[Dixielandjazz] Al Hirt and Don Goldie

[Vaxtrpts at aol.com]

Boy, you are talking about two of my favorite trumpet players here.  I  was 
lucky enough to become pretty close to both of them in the later years of  
their lives.  Don and I would talk on the phone, sometimes for hours, about  music 
and trumpet players and sometimes about his medical problems, which were  
many.  I really loved that guy!  Every time that we had a chance to  play 
together, it was sheer magic for me.  He was never competitive, but  always giving 
and sharing in the performance.  I do know that he thought  the world of Al Hirt!
I have a funny story about Al.  Not long after I moved to New Orleans,  there 
was a tribute to him in the Superdome.  He was made the man of the  year in 
New Orleans and they produced a whole show for him, featuring most of  the 
trumpet players in New Orleans at that time.  It was one great  show.  For some 
reason, I was chosen to finish up the whole thing.   (New kid on the block, I 
guess.)  There was a big band backing us all  up.  If I remember right it was 
Herb Tassin's band.  (Good one!)   We did "Just a Closer Walk" as the closer and 
the arrangement had me playing up  in the upper register of the trumpet.  I 
met Jumbo for the first time that  night and he was very gracious to me.  (It 
had been a lifelong dream of  mine to meet him.)  The funny thing was, from 
that time on, whenever my  name was mentioned, he would say ---- "Oh yeah, that 
kid with all those high  notes.................."
Later in his life, I had the opportunity to just sit one on one with him a  
few times and talk about life, trumpet playing and New Orleans.  I do  treasure 
the time that I had with him!
These are two of the giants of trumpet playing, regardless of genre you are  
talking about.
Mike Vax
PS - Just remembered one thing.  Al did not want to record the Haydn  
Concerto with the Boston Pops.  He was forced to do it by RCA as part of  his 
contract, and he hated that recording until his dying  day.