[Dixielandjazz] Pee Wee Russell

[Marek Boym]

Hello folks,
Listening to some of those excellent mid-forties Commodore recordings
featuring Pee Wee Russell reminded me of a question that's been
bothering me for some time:

Long ago someone wrote on the Mississippi Rag Bulletin Board that, in
the 1940's, Pee Wee played badly, so much so that the listeners
believed he has still been hired because of personal connections.

I protested, arfuing that I could not conceive of him playing badly,
but I was not there; the person who made that claim was.

OK, he was not always at the top of his powers, and the Storyville
sessions might not have been of the same standard as the Commodores,
but BADLY?

Now there are some people on the list who should remember those days,
and I would very much like to hear their comments; in the meantime,
I'll go on believing this to be nonsense.

Cheers,

Marek