[Dixielandjazz] Jim Beebe vs. Lee Wiley

[john petters]

Don said
> Am I a big  fan of Lee Wiley? Any answer I give is an understatement. It
was
> my great good fortune to meet her in NY in 1949 -- just out of high school
> and spending the summer in NY where my dad (Red Ingle) was playing a long
> gig. We haunted the Nick's, Condons, and other jazz joints on his nights
> off, and I heard some of the best. When Lee came into the club dad was
> working and sat at table where I was seated, I met the lady and talked
with
> her in my teenaged awed awkwardness. When she was invited to come up and
do
> a number with the band, Red asked her what she wtnted to do. She looked at
> me at the table, and said your son is pretty high on I'm Coming Virginia,
so
> let's try that one.

You are a very lucky man indeed Don. Over this side of tye pond and being
born in '53 meant I missed a chance of seeing or working with most of the
great jazz artistes. Lee must have been something to experience live. I
don't find many musicians who dislike her, its more a case of Lee who? She
is not a household name over here in the same way as Boswell or Bailey. I've
yet to hear anything by her that I do not like. Condon announced her as the
world's greatest jazz singer. Such an accolade is fine by me. On one of he
Buck CDs she shows her human side. She tries to sing 'When I leave the World
Behind' with Joe Bushkin and the take breaks down several times and Joe has
to push her into completing it. It was well worth the effort. As I said, the
current crop of young UK girl singers would do well to listen to her as well
as Bille, Anita and the rest.
Cheers
John Petters
Amateur Radio Station G3YPZ
www.traditional-jazz.com