[Dixielandjazz] Eubie Blake's Birthday

[J. D. Bryce]

Eubie sat in  with the Buffalo Disaster Jazz Band around 1973. He had just
given a symposium at Drew University and one of the sponsors brought him to
the Lord Nelson Pub in Parsippany, NJ to see us.

He played at the piano bar that served as a bandstand. His fingers were
incredibly long.  When he finished, I told him I heard some Gershwin-type
figures in what he played and I asked him whether he got the figures from
Gershwin or vice versa.  He said, "We were all playing that kinda stuff back
then, so I don't know who got it from who.  I doesn't matter.  We all got
it."

He was a nice man.

Jack Bryce


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ron L" <lherault at bu.edu>
To: "DJML" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Wednesday, February 07, 2007 11:04 AM
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Eubie Blake's Birthday


> No one yet has mentioned that today is Eubie Blake's birthday.
>
> I had the privilege of meeting him a couple of times, while assisting the
> New Black Eagles.  One time, Blake was being interviewed by a Channel 4
> (Boston, MA) reporter who asked him about his childhood.  He mentioned
that
> when he learned piano, he only played the black keys because they weren't
> allowed to touch the white ones!
>
> I recall shaking his hand.  His fingers seemed to go on forever.
>
> Ron L
>
>
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