[Dixielandjazz] Billy Maxted

[Stephen Barbone]

Dan Spink wrote:

"Steve, you actually played with Billy Maxted? Whatever happened to him?
I've been trying to find his old records or tapes or whatever. He played
in the Village with one of the tightest groups I ever heard, although
his records never sounded as good as he did in person for some reason.
Please let me know  if he's still around and where I can hear his music.
Much much appreciated"

Yes I played with one of Maxted's groups at Nick's in NYC. However,
quite by accident, and only on two nights. I knew Charlie Traeger (bass)
and Sal Pace (clarinet) who were in the band that Maxted was fronting
for a couple of weeks. They invited me to sit in, which I did. on 2
tunes. Then I was having dinner with the Traeger's a few nights later.
(Their pad was around the corner from Nick's) and Maxted called. Pace
was sick did Traeger know a clarinet player. Bingo, I gigged there the
next two nights. It was simply a case of being in the right place at the
right time.

Maxted had very tight arrangements which would have been tough for a
casual sub to follow, as you might imagine, but I had a great time with
this group which did not include all of his "regulars".  Most of the
gigs I played with Lee Gifford came later where we both were sidemen in
a band run by trumpeter Kenny Butterfield, (son of trombonist Charlie
Butterfield) The Beale Street Stompers, playing on Long Island at the
305 Club in Garden City, The Hotel Carlton in Rockville Center and the
Kit Kat Club in Bayside. We had Gene Schroeder on piano and Traeger on
bass at most of those gigs too. Some one told me that Gifford quit
playing in the 1960s and became a salesman, but I can't verify that, nor
can I find any current information about him, even on the "Trombone
Page" URL.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone

PS. Some of the Maxted sidemen used to refer to him as "Clanky Fingers".
Not sure if it was a term of endearment, or a put down, but man, his
band's were always among the tightest around. Great arrangements, like
De Paris at Ryan's, as opposed to the more "blowing" style of the groups
at Condon's or The Metropole. So you could choose your OKOM stylistic
preference in NYC and go hear a great band play it until the mid 60s or
so.