[Dixielandjazz] Pee Wee Russell

[Stephen G Barbone]

Marek Boym wrote:

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, arguing 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.

Dear Marek:
I was not there in the early 40s (too young), but was there seeing  
and        talking to Pee Wee in various NYC clubs from 1949 through  
1962. My ownopinion is that he  played great. As far as I can tell, he  
was hired because he was always a tremendous audience favorite.
Musos who made fun of Russell, and/or did not like his tone, etc,  
included Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw. Musos who heard and appreciated  
what Russell had to say included Coleman Hawkins, Thelonious Monk,  
Miff     Mole and Kenny Davern.
Talking about this (IMO) great jazz player/communicator, always seems  
togenerate a lot of opinion, pro and con. But in my opinion, those who  
do notappreciate what Russell had to say may be wonderful people, but  
they      have no soul.
Cheers,
Steve Barbone
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband