I was never a big fan of Bruce Springsteen, although I do believe his album The Rising, did an awful lot more to give us a poetic snapshot of the immediate aftermath of September 11 than any other event or creation.
It all stems back to freshman year of college and two girls I was interested in who were huge Springsteen groupies, but I digress...
The one thing I always found remarkable about the "E Street Band," as well as most of Springsteen's incarnations, was Clarence Clemons.
After the electric guitar and drums, I think the sax is the most important rock music instrument, and Clemons could play rock sax in his own universe. Others, like Michael Brecker or Tom Scott, tried and held their own, but they tended to bring a jazz sensuality to the instrument. Clemons got his start in funk. It made a difference. Brecker and Scott can get a woman's dress off. Clemons can get her underwear soaked through.
He was 69 when he died. A fitting age.
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