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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Again, a great report, Jim. I never had a chance to
meet Teagarden. Would have been a high point in my life.</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=JimDBB@aol.com href="mailto:JimDBB@aol.com">JimDBB@aol.com</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A
title=dixielandjazz@ml.islandnet.com
href="mailto:dixielandjazz@ml.islandnet.com">dixielandjazz@ml.islandnet.com</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Cc:</B> <A title=JimDBB@aol.com
href="mailto:JimDBB@aol.com">JimDBB@aol.com</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Monday, February 17, 2003 3:23
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [Dixielandjazz] A lesson with
Jack Teagarden ( Almost)</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT size=3>Dick Broadie has asked
me to write of my lesson ( almost) with Jack Teagarden. Apparently he
heard of this via the recent BBC radio Documentary on Jack Teagarden by
Campbell Burnap. Campbell was over here a few years back and stayed with
Judi K and myself while he bounced around doing research on Louis
Armstrong. He is a fine trombonist himself and had his trombone along.
We had a ball one day in my basement studio playing along with Jack Teagarden
solos...I should clarify this and say, 'trying to play along with
Teagarden.' At that time I told him of my almost lesson with Jack and
last year he asked me to relate it on tape so that he could use it in his
radio documentary. This is no big deal but here it
is.<BR><BR><BR>
" A Lesson with Jack Teagarden"
(almost)<BR><BR>
by Jim Beebe<BR><BR><BR>In 1958 I was with Bob Scobey's Frisco Jazz Band and
we were in residence at the Cafe Continental in Chicago. I was in my
late 20s and this was my second outing with this top drawer professional jazz
group. Scobey's band was a powerful swinging group with Scobey's driving
trumpet, Clancy Hayes on vocals and banjo, Dave Black on drums, Rich Matteson
on helicon tuba and bass trumpet, Art Hodes piano, Brian Shanley clarinet,
myself on trombone and Toni Lee Scott on vocals. This was a very
exciting time in my life.<BR><BR>The Cafe Continental was the Chicago 'Mob's
top club and Scobey and the group had single handledly made it a
success. It was a place where we could sit for months at a time,
playing 5-6 nights a week. We knew vaguely that this was a ganster place
but didn't really care as we did our job and we got paid. Our audience
in the main was a mixture of local and visiting jazz fans, business people in
Chicago for a convention and the general night club crowd. One night an
unnamed source was talking with Clancy Hayes and he said, "My God, Clancy, do
you know who is in this place?" Clancy looked around and said, "No, who's
here?" This source said, "Clancy, if this place was nailed shut right
now, within ten minutes 90 percent of all crime and vice in Chicago would come
to a screeching halt?" That remark did give us some pause. (
The Cafe Continental was later raided by Federal Agents and eventually Jimmy
Allegretti and 3-4 others went to prison for trafficking in hijacked
booze.)<BR><BR>The nightclub business was good and all kinds of jazz was in
full swing in Chicago and around the country. One night, out of the
blue, jack Teagarden, came in the Cafe continental and sat down right smack in
front of the band. I was instantly dumbstruck and paralyzed. I
absolutely did not want to play another note. My idol and the greatest jazz
trombonist on earth was sitting right in front of me. I grabbed a drink
at the end of the set and I felt a little easier about it. I was anxious
to talk with Jack and Scobey came up and said that he was going to ask jack if
he wanted to sit in. He thought that he would as Jack and Clancy Hayes
were old friends. He wanted to know if Jack could use my trombone and
mouthpiece as he didn't have his along.<BR><BR>I didn't think that Jack would
sit in as my trombone, that I distinctly remember was a Conn 6H, was a little
bigger that what Jack played and my mouthpiece was undoubtedly
different. To my surprise, Mr. T said, that yes, he would like to
play. I cleaned my mouthpiece off and turned it and the horn over to
him. As I remember, Jack didn't even try it except to feel out the
slide. We made small talk until Scobey went back. The set that
followed was a revelation to me and I was entralled as was the segment of the
audience that was aware of what was going on. Jack played
beautifully, effortlessly and flawlessly. Playing on a different
trombone and mouthpiece didn't phase him in the slightest. I realized
that Jack Teagarden could play on any trombone. It didn't matter to him
what the horn or mouthpiece was although obviously, he would have
preferences. Jack didn't show off, he just played along with what ever
Scobey called and soloed on each tune as each band member took his turn.
He and Clancy Hayes sang a number together and that was a delight. I"ve
always wished that they could have recorded together. And Scobey featured him
on "Stars Fell on Alabama" that was just superb.<BR><BR>After this mind
blowing set I cornered Jack and proceeded to ask him how he did certain things
on the trombone. He was very cordial and seemed willing to talk about the
trombone. Jack had his own magic and could do little runs and things that no
one has ever figured out how he did them. He could play trills and
triplets easier and cleaner than anyone else and none of his technique was
ever used in a unmusical show-off way. So I asked him how he did those
runs that made a slide trombone sound like a valve bone and even faster. Jack
said, "Oh, I'll come over to your place tomorrow and show you some things to
work on." ( we had established earlier that he was staying near my pad
which was right next to the original Jazz Ltd. Club.)<BR><BR>Needless to say,
I didn't sleep much that night. Morning came, then afternoon...Jack
never showed up. I Knew why and I understood. His last wife, Addie
wouldn't let him out. I estimate that she added ten years to his life by
keeping him in. Jack was so good natured that musicians and fans often
took advantage of him..."Come on Jack, let's go to a session" or "Come on,
jack, let's go get a drink." And he couldn't turn them down.<BR><BR>Jack was
playing in Chicago at the London House and I was there on my off nights. He
apologized for not showing up but the occasion for a 'lesson' never came about
again. The secrets to playing his 'runs' went to the grave with him as
no trombonist that I know of has ever figured them out. Jack Teagarden
was one of the great musical geniuses to come up in Jazz music and the depth
of his musicality puts him right up there with Louis Armstrong.
Thankfully, they made so many memorable recordings together. Jack
Teagarden made many recordings and every solo of his on them is an absolute
gem.
'Thank you, Jack, for your magnificent legacy.'<BR><BR><BR>Jim Beebe</FONT>
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<P></P>_______________________________________________<BR>Dixielandjazz
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