Skip Parsons' Riverboat Jazz Band
Johnny Peppers - bass sax
by Cliff Lamere 12 Sep 2009
bass saxophone
Photos by Cliff Lamere
At the Fountain Restaurant, 283 New Scotland Ave., Albany, NY.
Johnathan "Johnny" Peppers, of Water Gap, New Jersey plays bass sax, soprano sax,
and contrabass sax. He is also known as Johnny Pep and Johnny Peppercraft.
Johnny Peppers playing his 1923 Conn, model 14 M, bass saxophone.
It weighs 19-20 lb, so it is usually played while resting on its stand. (2009 Sep 11)
Forrest "Gabe" Gabriels, Johnny Peppers, and Rich Skrika (L-R) (2009 Sep 11)
Johnny Peppers (2009 Sep 11)
Johnny carries a cooler full of hot peppers of various colors on his trips (see blue & black bag on left).
This is the reason that he got his nickname of "Johnny Peppers". (2009 Sep 11)
Skip Parsons (soprano sax) and Johnny Peppers (bass sax) (2009 Sep 11)
Johnny sees the humor in Skip's suggestion that his bass sax is giving birth to a soprano sax. (2009 Sep 11)
Johnny Peppers (2009 Sep 11)
Johnny wrote the following:
"This size sax, the bass: twas invented in about 1841 & is Adolph Sax's most famous invention. (he created about 40 differnt instruments) This instrument, was invented and
UNVEILED in Belgium at that period and merely called a saxophone, and then only later was it
referred to as a bass, and then only when other smaller sizes or voices were conjured and thus given names we now
know. By about 1862, perhaps a little sooner, there were the soprano, alto, tenor & baritones completed and were used first in
military bands in France. Then shortly after, according to the Museum in Brussels, more sizes were made, even larger than the
bass (the CONTRA) and smaller than the soprano (the Sopranino).
For a little more history on the saxophone check this little web site.
http://www.angelfire.com/ga/sax99/history.html
"
To contact Johnny Peppers:
Email: peppersax@gmail.com
Phone: 908 489 0438
"I play with: Dr. Dubious and the Agnostics, Chuck Slate, Steven Dibonaventura, Mike Kuehn, Dave Greer's Classic Jazz Stompers (from Ohio), Drew Nugent & the Midnight Society, and Skip Parsons' Riverboat Jazz Band."
Many photos of Johnny Peppers can be seen on this website:
Johnny Peppers on bass sax (part 1)
Johnny Peppers on bass sax (part 2)
Johnny Peppers on contrabass sax (part 1)
Johnny Peppers on contrabass sax (part 2)
Johnny Peppers with Clarinet Marmalade
Skip Parsons' Riverboat Jazz Band 5
Johnny Peppers in photos on other websites.
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