[Dixielandjazz] Fw: Jazz Educators

[Larry Walton Entertainment - St. Louis]

> Post script - As I said my first teacher played clarinet in the St. Louis
> Symphony.  During the 30's he had to get other jobs and he lost the
> fingers on his left hand in some sort of sawmill accident.  He then
> learned to play trombone and got his job back with the STL Symphony.
> During the depression the government gave some artists and musicians jobs.
> He had no training other than what he had in Italy.  He also had no
> formal education other than the basics and they were in Italian.  They
> gave him a job in my school district with the provision that he would get
> a teaching certificate and degree.  That man went to night school and
> during the summers to get his degree.  He got it about two years before he
> retired at about 67 or 68 so it took him over 30 years.  During that time
> he also played with the Symphony. I think that guy squeezed a couple of
> lifetimes into one.  He was exceptionally high on America and music.
>
> Come to find out that a retired friend of mine who was CEO of the local
> electric company also had him as a first teacher.  My teachers name was
> Frank Polizzi.  I ran into his son by the same name selling cars a few
> years ago but he didn't want to talk about his dad at all.  I guess they
> didn't get along.  I didn't buy a car from him either. Larry STL
>
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <l.swain at comcast.net>
To: <larrys.bands at charter.net>
Sent: Saturday, April 26, 2008 5:15 PM
Subject: Jazz Educators


> Larry:
>
> Great story!
>
> Thanks for sharing.
>
> I hope you posted it on DJML.
>
> Larry Swain
>
> ==================================================