Hell, I don’t understand why he was carrying ALL of his flutes. Keep a couple back home, just in case.
I’m wondering this myself. If it was thieving bag handlers, I’d expect them to be looking for jewelery or electronics. I’m having a hard time imagining one seeing a bamboo flute and thinking “Score!!!”
It’s not like bamboo takes forever to grow or that it really rare. It’s probably the most replaceable thing.
Not everything is stolen because it’s super valuable. “Hey, my kid would like that, I’ll take it.” But it does sound more reasonable if they were with other ‘green’ bamboo that the whole lot could have been destroyed. But if they say ‘only green bamboo’ then something doesn’t quite add up.
Right. In the NPR article, the Airline (American) claims that they’re not responsible for losses once Customs has taken the bag - but the flutes could have been taken before the bag was left unclaimed. And it was American that delivered the bag to Razgui at his home so they were ultimately the last people to touch it.
Stupid people? Someone who just saw the special case inside the large bag and thought, “ooo - I bet that’s where the valuables are!”
Yes, I wondered this, too. Surely he’s got some flutes that he doesn’t use any more or that he’s still in the process of creating? Surely he doesn’t really play every single flute he owns, in every single concert? That’s why I mentioned insurance fraud. It’s a low blow, and of course there’s nothing like proof. It’s just weird that he would take every last one and then ship them so haphazardly.
He wasn’t able to tweet about it?
Not an expert on bamboo flutes, but I wouldn’t be surprised for a musician to need a whole kit of them in different keys as well as alto/tenor/baritone varieties. Have you ever seen how many harmonicas a harp player carries?
From watching various documentaries about Customs and border control, if it wasn’t the quarantine hazard, another possibility is that the material was composed of a whole bunch of hollow things - potentially a perfect hiding place for contraband - and if some of the canes were fresh, the pith inside them may have looked like concealed packages of drugs.
If something is that important to you, you should ship it instead of taking it on a plane with you. Do people still not know this? Even if it wasn’t taken by customs or TSA or whoever, do you know how much stuff just gets flat out lost every year?
I’d be playing the world’s smallest violin* right now, but customs destroyed it.
*in case this isn’t a common phrase outside the US, this is just a saying not an indication that I have ever owned a violin, smallest or otherwise
“He’s goooood.”
Was this Customs, or was it a DHS agent? Because maybe they were confusing it with another type of flute… damn Guinea Pirates.
Also, I first read Razgul, with an L instead of I, which would make a great orc name. I don’t think they play anything other than drums, though.
I think that’s it, for guitars and such, not harmonicas. But individual airlines may have more strict rules, and I can’t recall them classifying an instrument as its own category and not as a carryon/personal item. Supposedly you might have to get a seat for large instruments, at least on Delta. See: Southwest’s page.
Air travel is always a nightmare for musicians - I doubt there will ever be anything done for this man. ‘Inexcusable’ is the nicest word that comes to mind.
No, but why would a harp player need to carry any harmonicas?
Harmonicas are AKA Mouth Harps, in music circles they are called Harp Players.
Capt
Indeed. Remember this incident:
United Breaks Guitars (YouTube)
Adam Sandler Plays Boujemaa Razgui In… The Flute Player
Originally found US Customs Destroys Virtuoso's Flutes Because They Were "Agricultural Items" - Slashdot
From the link in the OP:
He had some green bamboo in his luggage. I guess to make new flutes. So he lost the flutes he plays and the material for new ones.
Isn’t that the definition of getting totally screwed? This guy’s livelihood is in serious trouble.
There is no way to know if the flutes were burnt or not.
They probably were burnt with the raw bamboo .
Yeah, always have a backup flute.