Was Far Out, now is Gone
Jul. 6th, 2004 08:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
infrogmationLast month I mentioned using the phrase "far out" to describe something at a gig.
Well, the situation was when a sax player was invited to play a couple numbers in a band he used to play with.
I should mention he's had problems with alcohol.
He eagerly brought up his horn, but was confused and delusional, generally not being able to follow where in a tune the band was, but playing with considerable enthusiasm and volume.
As he took a vocal on a number that used to be a specialty of his, his arms started shaking severely.
He waundered away with his horn, then back to the band, playing things that didn't go with the music.
He wouldn't stop playing, so we ended the set a early.
He said he was glad to play with us. I told him "It was far out."
Afterwards, one band member wondered if he was having strokes right there on stage. I guessed it was Delirium tremens. It sounds like we were both close, I hear it was likely Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome.
This past week the poor fellow went into a coma. And now he's dead.
Bye, Frank.
It turns out Doc had supplied me with something nice to say to Frank the very last time he played.
Well, the situation was when a sax player was invited to play a couple numbers in a band he used to play with.
I should mention he's had problems with alcohol.
He eagerly brought up his horn, but was confused and delusional, generally not being able to follow where in a tune the band was, but playing with considerable enthusiasm and volume.
As he took a vocal on a number that used to be a specialty of his, his arms started shaking severely.
He waundered away with his horn, then back to the band, playing things that didn't go with the music.
He wouldn't stop playing, so we ended the set a early.
He said he was glad to play with us. I told him "It was far out."
Afterwards, one band member wondered if he was having strokes right there on stage. I guessed it was Delirium tremens. It sounds like we were both close, I hear it was likely Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome.
This past week the poor fellow went into a coma. And now he's dead.
Bye, Frank.
It turns out Doc had supplied me with something nice to say to Frank the very last time he played.
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no subject
Date: 2004-07-07 06:13 am (UTC)Hugs.
How I told the story on the "Gigs From Hell" Fbook group:
Date: 2025-02-24 05:55 pm (UTC)I learned a phrase from him that later helped in a "Gig from Hell" situation. Not a riff, break, nor musical phrase at all. Something else.
At lunch once Doc told about some producer who flew him out to the West Coast to participate in some sort of avant-garde free jazz "experiment". As others banged out non complimentary rhythms and unrelated chords, Doc was urged to "just blow anything!", so he did, rapidly fingering his valves at random. He was given encouragement "Yeah, that's the stuff!". Doc himself didn't think it amounted to anything.
Afterwards, the sponsor came up and enthusiastically asked Doc, "So, how'd you like it?"
Doc replied, "Man, it was far out."
"Far out". A few years later I was able to use that phrase.
At our monthly gig, a sax player who used to play with our band came up and asked to sit in for a few tunes. Leader said OK.
I should mention the sax player had problems with alcohol and I'm not sure what else.
He eagerly brought up his horn, but when we started playing he became confused and delusional, generally not being able to follow where in a tune the band was, but playing with considerable enthusiasm and volume.
As he took a vocal on a number that used to be a specialty of his, his arms started shaking severely.
He wandered away with his horn, then back to the band, playing things that didn't go with the music.
He wouldn't stop playing, so we ended the set early.
He thanked the band with a big smile on his face, saying he was glad to play with us.
I told him "It was far out."
Afterwards, one band member wondered if he was having strokes right there on stage. I guessed it was Delirium tremens. Someone later told me it was likely Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. A few weeks later we heard he'd gone into a coma, and the week after that the poor man was dead.
Thanks to Doc Cheatham, I had something nice to say to the sax player the very last time he played.
Far out.
It's a good one to keep handy.
Far Out with Frank
Date: 2025-02-24 05:59 pm (UTC)Frank's widow came to our gig the next month or the one after, I don't recall which - and thanked the bandleader for giving Frank one of the last happy moments he had in his life.