[Dixielandjazz] Re: Ernie Carson

Fri, 5 Jul 2002 22:44:39 EDT

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 charliehooks@earthlink.net writes:

> .snipped:
> 
>     So we kick off the gig and still no Ernie.  We cover.  Lead on 
> Trombone.
> Lead on clarinet.  Tune after tune.  No Ernie.  End of first set.  Beebe 
> not
> much surprised, not really purturbed.  "Well, he'll be around....Ernie's a
> little...well, you gotta make allowances...
> 
>     Second intermission I go out for a jug, pass plate glass front window 
> of
> Mexican joint: Ernie's in the window, scarfing down a house special.  He
> looks over at me; I walk on by, flipping him a salute.  Figure he'll show
> later, since Blackstone is just around corner.  Never does.  Never shows at
> all.  Months later at a festival, Beebe pays him his money!  I'm standing
> right there watching, and can't believe what I'm seeing: Beebe is paying 
> off
> this critter for NOT showing up, for NOT calling us, for...God knows what!
> 
>     Go figure.  I figure, well: it's Ernie Carson; that's all.  Never got 
> to
> play with him.  Didn't even get high with him.  Watched him get high and
> higher and evaporate.
> 
> 
   Thanks charlie (Not) for reminding me of our encounter with the Dreadful 
Great, Ernie Carson.  Why did I pay Ernie Carson?  Just one of countless 
stupid things that I have done throughout my life.

    As I remember Charlie, Carson did play part of the first night.  The 
second night (saturday) he called me about two hours before gig start and 
announced that he wouldn't be able to play.  I reminded him that I had gone 
out of my way to accomodate him...I put him on the gig for the weekend and 
squeezed a room out of the Blackstone etc. (  He or Kim Cusack had called me 
and asked me to hire him for the weekend as he was coming into Chicago.)  
After this entreaty, Ernie still maintained that he would not be able to 
play.  I suggested that he take a nap and he should be ok, he was right there 
in the hotel.  At this he rattled off a 'f... you and said "why don't you 
fire me?'  I had had enough by then and rang off.  I called Bobby Lewis and 
he happened to be free and said that he would come down and play the gig and 
he did.

When we saw Carson later at a Jazz Fest I was overcome by a weird urge to pay 
him for the half night that he played.  He, of course, accepted the 
money...no apology, as I recall.   

To those who have called me to account for this, I apologize.  It never 
happened again.

Jim Beebe

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<HTML> charliehooks@earthlink.net writes: 
 
 
<BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">.snipped: 
 
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; So we kick off the gig and still no Ernie.&nbsp; We cover.&nbsp; Lead on Trombone. 
Lead on clarinet.&nbsp; Tune after tune.&nbsp; No Ernie.&nbsp; End of first set.&nbsp; Beebe not 
much surprised, not really purturbed.&nbsp; "Well, he'll be around....Ernie's a 
little...well, you gotta make allowances... 
 
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Second intermission I go out for a jug, pass plate glass front window of 
Mexican joint: Ernie's in the window, scarfing down a house special.&nbsp; He 
looks over at me; I walk on by, flipping him a salute.&nbsp; Figure he'll show 
later, since Blackstone is just around corner.&nbsp; Never does.&nbsp; Never shows at 
all.&nbsp; Months later at a festival, Beebe pays him his money!&nbsp; I'm standing 
right there watching, and can't believe what I'm seeing: Beebe is paying off 
this critter for NOT showing up, for NOT calling us, for...God knows what! 
 
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Go figure.&nbsp; I figure, well: it's Ernie Carson; that's all.&nbsp; Never got to 
play with him.&nbsp; Didn't even get high with him.&nbsp; Watched him get high and 
higher and evaporate. 
 
</BLOCKQUOTE> 
&nbsp;&nbsp; Thanks charlie (Not) for reminding me of our encounter with the Dreadful Great, Ernie Carson.&nbsp; Why did I pay Ernie Carson?&nbsp; Just one of countless stupid things that I have done throughout my life. 
 
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; As I remember Charlie, Carson did play part of the first night.&nbsp; The second night (saturday) he called me about two hours before gig start and announced that he wouldn't be able to play.&nbsp; I reminded him that I had gone out of my way to accomodate him...I put him on the gig for the weekend and squeezed a room out of the Blackstone etc. (&nbsp; He or Kim Cusack had called me and asked me to hire him for the weekend as he was coming into Chicago.)&nbsp; After this entreaty, Ernie still maintained that he would not be able to play.&nbsp; I suggested that he take a nap and he should be ok, he was right there in the hotel.&nbsp; At this he rattled off a 'f... you and said "why don't you fire me?'&nbsp; I had had enough by then and rang off.&nbsp; I called Bobby Lewis and he happened to be free and said that he would come down and play the gig and he did. 
 
When we saw Carson later at a Jazz Fest I was overcome by a weird urge to pay him for the half night that he played.&nbsp; He, of course, accepted the money...no apology, as I recall.&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 
To those who have called me to account for this, I apologize.&nbsp; It never happened again. 
 
Jim Beebe 
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </HTML>

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