[Dixielandjazz] Chris's friend / Paul Ferrara Profile on "Steppin' Out"-- New Orleans famous drummer dies

[Charles Suhor]

Sorry to hear about Paul's passing. I was about three years older, but he and I and Reed Vaughan came up at the same time as teenage drummers in New Orleans. I first heard Paul around 1952 when I drove down to Buras with pianist/vocalist Theresa Kelly to listen to Murphy Campo's young band (with Pee Wee Spitelera, I believe, or Charlie May). Paul was a swing-oriented drummer, a musical extrovert with fine raw talent. Many agreed that he became the fastest drummer in town, after the style of Buddy Rich. Chops galore.

Anecdote. When I was a senior at Nicholls High and Paul was maybe a freshman at Easton, there was a "Battle of the Bands" during the halftime of a four-school faculty basketball game. The Easton group included Paul, a powerful trumpeter named Gerry Gerbrecht, trombonist/jazz wizard Larry Muhoberac, and clarinetist Eddie Winston. They had a big Dixieland sound a la Hirt's combo, and I thought they blew us and a straw-hat band from Fortier out of the room. We played a laid back traditional version of Tin Roof, double-timed after the clarinet solo, sparked by Oliver-influenced trumpeter Lawrence (Frosty) Francingues. (Theresa played the bass line on baritone horn. I loved that girl.) To my surprise, we took the trophy home. Afterwards we were personally congratulated by one of the judges--Johnny Wiggs--and I understood why we won. Wiggs knew that we were attentive to jazz roots. 

I watched Paul's career with interest and admiration over the years. His looks really haven't changed--I could easily pick him out in a crowd. He kept his Irish Channel dialect too. Somehow it was almost identical with the Upper Ninth Ward "yat" dialect that I was brought up on. (As you see, it embraces ending sentences with prepositions.)

Charlie


On Dec 5, 2014, at 8:11 AM, Norman Vickers wrote:

> To:  DJML,  Musicians & Jazzfans list
> From:  Norman Vickers, Jazz Society of Pensacola
> 
> 
> Thanks to pianist Chris Saunders of Pensacola and New Orleans for this.  Sad
> that I only learn about drummer Paul Ferrara on the occasion of his death.
> See Chris's note about his association with Ferrara and others.  The
> videoclip on Jazzonthetube is about 6 minutes.  It's an interview with
> Ferrara, presumably  from one of the New Orleans TV stations.
> 
> For some of you not familiar with the New Orleans patois, there is a section
> of New Orleans called the "Irish Channel"  This is about three blocks deep
> along the Mississippi river.  Homes were built and occupied by immigrants so
> they could walk to work along the docks.  So the Irish Channel speech sounds
> just like that of Brooklyn, NY and for same reason-- immigrant cultural mix.
> The accent is distinctive and certainly different from those who live in
> other parts of the city and outside New Orleans proper. 
> 
> Thanks, Chris......
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: CHRIS SAUNDERS [mailto:chrissaunders1 at mac.com] 
> Sent: Thursday, December 04, 2014 11:46 PM
> To: Undisclosed recipients:
> Subject: Chris's friend / Paul Ferrara Profile on "Steppin' Out"
> 
> Hi from Chris / I'm truly very sad with today's notice of the death of Paul
> Ferrara on Dec 3rd (see "jazz on the tube"). I played with Paul for many
> years in the Rene Netto band and with Al Hirt on Bourbon St. Paul was with
> Louis Prima on the Vegas Strip for many many years and it showed in his
> playing. He had many Sinatra and show biz stories. I miss those days and the
> players that made those gigs so memorable. Very sad indeed. 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.jazzonthetube.com/videos/paul-ferrara/profile-on-steppin-out.html
> 
> 	
> --End--
> 
> 
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