Have Bassoon, Will Travel

Through humorous anecdotes and compelling stories, trail-blazing George Zukerman recounts his life in music as concert bassoonist and impresario.


George Zukerman, known as both the Pablo Casals and the Eddie Van Halen of the bassoon, describes how his worldwide touring kindled audience awareness of this unusual instrument and freed the bassoon from penal servitude in the back ranks of the symphony orchestra.


As a touring musician, he chronicles relentlessly touring Canada: travelling by float plane, ski plane, freight boat, war canoe, snowmobile, and dogsled to remote communities; plugging coins into a roadside payphone to contact promoters and driving through prairie snowstorms to reach a venue on time.


As an impresario, Zukerman’s Overture Concerts, Remote Tours Canada inspired thousands of new listeners and musicians. His tales have been enjoyed on CBC radio, and this passionate memoir will give readers further pleasure and insight into an extraordinary life.