[Dixielandjazz] Ted Shafer Obit

[Joe Bebco]

He are working on an obituary for Ted Shafer to run in our September
issue but I don't expect to post it for another week or so. We're
trying to pin down accurate years and locations for certain things and
that involves contacting people. I could find very little online about
him that wasn't simply a mention from someone that they played with
him at some point. As this will be the most comprehensive biography of
his contributions online (even at around 800 words) we want to get it
right.

I heard that he had something instrumental to do with the Firehouse
Fake Book and if someone could accurately describe his involvement for
me, or dissuade me from the idea, I would appreciate it.

A concise history of Merry Makers with actual dates would also be
appreciated. There was certainly a wealth of good music on that label,
and some releases seem very recent but there is no website that I can
find.

I may not be the one writing this one but I do want to provide as much
info as I can to whoever does. Feel free to call. Though email works
better because it's tough to take accurate notes on the phone.

Thanks!

Joe Bebco
Associate Editor
SyncopatedTimes.com (315) 507-5490
A monthly newspaper covering Hot Jazz, Ragtime, and Swing.