A work of love is the only way I can describe this lockdown project my baby brother took on; restoring my Dad's old Saxophone that used to be his pride and joy!
Dad was one of eleven children, yep, there was no television nor much other entertainment back in the day;)
Growing up in 1930's during the Great Depression certainly could not have been easy, but my super talented father's positive outlook did not allow him to wallow in self pity and he certainly made use of every bit of talent he was born with!
Dad was quite the inventor, would make all kinds of implements if they weren't on the market or if there was no money to buy them. I still use many of his cooking and baking implements; some really inventive.
His first love however was music; born with an innate musical ability and ears that would pick up the slightest off-key note or tone!
Dad was a self-taught musician and could play many instruments; from the saxophone, clarinet, guitar, piano accordion, concertina plus a whole host of others; naturally music played a big part in our lives.
If the music instruments were left behind when visiting friends or family; Dad and the brothers or brothers in law would improvise by using pots and pans and wooden spoons and bean shakers etc etc as musical instruments, with singing and much laughter from the rest of us.
This is what the old Saxophone looked like before my brother tackled it to remove the gold lacquer which had discoloured over the years. This apparently was done to protect the brass.
Back to when we were growing up; there was a time that Dad installed speakers in every room of the house so we could all listen to the radio; this of course got a bit much as the radio stations weren't always to our liking, so the speakers were taken down one by one over time!
Mom and Dad met through my Oupa (Grandpa), who played in a band with Dad's oldest brother.
Dad later formed his own band and they used to play at some pretty grand occasions I'm told; it was the ballroom era after all! My Dad loved his Saxophone most of all and his favourite genre was Jazz; sadly we do not have any photos of him playing this instrument.
The photo below is one I took when we went to a musical show before Covid hit the world; my heart goes out to artists and performers whose motto has always been:
The show must go on!
Sadly this can now only happen online in most countries with all the strict lockdowns still in place!
Dad wooed Mom with his guitar playing I'm told, and he caught her - hook, line and sinker!
In the second photo below, Dad is playing the concertina and Mom the piano which I now own.
Their pianist let them down for a prominent Boeremusiek competition, and Mom who could only play the chords had to stand in; they still came second in the competition :)
Dad on the concertina, Mom the piano.
Boeremusiek is instrumental folk music played in South Africa at dances and festive occasions. It actually originated in Europe, but changed to its own unique sound when it was brought to South Africa and Namibia. The concertina and piano accordion are the main instruments, with button harmonicas, piano, guitar, cello or bass guitar as well as concertina used.
The cleaning process was quite a lengthy task having to use a paste made with salt and vinegar and having to get into all the nooks and crannies.
Buffing it with Brasso was the final step which revealed the intricate and pretty engraving, plus the words Varsity at the top, with La Fleur and then La Fleur and Son, Made in France.
The Saxophone restored to its former glory by a Work of Love; thanks to my brother!
This now takes pride of place in his home; how proud my Dad would have been to see that and how we'd love to hear him playing the Blues just one more time!
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