[Dixielandjazz] George Shearing and Ernie Caceres

[ROBERT R. CALDER]

not to mention Rex Stewart, who during his little reminiscence recorded for the BBC years ago enthused about Paul Desmond. 
There was some disappointment after the Shearing "Dixieland" recording appeared, due to George haviong changed the initial plan and rather than recording in a semi-jam set with the splendid musicians ideal for such an approach set to to work out arrangements. Albert McCarthy said several times in person (I head him) and in print how difficult it could be in the 1950s to induce 1930s musicians to actually play jazz, and not some commercial sort of muzak, and Shearing has for a long time had tendencies in that direction. I remember Humph had Marian McPartland filling in for him one Monday when he was at the Edinburgh Jazz Festival, andI'd great fun telling Dave McKenna et al. the sort of things she was saying about them between playing their records. Dave lit up,. Floodlights went on when I mentioned her name. Scott Hamilton was overawed at the sheer mention of her name, and spoke with gratitude, The Shearing version of Humph was on the other hand Nelson
 Riddle ridden, pretty well all on the commercial fringe of jazz.  
 
Gil Evans was of course very different, but when somebody blindfold-tested him once it suddenly emerged that Ernie Caceres was one of his favourite musicians. I did have a wonderful half-hour on the Charles Bridge in Prague, where the OKOM band -- which used a dry and toneless banjo as an excellent on-street substitute for drums -- featured extended solos from a baritone player who was the nearest I remember to Ernie. Ken Gallacher told me that once when Ralph Sutton was staying with him he'd just acquired an LP of Ernie and Emilio Caceres, and played it. Ralph listened engrossed, Ernie had not long before died, and Ralph wept all the way through.