Horn section being dropped

cayman2 · Post by **cayman2** » March 9, 2006 12:47 pm

Just found out this morning that the horn section, with the exception of John Lovell, is being dropped from the Coral Reefer Band. Apparently they were informed only this morning. Sad news, for sure.

pgr17 · Post by **pgr17** » March 9, 2006 12:49 pm

probably no room on the plane... i think they were up to 25 members on-stage at the end of the tour.

puckhead · Post by **puckhead** » March 9, 2006 12:50 pm

cayman2 wrote:Just found out this morning that the horn section, with the exception of John Lovell is being dropped from the Coral Reefer Band. Apparently they were informed only this morning. Sad news, for sure.

No Amy Lee? That will be sad. It seemed that the sax "replaced" the harmonica, does that mean that Jimmy is going to add a harmonica again?

Post by **SMLCHNG** » March 9, 2006 12:51 pm

You can find more information here, and post your good wishes, if you'd like.

http://www.buffettnews.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=33

Tiki Bar · Post by **Tiki Bar** » March 9, 2006 1:29 pm

Thanks for posting this here... I had missed it over there til now.

It's disappointing to me because they're good people and talented musicians, and I've enjoyed hearing them on tour. But it does spark my curiousity for what may come in their place... the return of the harp would be cool... stripped down could be good... shake up of the set list. I guess we'll have to wait and see!

Change isn't always a bad thing... just takes a little getting used to!

balcony girls · Post by **balcony girls** » March 9, 2006 1:32 pm

I would feel a lot better about this if I knew how Amy and T.C., etc. felt about it . .

I hope it is a welcomed decision . .and not . . well, .the other . . .

Piratical · Post by **Piratical** » March 9, 2006 2:31 pm

Re-orgs and downsizing even in Margaritaville

parrothd_mark · Post by **parrothd_mark** » March 9, 2006 2:32 pm

I guess we'll find out in Phoenix what these changes really mean. Sad to see the horn section go.

rednekkPH · Post by **rednekkPH** » March 9, 2006 2:32 pm

Piratical wrote:Re-orgs and downsizing even in Margaritaville

Maybe Jimmy outsourced the horns to India.

buffettbride · Post by **buffettbride** » March 9, 2006 2:33 pm

rednekkPH wrote:
Piratical wrote:Re-orgs and downsizing even in Margaritaville
Maybe Jimmy outsourced the horns to India.

oh holy spewity spew spew spew

goddammmitfrankieyoumademespitanicecube

Quiet and Shy · Post by **Quiet and Shy** » March 9, 2006 2:35 pm

:: sigh ::

no more "Saxaphones"

Going for a "simpler sound" I guess....

parrothd_mark · Post by **parrothd_mark** » March 9, 2006 2:46 pm

Higher ticket prices and fewer musicians on stage to pay == more $$

Quiet and Shy · Post by **Quiet and Shy** » March 9, 2006 3:07 pm

Well, this is still on the Margaritaville website under Coral Reefers:

AMY LEE
SAXOPHONE

"In 1991, while rehearsing with Diversity for Jazzfest, I'll never forget Charles' delivery - his leaning over, smiling and whispering, 'Jimmy Buffett's in town. He's gonna play Wednesday night at Cafe Brasil. I've been telling him about you. Bring your horn. I'll introduce you.' Later that evening I remember looking in the paper, thinking Charles must be wrong. The band listing for Wednesday at Cafe Brasil was some group called 'Freddie and the Fishsticks.' My excitement dwindled."

"Wednesday night came, and sure enough Charles insisted I get my horn to go to Cafe Brasil. We parked nowhere near the club. There was a crowd spilling over into the streets blocks away. There were camera crews filming the frenzy. The doors were closed, the club was full beyond capacity and the doorman was blocking the entrance. But as we approached (Charles, being a famous celebrity from a family defining New Orleans) we were let in. Squirming our way through the overstuffed crowd we made our way to the side of the stage. Jimmy was playing with a small band (Mike Utley, Greg 'Fingers' Taylor, Peter Mayer, Jim Mayer and Roger Guth), but eventually looked over at Charles. Charles pointed at me, Jimmy nodded and then Charles said, 'Get out your horn.'

At last, Jimmy called me up. I can't even remember the tune they started playing, because the scene was blowing me away. Fingers soloed, and then Peter, then Jimmy turned to me. I blew a solo for about a chorus, then looked back at Jimmy, giving him the visual cue, 'I'm through.' He was thrashing at his guitar, grinning ear-to-ear and yelling, "No! Keep going!" I remember thinking - cool! I really let it go then."

"Afterwards, Jimmy came up to me and casually asked if I was doing anything that summer. He said he was about to go on tour, and that he'd love to have me join him. Three weeks later, I was off to San Diego to begin rehearsing for the Outpost Tour. I had no idea how drastically my life and career were about to change. Nine tours later, I must say that now I'm officially a Coral Reefer."

Amy's first major label release was a song on Margaritaville Café, Late Night Menu, writing and recording her reggae instrumental "Sugartown Shakedown". She co-wrote "Bob Robert's Society Band", "Fruitcakes" and "Delaney Talks To Statues" with Jimmy Buffett.

Amy has worked extensively in the studio as a performer, arranger and writer for major albums as well as radio and TV commercials. She has also has worked with gospel-recording artist Luther Barnes & the Sunset Jubilees, the rap group, Yall So Stupid, and the Grammy-nominated Richard Smallwood Singers.

In 1999, Amy released her debut solo jazz CD titled Inside The Outside under her publishing company/record label Publick Ptomaine Music.

And this:

TOM MITCHELL
SAXOPHONE

Growing up in the Midwest as the youngest kid in a musical family, Tom listened to music ranging from Bach to Duke Ellington to Jimi Hendrix to The Beatles. While on a family trip to New Orleans he heard a live jazz band and soon started playing the saxophone. As a teenager he would sneak out to clubs to hear people like John Lovell and to learn at the feet of the local masters of jazz, funk, fusion, and even classical music.

He pursued Creole music to try and figure out why New Orleans jazz was different than that of other areas of the country. He discovered that New Orleans had gotten a lot of its essence from Haiti and the French Antilles in the early 1800s, much like Miami was getting an injection from Cuba in the late 1970s. Attending the University of Miami School of Music seemed like a good way to learn at school by day and in a very exciting world by night.

One day, jobless, approaching graduation, and wondering what the future held in store, he found himself looking at a bulletin board and saw "Haitian band needs sax player - call this number." It might have well said, "Drink me." It was his invitation to the other side of the looking glass. He called the number, went to the rehearsal and started playing with a group called Magnum Band.
Eventually he moved to Haiti with them and lived in Port-au-Prince for about 2 years, learned to speak Creole, and has been an honored guest of the Haitian world ever since.

The band moved to New York and he got the chance to play with just about every band from Haiti, including Tabou Combo, RAM, Ti Manno, and many others. Coincidentally, Jimmy Buffett was a big fan of Tabou Combo and, as a result, in 1994 Tom started touring as a Coral Reefer.

"Although there have been times when I thought I should put on a suit and get a 'real' job, it's never come to that. I'll get serious and go to an interview and then the phones rings with a new and better musical gig. One time it was Tabou Combo and the next it was Jimmy Buffett. I love it!"

Currently Tom is behind the glass in his Brooklyn studio, engineering and co-producing a compilation of Haitian Gospel artists for the French label Globe Records.

And Larry, Heather's still there.

springparrot · Post by **springparrot** » March 9, 2006 3:11 pm

Quiet and Shy wrote:Well, this is still on the Margaritaville website under Coral Reefers:

If you look, Fingers is still listed, too.

jbfinscj · Post by **jbfinscj** » March 9, 2006 3:13 pm

I have always preferred the harmonica to the horns. I`m sorry folks but I am not going to miss the horn section. Jimmy's music requires a harmonica in it. The openings to Son of a Son of Sailor and A Pirate Looks at Forty just aren't the same without the harp. I wish TC and Amy the best of luck.

Jahfin · Post by **Jahfin** » March 9, 2006 3:14 pm

springparrot wrote:
Quiet and Shy wrote:Well, this is still on the Margaritaville website under Coral Reefers:
If you look, Fingers is still listed, too.

What happened to Krekel, Sykes, Deborah McCall, Barry Chance, Jay Spell, etc.? Now, those were real Reefers.

Parrot Monkey · Post by **Parrot Monkey** » March 9, 2006 3:25 pm

I feel it’s a good move and an excellent choice to drop them, no offense to the musicians. Sure, songs such as Fruitcakes and Saxophones will probably have to be dropped altogether, but I think songs that horn parts were later added to like Margaretville, Fins, Volcano etc. will fare better without them.

They’re all awesome horn players, but were certainly overused I think.

SchoolGirlHeart · Post by **SchoolGirlHeart** » March 9, 2006 3:25 pm

maybe we should eliminate the word "real" around here...... it seems to cause all sorts of problems.....

LIPH · Post by **LIPH** » March 9, 2006 3:32 pm

real reefer

Jahfin · Post by **Jahfin** » March 9, 2006 3:34 pm

Parrot Monkey wrote:I feel it’s a good move and an excellent choice to drop them, no offense to the musicians. Sure, songs such as Fruitcakes and Saxophones will probably have to be dropped altogether, but I think songs that horn parts were later added to like Margaretville, Fins, Volcano etc. will fare better without them.

They’re all awesome horn players, but were certainly overused I think.

"Saxophones" never had a sax on it to start with so....

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