[Dixielandjazz] Rhythm section

[ROBERT R. CALDER]

It wasn't an OKOM gig, though Steve Lacy did start at that end of things. 

He had a magnificent drummer in his band one night (in fact for the whole tour) 

but the night I found myself walking into the interval bar beside him and the bassist
it was that guy was trying to console the young bassist, who was plainly in 

considerable discomfort, massaging a very painful arm. 


The major drummer spoke consolingly, referring to Edinburgh cold weather ---
various reasons why the plucking arm might have been so uncomfortable. 


I knew of two reasons why. One was that the bassist had been powering the band 

magnificently on account of the second reason, which was:

the band that night had had to do without their pianist 

If you thought the pianist hadn't been missed,
think of the bassist's aching arm 


****  


and some other people might have seen a band on a bridge in Prague, 

powered by a former banjo so toneless and well-judged it was the ideal portable percussion


Robert