[Dixielandjazz] Mezz

[Jim Denham]

I've just been reading Mezz Mezzrow's autobiography, "Really the Blues" 
(published by the 'Jazz Book Club' in 1959). It's often called 
"picaresque". Most of it is a load of self-serving bunk (IMHO) -eg, his 
attempts to make out that Jimmy Noone, Doc Poston, Sidney Bechet and 
even Louis himself, regarded him (Mezz) as an equal in musical terms (as 
opposed to valuing him as a dope supplier).

The other unpleasant side to Mezz's story is his constant wish to do 
down his early collaborators, in particular Gene Krupa, Bud Freeman and 
Frank Teschmaker. It may be that some of the "Chicagoans" went on to 
make their names in the swing-era, playing music that Mezz didn't 
approve of. But -hey- given a chance, Mezz would play "swing" too. He 
was proud to be part of bands involving Benny Carter, Chick Webb and 
Teddy Wilson (even playing drums with one of them), during the 1930's.

He was also the leader of a ground-breaking mixed-race 15-piece swing 
band called the "Disciples of Swing", including Willie "The Lion" Smith, 
Gene Sedrick and Zutty Singleton. Then band's initial success was, 
apparently, destroyed by Nazis smashing up the club they played in, 
daubing it with swastikas.

I've come to the conclusion that Mezz was basically a good guy, who did 
a lot to promote and record good music (especially Sidney Bechet, Tommy 
Ladnier and Hot Lips Page), despite his own woeful clarinet and sax 
playing (for the WORST tenor solo in jazz history, listen to Mezz on 
"When You and I Were Young, Maggie"). He was, at least sincere. And on 
one occasion, at least, managed to play half-decent clarinet: " West End 
Blues", recorded in Paris in 1953 with Buck Clayton and Kansas Fields, 
is a masterpiece and Mezz shows that when it comes to the blues, he 
really can play.

I know a musician who met Mezz in a bar in Paris in the fifties: this 
guy says "I never met anyone who seemed so content". That seems to 
contradict stories that Mezz died in "abject poverty". Does anyone know 
the truth?


-- 
Jim Denham