Jazz musicians' wit and humor. Examples?

[mikeweil]

During a recording session at Columbia, Laura Nyro told the brass players that she wanted a "green" sound.

"Would that be dark or light green, Miss Nyro?", a trombonist asked, with a straight face.

[sidewinder]

"For you -- one, two, three, four."

Tom McQuater, trumpet player

(McQuater died a few days ago at age 93)

Yes, that was sad to hear. It made the newspaper obits here. The house trumpeter for the Muppet Show - and trumpet linch-pin of many a UK TV orchestra (ATV etc).

[Larry Kart]

"For you -- one, two, three, four."

Tom McQuater, trumpet player

(McQuater died a few days ago at age 93)

Yes, that was sad to hear. It made the newspaper obits here. The house trumpeter for the Muppet Show - and trumpet linch-pin of many a UK TV orchestra (ATV etc).

And Zoot the Muppet saxophonist was Danny Moss?

[sidewinder]

And Zoot the Muppet saxophonist was Danny Moss?

Hmmm. Don't know. Could be, perhaps.

I always thought he was played by Gato Barbieri.

[sidewinder]

This may explain it -

"GOELZ: The funny thing about Zoot was that I was about 26-27, and we always conceived of him as a 50 year-old, burnt-out musician. Now I'm 53, and I still can't play him - probably because I'm still locked into the Zoot I played from the beginning. If I started fresh it would certainly be easier at this point in my life. Anyway, I had a conception of him as a guy who was totally into his music, who lived in a succession of hotels, who had never had a home... his life was just music. And he was just spaced out all the time. He had no ability to communicate with people using words. As a result, whenever they scripted lines for him, I tried to give them to Floyd. I was always trying to give away lines, because I didn't know how to do him. The irony was, after I did this for awhile and Zoot became established as a rather silent character, people started coming to me and saying, "You know, that Zoot is amazing. I know somebody just like him."

Sammy Cahn came up to me during the party after the British premiere of The Muppet Movie and said, "You do Zoot? He is fantastic! I've known so many sax players just like him." I was bowled over; The only sax player I knew was Frank Reedy, of the Jack Parnell Orchestra, the musicians for the Muppet Show, and he wasn't anything like Zoot."

Edited January 27, 2008 by sidewinder

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

This may explain it -

"GOELZ: The funny thing about Zoot was that I was about 26-27, and we always conceived of him as a 50 year-old, burnt-out musician. Now I'm 53, and I still can't play him - probably because I'm still locked into the Zoot I played from the beginning. If I started fresh it would certainly be easier at this point in my life. Anyway, I had a conception of him as a guy who was totally into his music, who lived in a succession of hotels, who had never had a home... his life was just music. And he was just spaced out all the time. He had no ability to communicate with people using words. As a result, whenever they scripted lines for him, I tried to give them to Floyd. I was always trying to give away lines, because I didn't know how to do him. The irony was, after I did this for awhile and Zoot became established as a rather silent character, people started coming to me and saying, "You know, that Zoot is amazing. I know somebody just like him."

Sammy Cahn came up to me during the party after the British premiere of The Muppet Movie and said, "You do Zoot? He is fantastic! I've known so many sax players just like him." I was bowled over; The only sax player I knew was Frank Reedy, of the Jack Parnell Orchestra, the musicians for the Muppet Show, and he wasn't anything like Zoot."

Very interesting. Thanks for posting that.

MG

[pepe]

Yeah - "Forgive me Charlie Parker - wherever you might be"

[AllenLowe]

not to change the subject, but is that the McQuater who recorded with Danny Polo? if so, he was quite good -

[AllenLowe]

it's the same guy - just found him on google - wow, he played great on the Danny Polo, maybe 1936 - it's in my book and on the CD set, I think (but who the hell can remember?)

[AllenLowe]

back to the funny stuff -

Jaki Byard was playing a festival that I booked him on, and told the crowd, "now I think we'll take a break and smoke some LSD."

well, you had to be there -

[AllenLowe]

actually, the Armstrong story has several versions:

1) someone said to Armstrong, "what is jazz?"

he answered: "it is not bebop."

2)someone said to Armstrong, "what is jazz?"

he answered: "ask Stanley Crouch."

3) someone said to Armstrong, "what is jazz?"

he answered: "ask Phil Schaap."

4) someone said to Armstrong, "what is jazz?"

he answered: "please look it up in the Grove History of jazz when it comes out. I believe one of the contributors will be Larry kart."

5) someone said to Armstrong, "what is jazz?"

he answered: "you could ask Allen Lowe but I believe he is only 7 years old. Give him time to grow up."

6) someone said to Armstrong, "what is jazz?"

he answered: "wait until 1995 and ask Scott Yanow."

Edited January 29, 2008 by AllenLowe

[AllenLowe]

someone said to Armstrong, "what is jazz?"

he answered: "what do I look like, the guy who invented the modern concept of swing?"

Edited January 29, 2008 by AllenLowe

[AllenLowe]

someone said to Armstrong, "what is jazz?"

he answered: "talk to Ken Vandermark."

[AllenLowe]

someone said to Armstrong, "what is jazz?"

he answered: "talk to Sangrey, and be sure he draws a distinction between vertical and horizontal concepts of improvisation."

[AllenLowe]

someone said to Armstrong, "what is jazz?"

he answered:"don't ask don't tell."

[AllenLowe]

where's the laugh track when I need it?

[clifford_thornton]

It's included on Devlin' Tune volume five, right?

[AllenLowe]

wel, if you have to ask....

[Quasimado]

where's the laugh track when I need it?

You're a bundle of laughs as it is, Allen.

Q

[Dan Gould]

where's the laugh track when I need it?

Say something funny, which happens about once out of a hundred times when you go off on these riffs.

[Christiern]

I heard the laughter, Allen--but, of course, I have a Mac

BTW, glad to hear that jazz is included on volume 5 of Devlin' Tune.

[BillF]

Bill Harris and Friends (OJC/Fantasy) with Ben Webster, Jimmy Rowles, Red Mitchell and Stan Levey has one of the most bizarre tracks I can recall. "Just One More Chance" is just over 2 minutes long and begins with Ben stating the melody in his silken style. Bill plays answering phrases, but they are very loud and with exaggerated vibrato. Eventually Ben stops playing and we get the following exchange as the rhythm section continues to play:

Ben: Hey Bill! Bill! Bill! Bill! Bill!

Bill: Yeah Ben?

Ben: You feel alright?

Bill: Yeah Ben. I feel good. How's yourself?

Ben: I'm pretty good, you know. A little backache now and then, but do you feel alright?

Bill: I feel good.

Ben: Uh huh. What are you doing now?

Bill: Well, I'm still with Woody.

Ben: Woody who?

Bill: Oh, you know.

Ben: Uh, oh yeah.

Bill: Well Ben, listen it's been nice talking to you.

Ben: Yes, same here man.

Bill: I'll see you around.

Ben: Yeah, around sometime.

The horns then take the tune out, but now Ben has lapsed into the same comic style as Bill.

Edited March 30, 2008 by BillF

[Teasing the Korean]

I'll never forget that night that I had drinks with Clifford Brown and Max Roach. Max said, "O, these eclipses do portend these divisions," to which Brown replied, "I should have been that I am, had the maidenliest star in the firmament twinkled on my bastardising." Those guys were a couple of cards. Are they still recording?