Clarence Clemons (1942-2011)
to the city / All the little pretties raise their hands. — “10th AVENUE FREEZE OUT”
I am old enough and fortunate enough to have seen Bruce Springsteen and his E Street Band
early on, including two shows at a small club in 1973. While Bruce was the main attraction,
Clarence Clemons dominated the tiny stage. Many years later, I saw the band again at a huge outdoor stadium and Clarence still dominated the stage.
Clemons was not a saxophone virtuoso by any means, but his muscular style of playing, influenced by doo-wop and soul, drove and elevated other band members, and he had a perfect sense of timing; that is, when to blow and when not to blow. “Jungleland” is without a doubt his signature song.
At first glance, the backgrounds of Clemons and Springsteen could not be more different. Look a little more closely and they were very similar, if bifurcated by race, and it is obvious why the Big Man and the Little Man grew so close over the years: Blue collar sensibilities wedded to acute social consciousness.
Asked to explain his popularity, Clemons nailed it: “Somebody said to me, ‘Whenever someone says your name, a smile comes to their face.’ That’s a great accolade. I strive to keep it that way.”
May Clarence Clemons e rest in peace.
4 Responses to “Clarence Clemons (1942-2011)”
Shaun
Thanks for the post. Here’s a link to the Big Man meeting the Boss.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRFPWWoxpro&feature=related
Clemons and Springsteen broke many barriers. The early 1970′s music still stung from racism, yet a small white man and a large black man could “fall in love” in the rain and thunder.
Rudi:
Incredible insight.
It’s a funny thing, but I never saw a black man when I saw Clarence. I just saw a man, and on one of the two nights cited in my post I could have reached out and touched him.
Perhaps second only to the military, music has been responsible for breaking down racial barriers in my lifetime, jazz being the greatest musical example. (Coincidentally, I’m listening to Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis as I wrote this.)
Here’s two shows where Jerry played the Boss to the Big Man. CC and the Dead did a couple shows in Oakland.
Oakland 89
Oakland 88 NYE
Too late to edit, but start to listen to the 1988 show at WDD. The sax mix is up there and CC jams with the band, he’s not just background mix. Brent does some tasty Hammond stabbing…
WDD wasn’t a favorite, but this mix works.