Klarinet Archive - Posting 000627.txt from 1999/12

From: Bonnie Davis <bdskees@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] "cause for concern?"
Date: Sun, 19 Dec 1999 19:06:20 -0500

--- "W. Edinger" <wde1@-----.com> wrote:
> One more clue that this all may have been at least
> partially
> tongue-in-cheek - one of the authors responds to a
> letter that suggested
> copper in the brass mouthpieces might be toxic:
>
> "It is possible that copper poisoning may be a
> confounder in the
> relationship between circular breathing and
> mortality risk. Famous
> saxophonists use circular breathing to produce long
> solos which would
> also increase the exposure to copper. There is
> anecdotal evidence of
> knowledge of this, amongst jazz musicians. In a
> famous exchange, John
> Coltrane told his boss (Miles Davis) that once
> immersed in a solo, he
> didn't [know] how to stop. 'Try taking the saxophone
> out of your mouth'
> said Davis. This suggests an astute early awareness
> of public health
> issues in Mr Davis."
>

I think the following quote is a pretty good tip-off
that this article was written with tongue in cheek:

"Another possible
limitation of our study is that some factors related
to mortality (smoking and alcohol intake, for
example) were not controlled for. Smoky bars would
ensure that all jazz musicians would be
exposed to similar levels of smoke, making smoking an
unlikely confounder. Further research is,
however, needed in this area: it is anticipated that
attendance at a number of national and international
concert venues would resolve this issue, and the
researchers are currently seeking funding for this."

=====
Bonnie Davis and her Kees: Django, CDX, CGC; and Flak, CGC
Nashville, TN
bdskees@-----.com
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