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I wanted to share a recent revelation I had concerning the wide-spread scope of Arnold Jacobs' legacy. A colleague here in Ireland recently underwent surgery involving the removal of one lung and although not a brass player, he soon discovered a wealth of information offered to him by the medical community, based on the work and research done by a certain Chicago-based tuba player, who had continued to successfully live and work with only one lung...I think that anyone who met and worked with Mr Jacobs, for however long and in whatever setting, will agree that this sort of accolade befits the man and his contribution to the worlds of music, science and self-awareness...

That is all good - except for the myth about Jake having only one lung.
Even in the mid 60's he had 2 functioning lungs and a larger vital capacity than I did as an 18 year old.

From what I have read, AJ was a master of breathing. He knew how to breathe efficiently and he knew how to teach others to breathe efficiently, even those who were not musicians. The man could Play (with a capital 'P') but his knowledge of the breathing process was probably his greatest contribution.

Hello All,

Yes it has been a while since I posted. I usually only post when I know something so hence not many posts. When I started to study with Mr. Jacobs lessons were at his home on South Normal Ave. Being a young know it all at the mature age of 18 I asked Mrs. Jacobs if it was true Mr. Jacobs only had one lung. Mrs. Jacobs laughed and said NO it was not true. Mr. Jacobs had helped a trombone player that had had a lobe removed and that is how the story got started. However, with all of Mr. Jacobs lung issues himself he had about 2.8- 3 usable liters of air when I studied with him. Many of us had far larger lungs in excess of 6-7 liters so he only had half of our total. As he said to me when he measured my capacity. " I still player better than you do otherwise you wouldn't be here." Amazing teacher/player and person and miss him.

Thanks for listening,
David Fedderly

I think it's safe to say, that in some ways Mr. Jacobs is still with us, not only through his recordings and other works, but most importantly through those he taught who are now teaching others. Dave is one such person, from whom I've learned a lot. Thanks, Dave.

I look forward to the next musicians' clinic, whenever they do one again.

Mr Jacobs had two lungs, just like the rest of us. The one lung story is an urban legend.