How My Father & Uncle Became Jazz Aficions: Letters From Zihuatanejo
Dig, early on I took to playing penny whistle and mouth harp, Jew’s harp (this stretch is tough to read probably due to what he believes is Parkinson’s). Always dug singing & whistling. Knew words to hit pop tunes. Recall Ella’s hit “A Tisket a Tasket” w/ the great Chick Webb Band. “Little Jazz” hit “Shoe Shine Boy”, Gene Autry “South of the Border”, Ivy Anderson “Mood Indigo” w/ Duke, Judy Garland’s “Over The Rainbow”, Bing Crosby “White Christmas”, Andrew Sisters’ “Chattanooga Choo Choo”, Fats Waller “Ain’t Misbehavin’”. Upstairs neighbors the Diggs’ always diggin’ Duke, Count, “Smack”, Chick, Lucky Millinder, Luis Russell, Andy Kirk, Lunceford, Alvino Ray, Cab, Hamp, Fatha, Goodman, Whiteman, Dorsey, Miller. Kwame & I would frequent (appears to be a phrase missing at bottom of page) Bros. Floyd (‘bone)& Clayton (drums) would let us fool around his traps, and Ma Diggs was steady baking donuts, pies & cookies. I was hip to Chick, Cozy, Big Sid, Sonny Greer, JoJo before I went to school. 15 cents for 78 rpm.
Mother would hit Bean for “Jo” Baker, Kate Dunham, Pearl Primus, Sis. Rosetta Tharpe, Mahalia, Roland Hayes, Todd Duncan, Lena Horne, Clara Ward & chitlin’ circuit shows. Buck & Bubbles, Butterbeans & Suzy, Pot, Pan & Skillet, Mantan Moreland, Tim “Kingfish” Moore, “Moms” Mabley, “Peg Leg” Bates, Mills Bros.,Ink Spots, Golden Gate Quartet, Step Bros., Jubilee Singers, Maxine Sullivan. Usually took one of us kids along, so we got immersed from jump street. Lunceford played Haverhill, Duke would play Salem Canobee Lake 20 miles from Haverhill. Bird played Canobee & Revere Beach Rollaway, a big time blues bastion.
When — — was eighth grade we at last had our own Vendor (box 78 rpm.). Our first disc was “Jazz at the Philharmonic”, live concert recording feat. The likes of “Prez”, “Lil Jazz’, Willie Smith, “Rabbit”, “Sweets”, Buster, Illinois, Flip, Bird, Diz,O.P., Chas. Shavers, Tommy Turk, Buddy Rich, Ella, Howard McGhee, Ray Brown, Teddy Wilson, Buck, Benny Green, Nat Cole, Johnny Moore, Denzil Best. Discs 25 cts. a pop, we’d cop one a week. Having heard Ella & Ivy early, The Lady threw me with her singular signature unique style of sound. We had “Fat Girl”, Stitt, Dex, , Bird, Diz, Jacquet, McGhee, Slim & Slam, Bud, Max, Ray Brown, Joe Guy, OP, T-Bone Walker, Chas. Ventura, Eckstine, Nat Cole, Kay Starr, Al Hibbler, Joe Carroll, Ella, Ivy.
Dex was an early fave of mine, also Prez. After hearing a heavy dose of swing it took an adjusting to bebop. “Pops” called it Chinese music. Lil’ Jazz rebuked it, as did many swingmen. Duke, Fatha, Bean dug it as an extension.Most of the early critics were overwhelmed & generally condemned the reckless abandon acrobatics. There were a lot of “moldy figs” who said it didn’t swing like Prez, Jeep, or Benny Carter. It was definitely polemic & created a huge rift among the cognoscenti. New departures in sound always raise hackles & ruffle plumes. Most of the prominent beboppers dismissed Ornette & Cherry. John Handy, a dissident, told me that you couldn’t get another alto axeman in the house run by the Termimi Bros. on St. Mark’s Place on the eve of the change of the century. At that time Lou Donaldson & ‘ball and Jackie Mc were the reigning powers post-Parker. Donaldson strode in after the first set had started, circumnavigated the Five Spot, & strode back on out followed by a mass exodus of alto players behind their bossman. Jimmy Garrison dissed Ornette. K.D. (trumpeter Kenny Dorham) condemned Albert Ayler. Once again the critics were befuddled & annoyed, and so it goes w/ sounds.
It’s hip you and Bro. — — are collaborating on a noteworthy project. You’re at the summit w/ — -. He’s prime source.
— — ‘s a competent drummer, was in first ever class at Berklee when name changed from Schillinger House. He also studied piano & bass. Did semester at North Carolina A & T, couple years New England School of Art. Average student.
My initiation to Apple sound haps was in 1954. Me & — — stayed at infamous Stanhope Hotel for a weekend on the sound scene. George Wallington was up at Birdland, homeboy Teddy Kotick on bass, a delightful reunion of Hillies (3). Brew Moore had a foursome & Miss Bitch warbled wearing a floor length silver fox coat. Club was vacuous- an epic event. I had dug Bird, Miles, Max, Brownie & Lee Morgan at Morgan State.
