[Dixielandjazz] Musician stories - was By Ned, we invented the genre

[Stephen G Barbone]

On Jul 11, 2009, at 6:18 PM, Dave Gannett wrote: (polite snip)

> Wow - a night to treasure!  I always LOVED quizzing the "old-timers"  
> about their days in the business - walking time machines with  
> hilarious and often stunning insights into their contemporaries.

  I do a fair amount of gigs with old timers like:

Bassist Ace Tesone who played with: Lester Young, Billie Holiday, Ben  
Webster, Muggsy Spanier, Liberace, Fabian, Buddy Rich, Max Roach, Kai  
Winding, J.J. Johnson, et al.

Pianist Bill Whited who played with; Jerry Colona, Ish Kabibble, Kay  
Kyser, Ray McKinley, Tony Bennett, Nancy Wilson, Al Cohn, Zoot Sims,  
et al.

Guitarist Sonny Troy who played with; Louis Prima, Sam Butera. Peggy  
Lee, Harry James,
Fabian, Frankie Avalon, George Mesterhazy, et al

I played with Coleman Hawkins, Roy Eldridge, Chuck Traeger, Tony  
Spargo, Pee Wee Erwin, Billy Maxted, Kenny Davern, and sat in with  
Sidney Bechet and Thelonious Monk, etc.

When we drive to a gig, or chat before the gig, the stories start. My  
oh my. I should record all of it . . . the musical thoughts about our  
different heroes, the hotel stays of the big touring bands, the women  
who followed the musicians, including the "freaks", etc. It is both  
hilarious and illuminating musically and about the raw stuff of a jazz  
musician's life.

Even their stories about playing with Lester and Howard Lanin are  
belly busters. The Lanin brothers hired Dixieland musicians on many a  
gig because the Society folks were two steppers and learned to dance  
to songs like Jazz Me Blues.

And when Glenn Dodson was alive, his stories about classical musicians  
were equally enlightening. They too are a funny and very sexy bunch.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband