[Dixielandjazz] Wild Bill Davison, George Lewis, Kenny Davern.

[Stephen G Barbone]

 >Ken Gates wrote (in Part)

I'm pretty sure Wild Bill was not a big fan of Ne Orleans style as  
played by George Lewis . . . brings up a story . . . (Bill) was  
persuaded to sit in for one tune with the George Lewis Band.  He . . .  
was really impressed with the power of the rhythm section. Can anyone  
confirm that story in any way?

 >Bill Haesler answered

 >Dear Ken

 >The only mention of George Lewis in 'The Wildest One . . . Hal  
Williard (1996) is in reference to Bill's long love-hate relationship  
with Kenny Davern and noting Kenny's admiration for the playing of Pee  
Wee Russell and George Lewis.

Perhaps there is something in Edward N. Meyer's biography of Kenny  
Davern's life and music, 'Just Four Bars' (2010 Scarecrow press. I do  
not have this yet.


Dear Bill & Ken:

Kenny Davern's bio, by Edward N. Meyer does not reference WBD and  
George Lewis peforming. There is, however a passing reference to the  
sometimes tension between Davern and WBD.

It started over an incident in 1966 in Columbus Ohio. Davern was  
playing in George Wettling's "Manhattan Trio" (Davern, Wettling &  
Charlie Queener) at a joint there. Davision, driving home to  
California from a gig in Toronto saw the sign as he was driving by and  
stopped in. He asked to sit in, Wettling said OK.

WBD then went to the club owner and convinced him to make the trio a  
quartet. Over the next week when the gig ended, Wettling allowed him  
to tape record the quartet after WBD promised that the tapes were for  
his own enjoyment and would not be duplicated or sold.

Then a couple of weeks later WBD called Davern, Wettling and Queener  
telling them he had sold the tapes to George Buck for $400 and that  
they would be getting a check for $100 shortly.

Then Anne Davison, called Kenny and said that she had mailed Wettling,  
Queener and Davern checks for $80, and that WBD was keeping the extra  
$60.

Davern never forgave WBD for that, according to the biography.  
However, the he and WBD continued to gig together in various bands  
over the years until WBD passed.

And while Davern admired Pee Wee Russell and George Lewis (and Johnny  
Dodds) for various reasons, his first influence was Benny Goodman. His  
own playing rapidly matured over the years from what originally had  
been a sort of George Lewis style to his own brand of swinging/singing  
clarinet.

By 1959, he was well past his "George Lewis - New Orleans" sound alike  
days. I remember him telling me circa 1959 or 1960 (when I was still  
trying to be George Lewis): "Steve, why do you want to play that   
S***? It has already been done by Lewis and Johnny Dodds and neither  
you nor I are going to do it any better. It is too restrictive. Find  
your own voice." By 1961 when he brought his own band into Nick's, his  
musical presentation there included an Ellington set, which Mrs. Nick  
thought too modern.

Davern certainly found his own voice. The "Just Four Bars" subtitle to  
the biography refers to his stated goal in music:

"I always wanted to develop my own voice, one that people would  
recognize in just four bars. When you can make your own noise out of  
your instrument and people say 'I know who that is' no matter how many  
millions there are in the world playing the same instrument or the  
same medium, that's a rare thing to be able to do that, and I think  
I'm to the point where I'm fairly recognizable."  _ From a WHYY NPR  
interview in Philadelphia.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband