[Dixielandjazz] Emily

[Chuck Kercher]

Amen Charlie, Haven't had much time for the List this last week but missed
seeing your name when I did take a look. I'll write off-line about why I've
been busy.
Most have probably seen this:

> > A bass player was broke and wishing for a cheap
> vacation when he saw a
> > > > startling advertisement in the
> > > > Sunday travel section of the New York Times:
> > > > "Mississippi Riverboat Cruises!   Four days,
> three nights on the Big
> > > Muddy.
> > > > Special fare for
> > > > bass players - $1.99!  Bring your bass to
> claim the reduced rate.
> Number
> > > of
> > > > discount fares limited.
> > > > Other restrictions may apply."
> > > >
> > > > Feeling both a little incredulous and excited,
> he bundled up his dog
> house
> > > > and headed down to the docks.
> > > > Locating the ticket window, he approached it a
> little shyly, set down
> his
> > > > bass and said
> > > > "I'm here to inquire about the $1.99 cruise
> for bass players."
> > > >
> > > > "Do you have your bass with you, sir?
> > > >
> > > > "You bet I do. It's right here."
> > > >
> > > > "Well, then there'll be no problem arranging
> your cruise. Where's your
> > > > $1.99"?"
> > > >
> > > > As he was digging into his front pants pocket
> he was hit on the back
> of
> > > the
> > > > head with a blunt object
> > > > and fell to the ground.
> > > >
> > > > Waking some hours later, he found himself tied
> to his bass, floating
> down
> > > the
> > > > Mississippi, his head aching. Unable to free
> himself, he floated for
> some
> > > > time and after awhile, began to see real
> beauty in the passing
> riverscape,
> > > > the trees, herons startling out of the
> shallows, catfish surfacing. He
> > > fell
> > > > off to sleep for a little while.
> > > >
> > > > When he awoke, he became aware of another man,
> tied to a bass,
> floating
> > > near
> > > > him, and, realizing
> > > > that he was famished and thirsty, he called
> over to the other
> musician,
> > > > "Hey, man. Do they serve
> > > > any food or drinks on this cruise?"
> > > >
> > > > The other bass player replied  "They didn't
> last year."
>



----- Original Message -----
From: "Charlie Hooks" <charliehooks@earthlink.net>
To: "DJML Dixieland Jazz" <dixielandjazz@ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Saturday, August 17, 2002 4:40 PM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Emily


> on 8/13/02 4:04 AM, Dick Sleeman at d.sleeman@hccnet.nl wrote:
>
> > Maybe most of you wouldn't reckon it ("Emily") among "jazz" or even
OKOM. But
> to me it is certainly MKON!
>
>     May I butt in to say that, IMHO, "Emily" is one of the most moving,
most
> playable, enhanceable, most endearing of tunes.  Any player of OKOM who
does
> not yet know this tune should learn it immediately.  Hard to think of a
> better jazz waltz.
>
>     Let's face it: Mandel and Mercer!  What a combination!  Mandel is
always
> so simple and so graceful, so "right"; and Mercer!  Oh, Mercer!  John
> Mercer, the perfect lyricist: taking Shakespeare's advice to the players,
> "speak the speech trippingly on the tongue..." and illustrating it in
every
> lyric he wrote: nothing ever that would tie the tongue, nothing ever that
> would give pause in any way to the easy enjoyment of syllables musically
> aligned with sense.
>
>     Check me out here: spot a Mercer lyric, any of them for all those
years,
> that presents the slightest difficulty.  He's close to perfect, this guy
is!
>
>     A Southern boy, living in New York only because that's where things
were
> happening, all his feelings--how he thinks, how he talks--are marks of a
> well-bred Southerner become Very Hip, a very talented musician.  Mercer's
> lyrics are not merely easy to pronounce; they will actually help you to
> swing the tune if you listen and feel them.
>
> Charlie
>
>
>
>
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