[Dixielandjazz] Re:Mildred Bailey remembered

[dingle at baldwin-net.com]

Bill Haesler wrote:

>Dear Stan,
>I can't fault your Mildred selection, except that I've never been all that
>keen on "Weekend Of A Private Secretary".
>I fact, I had to play it again to remind myself of it.
>(Then left the rest of the CD run, of course.)
>Nor have I ever cared much for the commercial Deccas made in 1941-42, with
>several exceptions.
>Although I believe that I have everything that Mildred bailey did from Oct
>1929 up to Feb 1942, her wartime material and later sides are
>under-represented in my collection. Most are rare and scattered across a
>mess of obscure records.
>Kind regards,
>Bill. 
>
>    
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>Dixielandjazz mailing list Dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
>http://ml.islandnet.com/mailman/listinfo/dixielandjazz
>
>
>  
>
I am among the lucky -- I met Mildred Bailey in Chicago when I was in my 
teens. I had been with my mother on a trip from CA to MI
to visit with my maternal grandparents, and we took a train from 
Michigan on the way home and stayed over a nght at the old Stevens Hotel 
-- now the Conrad Hilton -- in Chicago.
I heard that Joe Marsala was at the Blue Note with Mildred Bailey and 
got my mother to take us there (had to have an adult with me in order to 
go there)
and we got there and sat at a small "duece" table (made for two but 
could hold four if the place was crowded.)
I asked Mildred if she recalled my dad, and she said that she did from 
the Ted Weems day when they did theater dates on the same bill (a common
thing in the 30's.)  She had a drink with us as we chatted and listened 
to Joe Marsala's group.  (Little did I know that I would work part of a 
summer in Aspen Colorado with Joe and Adele, his harp playing wife, the 
summer or 1960. )
Mildred was an interesting lady, and when she got up to sing, I was 
happily surprised to hear here singing numbers that I didn't know anyone 
besides Joe Rushton, Jack Teagarden or Red Nicols knew -- the whole book 
of Willard Robeson songs. She knocked me out with a version of "Guess 
I'll Go Back Home Next Summer."
Joe was riding on the popularity of his hit song  Don't Cry Joe  (Don't 
Cry Joe -- Let Her  Go, Let Her Go, Let Her Go..)
As I said, I was once again lucky in my life to have had this single but 
memorable evening listening in person to the Rocking Chair Lady.
It was so pleasant to see this name pop up. As a listee has long 
noted...Is this a great list or what?
Don Ingle