[Dixielandjazz] George Lewis ~ Impact

[Ron L'Herault]

When I discovered, as a young teen (13-15) that there was Dixieland on
records, I started buying (had to order them from a local shop in my small
New England town) first the Dukes of Dixieland and then the Firehouse 5+2.
I didn't care that much for the Dukes- too many notes, but liked the way the
F5+2 played.  I got to hear Max Morath on educational TV and then in person
-WONDERFUL- thanks to Celebrity Nights of the Attleboros.  I liked ragtime
and 20s novelties a lot, probably because I was already collecting antique
phonographs.   I never got to hear live Dixie bands growing up and pretty
much thought no one else liked this music that captivated me.   I then
bought my first FM radio and ran across a radio program that was playing
Louis Armstrong from the late 1920s.   I could not believe the incredible
music.  I couldn't understand why it was so forgotten.  Why was the public
listening to such monotonous crap when they could be thrilling to these
incredible sounds?  Thank god for Ed Beach. 8-).

After college (another musical desert as far as I was concerned) I ran
across Ray Smith on WKOX-FM and got to hear his band at the Mail Coach in
Concord, MA and then, oh, my, I got to hear the New Black Eagles.   I am the
luckiest guy on earth!

Ron L

-----Original Message-----
From: dixielandjazz-bounces at ml.islandnet.com
[mailto:dixielandjazz-bounces at ml.islandnet.com] On Behalf Of
richard.flecknell at ntlworld.com
Sent: Wednesday, October 14, 2009 4:32 AM
To: lherault at bu.edu
Cc: Dixieland Jazz Mailing List
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] George Lewis ~ Impact

Fellow mailers,

Steve B led by his accounts of George arriving in New York.
What about you folks who were already listening to the likes of Watters,
Murphy, Scobey , FH5 + 2 on the West Side.
Did you, on initial impact , like the Lewis Bands approach. Bunk w Murphy
had past by and that was the 40s. Even Ory might have been taken aback for
all I know about it. I wasn't there. Ory had been away from the Crescent
City for many years.
Beverley Caverns and other clubs out there ~ let me know reading lp covers
is okay but your first hand accounts would be better. Some may have met them
(and Ory band)

I still haven't seen the Life mag article. Didn't John Casimir feature in
one issue too or was that Capt John Handy or both or neither.

Richard





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