[Dixielandjazz] Aunt Hagar's Blues

[J. D. Bryce]

To All:

Dave (The Sheik) Littlefield suggested that I send this to the group. It is
a fairly long post. I hope the group enjoys it.  It is all true.

Jack Bryce
(One of Littlefield's minions)

    Sometimes life's most memorable encounters begin with the most mundane
events. For me such an encounter began with a phone call in late February
1979. At the time, I was a high school Social Science teacher, and to make
extra money, I moonlighted at a record shop in Boonton, New Jersey. The
shop, which specialized in old recordings, was called the "Olde Tyme Music
Scene." Using reference books, they authenticated personnel on old 78s, and
provided appraisals on rare recordings. My job was to take lists of record
requests and to try and find the requested records from among the thousands
of recordings that were the shop's inventory. It was an interesting job and
it got more interesting the night that John Lennon called to inquire about
some old 78s.
     Actually, the original call came from a man who identified himself as
Steve Dorfman. It was about seven in the evening; a Tuesday as I recall.
Dorfman was interested in acquiring some specific 78 rpm records from the
forties and fifties. It was the kind of request that the store handled
routinely, so I got a pencil and began to take down the recordings he
wanted, advising him as to whether we were likely to have a particular
recording or not. The requests were unremarkable until he said that he
wanted the Dooley Wilson version of "As Time Goes By" from the soundtrack of
Casablanca.
     "That you cannot have." I told him.
     "Why? Is it a rare record or something?" he asked.
     "It's not rare. It doesn't exist.at least not as a 78." I replied.
     "What? I've seen the movie."
     "They didn't make film soundtrack recordings in the forties," I said,
"And Dooley Wilson was an actor, not a pianist. Years later, somebody put
out an LP version that was recorded from the film sound track, but that was
not issued on a 78rpm recording."
     He didn't like that answer and he began to go on about how they had to
get this record and that it was important. He wouldn't take "No" for an
answer, and we went round and round on the issue until he got exasperated
and said, "Look. This isn't for me. It's for John Lennon."
     "I don't care if it's for the King of Siam." (I happened to be looking
at an LP of The King and I at the time) I said, "There is no such record."I
didn't believe for a minute that this guy was speaking for THE John Lennon.
     About that time, I heard somebody pick up an extension and then someone
with an English accent said, "What's the problem here."
     "Who is this?" I asked.
     "This is John Lennon."
     Yeah. . . Right, I thought, but I said, "Your friend has been asking
for a record that is not available."
     "Dooley Wilson's "As Time Goes By" from the soundtrack. . ." he
offered.
     "That's right. There is no such record."Then I repeated what I had told
Dorfman.
      "I really wanted that one." he said.
     "Are you interested in the vocal in the movie or the piano playing?" I
asked.
     "The music... Why."
     "Well," I said, "there are versions from the same period that are quite
similar to the piano style used in the movie. A pianist named Sherwood has a
pretty fair version."
     "Do you have that record?"
     "I'm pretty sure we do."
     "Let me have it. Now, how do I get the records?"
     "The system is simple," I said, "We find the records you want from our
collection, and then send you a list with the price of each record and the
postage charge for sending them. You send us a check, and we send you the
records by return mail."
     "Couldn't we cut through all that? I'll send you a check to open an
account and you keep sending me records. You can let me know when I've used
up the money and I'll send another check."
     "That's OK with us." I said.
     "Good. I'll call back next week and we can talk over some other records
I want."
     I left a note for the owner of the shop about what happened, mentioning
my extreme skepticism about the caller.  She called me on Friday night to
tell me that the store had received a check for $150.00, from a bank located
at One New York Plaza in New York City, drawn on the account of a
corporation called "Lenono" and signed by Yoko Ono-Lennon. The store cashed
the check, but I've kept a xerox copy of it as a momento.
     The next Tuesday evening, I was working at the store when he called
again. This time I was considerably less abrupt. I had been thinking about
Lennon since the check arrived. I knew that Lennon had a reputation for
unpredictable behavior, drug usage and moodiness, as well as great talent
and the temperament to go with it. I don't remember what exactly what I
expected him to be like, but I remember that he surprised me.
     When he called, he had a list of record requests. He wanted only 78rpm
records, and he had some specific wants that, to me at the time, seemed
unusual for John Lennon. As an example, he wanted a vocal version of Cole
Porter's "Begin the Beguine." He said his father used to work "the boats
between Liverpool and New York" and that the old man was always singing it.
He also wanted a vocal version of "September Song," with the verse. I was
lucky to find a Tony Martin record with "Begin the Beguine" on one side and
"September Song" (with the verse) on the other. He later told me that he
liked that record a lot.
     He wanted Anton Karas' "Third Man Theme;" a zither record that was very
popular in the early 1950's. I commented to John (he told me to call him
that) that the "Third Man Theme" was unlike his music. He wondered why I
said that. I told him that the "Third Man Theme" was quite repetitious, that
it didn't really go anywhere. I offered that every one of his songs goes
someplace.
     "I don't listen to other people's music to try and do their thing. I
try to do what I want in music. But I like other things in music, even if I
don't copy them. I liked the "Third Man Theme" when I first heard it years
ago.  It is an interesting sound, don't you think?"
     I agreed that it was an unusual tune that was probably an appropriate
theme for the movie. I also told him that Earl Bostic, a sax man popular in
the fifties, had a hard-driving version of the "Third Man Theme."  It was a
completely different interpretation from the Karas version. He said he'd
like to hear it, but we didn't have a 78rpm version in the shop at the time.
     John called periodically after that. He seemed to enjoy talking about
records and music. From Steve Dorfman, who called at least one other time
with John's requests, I found out that John had a juke box from the fifties
that played 78s and that was what he was doing with the records. Dorfman
said that John was having a "high old time jitterbugging to the recordings."
     Once John called and, among his requests he wanted "One O'Clock Jump"
by Count Basie. I told him that the big hit version of the tune was by the
Harry James band on Columbia. He said he wanted the Basie version--that it
was more danceable. I told him that the Basie band was reputed to have had
the best rhythm section in the business during the Big Band Era. He agreed.
     Among other big bands that John liked were the Glenn Miller band (loved
the reeds), and the Ellington band (soulful sound).
     We were talking once, and I asked him why he hadn't recorded in a
while. He said that he was planning to go into the studio within the year
and that he had wanted to take time off to raise his son.     "I don't need
the money, so why shouldn't I enjoy my son while he's young?"
     I couldn't think of a reason he shouldn't, so I asked him how old his
son was.
     "He'll be four in October." he said.
     "That's interesting." I said, "My son'll be four in October."
     "What date?"
     "The ninth." I replied.
     "That's the same as Sean's." he said genuinely surprised.
     "Your son was born on October 9, 1975?" I asked, incredulously.
     "That's the date." he said.
     "How about that?"
     "Quite a coincidence." he offered.
     "I'll say."
     "What's your son's name?"
     "Jeffrey." I replied.
     I thought that perhaps the two kids might enjoy each other, but I
didn't suggest bringing them together. It seemed presumptuous.
     One time, he called and said that he had been trying to reach me and
that there was no answer at the shop. I told him that I only worked Tuesday
and Thursday nights and that I was a high school History teacher "in real
life." He asked if I had told my students about my dealings with him. I told
him that I had not. He liked that and asked for my home number. I gave it to
him and he called me there a few times to talk about recordings.
     On another occasion, he called and asked if we had the sheet music for
"As time Goes By." I said that we did.  He asked if I knew what the key
signature was on the sheet music. I told him that it was always published in
Eb.
     "That's too bad. I wanted it in (the key of) C."
     I wondered why a man with the talent of John Lennon couldn't just
transpose the song from Eb to C. Instead of asking him about that, I asked
if he would like me to transcribe it for him.
     "Are you a musician?"
     I told him I played sax and clarinet in a trad jazz band called the
"Buffalo Disaster Jazz Band." He got a kick out of the band's name.
     "We do one of your tunes," I told him, "We mix 'When I'm Sixty-Four'
with Fats Waller's 'Ain't Misbehavin.' The two tunes fit together just
great."
     He thought that was interesting, but wasn't familiar with 'Ain't
Misbehavin'.' I offered to send him a copy of Waller's record. He agreed but
I never got to find out whether he liked the record.
     I told him that we played every Sunday night at a place called "Hambone
Kelly's Banjo Emporium and Eatery" in Boonton. He also got a kick out of the
club's name and he mentioned that his first instrument was a plectrum banjo.
     "Do you still have one?" I asked.
     "I think there's one around here someplace."
     "We have sit-ins all the time at Hambone Kelly's. You ought to grab
that banjo and stop in."
     He got quiet and said, "I can't do that."
     "Why not?" I asked.
     "I just can't go anywhere I want." he said, sadly, "There can be
problems, you know. It causes too much of a ruckus. And that takes the fun
out of it."
    I told him that we wouldn't announce him and that the Buffalo Disaster
Jazz Band fans would not be likely to recognize him on sight.
     He said he'd think about it, but he never came out.  I transcribed "As
Time Goes By" for him and was paid. The money was all right, but it was more
important to me that I gained an appreciation for the darker side of fame in
our time.
     Over a period of time, his phone calls became fewer and the period
between them extended. He told me he was in the preparation stage for a new
album. I offered to bring some records to him, rather than sending them by
mail. He said that I could if I wanted to, but that the mail was OK.  It is
one of my greatest regrets that I didn't take the records to him at least
once and meet him.
     Eventually, his calls stopped completely. I guess he got too busy. At
the time of his death, we had prepared a list of children's records that he
had asked about some time earlier. They were never sent.
 A few years after his murder, I read that they held an auction of his
possessions for charity. One of the items mentioned was a Wurlitzer Jukebox,
vintage 1950-with records of the period.
     A great deal has been written about John Lennon. As I said, he had a
mixed reputation, some of which was not complimentary. I experienced none of
the negative things in my dealings with him. I found him to be a concerned
parent, intelligent, well informed about musical genres, broad minded,
affable, and unfailingly courteous.
     He was a nice man. His murder deprived and diminished us all.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <dwlit at cpcug.org>
To: <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Monday, July 24, 2006 10:30 AM
Subject: RE: [Dixielandjazz] Aunt Hagar's Blues


> Jack Bryce--tell 'em about your experience selling 78s to John Lennon.
>
> --Sheik
> http://americanmusiccaravan.com
>
> > Tune within a tune,
> >   I vaguely recall listening to Sgt Peppers ....... and findin a record
> > from my collectio to show my daughter that they were playing the same
> > passage.
> >Ed Coltrin
>
>
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