[Dixielandjazz] Bum Pianos

[ROBERT R. CALDER]

From: Steve Voce <stevevoce at virginmedia.com>
>There was great difficulty with Jazz From A Swinging Era when Earl Hines 
tried to take over as leader ( the group was a >democratic band of 
stars). Earl assumed the role of compere, and this annoyed the others, 
particularly Roy Eldridge, >who was particularly inflamed. In Paris he 
decided to walk out of the tour because of Earl, and it was only when 
Buck >Clayton managed to soothe him down that he agreed to complete the 
tour. (It was Buck who told me this).

response: 

I do remember reading about that, at the time, and some bowdlerised Royisms, the original perhaps disharmony in Eff; and the photo of Earl conducting with two hands after Sir Charles took over the keyboard at the end. As I recall Earl went to the front of the stage in Glasgow. Perhaps waving his hands through the air cooled them off after what could well have been a world record recorded trill. He did it on "Boogie Woogie on St Louis Blues" on a Verve LP with Carl Pruitt on bass (who turned up in Glasgow not long after, with Albert Dailey, Joe Alexander playing tenor amazingly but with not long to live, and Cecil Payne etc. in one of the least recorded Woody Herman bands).
Those of more stoic character can count the number of choruses the Hines right hand trill went on for after doing several choruses as on the Verve disc, when the ensemble was recorded on one of the tapes reproduced on the 2 CD set. On the Verve trio version he does left hand stuff like he did on the tour, but then every hornman came on for his two choruses and the hand was oscillating all the time, forcefully. 

Budd Johnson was on such amazing form then, Alun Morgan wrote a reference book entry rating him with Lester Young.
I've been hearing some off the air recordings of the Hines band when Messrs. Howard and Simeon were absent, around 1937, and Willie Smith wasn't better or more original than Budd on alto. Of course Willie Smith was due to be on the tour, but ill (he died during the course of it) and Earle Warren depped, after a period working for a famous New York Klezmer quartet, who were getting offered so much work they rationed themselves out one per band, and hired trios of the like of old Basie-ites. 

Humphrey Lyttelton had a lovely tale of Earle at a Festival breaking off a conversation when he heard and recognised Acker Bilk's playing and made off not to miss any more of Acker's gig.
great listener as well as great reedman!


Robert R. Calder