[Dixielandjazz] Great Sit-Ins

[Stephen Barbone]

One of mine came with Coleman Hawkins, and then Roy Eldridge, on
successive nights. I was with The Southampton Dixie Racing and Clambake
Society Jazz Band from Long Island New York, and we played every summer
in Southampton at various places, one of which was Charlie Bates' Tiana
Beach Club on the Atlantic Ocean.

Bates also hooked us up to play at The Hampton Arts Theatre, where artsy
foreign films were shown. We played an hour set before the film on a
Friday and then Saturday night. Bates, being ever the promoter booked
Bean to play with us on Friday night, and Little Jazz on Saturday night.
In 1959 or 60, I think. I still have the poster on my wall in my home
office, but it doesn't have the year.

The SDRCS, with Bean and then Eldridge, plus the movie cost a grand
total of $1.80. We got several hundred people each night. Bean went back
to NYC after the show Friday, but Eldridge stayed Saturday night and we
went to one of those grand Southampton mansion parties afterwards.

Both were accomplished Dixieland players, and both were wonderful men.
Bean even asked us to play "The Chant". I later played a few more times
with both of them in NYC and it was an extraordinary experience each
time.

Other memorable sit ins for me took place earlier in time with Sidney
Bechet and then later with Thelonious Monk, but that's another genre.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone