[Dixielandjazz] Pee Wee Erwin & Eddie Miller

[Marek Boym]

To the best of my memory, Erwin was a swing musician, who turned to
Dixie when "swing" dried out as a source of income.
I heard him in Nice, France, with Bernie Privin, and did they swing!
And yes, an excellent Dixieland player - sometimes.  Some of the "Big
Jeb Dooley" recordings are not so great, but I have several excellent
LPs by his various bands.  Also,  in the mid-1950's, he participated
in a recording project with other swing masters, later issued and
reissued on various bargain labels (such a Design, Bravo, etc), which
included Dixieland standards, played as swing more than Dixieland
(excellent recordings, whether the trumpeter/cornetist is Erwin or Rex
Stewart).
Cheers

On 25/09/2007, Steve Barbone <barbonestreet at earthlink.net> wrote:
> Charlie Hull mentioned reedman Eddie Miller. You are not alone Charlie, many
> of us remember him, I'm sure. He was inducted into the Big Band & Jazz Hall
> of Fame in 1998. See the following site for complete list of inductees by
> year.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Band_and_Jazz_Hall_of_Fame
>
> Dave R (or someone else, I lost the post) mentioned Pee Wee Erwin playing in
> 1953 at Fort Dix NJ and how his Dixieland Band was appreciated by the
> soldiers getting ready to muster out.
>
> During the 1950s, in the NYC area, Dixieland was VERY popular. And the often
> underrated Pee Wee Erwin played regularly at Nick's and other places in
> Greenwich Village. As well as on the College Circuit and in some big bands.
>
> Sometimes his music was disparaged as "Nicksieland", by folks who never
> heard it. But his bands were always cheered lustily by the audiences and he
> worked with the top NYC Dixieland musicians.
>
> He was a very funny guy, with an enormous repertoire and a strong Dixieland
> lead. And he encouraged the younger wannabes. One of the musical highlights
> of my teens was sitting in with his band at Nick's.
>
> Another interesting thing about Erwin was his open mind about musical talent
> and styles. Though he remained firmly ensconced in Trad Jazz, he was one,
> along with Chuck Traeger (bassist) who turned me on to Clifford Brown's
> music." Just listen to the way he attacks the notes and makes the changes"
> was about what he said in admiration.
>
> Cheers,
> Steve Barbone
>
>
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