[Dixielandjazz] Great Sit-Ins

[Chuck Kercher]

Wonderful experiences, Steve. The bread might not have been in large loaves
but the experience was priceless, n'est pas?
----- Original Message -----
From: "Stephen Barbone" <barbonestreet@earthlink.net>
To: "Dixieland Jazz Mailing List" <dixielandjazz@ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Wednesday, October 23, 2002 3:53 PM
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Great Sit-Ins


> 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
>
>
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