Fraser MacPherson

[John Doheny]

After marvelling over the photo of Fraser MacPherson with actual hair under the '1965' thread(looks just like the cover shot on his 1970 album 'the Shadow')I'm inspired to get down,for the record,my first lesson with Fraser and subsequent adventures as his student and later, I flatter myself to think,his friend.
When I registered as a student in VCC's jazz and commercial music program in 1976 we were given the option of private lessons with either Ian Sincowitz or Fraser MacPherson.I knew Fraser by reputation and had met him briefly several years before(he was a family friend of the Cramers)so I opted to go with him.I called him and we set up a time to meet at the College.
At that time VCC's music program was housed in a glorified quonset hut at 12th and Oak,on a site now occupied by the VGH.There was one big room,where Dave Robbins ran the big band rehearsals,several classrooms and administative offices, and a room full of those 'soundproof' prefab rehearsal modules that are kinda like practising in a fishbowl. I hadn't seen Fraser in several years and when he walked in I noticed that he was now completely bald and was dressed in that 70's abomination,the corduroy'safari suit'.It was the same one he's wearing on the cover of "Live at the Planetarium",in fact it was some time before I saw him wear anything else.The front of the thing was often covered in cigarette ash(both of us smoked incessantly in those days. In those modules the smoke would get pretty thick)and later,splotches of bleach where he'd tried to clean it off.The suit just got shabbier and shabbier until one day it disappeared and was replaced by an identical,tan colored one.
The first thing we got into was mouthpieces.He hated mine. I'd been playing in R&B bands, and I was using a big open,metal Berg Larson at that point. Frazz hated metal mouthpieces,he called them"space capsules" and that first day he kept trying to get me to play his.As long as I knew him,Fraser used the same Selmer "D" hard rubber,a mouthpiece favored by classical saxophonists.It has completely different resistance characteristics from the bright,baffled metal pieces I was used to, and I couldn't even play over the full range of the horn on it,the low notes kept shattering on me.We eventually settled on a hard rubber Meyer medium 6*,which I played for the next 12 years,including a lot of R&B gigs.
As a teacher Fraser was both the best and the worst I ever studied with. I don't think he ever really gave much thought to pedagogy or organizing and codifying his methods and materials.He once gave me a page of arpeggiated two fives moving in half steps and told me to memorize them.No explaination of what they were or how they might be used.About a year later I was staring at some chord changes and the light went on.
The real value of Fraser's teaching was the example he set.He always comported himself like a professional and gave 110%,regardless of the situation.10 people in the audience or 1,000,it didn't matter,his playing never dropped below his own extremely high standard of excellence.Although primarily known as a tenor player in his solo career, he was strong on all the doubles,played great flute and clarinet.But it was his big,classic old school tenor sound that got me. There was a bit of Stan Getz in it,quite a bit of Lester Young via Zoot Sims.But for his last few albums, starting from about "Indian Summer" on, Frazz was getting into a beautiful,singing,cello-like Ben Webster kind of thing.I remember going to see him at Puccinni's and he never used a microphone,but there wasn't a single corner of that room that he didn't fill up with that beautiful sound.
A few months before his death in 1993 I ran into Fraser on Beach Avenue near his apartment. It was obvious he wasn't well. His beautiful deep voice had become thin and tremulous.But he was full of plans,he was trying to set up some gigs in Korea.I don't know if he made it or not, but I like to think he went down swinging.
I have a story about Fraser,involving the old Black Angus at Davie and Thurlow and an alleged sighting of Frazz, but it'll have to wait. I've got to go buy some reeds (shudder).
John D.

[John Doheny]

In 1981 I was dating a waitress at the old Black Angus Restaurant at the southeast corner of Davie and Thurlow.Fraser had a house gig at the time with Rudy Petschauer at a hotel out by the airport and would often stop at the Angus for 'coffee and' on his way home.When I had a gig in town I would usually stop in as well for something to eat,and Shaune and I would leave together after she finished her shift.
In those days the Angus was an interesting example of a type of place that doesn't really exist in Vancouver anymore.During the day and early evening it was a standard issue "family restaurant" type steakhouse that served acceptable food at reasonable prices, but late at night it was a hangout for all kinds of middle aged rounders and characters.Shingle salesmen who'd spent the day out in the 'burbs selling aluminum siding to the rubes,horseplayers like Kelly "Close-out" Kavanaugh and Freddy the Gambler,a huge guy with a shaved head who always wore a little stingy-brim fedora with a feather in it.If you knew the staff they'd serve you a whiskey in a coffee cup after hours.The place reeked of cigarette smoke,hair oil and loud socks,and a lot of these guys had been regulars at the Cave when Fraser had the band there,so he always got a few big hellos when he walked in.One night I was sitting waiting for Shaune to finish up and Fraser came in and joined me at my table.I introduced the two of them to each other and Shaune and I left.
A few weeks later I came in and Shaune gave me a funny look."You know your friend Fraser was in here the other night,"she said. I told her that was no surprise.He was in there all the time."Well this time he was wearing a dress,high heels and make-up",she says.
Now this was a bit of a shock to me.You have to understand that Frazz was not one to talk freely about his personal life.I knew him for ten years before he told me he had children and I found out he was born in Manitoba by reading his obituary.He tended to play it pretty close to the vest.But still,for him to have this whole covert drag queen existence!You'd think there would have been some hint,some clue.Our next few meetings were rather uncomfortable for me.I wanted to bring the subject up-to let him know that any proclivities he had for dressing up in women's clothes would in no way affect our friendship-but I just didn't know how.
Finally,one night,sitting with him in the Angus,I decided to just come right out with it.Just as I was about to open my mouth,in the door walks...Fraser in drag!If you had taken Fraser and dressed him in a tight skirt and blouse,high heels ,full makeup and a blond wig,this person walking in the door would be it.And yet Fraser was sitting at the table with me.
"Look Frazz,"I said."It's your evil twin."
"Jesus Christ!"he said.
"Don't take this wrong,"I said,"but you do NOT make an attractive drag queen."
He allowed as to how yes,we could probably rule out his developing a second career with the Cockettes.
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[John Doheny]

Well Brian while I admit I may have employed a leetle bit of poetic licence in the regard to the cigarette ashes the fact remains that the first semester of lessons I did with Fraser, he always showed up in what had started it's life as a charcoal grey safari suit.The things were like a virus around VCC in those days.Jerry Domer,the department head,often wore one as did,on occasion,Gordon Callon, the resident theory guru.Fraser's suit,after repeated washings,eventually faded to a pale grey and he replaced it with an identical tan colored one.He told me he liked the things because,unlike a traditional suit,he could just throw it in the washer and dryer and avoid dry cleaning bills.
Now that I think of it though,I agree with you about Fraser always being well turned out.That's the reason he wore the safari suit,because he was going to WORK(teach)and wanted to be properly attired.But by God every time a saw a crowd of guys dressed in those things I always wondered where the elephants and native bearers were.

[John Doheny]

I was just looking for an elusive piece of paper in my home office and came across this letter I wrote to the Vancouver Sun a couple of years ago in response to Guy MacPherson's article on his father,"Papa Was a Fuddy Dud".

"Heartfelt thanks to Guy MacPherson for his wonderful article on his father,the late great tenor saxophonist Fraser MacPherson(Papa Was a Fuddy Dud,July 22,2000).In his indifference to teen culture Fraser was,of course,just being an adult;something in short supply in our post-modern era of 45-year-old adolescents who feel obligated to be"into" hip-hop,lest they be deemed unhip.I had the privilege,in the mid '70s,of being one of Fraser's saxophone students and I'm here to tell you he was quite possibly the hippest guy I ever met,in no small part because he didn't give a damn whether you thought he was.
As a musician he was a pro's pro who always gave 110 per cent and,when the bar tab hit page 2 at the old Rembrandt Lounge,he was damn good company.For years we were neighbors in the West End and I would often run into him on the street or in the Black Angus at Davie and Thurlow,where he dispensed endless laconic quips and advice.(Regarding my propensity for fast tempos:What's your hurry,you got an early date?"On the occasion of his 54 birthday:"I prefer to think of it as 11 Celsius.")
I still occasionally get the urge to call him up and ask his advice on matters musical,and I deeply regret not having told him how profoundly his teaching and playing influenced me while he was still around to hear it.He was the real deal and we were honored to have him among us."

John (Pip) Doheny