Great Players Mr Super Hip. Carl Mellor

[ManEast]

I was just wondering if anyone here knew Carl Mellor.
The first time I met Carl was at Covent Garden sometime at the start of the 80s. He had a Mountain bike with a trailer on the back. The trailer was full of car batteries and a cassette machine. He would play with backing tracks...as a matter of fact he used Abersold and was the first guy to introduce them to me.
He was quite a characterful saxophonist/guy. The last time I saw him he was playing outside a coffee shop... Starbucks on the bridge at Camden it think. That must have been 10 odd years ago, maybe more.
Truly one very Interesting player. If you know anything at all about Carl I would very much like to know.

Kind Regards

ManEast

 

[kent]

I was just wondering if anyone here knew Carl Mellor.
The first time I met Carl was at Covent Garden sometime at the start of the 80s. He had a Mountain bike with a trailer on the back. The trailer was full of car batteries and a cassette machine. He would play with backing tracks...as a matter of fact he used Abersold and was the first guy to introduce them to me.
He was quite a characterful saxophonist/guy. The last time I saw him he was playing outside a coffee shop... Starbucks on the bridge at Camden it think. That must have been 10 odd years ago, maybe more.
Truly one very Interesting player. If you know anything at all about Carl I would very much like to know.

Kind Regards

ManEast

Hallo ManEast,
A few days ago I visited Greys Inn buildings, after an absence of some twentyseven years, looking for Carl Mellor, who I knew when I lived there all those years ago. The place has been "done up", looks like luxury flats, or offices. Perhaps thats the reason I didn't find him. I then looked him up in the internet, and came across your message. Yes, your quite right about Abersold, and what a musician Carl is. I also would like to see again, thanks for your message... Kentmarryat<<at>>hotmail.com

 

[Chris]

Hey guys are you talking about this Carl Mellor by any chance.

http://gordonbennetttheblogweb.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/i-was-saddened-to-recently-that-melody.html

http://www.gutterbrothers.co.uk/history/

http://www.militantesthetix.co.uk/karl/kmintro.htm

Chris..

 

[Colin the Bear]

You guys amaze me. Three and a half years waiting for an answer takes some patience. lol

 

[david bideau]

I was just wondering if anyone here knew Carl Mellor.
The first time I met Carl was at Covent Garden sometime at the start of the 80s. He had a Mountain bike with a trailer on the back. The trailer was full of car batteries and a cassette machine. He would play with backing tracks...as a matter of fact he used Abersold and was the first guy to introduce them to me.
He was quite a characterful saxophonist/guy. The last time I saw him he was playing outside a coffee shop... Starbucks on the bridge at Camden it think. That must have been 10 odd years ago, maybe more.
Truly one very Interesting player. If you know anything at all about Carl I would very much like to know.

Kind Regards

ManEast

hi dude just stumbling through the net and was gutted to see my freind carl had died,i met Carl,his wife and new baby in Port Grimaud near St Tropez France in about 1986 where he was playing bars ,boats campsites etc with a Dutch keyboard player called Ronnie Baggerman,and after becoming freinds with these guys they asked me to do a bit of roadieing for them ,and they would pay me in free drinks as they never had to pay at the bars or would get free beer tickets ,anyway Carl nicknamed me Fox Terrier Number 1 as they had just cobbled up a cassette tape to sell at the gigs called Fox Terrier (only Carl Knew why as he was out of it a lot at the time through blow) anyway the funniest thing i ever saw in my life was when one day we areu all sat outside the campsite bar under the awning in a violent thunderstorm when suddenly about a dozen police vans came screeching through the gates and about 50 gendarmes piled out totting pistols machine guns the works and proceeded to stop anyone from leaving as there had been a murder on the campsite,which we didn't know at the time,well we were all taking the piss out of the cops as we had ,had a few drinks and the top cop was strutting aroud like inspector clauseau,the rains coming down all the cops are pissed through ,we are getting smashed and pissed the cops arn't happy when suddenly the theme from the Pink Panther starts comind from the bar roof ,,well its only Carl with his sax !!we were falling about laughing !! the cops were going crazy,and for the next couple of hours the murder hunt came to an end as they tried to Find Carl who had climbed down the back way and begun a game of cat and mouse with half the French police force ,popping up every few minuets at different parts of the camp playing a few bars of pink panther and dissapearing again only to reappear a few minuets later somewhere else with the cops geting wetter us getting more pissed ,this must have gone on for a couple of hours ttill Carl got fed up and let them catch him by sneaking up behind inspector clauseau and blowing his sax right up the guys arse !!!!!!well all us guys were in fits !! we were just another audience Carl entertained and kept captivated ,God bless you my freind hope you are up there now jamming with Stan Getz and entertaining the angels as you did us thanks for the memorries Carl it was a pleasure to know you R.I. P. my freind xx Fox terrier number 1 would anyone who has any info about Carls wife ,son or Ronnie Baggerman please conntact me at dpbideau at ymail.com

edited by mod replace at with @ in email

 

[Jeanette]

@david bideau thanks for the lovely story, made me smile 🙂

Jx

 

[dave wall]

I met carl and Pauline and Bart the dog in Cannes in 1982 i was 18 and met in a car park at the palm beach hotel carpark where he an i and a friend were staying looking for work on boats. we got talking to carl and he had a bike with a tape machine on the back and we had roller boots one night he borrowed my mates roller boots and i had mine on my friend road the bike into Cannes carl was doing the sounds of a police car as we were on the road and all the cars pulled over it was so funny and the people thought so too. we were outside the martinez hotel and were ask by the maitre de if he would come in and play his sax with the pianist and two guys would pay for all our drinks he said yes so that was us in. he got 2000 franc put in his saxophone.
we came out of there and were walking along the croisette when an American girl came out of a hotel stripped of and ran down the beach so carl decided to follow her and my friend as well. i was left holding the two sax and the skates and bike then i could see Pauline walking along so shouted to them to come out of the sea they got back just in time. it was early in the morning and she said i thought you had been nicked by the police. we all had a great time with them Dave Wall from Brighton

 

[Joe from New Orleans]

I met carl and Pauline and Bart the dog in Cannes in 1982 i was 18 and met in a car park at the palm beach hotel carpark where he an i and a friend were staying looking for work on boats. we got talking to carl and he had a bike with a tape machine on the back and we had roller boots one night he borrowed my mates roller boots and i had mine on my friend road the bike into Cannes carl was doing the sounds of a police car as we were on the road and all the cars pulled over it was so funny and the people thought so too. we were outside the martinez hotel and were ask by the maitre de if he would come in and play his sax with the pianist and two guys would pay for all our drinks he said yes so that was us in. he got 2000 franc put in his saxophone.
we came out of there and were walking along the croisette when an American girl came out of a hotel stripped of and ran down the beach so carl decided to follow her and my friend as well. i was left holding the two sax and the skates and bike then i could see Pauline walking along so shouted to them to come out of the sea they got back just in time. it was early in the morning and she said i thought you had been nicked by the police. we all had a great time with them Dave Wall from Brighton

So many great stories from one guy! Thanks!

 

[juha]

Hi there,

I met Karl in London -99 or 2000. I worked there as a bicycle courier for half an year and had finnished my job for good. I stopped to listen Karl play one evening and as he finnished and was packing his gear, he somehow asked me to visit his apartment at Grays Inn. I took a bus and he was with bicycle. He lived in very tiny studio and told me his wife was gone for holiday, if I remember right. He at least told, but maybe also showed (cant recall 100%) ,channel 4 documentary about him. I ended up staying with him two nights as I didnt really have a place to go (well, I had but after arguments I had left). He gave me his CD. When I visited London next time years later, maybe 2010, I googled Karl as I wanted to meet him, and managed to find a youtube video if his funerals in Canary island. That was surreal. He was so good player and nice guy but he showed me his dark side also in those two days, I dont know is it OK to tell those here....?

 

[juha]

I need to add, now that I watch that funeral klip again, that I couldnt find any proof that it is same Karl Mellor, I was just somehow so sure when I found it first tlme....

 

[Pete Thomas]

I dont know is it OK to tell those here....?

Depends on whether to is defamatory or illegal or against our rules in any other way.

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[Kazaballast]

I need to add, now that I watch that funeral klip again, that I couldnt find any proof that it is same Karl Mellor, I was just somehow so sure when I found it first tlme....

Hi, I am Karen, Karl’s sister, and I filmed it for our mother and sister who couldn’t be there. It is “the same Karl Mellor” from Grays Inn Buildings. X

 

[Kazaballast]

Hi there,

I met Karl in London -99 or 2000. I worked there as a bicycle courier for half an year and had finnished my job for good. I stopped to listen Karl play one evening and as he finnished and was packing his gear, he somehow asked me to visit his apartment at Grays Inn. I took a bus and he was with bicycle. He lived in very tiny studio and told me his wife was gone for holiday, if I remember right. He at least told, but maybe also showed (cant recall 100%) ,channel 4 documentary about him. I ended up staying with him two nights as I didnt really have a place to go (well, I had but after arguments I had left). He gave me his CD. When I visited London next time years later, maybe 2010, I googled Karl as I wanted to meet him, and managed to find a youtube video if his funerals in Canary island. That was surreal. He was so good player and nice guy but he showed me his dark side also in those two days, I dont know is it OK to tell those here....?

Hi Juha, It’s good to hear stories like yours. He was my brother and I filmed his funeral because our mother and sister could not be there. Love to you x

 

[Lonza Lester]

While searching for an old cassette, I stumbled upon one that Karl had given me. Curious, I decided to look him up online and was saddened to learn that he had passed away. I remembered him as a promising musician. He had somehow rigged a wagon with a phonograph player and speakers, and he would play his sax along to records by Jamey Aebersold—I thought that was ingenious. I met Karl around October 1985 while traveling through Europe. He was busking and spotted me among the onlookers with my trumpet bag slung over my shoulder. He asked me to take out my trumpet and jam with him, so I did. He was quite a character, as reflected in this thread of remembrance. He had a white dog that he claimed the ladies loved—it helped him collect tips and attract women. He told me he made a living busking and was squatting in an apartment or house, if my memory serves me right. It was a memorable encounter that stood out during my first visit to London, England. Sad to find he is no longer standing vertical.