[Dixielandjazz] Al Hirt - Memories Of You URL

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> Now Don Goldie was a powerhouse trumpet player despite his diminutive
> stature, and he was both a master of technique and dynamics. Not that he
> was a ghigh note screamer  -  he was tasty enough to have worked quite a
> while with Jack Teagarden and to follow Bobby Hackett in making Jackie
> Gleason's gorgeous romance song albums. He was a whale of a player - and
> had an ego of gigantic proportions to match.

I didn't know about the ego issue with Goldie.  I've always marveled at his
ability to hit the pretty notes, and felt he was definitely in the Pantheon
of under-recognized musicians. Amazing that a distraction like that could
cause him to bobble a solo.

Hirt wasn't really a high note heavy hitter either (compared to the likes of
the young Maynard, Cat Anderson etc.) but what was interesting about him was
that he could knock the crap out of everything right to the top of his
range. From years of listening to him, my estimate is he had up to a high G
in his back pocket. I've never heard him play any higher than that.

Of course, Al had his moments of bobbled notes too. His performance of the
Haydn concerto on the "Pops Goes The Trumpet" album with the Boston Pops is
best forgotten.