My personal background
My name is Edwin van Druten. I live in Apeldoorn, a city in The Netherlands, a one hour ride east of Amsterdam.
My first steps on saxophone
I learned to play the Saxophone on an old Soprano back when I was young. It was a bitch (Split octave mechanisme, leaks)
but I managed. After a while I switched to Alto (Sorry, don't know the make) and learned to love the saxophone.
Later on, it was a Tenor that really got my attention. It was a Selmer Mk VII and, in spite of what I read in the newsgroups,
I really loved that machine. The large pinky plateau, I hear everybody complain about, worked well for me.
Sadly though it wasn't mine, it belonged to the concert band I was playing in.
That's why we had to part, because I found a Job outside my hometown.
(Still hurts, Partir c'est mourir un peu (Pardon my french :)))
Getting into vintage horns
A few years later I bought my first Saxophone. It was a Martin - The Martin Tenor.
Man I Loved that sound. Very powerfull, yet you could whisper like a morning breeze.... (Ahum).
Loved the price, the Look..didn't mind the lack of lacquer, and the Neck that
wasn't original. Bought it and loved it eversince.
Sometimes I fool around with my (OLD) Bundy alto from 30s. (Her sound still amazes me)
And I was lucky to buy a Conn Chu alto from a friend.
I have also owned a SML Goldmedal II tenor (People, try one) and a Beaugnier soprano.
Next to saxophone I play sousaphone (Conn 36K), trombone (King 4B sonorous), Bariton (Elkhart) and a little trumpet (Lark)
Where do I play
I play lead-alto in a dutch amateur bigband FreeTimeMusic.
I also play in a kind of party/carnaval brassband.
I started on tenor saxophone, went to the dark side for a few year playing trombone,
and now I try to be heard on sousaphone, but getting there.
The picture shows me playing my tenor at a gig in Enschede.
It was with bigband Multisound a band I used to play in.
I sometimes lend a hand when they need a tenor.