[Dixielandjazz] Indianapolis debacle

[Butch Thompson]

Regarding the long-ago Indianapolis jazz competition, John Farrell wrote:

> A long time ago a number of British musos toId me that Max not only
> organised this "competition" but was one of the judges too. Granted it was
> hearsay but the story had the ring of truth about it.

Max Collie's manager, whose name as I remember was Sam Houston (really),
organized and produced the festival.  Very few of the participating
musicians were paid.  Wild Bill was then living in Denmark; I heard he was
never paid, nor was he reimbursed for his travel expense.  I was there with
the Hall Brothers from Minneapolis, and we were not paid, like most of the
others.  Only those who insisted on cash after each performance-- notably
the New Orleans band with Preston Jackson and Kid Thomas -- got their money.
Sam, it was rumored, hightailed it for Mexico.

My part of this, at least, is not hearsay -- hey, we really didn't get paid.

Butch Thompson