LOCAL BOOKS HAVE A PLACE OF HONOR, AND I WILL ALWAYS BE PLEASED TO REPRESENT THE "AMBASSADOR OF THE SAXOPHONE"
"ONE DAY, I WAS STROLLING IN DOWNTOWN REGINA, AND I HEARD A MARCHING BAND PARADING DOWN THE STREET. AS THE BAND CAME CLOSER, I SQUEEZED MY WAY THROUGH THE CROWDS THAT WERE LINE UP ON 11TH STREET, JUST IN TIME TO SEE THE BANNER OF THE REGINA LION'S JUNIOR BAND COME INTO VIEW. THE CROWD CHEERED, THE DRUMS WERE BEATING AND THE BAND STRUCK UP A ROUSING MARCH. THE MEMBERS OF THE BAND WORE DARK PURPLE UNIFORMS WITH GOLD BRAID, LARGE GOLD PLUMES ON THEIR HATS AND WHITE SPATS ON THEIR SHOES. MY HEART ALMOST FELL OUT WHEN THE BAND MARCHED BY ME. I RAN ALL THE WAY HOME AND IN GREAT EXCITEMENT AND TOLD MY MOTHER AND FATHER ABOUT THE INCREDIBLE EVENT THAT HAD JUST TAKEN PLACE, AND I IMMEDIATELY ANNOUNCED THAT I WANTED TO BECOME A MEMBER OF THIS BAND." (PAUL BRODIE, FROM HIS BIOGRAPHY)
SURE, I HAVE A LOT OF REGRETS ABOUT THOSE OPPORTUNITIES I MISSED AS A REPORTER. IT'S NOT LIKE I DIDN'T HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY, ON ABOUT A THOUSAND OCCASIONS, TO PHONE PAUL OR RIMA BRODIE, AND ASK IF THEY'D GIVE THIS MUSKOKA SUN WRITER A FEW MOMENTS FOR AN INTERVIEW. INSTEAD, I'D LET SOMEONE ELSE, ANOTHER STAFF REPORTER DO IT, AND EVEN THOUGH IT WAS AN INTERVIEW I WANTED TO CONDUCT, MORE OUT OF PERSONAL INTEREST, WHEN IT CAME RIGHT DOWN TO THE MOMENT OF EXECUTION, SOMETHING ALWAYS GOT IN THE WAY. SO I HAVE TO CONFESS SADLY, I NEVER MET MUSICIAN PAUL BRODIE, OR FOR THAT MATTER, HIS ARTIST WIFE, RIMA. I HAVE HEARD PAUL ON VARIOUS RECORDINGS, AND I HAVE SEEN RIMA'S FIBRE WORK SCULPTURES. FOR WHATEVER REASON, AND THERE ARE PROBABLY A DOZEN, I PAID ATTENTION TO THE BRODIES COMINGS AND GOINGS AROUND THE GLOBE, WHEN HE WAS ON TOUR WITH VARIOUS BANDS OVER THE DECADES. I WAS INTRODUCED TO PAUL VIA THE LOCAL MEDIA, WHERE MOST OF THE INFLUENTIAL MOMENTS OF MY EARLY WRITING LIFE, IMPRINTED SO PROFOUNDLY. I PROBABLY HAD MY FIRST INTRODUCTION TO HIS SAXOPHONE PLAYING, BACK WHEN I WAS WITH MUSKOKA PUBLICATIONS, IN THE 1980'S. MORE SO WHEN I WAS ASSISTANT EDITOR OF THE MUSKOKA SUN. AND AFTER THIS, AS A REGULAR CONTRIBUTOR TO ALL THE MUSKOKA PUBLICATIONS NEWSPAPERS, THAT CARRIED STORIES ABOUT PAUL AND RIMA, WHO OF COURSE, WERE WELL KNOWN BALA RESIDENTS, WITH A COTTAGE ON THE MOON RIVER.
SO EVEN THOUGH I NEVER GOT UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL, TO EITHER THE MUSICIAN OR THE ARTIST, AFTER READING AND SEEING SO MUCH MEDIA COVERAGE OF THEIR WORK AND TRAVELS, I FELT I KNEW THEM PRETTY WELL, LONG BEFORE THEIR RESPECTIVE BOOKS WERE PUBLISHED IN AND AROUND THE TURN OF THIS PRESENT CENTURY. I'VE GOT BOTH RIMA'S BOOK ON HER UNIQUE TEXTILE ART, AND I JUST PICKED UP ANOTHER SIGNED COPY OF PAUL'S BOOK THIS MORNING, ALL ABOUT HIS ADVENTURES AS A TRAVELING SAXOPHONE PLAYER, OF CONSIDERABLE INTERNATIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENT. I HATE THE FACT THAT SO MANY FOLKS LOOK AT THIS BOOK, ON MY SALE TABLE TODAY, AND ASK OUT LOUD, "SO WHO THE HELL IS PAUL BRODIE, ANYWAY. I'VE NEVER HEARD OF HIM?"
"THAT'S WHY YOU BUY THE BOOK, LADY," I MUMBLE TO MYSELF, IN A VOICE LOW ENOUGH, SO AS NOT TO BE HEARD. WHAT REALLY FRUSTRATES ME, IS THAT HE ISN'T BETTER KNOWN AND RESPECTED, ESPECIALLY HERE IN MUSKOKA, WHERE HE INVESTED A LOT OF HIS RECREATIONAL TIME. IN SCHOOLS FOR ONE THING. PAUL DEDICATED A HUGE AMOUNT OF HIS FREE TIME, TO FURTHER MUSIC EDUCATION IN CANADIAN SCHOOLS, AND THE STUDENTS LOVED HIS VISITS. THEY SURE AS HECK SHOULD REMEMBER HIM! NEWS COVERAGE OF HIS VISITS, WERE "IN THE PAPER," OR ON "THE LOCAL TELEVISION NEWS," OR POTENTIALLY, AS CLOSE AS A PUBLIC DEMONSTRATION OCCURRING RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM. FOR LONG AND LONG, HE WAS KNOWN FOR HIS AMBITION, AND BEING A FOUNTAIN OF ENERGY, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT CAME TO PERFORMANCES. IF I WAS WATCHING IT, SO WERE A LOT OF OTHERS. WE SHOULD KNOW HIS BIOGRAPHY. THOROUGHLY SO! YOU CAN'T READ HIS BOOK, WITHOUT LEARNING SOMETHING PROFOUND; LEARNING SOMETHING ABOUT YOURSELF AT THE SAME TIME. HE WAS AN EXCEPTIONAL MUSICIAN, EDUCATOR, AND CANADIAN, WHO WAS NOT ONLY AN AMBASSADOR OF THE SAXOPHONE, BUT IN MANY WAYS, AN AMBASSADOR FOR THE GOOD LIFE HERE IN MUSKOKA. HIS YEARS OF MULTI-INVOLVEMENTS, IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN, AND BY THE STANDARD OF EXCELLENCE HE UPKEPT TO A SHARP POINT, ARE A FEW OF THE DOZENS OF REASONS, HE WAS AWARDED THE "ORDER OF CANADA." PAUL AND RIMA AREN'T AROUND ANY MORE, SO I CAN'T INTERVIEW THEM IN PERSON. BUT I CAN DO A SMALL PART, BY SHOWCASING HIS OUTSTANDING BIOGRAPHY, AND SELLING RIMA'S BOOK IN OUR SHOP.
An Overture to a Rich Life
Ted Hegvik, of Seattle, Washington, was granted a great honor, when he was asked to compose an introduction, or "Overture," to Paul Brodie's biography. He knew him well, and the introduction paints a pretty good picture, of a young man who would become a huge influence on the people he worked with, and all the apprentices along the way, including students, who hung off his "every note," played on the saxophone. In Ted Hegvik's words:
"You are about to read the story of a remarkable life. And who better to tell the story than the man who lived it; Paul Brodie. But as these pages unfold, and we realize the journey this man has taken, we can't help but wonder. How does a person accomplish all this? In only one lifetime? And just by playing the saxophone?
"From boyhood, in the Midwest prairies of Saskatchewan, to the highest honour his country can bestow, the Order of Canada - that's quite a trip. And from his inaugural recital at New York's famous town hall, to his recent concert at the Scala De San Telmo in Buenos Aires; from the Chinese Orchestra of Hong Kong, to the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra of Moscow; from the University of Canberra, in Australia to the Palace of Fine Arts in Mexico City - the list seems endless. He has performed for inmates at the maximum security prison in Drumheller, Alberta - all members of the band were convicted murderers - and at the Nehru Library in India. He has played for the Inuit on the Arctic Circle - at Inuvik, Northwest Territories - and at the Teatro de Marcellow in the Ancient Roman Forum.
"Thousands of concerts all over the world, London to Tel Aviv, without the benefit of a manager or booking agency; more classical saxophone recordings than anyone in history, without the backing and funding of a major record company - how is it all possible?"
Ted Hegvik writes of his friend and colleague, "We tend to explain this kind of success with reasons we can identify easily - technical mastery, talent, fortuitous circumstances - but these are all really periphial. They may be important, and even necessary, but they don't, by themselves, make things happen. When people rise to the top of their profession, when they influence the lives of others, when they accomplish things no one has achieved before, it invariably comes down to one basic attribute; force of personality. In Paul Brodie's case, it is a winning combination of inner strength and outer charm. The gentle, soft spoken manner is complemented perfectly by a strength of will and clarity, of purpose that propel the events of his life. This was already apparent when we met as students at the University of Michigan, in the early fifties. Paul seemed to have burst out of high school knowing exactly what he wanted to do. It had taken me two years in a territory dance band, and two years in an army band, to arrive at the same place. There were only four major schools offering degrees in saxophone, and after much research, it was apparent that Michigan was the place to go. Larry Teal had just started the saxophone program, and William Revelli headed the instrumental Music Department.
"So there was Paul Brodie, full of fun and zest for life, and that incredible inner drive, although, I must confess, the outer charm still had a few rough edges. But while the rest of us were struggling to make our way in the new environment, Paul was launching his first big enterprise; the Stardusters. Within three months his new group was the most active working combo on campus, and Paul's education as a promoter and entrepreneur was on its way. It was an exciting time for all of us. Paul and I lived in the same rooming house, and soon discovered that we had more in common than our woodwind degrees. We had been raised only a few hundred miles from each other, in the adjacent fields of North Dakota, and Saskatchewan. We'd played saxophone in various groups, and even may have attended the same school band festivals. But what probably bonded us most, was the discovery that we had both been inspired by the great English saxophonist, Freddie Gardner. The influence has been with us ever since. Once you hear something that affects you profoundly, you can never un-hear it."
Again, it is Hegvik who paints the most insightful biography, of those early years of Paul Brodie's budding appreciation for ongoing musical adventure. "On graduation, Paul's momentum never flagged. He went to Paris and studied with world renowned saxophonist, Marcel Mule, while I stayed in Michigan, to get a Master's degree on Clarinet. He returned and moved to Toronto, while I married and moved to Florida, where I was Principal Clarinet of the Tampa Philharmonic. In Toronto, Paul's creative skills came into full flower (it's one of the funniest chapters in his book, and shows Paul's keen sense of the ridiculous). With no job and no connections, he began his performing career, which was to take him around the world. And he started the Brodie School of Music and Modern Dance; for twenty years it reigned as Toronto's most prestigious private music school, with a faculty of twenty teachers, most from the Toronto Symphony, and an enrollment of 650 students. His Summer Workshops brought in top saxophone professionals to present three intensive days of classes, and performance. And he started his recording career, again without backing or support. But his general accomplishment will always remain his beautiful marriage to Rima. Who can explain such a great marriage? Their differences complement, their similarities strengthen, and they support each other always. Rima is an extraordinary artist in her own right. A modern dancer, choreographer, teacher - she established the Brodie School with Paul. When the constant injuries of dancing had taken their toll, she began a new and brilliant career in woven sculpture. Not just one skill, but many, she mastered, each on the way to realizing a new creation, a new project. Paul speaks as enthusiastically about her work, as she does about the beauty of his saxophone tone (Rima once told me that when she first heard Paul, she thought he had altered his instruments acoustically in order to produce such a beautiful sound.) They inhabit the Arts comfortably, they enjoy life thoroughly, and they share the same acceptance of the preparation and hard work required by their crafts. It weaves through the very fabric of their daily lives, so a book about Paul is also about Rima."
He writes that, "Paul always thought big, as long as I've known him. He seems to start at the top, or the final objective, and work down from there. The World Saxophone Congress is a perfect example. Others might conceive of a similar idea - an exchange of ideas, an opportunity to hear other players in performance - but they wouldn't start with a world organization in the very beginning. And with Paul, one good idea follows another. In a collaboration with Eugene Rousseau, he set up an international convention and arranged to honour the great living figures of the saxophone; Sigurd Rascher, Marcel Mule, and Larry Teal. The rest truly was history. Once the networking started, the idea took off on its own. National organizations developed - ours is the North American Saxophone Alliance, with regional divisions and its own magazine. The Saxophone Symposium. Ken Dorn's Saxophone Journal grew into an international publication, to fill the need for more communication, and because of this greater communication, saxophone recordings flourish as never before. It is also typical of Paul that he didn't try to ride this new organization for his own gain. He has always shown a generosity of spirit rare in any profession. Saxophonists guard their turf and professional secrets, zealously, but Paul goes in the other direction. He is the first to volunteer information, music, guidance, anything to help another saxophonist."
"Listen to his Compact Disc, 'Paul Brodie and Friends,' and you'll see what I mean," wrote Ted Hegvik. "It brings together the great scope of his musical activities, and the beauty of that heritage. From the opening notes of the Saint-Saens 'Swan,' with the Beijing Orchestra, you'll understand immediately the universal appeal Paul Brodie has had, for audiences of every culture - the warm lyrical sound with the built-in-echo, and the feeling that this person is playing just for you, and telling you his story. As I said before, its a remarkable story. He's a remarkable man."
Sons Andrew and Robert, (the seldom agreeing proprietors, of Currie's Music), had the opportunity to see Paul perform, live on stage, demonstrating a variety of band instruments, when he conducted a music-appreciation assembly, one afternoon, at Gravenhurst Public School. Both budding musicians by this point, being a tad cocky about their own playing prowess, had to admit, when they came home later that day, "You know dad, that Mr. Brodie fellow, sure knows what he's doing on the saxophone. He put on a really good show for us," said Andrew, with brother Robert, this time, actually agreeing. From the first day their vintage music shop was opened, here in Gravenhurst, there has always been a copy of Paul's book for reference, and at least one for sale in their book rack. I have collected about ten, all signed, including several of Rima's books. They know his contribution to music was immense, and they respect what he did, in the concluding years of his life, largely on a volunteer basis, to mentor young musicians, and spread the word about the life-long, social / cultural advantages, of being associated with music, in all its many forms and styles. To the students he visited with, and instructed, he made these instruments seem like an extension of his own anatomy, as naturally positioned as if it was another arm, hand, or finger. He took some of the preconceived notions, and character-arrogance away, from what students may have thought about professional musicians; that kept many youngsters from getting involved in the first place. And he made music seem, so much more accessible; especially letting them know, it was possible to learn anything, and play anything, if students had the desire to learn an instrument of choice; and follow through, as he had, on his initial ambition, to be the best of the best. He let students know, that they could become as proficient as he was, if they were prepared to work, and study hard. He obviously has had an impact on both Andrew and Robert, who were so excited by the potentials of the music industry, after visiting with Paul, that they went right from high school, into their newly established vintage music shop, in Gravenhurst, where they covered rent initially, by conducting guitar lessons; making up two thirds of the shop's annual income. That was eleven years ago. They live and breathe music, and they feel privileged every day, to be involved in such a rewarding, dynamic, ever-changing profession. If Paul was still around, I'm pretty sure he would have become a regular visitor, of this studio, with a lot of other musician cronies, of which he was well acquainted. Ragtime piano player, Jack Hutton, of Bala, for one, and Mark Clairmont, for the other. Mark's father Hugh Clairmont, one of Muskoka's well known trumpet players, and band leaders, used to talk with considerable affection, about Paul Brodie, when he and I would casually discuss the local music scene, back in the halcyon days, when I worked for Mark's paper, "Muskoka Today."
You will never find a day in this building, not a single one, when we find ourselves naked; that's to say, finding ourselves without a copy of Paul Brodie's book, on at least the reference shelf, for quick consultation. It is still a book offering considerable inspiration around here, and is frequently called-upon for specific information, possibly to answer a customer's question. We always have four or five for sale, and in the past three years, we have sold a dozen or more. I still feel he needs to receive much more attention and reverence, in this region especially, where he loved to hang his hat, and climb into a canoe for a paddle on the Moon River. He's still fondly remembered by the citizens of Bala. There's still a haunting echo of his saxophone, deep in the hollow of the Moon River, mixed with the subtle trace whisper of a paddle, cutting the water, and the rippling of a phantom canoe upon a sunset's fire reflection. Everything about Bala is familiar to us, and Moon River has long become our refuge and source of rejuvenation," he concluded, of his important connection to the village and Muskoka.
Paul Brodie? A biography revered here at Andrew Currie's Music and Collectables.
I will have more on Paul Brodie, in tomorrow's blog. Please join me!
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