[Dixielandjazz] "A moi[r] de payer" (was Support live jazz)

[Jack Mitchell]

Bill Haesler wrote, in part:

Dick Hughes' published 1977 biography, 'Daddy's Practicing Again', I would 
have found:
> "A moi d'Payer' means "my turn to pay" or "I've got to pay"; even "it's my 
> shout". But "It's my Shout", which we used for a while, seemed a 
> pedestrian title for such intense music. It had been composed for a 
> gangster film, Bechet had told me, so I thought 'The Pay-0ff' would be an 
> acceptable, euphonious and evocative translation. 'The Pay-off' it became, 
> and appeared as that subtitle on the Coronet record we made of it early in 
> 1962..."

Dear Bill,

Not relying on my memory, I did go back to the source - my record 
collection.

A MOI DE PAYER by the Ray Price Quartet was first issued on CBS Coronet 
KS-524 as just that - no subtitle. On a later pressing the subtitle (The 
Pay-off) was added, probably after it was issued in America as THE PAY-OFF 
on Epic 3539, as I stated in an earlier post. I've got both pressings in my 
collection. It actually went on to the hit parade, and on the repressing due 
to its fame the musicians' names and instruments were added (not on the 
first label), although they didn't mention bassist Wally Wickham, not a 
regular member of the quartet, who was added for the recording session.

When the quartet broke up a few months later, it made all four Sydney 
newspapers and was the lead story on ABC television news.

Best wishes
Jack Mitchell