[Dixielandjazz] Lawrence Lucie - 100 Years Old - Memories of NYC Jazz

[Steve Barbone]

A jazz guitarist who got around, including working with Louis Armstrong. He
was best man at one of Armstrong's weddings. (not sure which one grin)

Also played with JRM, Billie Holiday, Ellington at the Cotton Club and with
many other greats.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone


Living to 100, and Looking Back on a Legacy of New York Jazz

NY TIMES - By JOHN ELIGON - December 19, 2007

Lawrence Lucie no longer has the jet-black hair, the stylish suits or the
dexterity that made him one of the pre-eminent rhythm guitarists in the jazz
world. But he can still draw a crowd.

On the eve of his 100th birthday on Monday night, Mr. Lucie, sitting in a
wheelchair, could not go 20 seconds without receiving an embrace, a pat on
the back or a handshake from one of the many jazz connoisseurs gathered at
the offices of the musicians¹ union in Midtown Manhattan. The well-wishers
were there to pay homage to his legacy.

And it is quite impressive.

He is the last living person to have performed with Duke Ellington at New
York¹s legendary Cotton Club. He played with Benny Carter at the Apollo
Theater in 1934, the year it opened its doors to black customers. He played
with Louis Armstrong for several years and was the best man at his wedding.

³The most amazing thing about him is how many great musicians he worked
with,² said Dan Morgenstern, the director of the Institute of Jazz Studies
at Rutgers University, who was at the party. ³It¹s like a whole living
history of jazz. He¹s on so many important records.²

Though Mr. Lucie does not share the fame of some of the stars he played
with, the appreciation for him was clearly evident Monday night.

The celebration included performances by jazz musicians. People sang ³Happy
Birthday² and showered him with gifts and cards. Mr. Lucie seemed to be
taking all the attention in stride.

After a woman greeted him with a kiss on the cheek, he smirked and said,
³See, I know everybody.² Later, he pointed toward the birthday cards on a
table in front of him and said, ³I¹ve got a lot to read tomorrow.²

Another celebration for Mr. Lucie was held on Tuesday at the Kateri
Residence, a nursing home on the Upper West Side, where he has lived for
more than two years. There, two men played guitar, Mr. Lucie was given three
cakes, and he received a letter signed by President Bush and his wife.

Mr. Lucie said he hoped to attend a party that the Duke Ellington Society
was holding in his honor on Wednesday night at St. Peter¹s Church, on
Lexington Avenue at 54th Street.

He said he could not have imagined all the publicity when he moved to New
York from his home in Virginia as a teenager more than 80 years ago to study
guitar.

³I was just worried about playing,² he said. ³I just feel very lucky to be
alive.²

Mr. Lucie was born on Dec. 18, 1907, in Emporia, Va., and he started
learning music nearly as soon as he could walk. His father was a jazz
musician who also worked as a barber. By the time he was 8, Mr. Lucie was
playing with his father¹s band, said Phil Schaap, a jazz historian and
professor at Juilliard.

When he was 19, Mr. Lucie moved to New York to pursue his passion for the
guitar. He worked as a barber during the day and studied at the
Brooklyn-Queens Conservatory, Mr. Schaap said.

Around 1931, Mr. Lucie filled in for a week at the Cotton Club for Duke
Ellington¹s guitarist. Mr. Lucie¹s career blossomed between 1932 and 1934,
when he played with Benny Carter. After that, he worked with the likes of
Fletcher Henderson, Coleman Hawkins, Jelly Roll Morton and Billie Holiday.

³Larry had the goods,² Mr. Schaap said.

Mr. Lucie taught guitar at the Borough of Manhattan Community College for
more than three decades, until about three years ago, Mr. Schaap said. In
the 1970s, he started a jazz show on a Manhattan cable TV station with his
wife, Nora Lee King. It ended when she died in the 1990s. Mr. Lucie played
gigs in the city for most of the past 80 years. His final show was at
Arturo¹s, a restaurant and bar in Greenwich Village, where he gave a solo
performance on Sunday nights until 2005.

Mr. Lucie said his father¹s advice helped him enjoy his success in jazz and
his longevity.

³I didn¹t have but one woman at a time,² he said. ³I didn¹t drink a lot of
whiskey. I did what my father told me to do.²