[Dixielandjazz] Anne Davidson

[Richard Broadie]

Great piece on Wild Bill.  While, In spite of his crude manorisms, I found
it almost incongruous, if not amazing that such beauty and sensitivity could
come from his  horn.   I'm not sure if they broke the mold before or after
he was born, but it sure got broken!    Dick
----- Original Message -----
From: "john petters" <jpettjazz at btinternet.com>
To: "Richard Broadie" <richard.broadie at gte.net>; <JimDBB at aol.com>
Cc: "DJML" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Friday, June 27, 2003 10:31 AM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Anne Davison video


> Dick said
> > Hi Jim.  I played with Wild Bill many times when he and Anne were in
> > California.  I agree that Anne almost civilized Bill.  She was the only
> one
> > who could have done it!  A truely remarkable woman.  I miss her.
>
> Almost is the right description.
> On a gig in Norwich in 89, Bill wanted to get to the venue where we were
to
> play to warm up. Anne, Art Hodes and his good lady Jan had not finished
> their meal. I took Bill and as soon as he was out of Anne's sight he was
> looking at all the young girls in the street.
> He would also wave a a cow in a field we were passing and say Hi Annie, to
> which she would say Wilhelm!! indignatly.
> Campbell Burnap told me he was driving though Brixton in S London, an area
> with a considerable Afro Carribean population. The car stopped at a
traffic
> signal. There was a fellow with the long rastafarian hair style by
Campell's
> car. The window was open and Bill uttered something like, 'look at the
hair
> on that mother'....
> She tried to curb his smoking on that tour (the drinking had finished by
> that time). He spent his time scounging ciggies from other band members
and
> hiding them in his cornet case.
> Anne also acted as mediator when Bill upset Art on a gig in Oxford. We
were
> playing Hindustan and Bill missed the first note. He glared at Art. He
> announced at the end "Goddam piano player broiught it in too fast. Art was
> upset and refused to travel in the car with Bill. I told Anne Bill was
> upset. She said "you hear that Wilhelm, you've upset Art and he's a sick
old
> man". "Yeah sick in the goddam brain, besides which he's a goddam
> communist", said Bill.
> I was intrigued. Bill said "He booked me for a parade in 1941 for the
goddam
> Reds and I've nnot forgotten it".
>
> Both Anne and Bill were keen to see his String albums reissued, pity he
> didn't live to see it.
> I too miss them and count myself lucky to have enjoyed their company if
only
> for a very short time. You folk in the USA who worked regularly with Bill
> Art and the like are lucky indeed
> John Petters
>