[Dixielandjazz] club fires

[Charlie Hooks]

on 7/26/02 5:25 PM, James Kashishian at kash@ran.es wrote:

> 
>> Surely you didn't mean to suggest that you KNEW something about the
> cause of
>> the fire!! ;-)
> 
> I played a jazz club in Madrid 7 nites a week from 1967 to 1971, then
> continued on one nite a week for 25 yrs until the club burned down.  One
> week before the fire, I told the boss that they should do something
> about the electricity connections on the stage.  The fire broke out the
> following week on the stage, of course.  To this day, I feel responsible
> for having put the idea in his head, even though I can't honestly say it
> wasn't really just an accident.   Nevertheless (& adding to my
> suspicions!), the owner never collected a cent on the insurance.
> 
> Jim Kash

    Texas in 1946, band was working 6 nights a week in a club owned by one
of the local wise guys, doing fine, no problem.  We always left the bass and
drums on the stand unless we booked something of Sunday.  But the crowds had
fallen off a bit.  One Saturday night after the job, the bartender accosts
Dick Smith, the bass man.

    "Hey, Smithers!  Don't you never practice?  You should take that big ol'
fiddle home and practice.

    "Whaddaya mean, practice?" Smith is irate.  "Christ, I play five hours a
night six nights a week, last thing I need is..."

    "Smitty!" the drummer's hip, is already packing up.  "Smit, take your
damn bass and get out of here with it.  The man says, practice...?  So,
practice!"

    "Aw--uh--yeah, ok."  Smith is not too swift, but even he is beginning to
get the drift here.   They both packed up everything.

    Sure enough, that night--down to the basement.   I've always had a soft
spot for that bartender.  He didn't have to do that; but he saw a couple of
kids set to lose all they had, and he fixed it.  Name was Joey.  Joey
something, but I don't remember what.

Charlie