[Dixielandjazz] Mixed race lineups, Chicago Style

[Don Ingle]

In the Jazz Ltd. house when I was holding the trumpet chair for near five
years, we always had black players in the band. When I started there were
three -- Mike McKendrick (a lovely and gentle man who played guitar and
banjo), drummer Freddy Kohlman, and bassman Quinn Wilson, who as a
16-year-old recorded on tuba with Jelly Roll Morton's Red Hot Peppers. In
fact in 1963 there was a fourth black player, pianist Earl Washington,
making it four blacks  out of seven players. It was  no big deal -- we just
played and the club was always filled with mostly white audiences who were
enthusiastic as any anywhere.
Later, after Mike died, Manny Sayles came up from NO., Earl left and several
white players took piano chair, including Art Hodes and Dave Remington who
split the week for a couple months.
We had pianist Dave Phelps, then black pianist Rozelle Claxton, a good
player, who was on the band at the same time Beebe was on it.
There was never any problem with audience, and the band guys were good
friends
among themselves. When Quinn Wilson and his wife had a late in life baby,
Ronnie, Jean and I were honored to be asked to be Godparents. We accepted
and were happy that we were thought well enough by a black family to have a
white couple take on that role.
   To those that would have a problem with this, I can only say...GET OVER
IT!!
   Don Ingle
----- Original Message -----
From: "Charlie Hooks" <charliehooks at earthlink.net>
>     That may well be the case in some white neighborhoods, but I don't
> personally know of any here in the Chicago area.  My own band of 6 always
> had a black pianist and a black bassist for years until the bassist died
at
> 86 and the pianist retired at 85.