[Dixielandjazz] Nice story in today's SF Chronical

[Kay Spencer]

  Very heartwarming story.  I don't think I would try to do that next year however because someone is probably going to checking for valid drivers' licenses!
   
  Kay in Gilroy
  
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David Richoux <tubaman at tubatoast.com> wrote:
  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

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