[Dixielandjazz] Perfect recordiings redux

[Don Ingle]

Bill: Et al.
 Several posts about a new software that will allow one to go into a 
recording and pluck out any wrong notes or mistakes brought to mind a 
story my father told me years ago.
Dad was working with one of the smaller Goldkette units with fellow 
":stable" musician Jimmy Dorsey, and they were on a Detroit River ferry 
going over to Bob-Lo Island to play a ballroom there. On the boat going 
over was a college band of young guys who had heard and listened to one 
of the records that Jimmy had soloed on, and they had taken his solo 
down note by note then voiced it with saxes three ways and played it, 
note for note.
Jimmy started laughing and dad asked what's so funny. Jimmy told him 
that he'd played a real clinker of a wrong note on the recording. "And I 
just heard it again now...with three way voicing ...and they obviously 
never knew the difference."
One can wonder if some engineer working on something by Tatum, Dizzy, 
the Prez, or other giants of their period would want to take a guess at 
which notes were mistakes or not. Like hair color, only you and your 
beautician would know!

Both Jimmy and Tommy, in '26-'27 worked in the smaller units of the 
Goldkette office. Tommy led the Detroit Athletic Club house band, Jimmy 
worked with the Graystone band (dad was his first call sub), and both 
worked with small club date calls with Paul Mertz or Freddie Bergin.
When Jimmy married his wife, Jane, my mother and dad were wedding party 
members. The circle was complete when Jimmy's daughter, Julie - a class 
mate of mine at No. Hollywood  High - hired our  high school band to 
play for her birthday party in 1944.
Jimmy called home that night from the road and said," "welcome to the 
music business, Don -- and tell you dad what was he thinking?" He added 
a great big laugh - and I was thrilled to my 14-year old socks.
Later, when I was working with my dad and we stopped late night at a 
truck stop driving through from one date to another in Texas on one 
nighters, in walks Jimmy and a couple of his side men. They were doing 
onenighter in the same Texas circuit. For dad and Jimmy, it was a 
mini-reunion. Then Jimmy looked at me and said..."so you're dad didn't 
convince you to learn another trade, eh? Well, don't say you weren't 
warned," adding another big laugh. We all went our separate  ways 
pursuing the fickle muse of the music business.

Don Ingle