My Really Ugly Tenor Sax...

I've received a few comments over the years from well meaning people that try to inform me about the look of my treasured Tenor Sax...

Usually, it's something like..."Uh, you might do a little better or get more gigs if you had a Tenor Sax that looked really nice, you know, like those really shiny colored ones that all the hip sax players play."

As soon as I hear a comment like that from someone in the music "Biz" I know right away that though well meaning, folks that offer a comment like that don't know a lick about Saxophones and are really, just showing their ignorance when it comes to musical instruments.

You see, my Tenor Sax is a vintage King Super 20 with a silver plated neck that probably dates to the late 1950s.

The King Super 20s, particularly the ones with silver plated necks and bells as well as certain mother of pearl pearl keys are highly sought after by collectors and players and command thousands on the vintage sax market.

My "Super 20" as they are affectionately known by horn collectors and players is rather used looking. In fact, most of the lacquer is rubbed off and the glossy plating is 90% gone.

It's one rather ugly looking Tenor Sax.

But here's what people that make uninformed comments to me about the look of my Tenor Sax don't know is that not only are the King Super 20 Sax's from the 1940's and 50's sought after for their known value, they are still some of the best SOUNDING Saxophones ever made.

The 1940s and 50s King Saxophones were played by the greatest saxophone players ever known like Charlie Parker, Cannonball Adderley, and Wilton Felder just to name a few.

In fact, many Modern Sax manufacturers are currently producing new horns with no lacquer on them at all in an attempt to imitate the look and sound of these classic horns.

Several sax manufacturers are putting out horns that look and feel somewhat akin to the vintage saxophones by King, Selmer (Mk IV) and a few others, but the metal work on vintage horns is rather difficult to duplicate. And...so is the sound of these instruments hard to duplicate.

When I listen to comments from folks that don't know anything about saxophones criticize my Tenor I know right away that those comments come from well meaning individuals that are more enamored with the way a horn "looks" rather than the way a sax "sounds".

We live in an age of constant "Image". Since the early 1980s Image, or how things "appear" has replaced real substance or how things really "are". Televisions throw fast paced and beautiful images that are edited and directed to sell a product or someone's agenda with flashy and attractive scenes and beautiful models.

Movies with one hundred million dollar budgets throw up scenes of beautiful actors and actresses at us with ever louder soundtracks and super sharp 3D images meant to thrill us with the spectacle.

Computers and gaming consoles now compete with the big screen and in fact are overtaking sales numbers of movies with incredibly life like video games, some that are so incredibly violent that studies show these games can numb the senses and feelings of people that play them if not moderated.

Pornographic Images proliferate the world wide web with altered images of the human body that are digitally enhanced and modified to make them as attractive as possible to those addicted to pornography, ruining marriages and lives along the way.

While I am a very big movie fan and no prude, I've become increasingly concerned about how many people cannot seem to discern the difference between the "Image" that's projected on T.V., Movie, and computer screens and what's really real.

My Tenor Sax is called the King Super 20 and is one of the ugliest looking Tenors saxes you may come across. It's aged and sort of beat up just like it's player, but when you hear it either live or on a recording you will immediately know that what it looks like has nothing in common with the gorgeous, nuanced, colorful, huge sound it produces. And also how highly prized it is by those educated and discerning enough to know it's real worth.

I'll take real substance over glittery looks every time...and yes, I am the sax player.

Facing Headwinds...

When I was a teenager I used to ride my burgundy Schwinn Continental 10 speed just about every day in the summers after school let out.

I was very proud of that beautiful wine colored bike and would polish it up and maintain it meticulously, taking it apart, lubricating the chain and gears, making sure the tires and tubes were in great shape.

Riding in Colorado is a wonderful experience almost anywhere along the front range as many professional bike racers have found out, and so they come to this area just to train.

In the summers before I went off to College I would ride 10 miles out to the Adams county fairgrounds and then back again in the intense, dry, Colorado summer heat just about every day.

After I began recovering from injuries sustained in a car accident in 2010, I needed to get back in shape so out came the 15 speed pseudo mountain bike (It's a Huffy, don't laugh) and pedal power became once again, my favorite form of exercise.

At first it was grueling pedaling, huffing and puffing my way only about 2-3 miles, but after about three weeks or so I was beginning to get my "riding legs" back to the point where 6-8 miles or so isn't that difficult.

Today was a different story however. The winds were blowing hard from the north as they do in the Great Plains just east of the Rockies. Weather fronts push down from the northwest into Colorado just as they were today, and I found myself riding into stiff headwinds heading towards home.

As my 50 something legs began protesting at the pushing I was asking them to do and a brutal headwind was blowing me around with cars flying by, I offered up a little prayer..."Lord, if you can lessen these headwinds a little I would really appreciate it."

Now, those who may not believe that God hears such small, seemingly trivial prayers like this one might be tempted to ask the question... "What makes you think a mighty God, that you say created the entire universe would answer such a measly, off the cuff prayer from one individual?"

I've asked that very question myself in the past, and I think it's a good one.

As I was pedaling...quickly running out of steam and doing my personal version of "The little engine that could" I put my head down, shifting gears several times battling the stiff headwind and lo and behold, sooner than I thought, I came to the juncture in the road where I had to turn east. Approaching the turn I began thinking to myself..."O.K., I wonder what the wind will be like heading east? if It's coming from the north, east might not be any better and I've got a ways to go."

As I made the turn eastward, to my great surprise, the wind seemed to be at my back, which was strange because riding out earlier, the wind was at my back as I was heading west!

Now that's just weird...the wind was at my back going the opposite direction before, and now it's pushing me eastward?

It was just a seemingly small, meager, but heartfelt prayer...

If you're confronting stiff headwinds...facing things you did not expect at this point in your life.

Perhaps it's a divorce, loss of a parent or child, a serious illness you yourself are dealing with, or someone that you care deeply about, maybe you're experiencing loss of a job. First of all, know that you are not alone, many have faced the "stiff headwinds" life throws at us. Including the person writing this blog.

And also know that God does indeed listen to our simple, meager, but heartfelt prayers said in faith. He hears them and answers those prayers not only of the smallest, seemingly trivial requests, but the big kind as well.

"Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you" Matt. 7:7

The Scene before Christ returns...

(This blog has been updated 2/12/2020)

Harold Camping is an easy target,

Yes, we've all seen the Facebook posts for the atheists "Rapture Party" happening may 21st. It's easy to mock Harold Camping's False prophecy. Heck, I've even done it on several Facebook posts with pictures of the "End of the World" Billboards that I took here in the Mile High City.

Anyone that's read even a small amount of the Bible will know that Camping is a candidate for a "Silence of the Lambs" suit and a padded room all to himself.

. While Camping insists that he knows the exact day and hour of Christ's second coming, the scriptures are extremely, vividly clear about the subject.

Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount spoke several paragraphs on his return to earth the second time and how no man on earth can know the day or hour of his second coming.

No man knows the day or the hour, not the angels in heaven, nor the son, but only the Father. Matt 24:36

Watch out that no one deceives you, for many will come in my name saying, "I am the Christ" and will deceive many. Matt 24:5

For it is not for you to know times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. Acts 1:7

So you see, even a casual reader of the bible can very clearly discern that those who claim to know dates, days, and times of Christ's return are clearly reading a version of the bible 99 percent of us don't recognize. It amazes me that people still follow these false prophets. Camping has already missed at least one date back in the 90s.

However, and on a very serious note...Jesus also spoke very plainly about some very specific signs that we can look for that would precede his second coming. Here's a few examples from the Bible...

Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. Matt 24:7

You will hear of wars and rumors of war but see to it that you are not alarmed, such things must happen... Matt 24:5

Jesus is telling us that war and talk of war will be wide spread before his return.

There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of the birth pains. Matt 24:7

There will be great earthquakes, and there will be famines and plagues in many lands. Luke 21:11

Update-February, 2020

The Ebola virus I mentioned below was finally contained after about a year.
Now in 2020 a brand new virus has taken hold in China called Corona Virus. There was a similar outbreak in China back in 2012 called SARS virus that killed about 800 people. This latest Corona outbreak however has already killed more than 1,100 and should have
people in the west concerned, not panicking, but very concerned.

Twitter videos coming out of mainland China are depicting Chinese Authorities literally dragging people infected with Corona virus (or just suspected of having it) and putting them forcibly into quarantine hospitals or detainment centers. These Chinese Citizen Journalists are literally risking their lives by Tweeting videos out detailing exactly what's happening in China because the Communist Govt/ is Not being honest about the real numbers of infected people with Corona, or the real numbers of the deceased. Chinese Bloggers are showing videos of authorities carrying out bodies in Bags and putting them into Vans or trucks. Some reports are saying Chinese authorities at Morgues and Crematories are burning 4-5 times the usual number
of dead to be cremated, and the morgue workers are working non stop with no breaks. Perhaps Scientists and expert Epidemiologists can come up with an Innoculation but they are saying it will be 18 months before a shot can be developed....This Corona Virus and others are exactly the kind of Plagues or pestilences Jesus predicted are they not?

As any pregnant woman knows, the birth pains Jesus talks about come with increasing frequency as the birth gets closer and closer. He also stated clearly famines will be happening in various places around the world. Jesus spoke clearly of famines and plagues or pestilences (depending on which version you read) we now have a new virus Ebola, that there is NO vaccine for as of this writing. Unlike the flu, Ebola kills 50-70% of the people that get it. AIDS was the first such disease or pestilence (if you will) that I had heard of in my lifetime. I even had a relative who had AIDS that I and my family had numerous holiday dinners with before he died.
But this new pestilence, Ebola, there IS NO CURE OR VACCINE as of yet. I'm not a conspiracy theorist or alarmist, but as far as I'm concerned this writer and musician has never seen a plague or disease like this that cannot be cured or stopped once it gains traction in a society. If it came to our shores unchecked (which it already has in a small number of people), there is a possibility that it could spread rapidly just as it's doing in Africa right now killing at least 50% of those who contratct it. I'm not saying that will happen, but it surely is a possibility. The bible says in Revelation that just such plagues and wars, and famine will kill one third of mankind in the last days. As a bible believing Christian I have to look at these current events and take stock of the times I live in.

Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by ALL NATIONS because of me. (Emphasis mine) Matt 24: 9

Jesus very clearly states that Christian persecution will increase to the point that anyone who names the name of Christ will be persecuted in some way, and many will be put in prison and killed. We see this already in places like China, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, North Korea, and many Islamic States. I was in China in 2009 during the 60th anniversary of the Communist takeover and I can tell folks that many pastors of what are called "House Churches" were being arrested and are still to this day being rounded up just "disappearing". Recently, in the middle east, Syria, Iraq, Egypt and other nations, Christians are being beheaded in front of cameras by ISIS, or other extremely violent Islamic groups.
In 2013-2014 entire villages, towns, and even cities, Christians have had to flee rapidly against the march of the extremely violent ISIS, and those who stay behind face a certain death by beheading, or raped, tortured and sold as slaves.

Here in the U.S. and Europe we have remained relatively free to be outspoken Christians for two centuries, but even here in the west, people that are obvious, publicly speaking Christians that put their faith out in the marketplace of ideas are ridiculed, made fun of and mocked by secularists, mainstream media talking heads, those with a radical agenda (GLAAD/NAMBLA), late night talk show hosts and comedians and many of those that will not follow God's authority, but rather their own.
My own son's Christian University had to fight off it's own (U.S.) government which was trying to force the health and human services abortion pill mandate down their throats, making them comply to supply those abortion inducing drugs against their will and Christian beliefs.

It's becoming increasingly uncomfortable to be an honest, open, and forthright traditional bible believing Christian here in the west as well, which should be a warning and wakeup call to us believers to strengthen and harden our faith now and speak up, before we cannot speak out for our faith at all without being persecuted in a real way.

And many false prophets will arise and deceive many people. Matt 24:11

we're seeing today a vast array of false prophets, even a good number that claim to be Christians and have large (or small) churches, the bible makes it clear through Jesus Christ's own words that there will come a "falling away" first, before other signs happen. Some translations name this an apostasy. What is that, an apostatsy?
well, it's the church itself beginning to veer away from true traditional Christian teaching and doctrine.
Christ said that things will get so bad before He returns that even church goers will defect from traditional Christian teaching.  Matthew  7:15,  2 Peter 2:19,  2 Peter 2:1. Just take a look around in the book aisles at Walmart or book stores, and there's a preponderance of "preachers" talking self help, be positive and prosper, speak health and wealth and you will have it, and more recently there's a good size number of "Christian Teachers" that are boldly and arrogantly starting to try to pass off behaviors like Homosexual Marriage, saying that it's perfectly acceptable within the framework of the Christian theology and church! Recently I read an article on a well known "Worship Leader", "Christian singer" and self  styled "Theologian" that has come out gay, and is professing openly that God is ok with that, and that she does not need to confess this perverse sexual immorality as sin, and stop doing it, and more importantly  this so called "Theologian" is TEACHING THIS AS CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE.
That type of  deception and what Paul called a "different Gospel" 2 Corinthians 2:11, is being fed into minds of young people in churches and quite a few Pastors are just fine and dandy with that.
That false gospel heretically flies in the face of the previous 1,900 years of traditional Christian teaching. In my humble opinion we are seeing great apostasy, and perverse doctrines of demons now being taught as Christian theology. If that's not a falling away I don't know what is.

At that time, many will turn away from the faith and betray and hate each other. Matt 24:10

Because of the increase in wickedness, the love of most will grow cold. Matt 24:12

How's your Love holding up today Christian? and I say this to myself as well...

Jesus very plainly states that non believers and even believers will lose their love for one another as the time approaches of His second coming because society will become so coarse, so numb to sin, so crazed with self adulation and greed, so prideful (and I'm saying this to those of us in the church as well) so enamored with ourselves that we want God and those who speak for God out of our lives. Societies will become so in love with sin that anyone that speaks up against that fact will be labeled crazy, extremist, and relegated to the fringe even though it's not true.

I believe Christ also meant that people's ability to care for, and show compassion to one another will be greatly diminished because sin will be so present in our culture before he returns.

How's your love holding up? How's mine holding up? Questions we need to ask ourselves.

For false Christ's and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect-if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time. Matt 24: 24-25

Great deception will be widespread and put out by many "Gurus", television false christs, self help leaders, movie personalities, rock stars, captains of Industry and politicians and all of those that deny Jesus Christ but hold themselves up as "teachers of enlightenment", and even many who claim to know Christ but by their actions you can clearly see that they do not.

IMHO Christians will need to be in daily prayer for discernment asking God for clear heads, wisdom, and the ability to know the true from the false.

So while I'm typing this on May 21st 2011 (Updated 10/14) and atheists are throwing "Rapture" parties posting Facebook jokes and having a good laugh at Harold Campings expense. We can chuckle at his foolishness... However, we have to seriously know that Jesus gave us some very clear signposts of his return, and remember His words that "He who stands firm to the end will be saved" should also be front and center on our minds...

Don't shoot me...I'm just the Sax Player

Waiting on God (or not)

Today as I was walking the Dogs (No I wasn't listening to Rufus Thomas, but I wish I were) I started thinking a lot about waiting on God.

Some people might think that's kind of strange to wait on God, but in the Christian world which I've been a part of now for some 24 years, you hear quite a lot about waiting on God.

Some of my friends might say something like "Why wait on God? You just move."

While I agree that sometimes sounds good, but as I've "matured" (geez I hate that word) I've been seeing more and more the wisdom of waiting on God. (Wisdom is a word Boomers use as a way of staying hip and relevant.)

I've been pretty impulsive at many times in my life, moving quickly, making decisions too impulsively without just waiting to see how the Lord may work things out, so instead I've taken things into my own hands usually with results that look like a blender that's lost it's lid and the chocolate smoothie splatters like a bad horror movie's fake blood.

Now, this isn't to say that sometimes God doesen't move quickly, and many times He's moved on by me like a Bullet train on a Japanese express route.

There are examples in history where I think God was waiting for a generation of believers to see his will and they just ignored it so He moved with or without them.

Typically though, it seems like God moves more slowly waiting for us to get in line with his will knowing that it takes a sledge hammer to get our attention.

I've heard from a number of more "Mature" (There it is again) Christian brothers and sisters over the years talk about waiting on the Lord and for good reason I think.

I'm coming around more and more to the viewpoint that not waiting on God and moving impetuously causes a lot of the strife in modern relationships. Marriages break up because of it, friends lose friends because of the friction caused by one person trying to wait on the Lord's direction and the other wants to just "move" quickly.

There are examples of this in the Bible most famously told in the story of Sarah and Abraham. You see, lying to Pharoah about Sarah being his sister rather than Abrahams wife I'm sure caused complications with the Egyptians and amongst themselves because God won't honor even a small sin like a lie (not that this was small).

Again we see it later when Sarah convinces Abraham to have relations with another woman (Hagar) in order to have a child which they do. Haha, can you imagine that conversation? "Honey I want you to sleep with another younger woman so we can have a baby. Nah, I don't think so... O.K. when do I start this gig?"). Imagine the arguments in that household! Oy Vey!. Luckily for Abraham, Sarah, and their later child Isaac, God worked the whole mess out.

I guess what I'm conveying here is that most strife in marriages or relationships are probably caused by one partner or the other taking things into their own hands, and not waiting on the Lord to do HIS will rather than our own. How do I know this? are you kidding me? experience pal, lot's of experience.

Remember, I'm Just the Sax Player...

Boomer generation running into a transportation "no win"

I was channel surfing the other night and landed on a PBS show that caught my interest.

The show was talking about how the Boomers were growing older by the day and since most of them (myself included) live in suburbs we're running into a problem.

Suburbs are not known for their mass transit because since the 50's the mode of transportation has always been the car.

As the Boomers have aged our modes of mass transportation have not kept up with a massive generation of people that have always placed the family car as the only form of transportation.

Be it lack of foresight by local and state governments, or just an unwillingness to get on a bus or light rail, Boomers approaching 65 or 70 are finding that living in the suburbs can become an increasingly inconvenient and difficult problem with no convenient mass transit.

I've been complaining for 25 years about the lack of a decent light rail or subway in my home city of Denver, which is similar to most U.S. cities in the west in the fact that local governments spent millions on study after study examining trains and light rail in Europe, Japan, and elsewhere and then never progressing beyond studies to actually build a light rail or some form of good public transit.

Now we have an aging generation, the largest in American history, with no decent way for them to get around and since everything in the burbs is not within walking distance older people are forced to drive or depend on their children.

This is a serious situation as gas prices are predicted to rise through 2011-2012 possibly to as much as $4 a gallon. While many seem to think high gas prices are "good" for America causing us to drive electric cars, biking to work, or riding mass transit, in the western U.S. this is just not realistic. Particularly as the Boomer generation ages.

Older workers and those just retiring will be faced with massive gasoline costs monthly and in the weakest economy in 50 years calling this situation "good" for America is heartless and hypocritical.

Mass transit must be improved in the suburbs of most American cities and governments AND the private sector must find a way to do it or we're going to have in 20-30 years a lot of house bound retirees and older workers with no way to get around and living in sub standard conditions.

Remember, I'm Just the Sax Player

"Tron Legacy" as a Christian Metaphor

A couple of years ago I rummaged through a collectors toy store and found an old VHS copy of the original 'Tron" Disney film from 1982 not expecting that either of my boys would like it, but surprisingly, my then 11 year old watched it transfixed and then watched it several times over the next week or so. My younger son has been anxiously awaiting the new "Tron Legacy" Film so we headed to the multiplex today for his 13th birthday.

The original "Tron" was not a fav. of mine I have to admit, mostly because watching bad acting with guys in white knit suits and hats that resembled olympic hockey helmets with lights on them was too nerdy for me even in '82.

The Idea however of "Tron" did have a fascination for me and quite a few of my musician, electronics geek pals. Where I parted company with them was because of the incredibly bad special effects that were available in that decade.

As my son and I got our 3-d glasses on (for an extra $4 I might add) I knew this film was going to be much different. What I didn't expect was a lesson in using high tech film as an analogy for Christian theology and allegorical biblical storytelling.

The original Tron held a cult fascination for geekdom because a human, in this case Jeff Bridges gets zapped into his Computer by a laser and he navigates a digital, microchip world populated with "Programs" that look like humans that can be evil or good. (They also get to ride the coolest digital motorcycles seen on film).

"Tron Legacy" takes the concept quite a bit further when the son of Jeff Bridges enters his fathers computer grid world once again looking for his dad and also his own identity, which has escaped him since his fathers disappearance.

The Christian analogies hit me about half way through when the "son" comes back into the digital world to save it from the evil clone created by Jeff Bridges. The father obviously loves his son and is willing to sacrifice to save both worlds. Another metaphor is satan disguised as Jeff Bridges clone program (eerily made to look like Jeff Bridges of 25 years ago with incredible CGI) created to make the digital world more perfect, but then maliciously takes over with the ultimate goal of "perfecting" not only the digital world but the real world as well.

I think Disney's writers are also trying to make a statement about those that attempt to create a perfect world through force even if it cannot be done to the detriment of society. The analogy to totalitarian regimes of the past and present is very obvious to this moviegoers eyes.

To this believer, the allegory was inescapable. Whether Disney's screenwriters had this in mind or not is hard to say, and that could be a topic for a whole different blog.

Jeff Bridges (the father) sums up well what we can take away from "Tron Legacy" in his statement "I'm sorry, I was trying to create perfection... But it was right in front of me the whole time".

Remember, I'm just the Sax Player. :)

I missed Church this Sunday...

I didn't play at church last Sunday morning...usually on Saturdays and Sundays you can catch me playing at the church that has become my church home FBCI in Arvada Colo....This past Sunday was different. I was up at my Brothers house wanting to get out for awhile at night like I usually do (musician standard time) So I look for Wifi Coffee shops or maybe a movie.
I had just seen "Secretariat" which is a great film by the way and was going to see it again when I turned right and happened to see a church just starting it's service.
It was called "Journey" I believe, and so I pulled in not knowing anybody and walked into the foyer asking a young man, "where is the service being held?" He very cordially pointed me around a corner and I heard it.
On the video screen was the pastor talking about "a million miles in a thousand years" By Donald Miller. This book is significant to me because my former band mate, Steve Taylor, is one of the characters in the book and I actually met Donald Miller last summer at a fund raiser I was running a Vid. Cam for S.T. at in Denver, and the two of them spend a lot of the first part of the book talking about his relationship with Steve and Ben Pearson writing the screenplay for "Blue Like Jazz."
I call them God moments, when I know without a doubt that God is talking to me....call me crazy. But I did NOT invent the internet.

Steve and I go all the way back to high school where we played in Jazz Band together in, uh...1976. It's just kinda weird how our relationship has weaved in and out, wait, did I say In-n-out? How 'bout a double double with cheese and those fresh cut Fries...never mind. Where was I? Oh yeah, The pastor is talking about the book and weaving it into Esther from the Bible. You see Esther had a lot of conflict to deal with. She was the Queen to Xerxes and back then if you ticked off the King you could be in a lot of trouble, as in, losing your head kind of trouble....enough about feminism....
So Esther figures out that This guy Haman is a bad dude, a Jew hater, kinda like Hitler only older, and he was also one of the Kings close advisers. That's bad for Esther because she's Jewish, and Haman convinces the King to annihilate all the Jews because he's like Hitler, only older.
So you may ask what does this have to do with Donald Miller and my Former Band mate? Well, In "A million Miles in a thousand Years" Donald and Steve keep talking about "Conflict" a lot.
In fact, as they're writing the screen play, a Teacher of screenwriting tells them that you have to put your Characters through Conflict, and Severe Testing. Because nobody wants to see a movie that has all nice people that are always nice to all other nice people all the nice time. Instead, great stories are about conflict and what happens to resolve that conflict. Sort of like Esther, who has to inform the King (her husband) that this guy Haman is deceiving his highness and is one slippery Jew hating slime ball.
Now just telling the king and approaching him in the wrong way can get her killed so she uses her charm and gets the King to agree to a few dinner parties where She exposes this troglodyte Haman and the Jewish people get saved....you can guess what happens to Haman and it's not good...
So all this just to point out that if you miss Church one Sunday (Something I don't recommend BTW), go check out some place you've never checked out before and see if God talks to you too.
You May be surprised!

Remember, I'm just the Sax Player...:) Copyright, 2010