the bellkeys on left side so it can be a Beuscher, Conn, Martin ... .

One of the best R&B honkers.

 

[rhysonsax]

One of my favourite Clifford Scott recordings is "Hippy Dippy" on which he plays great alto with Bill Doggett.

It's a blues and I've had it transcribed by Curtis Swift of saxsolos.com . Clifford Scott has got a great alto tone and lots of good ideas played really fluently. I have made a simple backing track for this number and am trying to learn or at least play the solo.

No idea about his set-up on tenor or on alto.

Rhys

 

[compound]

Great tone and articulation, makes you wanna jump up and start playing with him,[ i wish ].

Great one Rhys.

 

[Tim]

Thomsax: These are the guys I listened to growing up in Southern California. They are some of the best ever IMHO. I started way late on tenor. Just turned 68. Practice every day, lesons every week when I'm in town. It will be interesting to see if I get any good at it? Tim

 

[compound]

Hi Tim,
Your never too old mate, it keeps you young all that blowing and gasping. What's your set up? Horn / mouthpiece / reeds.
Do you play by dot's, or can you play by ear? if not try it it's good fun.
Regards Rob.

 

[Tim]

Rob: Thanks. I read music. Horns, Yamaha 62-2, Selmer M-6 1956 in amazing condition. The gent that owned it needed cash and I got it cheap. Mayer 5 and Steve Goodsen blues blaster. Use Fibracells 2.0, 2.5. There great. Very nice sound and I don't squeak. My timing is by ear, I can't tell time to save my life. I put the horn in my mouth and it's deer in the headlights time. I listen to music and can play it after a few tries. The stuff I grew up with come out pretty good? The music, what there is of it from the old stuff is pretty easy after a few tries. Tim

 

[compound]

Tim,
You lucky bugger, M-6 and Yami 62 lovely horn's. I'm on a Bauhaus Walstein Bronze Tenor, Berg Larsen metal, and Hahn 3 & 2.5. Haven't tried the Fibracells yet, a bit expensive over here.Anyway Tim the best of luck with your playing, i hope you get as much enjoyment out of it as i do. I play drum's, organ/ keyboards, guitar, but the sax is my favorite.
Cheers Rob.

 

[Jules]

Tim,
You lucky bugger, M-6 and Yami 62 lovely horn's. I'm on a Bauhaus Walstein Bronze Tenor,
.

Hey- those BW tenors are superb bits of kit.....I wouldn't be so down on your current set up!

 

[thomsax]

Thomsax: These are the guys I listened to growing up in Southern California. They are some of the best ever IMHO. I started way late on tenor. Just turned 68. Practice every day, lesons every week when I'm in town. It will be interesting to see if I get any good at it? Tim

Age is no probleme when it comes to Rocksax. Look at Big Jay. In our Rocksax group most players are around 50+. The last guy who joined us are recently retired (around 67) and wanted a more "laid back" way to use his sax. He is a former jazzplayer!

I found an intresting player the other year. Hollis Gillmore , LA (Big Joe Turner, Percy Mayfield, Ruth Brown ... ), with a big tenorsound. He was around 68 when he recorded his first solo CD. So it's never to late!

Thomas

 

[compound]

Clifford Scott.

Hi Jules,
I wasn't putting my set up down mate, anything but, like you say it's a nice piece of kit. Compares very well with the S.M.L. 2001 i used to play. It's just that certain horns have that certain something, like my dream horn a King Silver Sonic Ooooh!
Anyway i can dream.
Rob.

 

[thomsax]

Rob,

Did you play a SML tenor? I think they are great saxes. I use to say that thre are a relationship between the Kings from the 60's and SML. A fiend of mine is a former saxtech. He worked for the SML company (guarantee repair dept and on the sax "line") for some years in the late 60's and early 70's. He don't answer when I ask him about the if there was a realtionship?

A King Super 20 and Berg Larsen ss it's a real Rocksax combination. Hard to handle but if you can controlle it, you have a real shotgun!! I think Clarence Clemons played this combination in his early carreer.

 

[compound]

Hi Thomas,
I did indeed play a S.M.L. tenor, but it wasn't the vintage variety. It was actually made by B&S in the early nineties. It was exactly the same as the B&S 2001 but was engraved S.M.L. I have since found out that S.M.L. actually owned B&S at the time, and maybe still do. I have also heard that there wasn't many around with the S.M.L. engraving on. If i had kept it it might have been worth quite a bit of money now, who knows. It's the same as the B&S 2001 on Steve Howards site, and it cost me £ 850 , RRP £ 1,850, they were on special offer for several month's alto's as well. I also got a hard SKB case thrown in as well, funny thing was the alto's were engraved B&S.
Rob.