[Dixielandjazz] Turk Murphy

[Bill Haesler]

> Jim Maihack............. reports that Turk got tired of having his 
> recorded trombone solos ripped off by other aspiring trombone players 
> so he decided to write something that was a bit more difficult and 
> would not be so casually copied "note for note."
> The story may be apochryphal but that's pretty much the way I heard it.

Dear Bill,
I also heard that when Turk first wrote "Trombone Rag" he couldn't play 
it and it was some time before he mastered the tune.
That story is probably also apocryphal.
I somehow doubt the story that Turk wrote 'Trombone Rag" because 'he 
got tired of having his recorded trombone solos ripped off by other 
aspiring trombone players.'
He wrote it in 1942 (maybe earlier) and there is an issued recording of 
him playing it with Benny Strickler on an August 1942 KYA radio 
broadcast.
This was well before Turk became known outside San Francisco and years 
prior to the release of the famous 22 April 1946 version on West Coast 
103. ( I bought my copy in the late 40s.)
By that time the jazz world was taking notice of the Lu Watters band 
and the imitators WERE prowling.
Kind regards,
Bill.