[Dixielandjazz] Especially For the drummers

[Stephen G Barbone]

On Oct 22, 2011, at 2:37 PM, Marek Boym wrote:

> Interesting.  But the sound is attrocious.
> BTW, who is the drummer with Condon?
>
> For the detractors of 'funny costumes" (myself included): Condon and
> his men didn't seem to mind!
> Cheers
>
>
>>
>> Also note Condon, Brunies, Hackett and Russell on the second song.
>>
  Dear Marek:

I believe the drummer is Johnny Blowers.

To see another clip from that band in the same uniforms go to::

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTi9k6ZtLYw&feature=related

How about my heros Pee Wee Russell and George Brunies there?

Funny thing about Pee Wee. Most people think he first played with  
Thelonious Monk at Newport in 1963, but he had jammed with Monk  
earlier at  at W. Eugene  (Gene) Smith's Loft on Sixth Avenue in NYC.  
Many musicians, mostly more modern jazz players, jammed there from the  
mid 50s and mid 60s. But some OKOMers, like Kaminsky and Russell also  
were there frequently. As were folks like Salvador Dali and Norman  
Mailer. Very hip place. The unwritten rule was that it was not polite  
to show up before 11 PM.

Saxophonist Leroy "Sam" Parkins described Monk & Russell thusly:

"There was one night when I believe Monk and Pee Wee Russell first  
played together. Monk was playing with a group, and Pee Wee was  
sitting quietly in the back of the room. After a while, Pee Wee  
suddenly got up and started playing his clarinet. It surprised  
everybody. It was like somebody had thrown a javelin across the room."

Lots of great stories from those years. Cutting sessions, Monk big  
band rehearsals. And hundreds of jazz musicians who came by to play.  
Gene Smith recorded lots of music and conversation that took place.

Stories and photos are in a book called: The Jazz Loft Project by Sam  
Stephenson - Alfred A. Knopf NYC - Compiled at the Center for  
Documentary Studies, Duke University, Durham North Carolina. Not much  
OKOM there but besides Russell and Kaminsky, Dave Frishberg found the  
place shortly after he moved to NYC and credits drummer Ronnie Free  
with convincing him that he had a future in music. Lots of recorded  
oral history in the book.


Cheers,
Steve Barbone
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband