[Dixielandjazz] Sid Catlett & Showmanship

[Stephen G Barbone]

Was Sid Catlett a showman?

Excerpts from the Book Drummin' Men, in the section on Sid Catlett.

"Then he (Sid Catlett)  topped off the sequence by doing a stick- 
bouncing and stick-twirling spectacle that caused the entire house to  
burst into applause."

"The band played the show from the pit and then went up on stage. Sid  
seemed so nonchalant, you know, with a toothpick in his mouth. His  
solo was the highlight of the stage presentation. He played on the  
set, then got up and drummed all over the lower floor of the theater,  
up and down the aisles, banging on the chairs, the walls, the floor."

"At the time he began playing with good musicians and bands in  
Chicago, Catlett realized the need to play shows with a flair and to  
be noticed . . . Drummers did their best to live with this attitude;  
many adjusted, learning to call attention to themselves by twirling  
sticks, throwing them in the air and catching them and so on. It was  
particularly hard on those who were very serious about music . . .  
Catlett, however, apparently was not bothered by the emphasis on  
showmanship, accepting it as fact."

"For the rest of his life, Catlett was to have the utmost respect for  
showmanship, something that had been instilled in him from the  
beginning of his career.  During a 1941 interview, Catlet asked  
whether he deemed showmanship or musicianship more important replied;  
'I'd say showmanship. Think of all the first rate musicians who are  
playing for cakes because they haven't got showmanship. In other  
words, it's not what you do, it's how you do it that counts.'"

 From "Drummin' Men" by Burt Korall & Mel Torme. These quotes and much  
other information about Sid Catlett start on page 164. It includes  
recollections about Catlett from Louis Armstrong,
Rex Stewart, Billy Taylor, Milt Hinton, Tommy Benford, Lawrence Lucie,  
Nellie Lutcher, Eddie Barefield, Earl Hines, Helen Humes, Connie Kay,  
Ed Shaughnessy, Jo Jones, Pee Wee Erwin, and others.

You can find it on line by googling:   Drummin' Men + Sid Catlett

Cheers,
Steve Barbone
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband