[Dixielandjazz] Hall Bros./Butch Thompson recollection

[Don Ingle]

Butch - et al:
Glad to see you back and a bit more active on the list, Butch. It also
triggered a memory, for which I have some photos somewhere in my maze of
stacks.
We, the Sons of Bix, played at Hall Bros. Emporium of Jazz twice, and you
were on the Hall band on clarinet rather than piano. I remember Red on
Drums, a character on the par with Barrett and Hey Hey Humphries, and
g-o-o-d! Too soon gone.
I recall those bright, lemn yellow polo shirts your guys wore when
alternating sets with us. Sort of a collective case of jaundice on the
hoof.! Think Bill was on trombone instead of bass at that time. A fine
little band. Charlie DeVore and I shared one thing -- his dad. I worked with
Dave for a short time when he subbed at Jazz Led., in Chicago. Charlie and
Joanne and Jean and I still trade Christmas cards and notes, but are just
too far away to socialize.
Another memory of our second trip there would have made a great Laurel and
Hardy movie. Tom Fletcher and I were going to fly  in his plane (bad idea
now that I think of it after his last flight) up to Minn., but he had to get
some work down on it so we booked with Northeast to fly out of Muskegon. At
flight time a fog moved in and they wouldn't let us embark. So we drove
around the lake to try getting out of  O'Hare only to find the same story.
So we drive on to Madison, now having clocked over 325 miles, and finally
got on a flight to Twin Cities. We grabbed suit bags and horns, and a cab,
and as we drove to Mendota, Tom and I changed into tuxedos in the back seat,
with a worried looking Hindu driver staring bug-eyed at us as if we were
practicing for the finals in a Kuma class. We finally pulled up at Hall
Brothers, paid the cabbie who took off burning rubber, ran inside to find
the first set half over and Charlie and your trombonist filling in. Michigan
to Minnesota in just 6 and a half hours.
My first MC line was..."A funny thing happened on the way to the gig!"
It was the old line -- The Show Must Go On. Why? Because if it doesn't you
don't get paid!
I do remember that in spite of the travel plans being FUBAR, working with
the Halls once again was a hoot. A great band, and it was a sad thing when
the club went under.
And all this time you lurkers thought we did this stuff for the art! No,,,
just for the memories of interesting times to live through!
Don Ingle