[Dixielandjazz] Fulton McGrath

Tue Aug 26 20:47:24 PDT 2008

When I first joined the AF in 57 the Hungarian Revolution was grinding down. 
We recruited about 25 Hungarians who became staunch members of the AF.  My 
dentist had a price on his head because he had given medical aid to people 
wounded in the streets.  He was lucky to get out.

Here in St. Louis there is a Hungarian Catholic church and each year they 
gather in remembrance of the revolution.  They sing songs, give speeches in 
Hungarian, read poetry and show movies of the fighting.   I played at the 
event for about 10 years with the AF band.  Great food and especially the 
hot spiced wine.  I sort of miss that.    They like to dress up the girls in 
the traditional cloths and dance.  The event was right out of the old world. 
I don't know if they still do it or not.
Larry
StL
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Don Ingle" <dingle at nomadinter.net>
To: "Larry Walton" <larrys.bands at charter.net>
Cc: <Dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Monday, August 25, 2008 10:58 PM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Fulton McGrath

> Marek Boym wrote:
>> Well, no real jaz context, just memories.
>> The Hungarian upraising in 1956 started as demonstrations in support
>> of the Polish workers of Poznan who demonstrated because of hard
>> conditions even more than the regime.  But unlike the other communist
>> countries, the Poles did not execute their communist leaders of old,
>> but rathe sent them to prison.  So, when the riots started, they had
>> old communists who were the "victims of Stalinism" and ready to take
>> over.  thus, they appointed Gomulka to be the first secretary of the
>> Communist Party (The United Polish Workers' Party, as was its official
>> name), while the Hungarians had none (Gomulka had been imprisoned for
>> "nationalism").  As a kid (I was almost 16), I remember demonstrating
>> and collecting donations to support "the Hungarian heroes;" I was too
>> young to give blood (at present, I am a blood donor, and have been for
>> many years; since age 65, I need an aanual medical clearance to give
>> blood).
>> Now to Fulton McGrath: While I am much too young to have heard him
>> live, I have records, and there he sounds great!
>> Cheers
>>
>> On 25/08/2008, Don Ingle <dingle at nomadinter.net> wrote:
>>
>>> Bill Haesler wrote:
>>>
>>>> Marek Boym wrote [in part]:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> .......I was later surprised to learn he had been a jazz
>>>>> player; my first hint was on a Venuti record, where the best and
>>>>> jazziest solos were by Prima....
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> Dear Marek,
>>>> I assume the you are referring to the Associated Transcription session
>>>>
>>> with:
>>>
>>>> Louis Prima (t,vcl) Jerry Colonna (tb) 2 unknown cl/as, Larry Binyon 
>>>> (ts)
>>>>
>>> Joe Venuti (vln,vcl) Red Norvo (xyl) Fulton McGrath (p) Frank Victor (g)
>>> unknown (sb) Neil Marshall (d). Recorded in New York, December 28, 1934.
>>>
>>>> I have the London HMG5023 LP and, prompted by you, I'm playing it again
>>>>
>>> now (after a long time). It is also on IAJRC 1003 [a CD].
>>>
>>>> Or is there, heaven forbid, another Prima/Venuti record I don't know
>>>>
>>> about?
>>>
>>>> Very kind regards,
>>>> Bill.
>>>>
>>>>
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>>>>
>>>>
>>> Wow, Bill, you old name dropper, you.
>>> Fulton McGrath was a hell of a player. He was even more a hell of a 
>>> drinker.
>>> There in lay the problem.
>>> Known by many as "Fee-Gee" McGrath, he is on many recordings besides the 
>>> one
>>> you mentioned. But he was - like Berigan and others - "fallen to the 
>>> demon
>>> rum - or bourbon, or whatever was handy. When he was on, he was a great
>>> player. When he was off -- well, he would usually not surface for a 
>>> time.
>>> Pity, that. In New York, working with my dad's band in 1956, we were 
>>> waiting
>>> to fly to play at a SAC base in Goose Bay, Labrador for a two weeks 
>>> stay,
>>> playing officers and NCO clubs. It was during time of the Hungarian 
>>> revolt
>>> when the Russian tanks were rolling into Budapest. The air field was 
>>> sending
>>> up endless flights of refueling planes to gas up B-52's already up and
>>> circling the North Pole in case the red phone rang at the White House 
>>> and
>>> they got a go to head for Russia with a load of "Hell in the Shell." The
>>> words "Stand Down" have a lovely ring to them.
>>> Our piano man at the time had become seriously ill, and we were 
>>> auditioning
>>> substitutes to cover and one of those making the call was "FeeGee." I'd
>>> worked with his younger brother in a band on the West Coast, another 
>>> good
>>> piano man -- and unfortunately also given to strong spiritous liquids.
>>> "FeeGee" read and played Red's charts flawlessly, and we did a short
>>> rehearsal, and all went well. But when we took a break he left the 
>>> building
>>> - and apparently some bartender was the only to see him after that. It 
>>> was a
>>> day made to be forgotten. When "Fee Gee" was on - exceptional. When the
>>> wagon left town, he was not aboard.
>>> Ah, well,
>>> We ended up using a piano man in a base Air Force Band that later worked
>>> with Red after his discharge and it went well. For us, that is, not for 
>>> the
>>> Hungarians. The latest news from Georgia has given me this feeling 
>>> called
>>> "deja vu."
>>> Don Ingle
>>>
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>>
>>
>>
> The brother of Fee Gee Mc Grath I worked with was Wildon McGrath, who was 
> in many ways an equal, but always claimesd he was nowhere as good as his 
> brother. This feeling of being in theshadow may have led to his becoming 
> as much a hard drinker as his more noted brother. Shame, for both 
> McGraths, when off the sauce, were as good as it gets fro musicianship and 
> could swing hard.
>
> Don Ingle -- 77 and counting.
>
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