An Unusual Chet Baker Artifact?

[JamieJazz]

Chet Baker: A most unusual artifact?

I never placed it on my gallery website, but I actually had an old Cuesnon flugelhorn that I bought in a shady exchange in a Florida parking lot. Yuck, I know! But the horn was said to have been in the possession of a Hermosa Beach trumpet-playing doctor by the name of Kempe who had "helped out" Chet Baker back in the day. After the doctor passed away, his son-in-law came into possession of the horns and sold them off one-by-one behind a truck stop in Jacksonville. Like I said--yuck! Still the details of the story, including names and places, seemed to line up. I kept it in my gallery without making any announcements because I knew I could never actually verify the tale.

Normally, nobody gives much thought to trying some of the older and uglier horns in the gallery. They want to get right to the "good stuff", but it happened last Saturday that someone did see the old flugelhorn on the bottom shelf and asked to play it. He fell in love with it and then I told him the story I had heard, clarifying that I could not verify any of it. Still, he loved it so I went to retrieve its case so he could take it home.

When we opened the case, a plastic box reading Dulcolax, Geigy “Predictable Bowel Evacuation” fell out. We all laughed as I took the box back to my office and began the paperwork. Actually, my inner fifth-grader was absolutely rolling on the floor! But as I wrote up the paperwork and looked at the box on my desk, I thought “you know, nobody advertises with language like that anymore.” Today, Dulcolax would soften the language to read something like “Predictable Relief,” not “Bowel Evacuation.” I typed in the name “Geigy.” It turns out that, although Dulcolax is still in pharmacies, Geigy pharmaceuticals only existed from 1959-1969, after which it merged with Ciba to become Ciba-Geigy. This box was a 1960s artifact! I then considered the former contents of the box. Why would anyone carry a whole box of laxatives in his trumpet case? The answer hit me several minutes later; Chet was a notorious addict and his favorite drug was heroine. Although we might not usually think about these things, severe constipation is a common side effect of chronic heroin use. Can this prove that this was once Chet’s flugelhorn in a court of law? No. But I think we may have enough to suggest the possibility and maybe add a little more inspiration to our quest for wonderful instruments. Cheers!

[Shifty]

@jamiejazz

I suspect we'll be hearing from Dr Go on this topic.

Hmmm... now that I think of it, "Dr Go" fits the topic in a way.

[JamieJazz]

@shifty lol!

[administrator]

@jamiejazz said in An Unusual Chet Baker Artifact?:

Chet Baker: A most unusual artifact?

I never placed it on my gallery website, but I actually had an old Cuesnon flugelhorn that I bought in a shady exchange in a Florida parking lot. Yuck, I know! But the horn was said to have been in the possession of a Hermosa Beach trumpet-playing doctor by the name of Kempe who had "helped out" Chet Baker back in the day. After the doctor passed away, his son-in-law came into possession of the horns and sold them off one-by-one behind a truck stop in Jacksonville. Like I said--yuck! Still the details of the story, including names and places, seemed to line up. I kept it in my gallery without making any announcements because I knew I could never actually verify the tale.

Normally, nobody gives much thought to trying some of the older and uglier horns in the gallery. They want to get right to the "good stuff", but it happened last Saturday that someone did see the old flugelhorn on the bottom shelf and asked to play it. He fell in love with it and then I told him the story I had heard, clarifying that I could not verify any of it. Still, he loved it so I went to retrieve its case so he could take it home.

When we opened the case, a plastic box reading Dulcolax, Geigy “Predictable Bowel Evacuation” fell out. We all laughed as I took the box back to my office and began the paperwork. Actually, my inner fifth-grader was absolutely rolling on the floor! But as I wrote up the paperwork and looked at the box on my desk, I thought “you know, nobody advertises with language like that anymore.” Today, Dulcolax would soften the language to read something like “Predictable Relief,” not “Bowel Evacuation.” I typed in the name “Geigy.” It turns out that, although Dulcolax is still in pharmacies, Geigy pharmaceuticals only existed from 1959-1969, after which it merged with Ciba to become Ciba-Geigy. This box was a 1960s artifact! I then considered the former contents of the box. Why would anyone carry a whole box of laxatives in his trumpet case? The answer hit me several minutes later; Chet was a notorious addict and his favorite drug was heroine. Although we might not usually think about these things, severe constipation is a common side effect of chronic heroin use. Can this prove that this was once Chet’s flugelhorn in a court of law? No. But I think we may have enough to suggest the possibility and maybe add a little more inspiration to our quest for wonderful instruments. Cheers!

Does it add "resale value"?

[JamieJazz]

@administrator Only if you are also suffering the side effects of a low-fiber diet.

[Newell Post]

I used to live down the street from William S. Burroughs (the "beat" writer). He was a notorious long-term heroin addict. One of my friends was his housekeeper. She said he had more laxatives stashed in that house than all of the Walgreen's in town combined.

[administrator]

I have to wonder, how Chet would have been had he not been a junkie. True, he likely would have lived longer and been a more consistent musician. However, some of the "misery" in his music is what makes it special. It's a very strange thought.

[GeorgeB]

Thanks for that interesting story, Jamie.

George

[JamieJazz]

@newell-post interesting! Thanks.

[JamieJazz]

@administrator Indeed.

[JamieJazz]

@georgeb Cheers George!

[Dr GO]

I rectum the sound flows freely, and the finish I am sure is flushed.
Then to clean it with paper on a role, and then finish it off with a bristle brush.

When playing on any head, those emissions lengthen and grow,
As the ear hears wafting, swirling, as it circles into the void below.

On TM I was gmonady, on here I'm Dr GO, but when it comes to commenting on Ducolax, either way I'm in the know.

[chelpres]

@dr-go I thought your avatar had a "ring" to it.

[J. Jericho]

Did Chet Baker ever scat sing?

[Kehaulani]

[JamieJazz]

@dr-go Lol!

[Dr GO]

@jamiejazz said in An Unusual Chet Baker Artifact?:

@dr-go Lol!

You know, this just encourages him. So many thanks!!!

[Dr GO]

@chelpres said in An Unusual Chet Baker Artifact?:

@dr-go I thought your avatar had a "ring" to it.

Yes. My TM avatar was my original design for a "Music in Medicine" symposium I helped develop for a medical school lecture series.

Then I used that design to send to Jason Harrelson to insert as a brace in my tuning slide of my Summit. The avatar version I use here on TB is a picture of that plated insert Jason put into my tuning slide.

[JamieJazz]

@dr-go I enlarged that avatar to get a good look at it too...super snazzy!