[Dixielandjazz] OLD BLACK MAGIC

[Bob Romans]

Good story some of you might like!
Bob Romans
-----Original Message-----
From: Leon Merian <lmerian at tampabay.rr.com>
To: TPIN <TPIN at tpin.dana.edu>
Date: Tuesday, June 24, 2003 7:06 PM
Subject: [TPIN] Fw: OLD BLACK MAGIC

Dear TPINER'S...Thought you 'd all like this [true] story.
               Keep honkin'......Leon Merian
This is a true story told by Oscar Peterson on his Jazz Cruise a few years
ago....
While doing a Norman Grantz Jazz at the Philharmonic all of the cats in the
band would go downstairs to the basement at half time to play poker and Ella
would come on stage with her group. As they filed downstairs they would lay
their horns on a big table in the wing.

Oscar and one other cat who didn't gamble stayed in the wings and listened
to Ella. Oscar relates that his gaze wandered over to the table where all
the horns were scattered about and out of curiosity began looking them over.
He noticed that the mouthpiece on Diz's horn was shallow with a big hole and
that Roy Eldridge's was deep with a small hole. He turned to his friend and
said, "Shall we switch mouthpieces?" They did

When Ella began singing Lady Be Good it was a cue for all the cats to come
back on stage for the big finale. They all rushed by, picked up their horns
and ran on stage. Ella finished her scat and turned to Diz and said,
"Take it Diz...."

Diz put his horn to his mouth and went splaatttt! Roy, quick to the rescue
said, "I got it Diz" and went squeeaak. Brought down the house! Oscar didn't
dare tell them that he did it.

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