[Dixielandjazz] The Life & Music of Kenny Davern - Just Four Bars

[Ken Mathieson]

  Steve wrote:

  'Kenny usually carried a tune list of songs to play. During his requests routine even if one of those songs was mentioned he would ignore it. Then say something like like. "We're not going to play them (requests). I just wanted to see where your heads were."'

  I wasn't aware of him using a set list when I worked with him. Most of the gigs I did with him had either Kenny Stewart or Tom Finlay on piano, both of whom had huge repertoires, so calling a tune was usually no problem. 

  I remember one occasion, though, when a set list triggered the early demise of the Blue Three, which comprised Kenny, Dick Wellstood and Bobby Rosengarden. They had been touring in UK for some time before they reached Scotland, and the usual "road tensions" were building up. The thing that most riled Kenny and Dick was that Bobby seemed to assume he was the bandleader, when it was supposed to be a co-operative. They had been getting rave responses from audiences everywhere and Bobby had started talking about the potential for getting rich if everyone would just try a bit harder with the commercial showbiz angle and try to sell a slick show. This, of course, was like a red rag to a bull with Kenny and Dick, who just wanted to play spontaneous music and have a good time. When they got to Glasgow, Bobby had written out 3 copies of a set list and handed one to each of them without discussion. By the time they got on stage, there was mutiny in the ranks and both Kenny and Dick had mysteriously lost their set lists. The whole notion of a slick show went out the window with them continuously asking Bobby what was next, then arguing about playing something else. 

  The final straw was reached when Bobby's feature, Caravan played on bongoes, was announced. He got on a high stool centre stage, positioned the mic (which Kenny had all along insisted had to be turned off) carefully over the bongoes, counted it off and away they went. When they got through the head, Kenny went over to the amp and switched it off with a bang, and then he and Dick trooped off the stage, walking between Bobby and the audience. They went right through the room and stood outside the glass doors at the back, gesticulating rudely to Bobby, who was furious, but stuck gamely to the task of trying to fill a large room with the sound of unamplified bongoes. When he was ready for them to come back he tried to motion them back, but got vague gesticulations to carry on a bit longer. This went on for quite a while before they came back and finished the piece, but not before Bobby had run out of ideas, energy and all patience. There was a mighty shouting match centre-stage with loads of expletives undeleted, Bobby stormed off to his room and the Blue Two finished the concert in relaxed mood as though nothing had happened. The next morning, it was mutually agreed to disband the Blue Three at the end of the tour.

  I think I first played with Kenny in 1979 and he was an annual guest at the Black Bull Jazz Club in Milngavie, near Glasgow (where I was in the house band) until the club folded in 1986. Thereafter I worked with him pretty well every year at various venues in Scotland until the summer of 2006, which was the last time I saw him. We both had major health crises in December of that year; I was fortunate and made a full recovery, but Kenny wasn't so lucky. I was so cut up about his death, not to mention my own close call,  that I wrote a Blues for Kenny, which my band recorded on Lake Records LACD 261.

  Cheers,

  Ken Mathieson
  www.classicjazzorchestra.org.uk