Duran Duran | Andy Hamilton Stage-Played AKAI EWI1000 EWI w/ Tour Case (1989)

Nostalgia Bandit

Duran Duran | Andy Hamilton Stage-Played AKAI EWI1000 Electronic Wind Instrument w/ Tour Case (1989)

An AKAI Professional EWI1000 electronic wind instrument stage-played by Andy Hamilton — Duran Duran’s longtime touring and session saxophonist — during the band’s Electric Theatre Tour, housed in its original custom CP Cases aluminum tour case stenciled “DURAN·DURAN.” Hamilton’s use of the instrument is documented in a February 22, 1989 Japanese television broadcast of Duran Duran performing “Skin Trade.” The lot retains its original Sotheby’s auction tag from its sale on 14 September 1995 (Lot 535).

Video Documentation

YouTube: Duran Duran — “Skin Trade,” Japanese Broadcast (02/22/1989)

Historical Context

Duran Duran are a British new wave band formed in Birmingham in 1978, comprising Simon Le Bon (vocals), Nick Rhodes (keyboards), John Taylor (bass), Andy Taylor (guitar), and Roger Taylor (drums). By the mid-1980s they were among the most commercially successful acts in the world, their live productions expanding well beyond the core five-piece to incorporate an extensive ensemble of touring musicians.

Andy Hamilton (born 28 March 1953) is a British tenor saxophonist and session musician whose prolific career encompasses some of the most significant pop recordings and tours of the 1980s and 1990s. His association with Duran Duran began in the early 1980s: he contributed saxophone to the band’s breakthrough recordings — including the “Rio” saxophone solo (1982) and the brass section on the 12-inch “Night Version” of “Planet Earth” (1981) — and is credited on the albums Rio (1982), Seven and the Ragged Tiger (1983), and Arena (1984). He toured extensively with the band, including the 1983–84 Sing Blue Silver Tour and the 1987 Strange Behaviour Tour. Beyond Duran Duran, Hamilton’s session and touring work spans Wham!, George Michael, Elton John, Tina Turner, David Bowie, the Boomtown Rats, Dexys Midnight Runners, and Radiohead, among many…