A Valuable Bird Indeed
A saxophone once owned by Charlie Parker and known to be his primary instrument in the 1950s, sold for $225,000 at auction Sunday, the New York Times reported.
A vibraphone once owned by Lionel Hampton sold for $50,000, and a custom-made trumpet used by Dizzy Gillespie fetched $26,000, said Kim Anello, a spokeswoman for Guernsey's auction house, which conducted the sale in Manhattan.
Gerry Mulligan's saxophone, far left, Charlie Parker's alto saxophone, Thelonious Monk's smoking jacket and Dizzy Gillespie's trumpet were among the items on the block in a charity auction held Sunday in New York.
(Bebeto Matthews - AP)
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The items were among 450 pieces of jazz memorabilia auctioned to raise money for charity. Also up for auction were a trumpet that belonged to Louis Armstrong, a Wes Montgomery guitar, letters and sheet music written by John Coltrane, a Benny Goodman clarinet, and Thelonious Monk's high school homework (a book report on "A Tale of Two Cities").
In response to jazz scholars' concerns, Guernsey's suggested to all winning bidders they donate the items to the Smithsonian when they no longer want them.
Proceeds from the sale will go to jazz foundations, archives and emerging jazz musicians, according to the Associated Press.
Aerosmith's Tyler Walks That Way
Aerosmith's Steven Tyler is separating from Teresa Barrick, his wife of 17 years, the singer announced Sunday. In a statement released through band publicist Mitch Schneider, Tyler asked the public to respect his family's privacy. "Before the tabloid media makes more of this than it is, I am announcing that my wife Teresa and I are currently separated," Tyler said. "We're just a family trying to work through a difficult time. A little privacy and sensitivity -- for Teresa, my children and myself -- would be nice."
Barrick is a fashion designer responsible for much of the rocker's wardrobe, according to the New York Post. The couple have two teenage children, Chelsea and Taj.
Tyler is also the father of model Mia Tyler, from a previous marriage to Cyrinda Fox, and actress Liv Tyler, from a previous relationship with Bebe Buell.
And Speaking of Splits . . .
Sculptors at London's Madame Tussaud's museum decided to separate a wax figurine of Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston embracing, Reuters reported yesterday.
"It involved quite a lot of work, because they were entwined and had their arms around each other," said museum spokeswoman Diane Moon. "Jen had one of her hands on Brad's chest and her other hand was resting on his bottom."
The procedure cost around $19,000, and the separated figures, with their arms remolded, have been put back on display with their backs to each other.
Pitt and Aniston were married in July 2000, and their combined figure was installed in July 2004, after the museum decided they were a "safe couple."
Oh Boy, Oh Boy, Oh Boy
It's another boy for British pop singer Victoria Beckham (formerly Posh Spice of the Spice Girls) and her husband, soccer star David Beckham. The baby, named Cruz, was born by cesarean section a week early at a Madrid hospital, where Beckham plays for Real Madrid. Cruz has two brothers: Brooklyn, 5, and Romeo, 2.
The couple's marriage made headlines last April when a former personal aide, Rebecca Loos, claimed she had an affair with Beckham. He dismissed the claim as "ludicrous" and "absurd."
-- Compiled by Michael Cotterman
from wire reports
