Two Guys Named Joe And A Conn 10M
“We’re talking about REAL saxophones here! Nothing on this Earth is quite like one of these at full song!” —Steve Goodson
This past week, I recalled my introduction to Burlington, Vermont, and the vibrant music scene that has animated its character for over forty years. I came to Mallets Bay a few times as a kid, and we must have ventured into Burlington, but the first time I remember being in the city was Thanksgiving weekend in 1990. My parents bought a farm in Sharon earlier that year. While we were up for the holiday, my brother and I drove to Burlington to see Phish at Nectar’s.
The following summer, I drove from my home in western Massachusetts to my brother’s place in Woodstock, NY, to see Phish at the Arrowhead Ranch in the Catskills. During that long, hot day, I hung out with Dave Grippo, the alto sax player with the Giant Country Horns, who were touring with Phish that summer. If I remember correctly, he was wearing a pink or purple tuxedo. I must have asked him how he got the gig because he told me about the scene in Burlington and a weekly jam session, which, years later, I surmised was at Sneakers in Winooski. I recounted our initial introduction when we played together in the horn section for Dwight & Nicole’s record release party at Higher Ground last year, and we laughed about it—he doesn’t remember it as vividly as I do. A few weeks later, Dave retired after thirty years as a beloved band teacher in South Burlington. He was in my shop last Sunday, having me look over his horn before the Sneakers reunion show that closed the Stowe Jazz Festival that night.
The next day, my wife’s friend Keri, her husband, and three boys stayed with us. They lived here until they moved to Pittsburgh a few years before the pandemic. Kristen and I visited Burlington once in 2007 to spend time with Kerry while we were in Vermont, seeing my parents. We stayed at a hotel downtown for a night when we were out for their wedding in Stowe in 2010. During one of those trips, I remember seeing the statue of Big Joe Burrell in front of Halversons. When Kristen was a few months pregnant with our daughter, our hypothetical “what would it be like to move to Vermont?” conversations while walking the dogs turned into cross-country apartment hunting, POD renting, and LA goodbyes. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever play a gig again, but I remembered that monument and Dave Grippo, and I believed if a statue were erected for a saxophone player in the heart of downtown, Burlington would be a welcome place for me to land.
But who was this man holding a saxophone and pointing at me on Church Street? From his obituary, Big Joe Burrell (1924-2005): “Joe served three years in the Army playing with the Harlem and Cadence Army Show Band throughout Italy, North Africa, and the Philippines. Returning to civilian life, he honed his techniques in Detroit and Toledo clubs. Joe later joined the B.B. King Orchestra. An encounter with Count Basie led to a gig in the Count's Club in New York City. Subsequently, he formed his band, The Burning Flames, and played back-up to The Miller Sisters for several years. Following a stage accident, he dissolved the band and moved to Toronto, Canada, joining a group called The Hot Toddies, led by Big John Little. During the rock 'n' roll era, they traveled and entertained all over the eastern provinces. Offered a gig with the Charlie Duncan Organ Trio playing in Burlington, Joe returned to the States. In 1976, he learned that his nephew lived in Burlington and decided to stay. He played with a popular local band, Just Jazz. Eventually, he and Paul Asbell (the leader of Kilimanjaro) formed The Unknown Blues Band featuring Big Joe Burrell. So began the journey that was to be his legacy. Big Joe and the Unknown Blues Band became one of the premier bands in Vermont, playing steadily to enthusiastic audiences until officially disbanding in 2002. Joe could be heard every Thursday at Halvorson's Upstreet Cafe with his group Big Joe and Friends. His life is chronicled in the book We Call Him 'Big' Joe! Big Horn, Big Soul, Big Man: A Musician's Odyssey, written by his nephew, Dr. Leon Burrell.”
I feel fortunate to play regularly with Paul Asbell, Clyde Stats, and Jeff Salisbury, who made up the rhythm section of that Sneakers reunion band, and with Left Eye Jump— Dennis Willmott, Tom Buckley, and Jeff, who play at Red Square every Saturday. They all played with Big Joe Burrell, and this direct tie to so much history and music in Vermont is something I value. Until he passed away this spring, Joe Moore (1948-2024) held court with all these assiduous musicians and many others on alto, tenor, baritone saxophones—and penny whistle.
When I first heard Joe Moore, the power of his playing struck me. His sound was huge, soulful, and heartfelt. Clarence Clemons was his most significant influence, but he sounded like Joe—real, simple, and unencumbered. I subbed for Joe whenever Dennis or someone else asked me to, and he was always gracious and encouraging when we played together. But when I started First Chair Winds, I finally got to spend some quality saxophone-nerd time with him. We cracked each other up, and I miss his laugh as much as his tone. But dang, his tone!
Joe Moore also left quite a legacy on the Vermont music scene, as evidenced by the outpouring of love and tribute for him after he passed this spring. From his obituary: “Growing up in central Florida, Joe embarked on a remarkable music career. He traveled extensively with show bands, including with the renowned Lavell Kamma. He later worked with iconic names in soul music, such as Wilson Pickett, the Staple Singers, the Isley Brothers, Slim Harpo, Maceo Parker, Billy Stewart, Billy Bland, Stevie Wonder, Lloyd Sims, and the Manhattans. Joe arrived in Vermont in October 1975 and became a vibrant part of the local music scene as a member of the John Cassell Band, the N-Zones, Big Dolla, the X-Rays, the Spiders (in Rutland), the Spiders (in East Fairfax), the Joe Moore Band, Pork Tornado, the Dave Keller Band, the Nobby Reed Project, the Jeff Salisbury Band, Still Kickin', Bob Stannard & Those Dangerous Bluesmen, Harley Brown Band and Left Eye Jump.”
The following video is a conversation with Dennis Willmott of Left Eye Jump in which he tells me the story of “Big” Joe Burrell acquiring the 1937 Conn 10M and how it passed to Joe Moore:
In 1998, Samuel L. Jackson starred in an independent film called The Red Violin that I continue to enjoy with repeated viewing. The movie follows the story of a violin handmade in 17th-century Italy over three centuries and all the people whose lives intertwined with it. As someone who frequently works on instruments that have a vibrant past, I enjoy the stories they invite.
I am helping Joe Moore’s daughter sell his horns (9) and collection of mouthpieces (19), ligatures, and saxophone accessories. I invite you to ask me about the horns and mouthpieces available. There is one horn in particular; we hope to find a home with someone who will appreciate its history. It is a 1937 Conn 10M tenor saxophone. Big Joe Burell played a U.S. Army-issued Conn 10M in a band in WWII while fighting in Italy and the South Pacific. Years later, when given a chance to acquire this particular 10M played by someone in the Radio City Music Hall orchestra, several of his Vermont friends pitched in to purchase it for him. That same crew bought it from his nephew after he passed away in 2005 and gave it to Joe Moore.
The Conn 10M is arguably one of the best and most popular tenor saxophones ever made. Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, and a young Dexter Gordon are just a few of the many great players who played one. To many, it represents the pinnacle of American saxophone production—especially those made in the years preceding World War II. In 1935, the tenor “transitional” design changes from the New Wonder model to the 10M model became final when Conn switched the bell keys to the right-hand side of the horn. These horns are officially called the "Artist" or "Standard" model, but "Naked Lady" is the name used amongst players because of the engraved portrait of a nude woman on the bell of the horn. This one has a serial number of 282,060—manufactured in 1937 in Elkhart, Indiana.
“These horns possess a unique combination of quick response with a massive body of sound and tonal presence that is hard to duplicate in modern instruments.”
A Repairman’s Overview: Conn 10M Tenor Saxophone by Matt Stoher on YouTube.
Fantastic story, John! Thanks much! I’m really enjoying your writings. I’ll be up for a few days at the end of this week. I hope to see you