J22: Bobby Dukoff was born here
Posted on October 31, 2007
Filed Under JazzSphere Entries |
All the jazz history books list him as being born in Worcester, but there’s very little information available about that. Most, like Leonard Feather’s bible, The Jazz Encyclopedia, typically mention him like this: 1918 Robert “Bobby” Dukoff, tenor sax, b: Worcester, MA, USA. - raised in Sioux City, IA, USA.
Now, the question is how long did he stay in town and do we have anything more to claim of him other than being the place of his birth?
Dukoff is a giant in the world of saxophone playing. Here’s a quick biography sketch taken from his company’s Website: “Bobby is well-known to record buyers around the world having started the style of lush tenor stylings with voices. His Sax in Silk album for R.C.A. Victor started the trend by being a best seller. Many albums followed.”
There was a series of these records, including Swingy Saxy Sound, Sax in Satin and Sweet Swingin’ Sax in Stereo, among others. It also should be noted that Dukoff was a veteran of the Big-Band era, logging time with such notables as Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, and Jimmy Dorsey.
His playing career is one that any professional would be proud of, but as Craig Harris points out in All Music Guide, “Dukoff has made his greatest contribution to jazz as a designer and manufacturer of the world’s leading saxophone mouthpieces. Designed in 1943 and first marketed two years later, the mouthpiece has provided saxophone players with greater facility to play their instruments.”
Dukoff was married to singer Anita Boyer, who worked with Tommy Dorsey, Jerry Wald and Harry James. She died in 1984.
Dukoff’s Website bio goes into even more detail about his inventions: “Bobby has always been fascinated with the mechanics of mouthpieces as he realized that “the sound started there.” While playing top shows in California he started experimenting in his garage and soon all his friends from the Big Band days were coming around to have Bobby just “touch up” their mouthpieces. This naturally led to his own mouthpiece business and today those early California models are collectors’ items. Bobby’s natural curiosity has kept him constantly experimenting to come up with a better product. Mouthpieces to Bobby have a character of their own and it is his desire to fit the correct mouthpiece to the style of the player. Bobby is still a playing musician and well aware of the problems to be met on every job.”
Dukoff recently celebrated his 89th birthday. He now makes his home in Miami. Getting back to the Worcester connection, that same article in All Music Guide lists Dukoff as a native of Sioux City, IA. Here’s where things get confusing. In 1987, Dukoff gave an interview with Arthur Woodbury that appeared in the Fall edition of Saxophone Journal (Vol. 12 Number 3, Dorn Publications, Inc., P.O. Box 206, Medfield, MA 02052 USA.
After an introduction citing Dukoff’s accomplishment, Woodbury asked him about his past, saying, “How do you look back on those early days?” To which, Dukoff responded, “I’ll give you a little fast bio, okay? I was born in Sioux City, Iowa and the first time I saw a saxophone was in a music store in Sioux City. I was seven years old.”
Whoa, wait a minute. What about all the jazz history books citing Dukoff as being born in Worcester? Well, according to the City Clerk’s office at City Hall, there was a Robert C. Dukoff born in Worcester on October 11, 1918. His father was Harry D. Dukoff, from an “unknown” origin in Russia.
Harry D. is listed in the 1917 edition of the Worcester Directory as a floorwalker (a person who is employed in a retail store to oversee clerks and aid customers) at a long gone department store at 474 Main Street. He is also listed as a boarder at 7 Murray Ave. His mother was Esther King.
Bobby has often said that his earliest inspiration was his mother’s piano-playing. After seeing his first saxophone, Dukoff also says that from that moment on he had a love affair with the horn. “I’d never seen anything like it in my life,” he told Woodbury. “That’s all I ever thought about was owning a saxophone. I asked my father to please buy me a saxophone. He bought me a violin instead. Can you beat it?”
The 1918 edition of the Worcester Directory lists Harry D. Dukoff as removed from the city’s population to Rochester, NY. Which means, if this was Bobby’s dad, his mother gave birth to him that year and soon after the family moved temporarily to NY, before heading out west.
It may be interesting to note that at the age of 10, Bobby moved with his family to Mt. Vernon, NY, which means he probably had extended family there. That’s where young Bobby started playing the horn he loved. “When I was 14 I bought my own saxophone,” he told Woodbury. “It was summer vacation and I worked at a delicatessen delivering orders. I saved $45, and this was during the Depression! I went to a little music store up on the second floor on 4th Avenue and bought the horn.”
Okay, these City Hall records must hold the truth to the mystery of one Bobby Dukoff from Worcester. I figured, he’s still alive, I call him. According to All Music Guide, Dukoff moved to Kendall, FL, a suburb of Miami, and “opened his own recording studio, Dukoff Recording in 1956. He continued to run the studio until the early ’70s.”
He’s still in the phonebook. I called him and requested an interview. I’ve yet to talk with the man directly, but he did send me an email.
This is all he wrote: “Dear Chet, I was born in Worcester, Mass.; however, we moved to Sioux City when I was 6 months old.
I would like to see a copy of your column, and would appreciate it if you would send a copy to me. Thank you very much for your interest. Sincerely, Bobby.”
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14 Responses to “J22: Bobby Dukoff was born here”
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Hi. I am a lawyer and an inventor. Bobby is a dear friend and was a neighbor when I lived in the Pinecrest section of Miami. We used to hunt out old saxophones at yard sales together. He told me many great stories. He inspired me to invent the Banjo-Tam. It is now quite successful. Bobby visited us a couple of years ago, and I went down to his recent wedding to Jean. At age 89 he’s doing quite well.
Frank Abrams
My father, Tom, and my Uncle Peter Zibelli were friends and neighbors with Bobby in Mt Vernon, NY in the 1930’s.
He ate dinner at their house often. My dad claims to have convinced Dukoff to learn to read music rather than to play by ear, arguing that a big band would not hire a sax man who could not read music.
When I was a kid growing up, Bobby gave my dad a Dukoff mouthpiece for my clarinet, pretty cool to have such a mouthpiece in grade school.
Bobby has been a dear friend of mine for years. He came into my life shortly after my Dad passed away and he became my mentor. Bobby and I worked on a Country Music project together called Same Life Different Day. The songs are with BMG. He wrote the music and I wrote the lyrics. While recording, Bobby coached me on vocal delivery and proper pronounciation. He also helped me develop “my ears” as we sat at the sound board mixing. He and his wife Jean are very happy and healthy in Miami. I still go out on “dates” with him occassionally and always enjoy our time together. He is one Cool Cat!
Dear Chet. Can you change BMG in my quote to BMI? Damn typo! Thanks for posting.
Bobby Dukoff has been our neighbor (two homes apart) and close/hugging friend for 43 years in Miami (now Pinecrest). We shared his sorrow when Anita died and his recent joy when he married agaim at age 89. We are both now 90. I stopped to chat with Bobby a few days ago while he was in front of his home trying to supervise workers now remodeling his lovely home. During my many visit with him Bobby usually played a tune on his favorate sax for me and gave me two CD’s that he had recorded with musical friends at his home’s soundproof recording studio. He also demonstrated how he fine tuned his famous reeds. Bobby Dukoff is truely a great and wonderful neighbor and we are fortunate to be his friend.
Manuel J. Chavez
Lt. Colonel USAF (Ret)
I’ve been looking for Sax in Satin by Bobby Dukoff in a CD for a couple of years. Have been unable to find one. Any ideas? Thanks.
Hi bobby, you dont know me but i am elenor dukoff grandson greatgandson of sol and forlence dukoff and son of sandra. I know we are cousins some how. just wanted to say hi. I remember my mother showing me your saxaphone album it was yellow with your name on it. My mother,elenor(nanny) my grandma forlie sol have all pass on.
Hi Bobby,
I well remember coming into the studio with Tom Jacobs to record all those old calypso groups for Carib Records. I remember the Jacksons, Chubby and Dooley hanging out. I caught Dooley playing with Basie a while back and thought about the sessions on 7th Avenue. Glad you are still up and kicking, can’t seem to find out anything about Tom Jacobs. Maybe he finally moved to Nassau permanently. Keep on kicking Bobby, you are a musical treasure.
Never new Bobby, but worked, with another engineer at WTVJ (Miami, FL) on a mix console for his studio there.
Just finished carefully committing my three LP’s (Sax In Silk, Sax In Satin and Tender Sax) to CD’s
Wish I had a better copy of Sax In Silk to work from.
W. M.
I don’t know Bobby personally but I know and love the vintage, low serial number Dukoff Hollywood tenor mouthpiece I have. I e-mailed Bobby several years ago and he replied that it was one of his first production pieces. I’m proud of that but even happier with the way it matches and plays on my vintage Conn tenor. What a big, fat, smooth sound!!!
I have a pristine Sax in Silk LP . Is there someone out there who wants to convert it to CD and make me a copy also?
I met Bobby while working as A DJ at WINZ in Miami in the mid 50’s. He had me and a couple of other DJ’s from INZ over to his home once or twice and Anita prepared dinner for all. On one of those occasions I told him that I had always wanted to be a musician in a big band and pursued the clarinet to that end. My instrument was stolen and that ended my dream. Bobby informed me that I was wrong. He said, “Your voice is your instrument, you’re using it in your career and and playing the music of the big bands. You reached your goal. That was 55 years ago and I’ve never forgotten. If Bobby has access to this,
” I think of and still listen to you ongoing”.
My mother (Shirley Speicher) and Anita (Bobby’s late wife” were cousins. I am amazed at their likeness in the video you can view online. My Mom is still alive and last Christmas found the video of Anita with the Jerry Wald Band. She was amazing. My mom remembers going to visit bobby and Anita when my parents were on their honeymoon and swam in Sid Caesar’s pool. Mom says they were alot of fun and remembers fondly going home to Carmi, IL as a young girl and Anita would come to visit. My mom says that no one played the sax like Bobby! If Dee Dee sees this post/comment I would love for her to email me!
My father is Bobby Dukoff. I have always been so proud to be his only child and cherish his music, the wonderful stories he and my Mother (Anita Boyer) told me of the big band days, and all the wonderful people I had a chance to meet because of him. Dad has 3 grandchildren and has recently been made a greatgrandfather by his oldest grandson Rob. If anyone would like any information about Dad that only his daughter can provide please email me.
My Mother also has a rich and wonderful history in the music business and I have created a Facebook page filled with her beautiful professional photographs from the 30’s and 40’s. Even though Mom died in 1985 my Father will always have her in his heart.She was his “Neets”. I am grateful to have had them as my parents.