[Dixielandjazz] Dorothy Tait

[Bill Haesler]

Dear friends,
[This is rather long, so if you aren't interested in George Lewis or 
author Dorothy Tait, DELETE now.]

Recently listmate Audrey Van Dyke started a DJML thread regarding the 
George Lewis book 'Call Me George' and its author Dorothy Tait and 
queried the need for her to use the pseudonyms Jay Allison Stuart and 
Ann Fairburn for two editions.
During the course of my research I came across the possibility that 
Dorothy Tait/Jay Allison Stuart/Ann Fairburn was an African-American. 
Something that most jazz people (including me) had never considered 
before.
In a reference to 'African-American Authors : Adult Fiction and Drama' 
(dated February 22, 2000) The Winsconsin Department of Public 
Instruction website states in the introduction to the listing: "This 
bibliography includes the work of African-American writers of adult 
fiction and drama available from the Wisconsin Regional Library for the 
Blind and Physically Handicapped in braille, cassette and disk formats. 
It covers, as comprehensively as possible, only the literary works for 
an adult audience written by African-Americans themselves, but not 
works by others with African-Americans as the subject matter. It also 
includes a selection of works by Afro-Caribbean and African writers. It 
excludes non-fiction, works directed at a juvenile audience and works 
available from other local libraries for the blind in the National 
Library Service system."
Then follows an alphabetical list of African-American authors - 
including Ann Fairburn.
A click on this highlighted name in the list reveals two book 
references and the extracts I included in my recent email to Audrey Van 
Dyke and the DJML.
Further internet searches and my own book references have certainly 
established that Dorothy Tait used the pseudonyms Ann Fairburn and Jay 
Allison Stuart (although we still do not know why) and is therefore the 
author of 'Call Him George', 'Five Smooth Stones' and 'That Man 
Cartwright'.
I then reread the introduction to 'Call Him George'.
Apart from a reference to George Lewis' mother, Alice Zeno, and the 
"courage and indomitable spirit of HER [my emphasis] people", I felt 
that the author could have been either black or white. Although, 
perhaps, she meant Ms Zeno's older generation.
In an attempt to establish the correctness of the Winsconsin Dept. of 
Public Instruction assumption that Ann Fairburn was African-American, 
at my request a friend, well-known Oz trumpet player Geoff Bull, 
emailed his jazz musician friends who had lived in New Orleans during 
the 1950-1960s and posed the question.
In the meantime our usually silent DJMLer, Setsuko Konaka, who is just 
finalising her translation of 'Call Me George' into Japanese, drew my 
attention to Chapter 3 of 'Call Me George' and the following quote from 
drummer Baby Dodds: "You white people who write and make talks about 
the music are mighty fine people. But you know, don't you, that none of 
you really knows anything about it?"
Yesterday Geoff Bull received notification that well-known cornet 
player, Charlie DeVore, has confirmed that Dorothy Tait was definitely 
NOT African-American. And he should know.
Charlie DeVore was one of the early New Orleans jazz revivalists who, 
while in the Navy, lived in New Orleans for several years from 1954.  
Mentored by Bill Russell, he became an active member of the jazz scene 
there, was a pupil of Fess Maneta, studied with Punch Miller and Johnny 
Wiggs, played in the pre-Preservation Hall days at Larry Borenstein's 
art gallery, recorded with Kid Thomas in 1957 (and 1965), and in 1958 
was a founder member of the famous Minnesota-based Hall Brothers Jazz 
Band, of which listmate Butch Thompson was also a member from the 60s. 
Mr DeVore played at the George Lewis funeral on 3rd January 1969 and 
has been a regular New Orleans visitor for many years.
The doubts regarding Ms Tait's background now appear to have been 
positively resolved through the DJML.
As we often say, "What a great list."
Case closed. Well, except for Audrey Van Dyke's original question.
8>)
Kind regards,
Bill.