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Errol Buddle Interview


Shrdlu

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I just came across a very interesting interview with the Australian reed player Errol Buddle. His main intrument was the tenor saxophone, but he also played the bassoon quite often - a rarity in jazz, of course. Its fingerings are fiendishly difficult and I would personally describe the instrument's design as a disaster, when you consider that it is, in a way, a bass oboe. The left thumb has eight keys to negotiate, as opposed to the one (the octave or register key) on a saxophone or clarinet. Nevertheless, Errol was fluent on the instrument. I love its sound during the bass solo on Gil Evans's "La Nevada", where it was played by Budd Johnson.

Who was Errol Buddle? He was from Adelaide, Australia. Of interest to you here is the fact that he went to Canada and America in his early 20s (in about 1951) and played a lot in Detroit, where he was able to play with a lot of famous guys such as Elvin Jones, Tommy Flanagan, Barry Harris, Kenny Burrell etc. In the interview, he talks about them and other major players such as Bird, Miles and Diz. The webpage I am about to post shows newspaper clippings of him, in "The Australian Jazz Quartet", playing on the same program as many top groups. What an experience he had!

Here is the link

https://www.abc.net.au/jazz/features/specials/this-is-errol-buddle/9510504

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4 hours ago, Shrdlu said:

I just came across a very interesting interview with the Australian reed player Errol Buddle. His main intrument was the tenor saxophone, but he also played the bassoon quite often - a rarity in jazz, of course. Its fingerings are fiendishly difficult and I would personally describe the instrument's design as a disaster, when you consider that it is, in a way, a bass oboe. The left thumb has eight keys to negotiate, as opposed to the one (the octave or register key) on a saxophone or clarinet. Nevertheless, Errol was fluent on the instrument. I love its sound during the bass solo on Gil Evans's "La Nevada", where it was played by Budd Johnson.

Who was Errol Buddle? He was from Adelaide, Australia. Of interest to you here is the fact that he went to Canada and America in his early 20s (in about 1951) and played a lot in Detroit, where he was able to play with a lot of famous guys such as Elvin Jones, Tommy Flanagan, Barry Harris, Kenny Burrell etc. In the interview, he talks about them and other major players such as Bird, Miles and Diz. The webpage I am about to post shows newspaper clippings of him, in "The Australian Jazz Quartet", playing on the same program as many top groups. What an experience he had!

Here is the link

https://www.abc.net.au/jazz/features/specials/this-is-errol-buddle/9510504

Thanks for this. Looking forward to listening. I got to know  vibraphonist Jack Brokensha from the Australian Jazz Quartet pretty well when I moved to Detroit in '95. Among other things, Jack had home movies taken on the package tours that included the AJQ, Miles Davis Quintet and many others. No sound to the movies (alas) but great shots of a relaxed Miles etc. 

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