[Dixielandjazz] Nice story in today's SF Chronical

[David Richoux]

 From Leah Garchik' column:  ( http://tinyurl.com/yq4fa2 )

Jazz and blues pianist Henry Butler, who was living in New Orleans  
when Hurricane Katrina struck, lost his house and his piano. When  
Piedmont Piano Co. owner Jim Callahan Jr. sold him a handmade Italian  
Fazioli piano for his new place in Denver, Callahan and Butler became  
pals.
The musician stayed with Callahan when he was in the Bay Area for a  
July 1 gig at the Marin County Fair. And when Callahan took him on  
the Fourth of July to Yoshi's to hear Mal Sharpe and Big Money in  
Jazz play their annual Louis Armstrong birthday tribute, Butler sat  
in with the band.
But the musician's more surprising accomplishment that day was  
earlier, when he drove Callahan's 1919 Locomobile car in the city of  
Piedmont's July Fourth parade, blowing the horn, throwing candy to  
kids along the route and waving to the crowd. Butler has been blind  
since he was born.
He'd mentioned to Callahan that he liked to drive, and on July 3,  
they went to the old Alameda Naval Air Station and practiced a set of  
signals, a tapping code for stopping and starting. Callahan says he  
never touched the wheel. After a while, with the noise of a marching  
band in front of them, Butler knew when to stop by the volume of the  
music.
The Piedmont superintendent of schools, who was sitting in the  
backseat, never knew the driver was blind, nor did organizers of the  
parade.

Dave Richoux