[Dixielandjazz] FW: Article about Chuck Hedges

[Bill Haesler]

Dear friends,
The following article sent to the Jazz-Traditional-Swing-Mainstrean list by
'duneiac' may be of interest to some DJMLers.
Very kind regards,
Bill.


>From the Inverness Courier:

He may live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but clarinettist Chuck Hedges
fits firmly into the Chicago theme of this year's Nairn Jazz
Festival - he was born and brought up in Chicago, and has led his
Chicago Swingtet at the famous Andy's Jazz Lounge on Mondays for 20
years now.

His appearance tonight at the Newton Hotel and earlier in the week at
Forres and Findhorn is something of a coup for Ken Ramage. Hedges has
never performed in Scotland before, even in his time touring with
Wild Bill Davison, and is looking forward to breaking that duck.

He made the festival director promise that he will be able to sample
haggis while he is here, and was eager to let listeners hear his
Swingtet first-hand rather than simply on their recordings for the
Arbors label.

The band features a classic swing combination pioneered by Benny
Goodman. Chuck's clarinet is complemented by Dave Sullivan on guitar
and Duane Thamm on vibes, with Stewart Miller on bass and Charlie
Braugham on drums.

"I think this is probably the best line-up of the group I ever had, "
he declared before flying the Atlantic. "That combination came from
Goodman, of course. He was the first jazz player to really give
prominence to vibes, but then he had Lionel Hampton. I like guitar in
the band - I've known some great guitarists, and very often when you
go to play someplace, the piano is a piece of. . . Well, I won't say
what, but I guess you get the idea.

"So the guitar gives us great versatility and we don't have to worry
about the state of the piano.

The range of the guitar also matches the range of the clarinet - as
far as the octaves go, we are right on the money there, and with the
vibes it is a real nice blend."

Chuck admits to being a "late starter" as a musician, only taking
seriously to his instrument after college in the early Fifties. It
led to some memorable opportunities.

"A young man who was interviewing me on the radio some years ago
asked me what made me decide to play jazz clarinet, " he
laughed, "and I said it was severe emotional deficiency! I listened
to jazz as a kid - I think the first record I ever heard was on a
wind-up Victrola with a bamboo needle, and it was by Jimmy Lunceford.
My family was musical, but not jazz-orientated.

"I played clarinet in high school a little bit, and eventually I got
in with a bunch of guys who wanted to form a band in 1953, and we
started playing and learning material from the old records. I got
my "High Society" solo from Lester Bouchon - I wore that old 78
record out.

"We started playing around Chicago, and there were maybe five or six
Dixieland bands working around town, so whenever somebody need a sub
for a gig, they would call the kid - me.

I used to go along to clubs for the last set, and sometimes I had to
walk miles to get there, because I was broke. I would walk in and the
old clarinet players in the bands would always say, c'mon Chuck, come
sit in on the last set, and of course they would pack up their horns
and go home to bed.

"I was the job-shortener, " he laughed, "and I loved it! I was
exploited, but I was getting to play and network with these guys -
we're talking about people like George Brunies and Muggsy Spanier and
Danny Alvin and Art Hodes, great, great musicians in that style. That
was how I got started, then I progressed up into the style of the
Swing Era, and that is where I have pretty much stayed, I guess.

"I find mainstream swing is the most intriguing music, and I haven't
finally it figured it out yet. I still go back to the Chicago style
of ensemble as well for real hardblowing stuff without any apparent
arrangement, but of course with structure, just to see what happens.
If you have good players around you, it's a lot of fun."

He has particularly fond memories of his time spent touring with
cornetist Wild Bill Davison and his mercurial drummer, Barrett Deems,
whose associations included a famous spell in Louis Armstrong's All-
Stars in the mid-Fifties, and a subsequent band with trombonist Jack
Teagarden.

"Wild Bill was special, " he confirmed. "My great adventure in music
was playing with Wild Bill. I grew up with the Condon tradition, and
I was lucky enough to know and work with a lot of those guys. He was
a very special man, and I still miss him a lot to this day.

"That was a great era, and working with Bill was really something.

And Barrett Deems, the drummer - Barrett took special handling! I
caught Barrett at the end of his playing days, and he was astounding.
He was everything that his legend says as a drummer, and he was
everything that the legend says as a person, too!"

He may have been a late starter, as he claimed, but his dedication to
his instrument is legendary in jazz circles, and he spent many years
repairing woodwind instruments as well as playing. He sees the
clarinet as the greatest of the reed instruments, and has spent most
of his life attempting to produce a fine sound, good technique, and a
real jazz feel in his playing.

""I don't believe in playing other people's licks, " he declared.

"That's the easy way to sound good, but if I did that I'd be bored to
death. For me, jazz should be off-the-cuff - always with a structure,
but you have to take a chance. Sometimes, I even surprise myself."

The clarinettist has bounced back from a bout of colon cancer a
couple of years ago, and is looking forward to his latest trip,
although he is concerned about his wife's health.

"I'm 72 and I'm surprised, " he laughed when I enquire after his own
well-being. "The endurance factor falls off a bit, but otherwise I'm
feeling good. I found a great surgeon and he took care of everything.

"My wife is having problems with her health just now, and
unfortunately she won't be able to come over with us as planned, but
we are hoping to get her fixed up very soon. Some of the other guys
are bringing their wives, and we're really looking forward to coming
over there."




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