sgcim Posted April 4, 2018 Report Share Posted April 4, 2018 Someone mentioned this book online that concerned the Lexington KY prison for drug offenders nicknamed 'Narco', where most jazz junkies wound up if they got busted in the years 1935-1976. The very partial list of musicians that wound up in Narco mentioned in the book were: Tadd Dameron, Sonny Stitt, Joe Guy, Elvin Jones, Chet Baker, Stan Levey, Jackie McLean, Red Rodney and Sonny Rollins. In the short chapter on the prison band, it's mentioned that many of them wound up there because of fellow musician informants trying to avoid arrest by turning them in. The institution soon developed a reputation as a 'workshop' for jazz musicians. Young musicians were turning themselves into the notorious institution merely for the opportunity to sit in with the masters(!). This was shown on screen in the opening scene of 'The Man With the Golden Arm', where Frank Sinatra tells his friends how he got training as a jazz drummer there (unfortunately we learn later in the film that he was no Shelly Manne). The inmates were given sericeable instruments, practice rooms, and an audience of 1300 incarcerated addicts in the huge auditorium where they produced their own performances featuring combos and big bands. At one time there were six different combos performing at the institution. Even hip locals were let in to hear big-city jazz right at home in KY. Byron Romanowitz, a local Lexington musician recalled, "The first time I went there I heard Tadd dameron, Joe Guy and Sonny Stitt, and many others. Their big band was an all-star group, there's no question about it." Unfortunately, there were no recordings of the many bands that played at these shows, although an orchestra from Narco performed on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show in 1964. Sadly, the tapes from this broadcast were accidentally erased decades ago... I found a short silent film that features a few seconds of a show from Narco, but I don't know the rules for posting links on this forum. If the link doesn't post, you can find it on you tube under 'Narcotic Farm, part four: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted April 4, 2018 Report Share Posted April 4, 2018 The few times I've been to/through Lexington, it's blown my mind that this was the place they chose to do that. What's the history about that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidewinder Posted April 4, 2018 Report Share Posted April 4, 2018 (edited) BBC Radio did an interesting programme a while back on this place, which did include some location recordings. There is this snippet of vocalese - King Pleasure? http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04xwvpn Programme here - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/XLSVPPHVx5T5P41SGs7LTP/i-grew-up-on-a-narcotics-farm Edited April 4, 2018 by sidewinder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgcim Posted April 5, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2018 22 hours ago, JSngry said: The few times I've been to/through Lexington, it's blown my mind that this was the place they chose to do that. What's the history about that? "Lexington KY's temperate climate, fertile soil, and picturesque location were key factors in its selection as the site for the first for the first Narcotic Farm. The massive building-which covered twelve acres- was able to confine and rehabilitate up to 1500 inmates." They built one in Ft. Worth three years later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted April 5, 2018 Report Share Posted April 5, 2018 Wow. I wonder if that's the place waaaaaaayyyyy outside of town that is now some sort of "facility" for mentally gone alcoholics. I did a trust fund gig out there once and it creeped the shit out of me, really. I hope it no longer exists, or at least I hope there's some less creepy place for those people now. As for Lexington, what a difference time makes. I don't think of fertile soil or picturesque location now Nope, that palce in FW was not this: https://medium.com/save-texas-history/things-that-make-you-go-hmmm-texass-narcotic-farm-79b44668358e Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgcim Posted April 6, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 6, 2018 If it's uninhabited, that creepy place outside FW sounds ideal for a found-footage horror flick. We could work in the Narco aspect; have a few ghosts of guys like Tadd Dameron, Joe Guy, Stitt, etc... haunting the place. Have some young jazz musicians just out of N.Texas State going on a road trip with their busty Dallas Cowboy cheerleader girlfriends; car breaks down; forced to spend the night in the creepy place. Tadd Dameron's ghost promises the kids some EDM tunes he's been writing in the afterlife, winds up killing them all, but the cops find one of the kids' iphone... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted April 6, 2018 Report Share Posted April 6, 2018 4 minutes ago, sgcim said: ...young jazz musicians just out of N.Texas State going on a road trip with their busty Dallas Cowboy cheerleader girlfriends... That's...not how it works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgcim Posted April 7, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2018 On 4/6/2018 at 5:23 PM, JSngry said: That's...not how it works. If we pay them enough money, they'll even give those young jazzers a fake orgasm or two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted April 7, 2018 Report Share Posted April 7, 2018 Oh, the joke would be on them, fake orgasms and "lab band" are virtually synonymous! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Berger Posted April 8, 2018 Report Share Posted April 8, 2018 1 hour ago, JSngry said: Oh, the joke would be on them, fake orgasms and "lab band" are virtually synonymous! The plot line of having decent young people hanging On 4/6/2018 at 2:17 PM, sgcim said: If it's uninhabited, that creepy place outside FW sounds ideal for a found-footage horror flick. We could work in the Narco aspect; have a few ghosts of guys like Tadd Dameron, Joe Guy, Stitt, etc... haunting the place. Have some young jazz musicians just out of N.Texas State going on a road trip with their busty Dallas Cowboy cheerleader girlfriends; car breaks down; forced to spend the night in the creepy place. Tadd Dameron's ghost promises the kids some EDM tunes he's been writing in the afterlife, winds up killing them all, but the cops find one of the kids' iphone... Even for seasoned horror movie viewers, the plot element of hanging out with earnest young Kenton acolytes might simply be too terrifying Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgcim Posted April 11, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 11, 2018 On 4/7/2018 at 7:50 PM, JSngry said: Oh, the joke would be on them, fake orgasms and "lab band" are virtually synonymous! Yeah, but we'd have guys from the One O'Clock Band. Everyone knows that hot chicks always put out for the One O'Clock Band. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david weiss Posted April 24, 2018 Report Share Posted April 24, 2018 On 4/6/2018 at 5:17 PM, sgcim said: If it's uninhabited, that creepy place outside FW sounds ideal for a found-footage horror flick. We could work in the Narco aspect; have a few ghosts of guys like Tadd Dameron, Joe Guy, Stitt, etc... haunting the place. Have some young jazz musicians just out of N.Texas State going on a road trip with their busty Dallas Cowboy cheerleader girlfriends; car breaks down; forced to spend the night in the creepy place. Tadd Dameron's ghost promises the kids some EDM tunes he's been writing in the afterlife, winds up killing them all, but the cops find one of the kids' iphone... The kids would have to know who Tadd Dameron was. Not very likely these days.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted April 24, 2018 Report Share Posted April 24, 2018 Yeah, I went to hear Jimmy Heath with the NT crew not too long ago, and...I think their heart was in the right place? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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