[Dixielandjazz] Gigging with your Grandson

[Stephen Barbone]

List Mates:

As many of you know, the bass player for Barbone Street Jazz Band is Ace
Tesone. He gigged in 1948 with Lester Young, and afterwards with Ben
Webster, Buddy Rich, Max Roach, Mel Torme, Charlie Ventura, Billie
Holiday, Clifford Brown, and a host of other jazz legends of the 20th
century.

Earlier this month, we were playing a gig at a public park and his
grandson, just turned 14, was visiting. The young man, Mike, is a
budding drummer and so I asked him to sit in. Well, he did a fine job
and played 5 tunes with us and his Grand dad on bass. What a thrill for
both.

About a week passed, and then I send him a note (he lives 500 miles
away) with a check for the gig saying, "Now you can tell everyone you
played a paying gig with Ace Tesone, one of the great jazz bass players
over the last 55 years, as well as your Grand dad." It was a surprise.

Mike called me tonight, bubbling over. And so I just want to pass it on.
If you ever get the chance to do something like this, for anyone, by all
means do it.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone
http://home.earthlink.net/~barbonestreet/

PS. Not my original idea. Sidney Bechet did it to me in 1955 when I sat
in with him and I've never forgotten the thrill. He said "Now you tell
everyone you played a paying gig with Bechet."