patricia

All I can say is.................Damn. But, I'll keep looking. There must be at least one group shot with Benny in it in existance. But, the thought occurred to me that if he was mostly in the hooscow, let out for performances, he may have been "away" when any pictures were taken. I hope not, but it's a possibility. Again, thanks EKE BBB.

Don't feel bad, EKE BBB. I not only haven't been able to find a picture of Benny, but he, as I mentioned, seems to have burst into New Orleans, full grown. I couldn't find a date he was born, a birthplace, OR a check-out date. I just found him kind of interesting in that although nobody seemed to have anything good to say about him personally, he was a hell-damner of a bass-drum player!! Because he is such an early jazzer, there may be group photos of the street bands, but it would be a guess whether he was the bass-drum player in any of them. Photos were relatively expensive and the earliest ones were taken with wooden cameras which had manual shutters. I wondered, when I was a little kid, why all my early relatives were such sourpusses. Then I realized that in those old sepia-toned pictures, they would have had to hold a smile for MINUTES, not a second or two, as they do now. As you say, help required. Back then, most photos were formal portraits, like the famous Buddy Bolden Band group shot. That picture is quite often thought to be a reverse, in that in order to show the guitarist as right-handed, everybody else appears to be holding their instruments as if they were left-handed. You're a treasure, working so hard for us though. Thank you.

That was you??? Oh well, we expected some tomfoolery on that auspicious day. No charges are pending.

Thank you EKE BBB. Both great photos, expecially the one with "Tootie" highlighted alone and magnificent!!

Thank you EKE BBB. Very nice picture of Diz. ................................ And now we'll take a brief look at BLACK BENNY [benny Williams], born sometime, somewhere, nobody knows. But the legendary drummer was reputedly the loudest, strongest bass drum player in New Orleans, and played in the New Orleans Brass Band during the first glory days of Dixieland. Benny is mentioned in Louis Armstrong's autobiography as one of his early timekeepers. He had a reputation as a total lowlife, who spent most of his non-playing time in jail. Apparently, the police used to let him out for important parades. He carried a gun and at least once, he shot a bystander during a Canal Street march-past. Black Benny's life was short, but I don't know how old he was when he died. His death was the result of a temper outburst by Benny, described this way, by Pops Foster, "Benny got killed. He hit this woman and then turned his back on her and she cut him down."

A Canadian is our next honouree, the multi-talented DIZ [William Charles] DISLEY. Disley was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada in 1931, but spent his childhood in Wales and Yorkshire. Diz Disley is mainly known as a jazz guitarist and as a bandleader. However, he was also a graduate of Leeds College of Art and was a gifted cartoonist. His art has appeared in Radio Times, Spectator, Melody Maker and Jazz Journal. His early work was with the Yorkshire Jazz Band, after which he freelanced as both a soloist and as a sideman with the very best of the British jazz bands in the fifies, such as Welsh, Brown, Ball, Bob Cort and Nancy Whiskey. He also led his own hot-style string quintets. During the sixties Diz was huge in the British folk clubs, as well as an occasional radio presenter. He introduced the Beatles at their first London Concert. He also re-introduced Stephane Grappelli to Britain. This was part of a folk tour that Diz organized and backed with his own trio. He then was the guitarist partner to Stephane Grappelli, as well as leading bands of his own. In 1985 he was consultant for a projected film about Reinhardt. Diz is remembered as one of the charming eccentrics of acoustic music in Britain. Diz Disley was busily working away in the 1990's, still free lancing, as well as drawing for the Walt Disney Studios. So, a lifetime doing the two things he loved, playing music and drawing, both beautifully. Unless he's died recently, Diz is still up and around.

Once again, thank you EKE BBB. J.C. was sum punkins!! B) And now, we have KANSAS [Carl Donnell] FIELDS, a fabulous drummer who was born in Chapman, Kansas in 1915. Fields was known as one of the best and most versatile jazz drummers, who worked early in his career with Eddie Mullins and Horace Henderson, joining Roy Eldridge at the Capitol Lounge in 1940, staying until 1941. He then went with Ella Fitzgerald, who had taken over Chick Webb's orchestra. Work with Benny Carter, Edgar Hayes and Charlie Barnet followed, before he joined the military, serving in the Merchant Marine. During that time, he doubled concerts with Eddie Condon and also did club work at Minton's. I've mentioned Sid Catlett's ease at bridging the stylistic gap between Dixieland and Bop, as well as Dave Tough's difficulty with the transition. Fields had no difficulty doing this and continued his career, unabated with varying artists, such as Dizzy Gillespie and Mezz Mezzrow. In 1953, after a tour with Mezzrow in France, Fields settled in Paris and recorded with Sidney Bechet, Buck Clayton, Teddy Buckner and Benny Waters. Then, in 1965 he moved back to Chicago, working there, as well as recording with Gillespie and playing studio sessions. But, in later years, Fields seemed to have used all the arrows in his musical quiver and simply dry up. By the time he trudged to the end of his life in 1995, the great KANSAS FIELDS was working as a doorman in an apartment building. But, in his prime, Fields was one of the greats.

Well, Maren, one good thing. You missed my customary solo tango on the bar, after that inadvisable third glass of wine. BTW, I love it here too.

And now, let's talk about HAPPY [Albert] CALDWELL, who played tenor sax as well as clarinet. Happy was known as a trail-blazer in the early days of the advent of the tenor sax. Rex Stewart said of Caldwell that he was "a great unheraleded influence on tenor saxophone". Caldwell stayed very busy in the 1920's and 1930's and toured with Bernie Young's band as well as with Mamie Smith. He followed that with associations with a string of big bands, including Fletcher Henderson's, Vernon Andrade's, Charlie Johnson's as well as Tiny Bradshaw's. I found it interesting that Caldwell and Rex Stewart regularly commuted from band to band. As Stewart described this time, "It was Happy and Rex against the world. Happy knew his way around. We spent part of each day finding a sheltered place to sleep and the rest of the time hustling hot dog money." Louis Armstrong's 1932 sides with Jack Bland's Rhythmakers, which featured Henry "Red" Allen and Jelly Roll Morton's remake in 1939 of "Winin' Boy Blues" are classic records on which Caldwell was a part. Many see a similarity between Caldwell's and Coleman Hawkins' styles, but Hawkins moved forward, while Caldwell didn't choose to relentlessly push forward with his career. According to Kenny Clarke, by 1939 Caldwell was leading a tiny band in the back of Minton's, frequented by, as Clarke put it, "...old men". Caldwell was certainly not old, at thirty-six, but his style, much like Prince Robinson's, just seemed to stay static and there are no records which exist to chart his reaction to the newly emerging BeBop. Nevertheless, his name stayed well-known, at least around New York, leading a band at Small's Paridise and he stayed working until his death in 1978.

J.C. [James Charles] HEARD was a fine drummer, who started his musical journey with Teddy Wilson's band in 1939 at twenty-two. He followed that with periods with Benny Carter in the early forties and Cab Calloway after that. Then, in 1947 Heard had his own sextet for two years. As the fifties began, J.C. played regularly with Norman Granz's Jazz At The Philharmonic, before moving to Japan to lead his own band. This band, for a while, included Toshiko, the well-known pianist. By the mid-fifties, Heard had moved back to New York. He resumed his work with Jazz At The Philharmonic as well as playing with Coleman Hawkins' quintet, when it was led by Roy Eldridge. He also played with society leader, Lester Lanin, before joining with Teddy Wilson for a year. Heard then had a short spell with Dorothy Donegan, the pianist, before leading bands in Las Vegas and Detroit. J.C. HEARD continued to tour and he led an all-star band. Unfortunately, he never achieved the high profile of Jo Jones, or of Gene Krupa. However, J.C. is remembered as a graceful and extremely elegant drummer, who knew everything there was to know about his art. After Jo Jones died, J.C. did everything he could to keep the flame alive. But, in Sept of 1988 J.C. Heard died, at seventy-one years old.

You're just noticing that *now*????

I'm green with envy and hate you quite a bit. Great finds!!

Eat your picnic lunch, including the jellied salad, Chris, or NO DESSERT FOR YOU!!!

HOT LIPS [Henry] LEVINE is next up and he was born in London, in 1907. He had lived in New York from the time he was six months old. Hot Lips learned to play the bugle, when he was in a Boy Scout troop. He then took lessons from Max Schlossberg and later played up the trumpet. He soloed in the Brooklyn Boys' High School, working from then on with bands from one end of New York to the other in the 1920's. One of his closest friends was Phil Napoleon. By the time 1926 came around, Levine had replaced Nick La Rocca in the Original Dixieland Jazz Band. He played with Vincent Lopez and then joined Ambrose's Band in London in 1927. Hot Lips then returned to New York, working for theatre orchestras and band leaders and, starting in 1940 he directed the Chamber Music Society of Lower Basin Street, which was an in-house Dixieland band. The band had it's own programme called Strictly Dixie and he recorded with Dinah Shore, Jelly Roll Morton and Sidney Bechet. HOT LIPS LEVINE was the musical director for Radio NBK and NBC TV in Cleveland. He worked constantly as a bandleader in Miami a well as in Las Vegas. As far as I know, Hot Lips Levine is still up and around.

TA DA!!!! .....Unaccustomed as I am to public speaking............... Wrong thread, you say?? Not the first time...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ORGANISSIMO!!!! I get one of the TIGGERS from the cake!!! A glass of whatever everyone's having, raised to honour the ORGANISSIMO BB!!! Thanks to everyone for putting up with my charming eccentricities.

So, what time is it, RIGHT NOW??? March 6, 9:24AM here. What did I miss???

MERRY BIRTHDAY ORGANISSIMO!!!! Presentable???? You ask too much. The time that's shown here is always different that my time [right now, 9:22AM] so I have no idea whether I should be setting up the chairs, because I'm way early, or folding up the chairs, because everybody's leaving. So, what time is it for everybody else??

Just remember the Box-Lunch Social down by the creek on Sunday! As long as I can bring my giant tuna-noodle casserole with the potato chips on the top, or the chicken/prune/broccoli surprise [the surprise being that anyone would eat it] or an array of jellied salads. Better yet, I volunteer to bring the water for the lemonade!!!

OK, now, a brief departure from strictly jazz artists, to somebody who captivated me when I saw him perform, live, several years ago. This man was pure magic!!! His name was BIG [Clerence Heratious] MILLER. I still remember the impact he had on me when I was a teenager, although by then he was close to the end of his long career. Big had begun his musical journey as a teenager in Kansas City, as one of the so-called "blues shouters". He also sang with Count Basie's band, as well as Duke Ellington's. His career really took off with his involvement with Jon Hendricks' "Evolution of The Blues" revue in the 1950's. His powerful voice and charismatic stage presence served him well over the years and hadn't diminished by the time I saw him. As his nickname suggests, he was a man of very large persuasion, but that only made him more compelling, with his by then silver hair and gorgeous eyes. Wow. When he opened his mouth to sing, the most beautiful, rich, smooth voice slid over you and you were hypnotized. The man could sing. Big was doing a promotion tour for his album when the tour ran out of money in Vancouver B.C. He was totally broke, but decided that he would work his way across Canada and back home to the East Coast. To that end, he played every major venue in Canada, from Vancouver to Edmonton, right over to Toronto and Montreal. During this time Big had befriended Tommy Banks, an Edmonton jazz musician/promoter and decided, rather than move back south, he would make his home in Edmonton Alberta, which he did. He loved it there and made that his base, although he travelled all over Canada and the U.S. as well as to Europe. A few years after he settled in Canada, he became a Canadian citizen. BIG MILLER was a well-respected musician who endeared himself to his new home and, after he died, a statue to honour him was erected in Edmonton.

I didn't mean to be nosey,, but I found that as my circle of friends expanded and I had a chance to hang with people who shared my taste in jazz, it wasn't so hard to find kindred spirits. Have you jazz clubs in your town, or any other venue in which jazzers congregate?? I live in big-hat, pointy boot country and it was a good two years before I found my niche. It's so much easier if you can share your love of jazz.

Vibes, I know I shouldn't ask a gentleman his age, but...........how old are you?? I ask because you mentioned in passing, that you had no friends who listen to jazz.

Well, we do what we can.

Sure, SGud. Flaunt your musicality in my decidedly workmanlike, musically speaking face. People beg me not to play the violin and barely tolerate my sojourns on the piano. BUT I have excellent ears.

EEEE-HAW!!!! I have an uncontrollable urge to put on a flowered housedress, a pair of sensible shoes and a really ugly hat, with flowers on it and play the musical saw. Just stop........