[Dixielandjazz] FW: about Paul Huling - A sad notice

[Tito Martino]

Dear List Mates

please take this mail as a salute to a great human being and enthusiastic
jazzman, deceased last week;

 Paul Huling the Laundry Fat, who played tuba and washboard with his wife
Jean, the Ragtime Queen.     

This mail was not intended to the DJML; I received it from a friend and
judged pertinent to our scopes

in the DJML.

Those of you unacquainted with the Brazilian highly emotional way to take
friendships or with 

the ingenuous candour of simple people, will be surprised with the letter. 

Others will see the profound seriousness of feelings of the writer, a very
good trumpet player who plays exclusively OKOM.

Remember that the writer never studied English formally, has intermediate
level education and he is

nevertheless one of the most important promoters of Traditional Jazz in São
Paulo town (!3 million people).

respectfully

 

Tito Martino 

 

 <http://www.titomartinojazzband.com.br> www.titomartinojazzband.com.br

 

  _____  

From: Joao Missali [mailto:jotamissa at yahoo.com] 
Sent: terça-feira, 2 de maio de 2006 22:51
To: JoaoFrancisco Missali
Subject: about Paul Huling-A sad notice

 

Hi jazz friends from Brasil and all over the world.

 

This is a sad news.

 

Lots of jazz people knew Eng PAUL HULING, the Quality Control Manager from
Caterpillar Tractor Co, Cleveland Ohio, USA, and a great Jazzman! 

 

He’s not more with us.   Paul left us last on abril, 23, 2006.

 

Paul Huling with his sweet wife, Sister Jean the Ragtime Queen, were a nice
couple from Madison, OH. 

They played with The Eagle Jazz Band, from Cleveland and with his own jazz
group, The Steamboat Jazz Band.

Paul began to play washboard when staying here in São Paulo, Brasil, when
Jean went to play piano in my New Orleans Jass Band, in 1973. I said to Paul
to start playing washboard. He said that was difficult to play this
instrument, but I and Alexandre “Sacha” Kliass teached hym to play.   I lent
him my washboard, and Paul, being a very skilfull engenier, made hymself
his own washboard. But Sacha was his great teacher, who learned from Tito
Martino the great clarinet and sax jazz man, one of best New Orleans
Clarinetist, in Brasil, that also teached me to play jazz on my trumpet.

 

 I am particularly and eternally grateful to this marvelous Huling couple
who sent constantly learning jazz material and the boys from my New Orleans
Jass Band are till today beneficing from their generosity. 

 

I knew Paul and Jean at the legendary OPUS 2004 Jazz  Club, about 1978, when
that yankee blonde invaded stage during one of my gigs, and asked to let her
play.  I couldn’t understand her fast English speech, but invited her to sit
at the piano and play.  And for my big surprise I and astonishment, I could
feel the presence of the spirit of Scott Joplin !

 

She got an standing ovation from all OPUS 2004 and was obliged to give some
encores.

After that, she went to me to thank and embraced me very happy, she
introduced me to her husband Paul, and I saw the birth of a beautiful and
brotherly friendship. 

 

Our friendship grew, a few time Paul and Jean were playing with us.

We playied on TV 3 Difusora, in “Lunch with the stars”, were Paul and Jean’s
image went to all our country. 

See the 1929 Ford picture,  with our New Orleans Jass Band, all of us very
young.

Paul bought that old Ford as a hobbie. He loved it so much. 

 

After 2 or 3 years they came back to USA, and they keep in touch with us.
All the time they sent lots of jazz material like new jazz musics, methods
for all the instruments, films, second hand instruments, but in good
conditions to play, and all jazz suport for us. 

 

Sacha and I we visited several times the couple, and all these visits where
a real party for us. I played with The Eagles Jazz Band, and they took me to
nice tours trhough the Ohio state.

 

All of us, brazilian jazzmen are very sad with the news, but when I was
trying to consolate Jean, she said for me. “Ralph  Grugel called Paul to
play tuba in his band in the heaven”. I like this kind of american feeling,
when somebody come back to God. They really believe in God. This is good! 

 

 Paul and Jean and others jazz friends from Cleveland and Canadá sent me
lots of musical instruments, helping me to teach the pure jazz to the
brazilian boys.

Clarinets, Cornets, Trumpets, Tenor Banjos, Cow Bells, Wood-Blocks,
Washboards, Trbones, 2 tubas, and others. I need to say to Paul spirits that
all the things were very important and the brazilian jazz grew up, with the
help from Paul..

 

I imagine that Paul Huling, at this time, needs our prayers, and our sincery
homenage.

 

He was a great man with lots of goodness, honesty, inteligence, jazz
enthusiasm, etc. All of those things bring to Paul a great merit, and he’s a
nice model to us.

 

He helped the simple people from his enterprise, teaching works for them.

Paul did create new conditions to help the Caterpillar small workers to grow
up, and making better products.

 

When Paul leave Brasil, Caterpillar was working in a great development and
progress like in others countrys.

 

Go Paul, stay in God’s  peace. You can say “I go happy because I did well my
life’s mission”

 

João Francisco Missali

New Orleans Jass Band - Brasil

Band Leader