[Dixielandjazz] Johnny Guarnieri story-- Vickers' personal computer crash

[Norman Vickers]

To: DJML & musicians and Jazzfans list

From:  Norman Vickers, Jazz Society of Pensacola

 

Here's a nice story about pianist Johnny Guarnieri.  On DJML, Robert Calder
started this thread. Then DJML moderator, pianist & famous father Bob
Ringwald makes additional comment.  My  additional comments  about Mr.
Guarnieri and lament about my loss of address list.

 

 

 

Date: Sat, 18 Jan 2014 12:11:41 -0800

From: "Robert Ringwald" <rsr at ringwald.com>

To: "DJML" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>

Cc: Dixieland Jazz Mailing List <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>

Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Body and Soul - Johnny Guarneri

 

Robert R. Calder wrote:

 

There are various reports of Coleman Hawkins, still leading his big band,
and imbibing startling amounts of brandy during an interval, starting Body
and Soul in B natural....

 

The very same key in which Johnny Guarnieri started to jam on or immediately
before the official date, when "Waitin' for Benny" was unofficially recorded
---

 

(snip)

 

 

 

Ringwald wrote:

 

Knowing the great pianist Johnny Guarnieri, I can imagine him in a recording
studio waiting for Goodman. Johnny was never one for sitting around ? He
wanted to play. 

 

The first time I hired him to be a guest star at our STJS (Sacramento
Traditional Jazz Society), He was supposed to play the 3rd set, after the
two warm-up bands. Between the first and 2nd set, Johnny got up unannounced,
climbed up on the stage, sat down at the piano and proceeded to play. 

 

That is the same day he wowed the audience by playing the Maple Leaf Rag in
5/4 time. 

 

Also, he asked for a request from the audience. A lady requested Sweet
Lorraine. Johnny proceeded to play it with just his left hand. Unless you
were a musician and listening very closely, you couldn?t tell that he was
using only one hand. 

 

Half way through the song, people began standing up and pointing out this
fact to fellow audience members. 

-Bob Ringwald

____________________________________________

 

Norman comments:  I had heard him on recordings.  Most on this list will
recall that Stan Kenton put a small group together at Kenton's house in Los
Angeles.  Street address was Summit Ridge Drive.  Guarnieri played
harpsichord on the title tune.

 

Mr. Guarnieri came to Mobile, A, maybe 20 years ago,  and played in the
lounge before moving to the dining room  to perform during the dinner hour.

He was a somewhat small man  with small hands.  He had a pipe which was
causing some difficulty during his performance in that it wouldn't stay lit.
He resolved it by  striking a match and lighting the pipe, all the while
continuing to play with the left hand.  As Ringwald recounted in his note,
unless one were watching,  one couldn't tell that it was a single-handed
performance.

 

To those on the Musicians and Jazzfans list-I'm recovering from a computer
crash which caused me to lose some names on the Musicians and Jazzfans list.
If you were on that list, and don't get the message both ways, please send
me an e-mail so that I can replace your name to the list.  

 

To those who think they might wish to have another list to follow, please
send me a note. We have about 120 persons on the list.  Discussions are  not
strictly limited to traditional jazz.  On request, I'll send you a brief
description of goals and purposes.  It's easy to get on or off, just ask!

 

Thanks.

Norman Vickers, Jazz Society of Pensacola

www.jazzpensacola.com

nvickers1 at cox.net