2 Shops in Florida
1st. Street Music in Lake City &
Frankie Baldino's
home digs
in Melbourne
Visited "1st. Street Music" twice, once on the way and the other on the way back because both
partners weren't there the first time. Andy and Danny want to expand the repair part of the business
and they're getting an addition to the building soon.
Here's Andy, both techs are good behind the counter as well.
Here's Danny, mostly woodwinds but moving into brass, too.
Frankie has been a customer for YEARS, and you won't believe the stories
he can tell, and they're all true.
Frankie is just a young guy of 87, living the life
with his Doris Day look-a-like wife (Mary Joe), played music in the Navy, was a master
chief of music, was on the Yorktown when it went down at Pearl Harbor, went to college
at Florida, was a band director while
playing with the big bands in Miami. Bumped shoulders with many famous entertainers, Milton Berle, Bill Cosby, Doris Day, Stan Kenton, etc. Copied the sheets for Tommy Dorsey in the summer,
and kept this one. Notice is says "Control". You don't want to talk when you
are around him, you want to listen. I went for a 4 hour visit and was
there two days. Listening. It was great. His beautiful wife is also
a great cook, did I eat? I got three hots and a cot. Frankie gets
her to cook for him EVERYDAY. She is nothing short of "gourmet".
Frankie has two benches. One has a 12" X 12" work area. But he "cooks".
Look what's on the desk, King Saxello, Conn bent soprano, Bach 6 slide, King Super 20 Tenor
(silver neck and bell), Martin cornet, but he plays what appears to be a "noname" unengraved Selmer tenor before the sixes.
Notice the green catalog by the pad bins?
Quite organized really, and clean, too.
Behind the door are the sprays.
The Coors sign is a treasure. Bach 6 bell. The
Master at his bench.
Before I left, he and I picked oranges and limes off the trees in his yards, standing on the lawn.
I brought them back to Michigan and they were enjoyed by many.
And Mary
Joe, Thank you for the hospitality and the wonderful meals. The pleasure
was ALL MINE.
Ferree's Tools- "the most copied tools in the world"
|
