The main event in the E Street nation this month was not so much the release of the new Bruce Springsteen album as the litmus test live concert at Harlem’s legendary Apollo Theatre last Friday.
How would The Boss cope without The Big Man, saxophonist Clarence Clemons, who died last year after suffering a stroke? Springsteen maintained that Clemons was irreplaceable. He’d been a fixture for four decades, a towering presence on stage and an integral component of the E Street sound.
Two summers ago, I bumped into Clarence at a marina on Singer Island, Florida. As you do. Even though he was still frail following back surgery, he was an imposing figure, built like an NFL running back and with an aura the size of a solar system.
All the great saxophonists, from King Curtis to Junior Walker, have their own signature sound.
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