[Dixielandjazz] Re: Dick Cary

[Bill Haesler]

Dear Paul, Warren, Bonnie, Burt and Jim.
I first met Dick Carey when he came to Australia in 1964 with the Eddie Condon
Band.
A few of us took time off work, met the band at the airport and drove them back
to the Festival Hall venue for the sound check, then on to the hotel.
It was here that a shyish Mr Cary introduced himself to me saying that, as the
odd man out, we probably would not know who he was.
I assured him that we certainly did and that I had the Louis' 1947 Town Hall
Concert and Victor studio records to prove it, among other records he had made.
I don't think he expected Australians to know anything about jazz.
(Eddie Condon told us on arrival about Joe Rushton's tragic death a few days
before, and also about Jack Teagarden (mid Jan). We did not know about Joe, but
when I told Eddie that Tea had been given a two-third page obit in our Melbourne
daily, 'The Age', he was astounded. "He only got a few lines in Variety!" said
Condon. 
But I digress (as usual).
We haunted the band at the venue and parties all the time they were in
Melbourne. Buck Clayton, Vic Dickenson, Bud Freeman, Pee Wee Russell, Dick Cary,
Jack Lesberg (who later lived and recorded here for a while), Condon, Cliff
Leeman and Jimmy Rushing. I also spent several hours with Buck Clayton and Mr
Rushing, listening to them catching up and talking about the 'old' days. I was
in Heaven!)
Dick Cary returned to Australia as the special guest of the 31st Australian Jazz
Convention in 1976. It was held over the last week in December in Brisbane, in
hot and humid Queensland.
Dick fitted like a glove, sitting in with everyone. He and I spent some time
together (he remembered me from the Condon tour) and shared quite a few 'dirty'
jokes over the week. I was present for the two day 'mix 'n' match' recording
session which teamed Carey with top Oz jazz musicians Bob & Len Barnard, Ade
Monsbourgh, Neville Stribling (Simon's dad), Ken Herron; Ed Gaston, Lachie
Thompson, Frank Johnson and Mileham Hayes (who organised the recording). 
A great LP, unfortunately now well and truly deleted. 
Kind regards,
Bill.
PS: Apologies Paul. I thought you were putting Dick Cary down.