[Dixielandjazz] Moments With The Greats
JimDBB@aol.com
JimDBB@aol.com
Fri, 25 Oct 2002 01:02:10 EDT
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In a message dated 10/24/02 9:15:25 AM Central Daylight Time, Pepett@aol.com
writes:
> Tony,
> Your description of this irreverent, master in 1988 probably would
> have been basically the same if it had occurred in 1948 or 1958!
> Bill always abhorred 2/4 music which of course was associated with
> Banjos & Tubas! And while it cannot be denied that he had lost SOME of the
> fire at 82 years of age he could still "Peel the Wallpaper off the wall at
> any given time" and play with the fervor of a man half his age.
> My first meeting with Bill (although not a person-to-person thing)
> occurred in 1947-1948 in Condon's club.
> This was the scenario---It was either my Birthday or my Anniversary
> (can't recall because both fell in the summer ) ----there were 3 couples
> and
> we were deciding whether to go to the Paramount theater to see Charlie
> Barnet
> and a movie OR to the Village and see Condon's gang.
> Well, as it was my Station Wagon, guess where we wound up?
> While in the joint waiting for the mob to set up on the Postage
> Stamp
> they called a stage, I saw a Bass Player, a Drummer (Buzzy Drootin) a
> Trombone, I THINK Lou McGarity, a Clarinet "Peanuts" Hucko, a Piano Player
> (Gene Schroeder)
> and Condon BUT no Horn Man-------------
> I looked around in vain, did not see Bobby Hackett, Billy
> Butterfield,Red Allan, or any of the other figures I would have
> recognized------At this point Charlie Barnet looked awful good to me!!
> Suddenly from stage right, this pudgy, barrel chested man dressed
> like a bank president walked on pushing a Bass drum, placed it near the
> band
> stand, proceeded to put a couple of glasses of "WATER"( I thought) on the
> Drum, picked up an instrument case, opened it and proceeded to finger the
> valves!!
> Well, I said to myself, this is going to be a beaut, it appears as
>
> if they are allowing somebody from the audience to sit in until SOMEONE
> showed up.
> Eddie Condon stepped up on the stage, put his foot on an empty
> wooden case, mumbled something nobody could understand and they were
> off~!!!
> The first few notes this fat guy blew will live with me forever,
> it
> was the Wabash Blues as I have never heard before or since!!--and it ALMOST
>
> parted my hair.
> This was the Wild Man himself, and believe me, his choice of
> words
> was no different in 1948 then it was in 1988, nor had his appetite for
> Booze, OR women changed.
> Over the years I exchanged a few words with him at different
> venues, he was always cordial (if there was a possibility of you buying him
> a
> drink) and I am happy to say that Annie and I met and exchanged many many
> phone calls over the years, in fact she called me in sometime in August,
> 2001
> , little did I realize that it was probably to say good-bye, as she
> suffered
> a stroke in October 2001, was confined to a Nursing Home and passed on May,
>
> 2002
> Perry
Thanks, Perry, for this wonderful reminiscence of Wild Bill. Your writeup
is damn near as good as hearing the wild one himself.
Jim Beebe
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<HTML><FONT FACE=arial,helvetica><FONT SIZE=2>In a message dated 10/24/02 9:15:25 AM Central Daylight Time, Pepett@aol.com writes:<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">Tony,<BR>
Your description of this irreverent, master in 1988 probably would <BR>
have been basically the same if it had occurred in 1948 or 1958!<BR>
Bill always abhorred 2/4 music which of course was associated with <BR>
Banjos & Tubas! And while it cannot be denied that he had lost SOME of the <BR>
fire at 82 years of age he could still "Peel the Wallpaper off the wall at <BR>
any given time" and play with the fervor of a man half his age.<BR>
My first meeting with Bill (although not a person-to-person thing) <BR>
occurred in 1947-1948 in Condon's club.<BR>
This was the scenario---It was either my Birthday or my Anniversary <BR>
(can't recall because both fell in the summer ) ----there were 3 couples and <BR>
we were deciding whether to go to the Paramount theater to see Charlie Barnet <BR>
and a movie OR to the Village and see Condon's gang.<BR>
Well, as it was my Station Wagon, guess where we wound up?<BR>
While in the joint waiting for the mob to set up on the Postage Stamp <BR>
they called a stage, I saw a Bass Player, a Drummer (Buzzy Drootin) a <BR>
Trombone, I THINK Lou McGarity, a Clarinet "Peanuts" Hucko, a Piano Player <BR>
(Gene Schroeder)<BR>
and Condon BUT no Horn Man-------------<BR>
I looked around in vain, did not see Bobby Hackett, Billy <BR>
Butterfield,Red Allan, or any of the other figures I would have <BR>
recognized------At this point Charlie Barnet looked awful good to me!!<BR>
Suddenly from stage right, this pudgy, barrel chested man dressed <BR>
like a bank president walked on pushing a Bass drum, placed it near the band <BR>
stand, proceeded to put a couple of glasses of "WATER"( I thought) on the <BR>
Drum, picked up an instrument case, opened it and proceeded to finger the <BR>
valves!!<BR>
Well, I said to myself, this is going to be a beaut, it appears as <BR>
if they are allowing somebody from the audience to sit in until SOMEONE <BR>
showed up.<BR>
Eddie Condon stepped up on the stage, put his foot on an empty <BR>
wooden case, mumbled something nobody could understand and they were off~!!!<BR>
The first few notes this fat guy blew will live with me forever, it <BR>
was the Wabash Blues as I have never heard before or since!!--and it ALMOST <BR>
parted my hair.<BR>
This was the Wild Man himself, and believe me, his choice of words <BR>
was no different in 1948 then it was in 1988, nor had his appetite for <BR>
Booze, OR women changed.<BR>
Over the years I exchanged a few words with him at different <BR>
venues, he was always cordial (if there was a possibility of you buying him a <BR>
drink) and I am happy to say that Annie and I met and exchanged many many <BR>
phone calls over the years, in fact she called me in sometime in August, 2001 <BR>
, little did I realize that it was probably to say good-bye, as she suffered <BR>
a stroke in October 2001, was confined to a Nursing Home and passed on May, <BR>
2002<BR>
Perr</BLOCKQUOTE>y</FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="Arial" LANG="0"><BR>
<BR>
</FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="Arial" LANG="0"> Thanks, Perry, for this wonderful reminiscence of Wild Bill. Your writeup is damn near as good as hearing the wild one himself. <BR>
<BR>
Jim Beebe</FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="Arial" LANG="0"><BR>
</FONT></HTML>
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