[Dixielandjazz] The World's Greatest Jazz Band

[Stephen Barbone]

List mates

Perhaps the name was a bit of hyperbole, but then the WGJB, far and away
completely eclipses ANY of the current bands today playing OKOM. Those
who heard them "live" in various combinations no doubt remember just how
exciting they were.

My oh my, how wonderful that, take no prisoners, music was.

Loud? You bet. Hear the Bass? You bet. I stood between Haggart and
Lawson on a gig in 1958 or so in the Rathskeller at The Hotel Carlton in
Rockville Center, Long Island.. Could barely make myself heard, blowing
as loud as I could at the time.

A guy named Carl Wilhelm was the bone player. He had just graduated from
Julliard and was joining the Pittsburgh Symphony where he became
principal TB. He beat out our current TB player, Glenn Dodson for that
job at the audition in Pittsburgh. Talk about coincidences. Glenn was
sick with flu at the time, he claimed 35 years later when I met him.
Carl had lots of volume too. His Dixieland influence was Lee Gifford and
so there was a lot of high register horn on that gig.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone