patricia

Love it!! One thing about nicknames is that they are almost never something one bestows on oneself. They are usually given because of a charming [or not] eccentricity or characteristic, over which the recipient has no control. That, to me, is what makes them unique. They are never requested successfully, but are usually expressions of affection. They become an integral part of the personality. ............................ Quite often, for example in "STUFF" [Hezekiah Leroy Gordon] SMITH's case, aren't we glad that his real name was supplanted? It wouldn't have had nearly the appeal. Stuff Smith, born in Portsmouth Ohio in 1909, played jazz violin, as well as doing some credible singing. Jo Jones said of Stuff, that he " was the cat who took the apron-strings off the fiddle" which I think is a terrific way of describing the unique style which Smith demonstrated on an instrument which I don't think of, immediatly, as a jazz instrument. His style, I think, is reminiscent of that of Venuti's, so I wasn't surprised when I discovered that those old records were one of Smith's chief influences. He explained his approach to the fiddle as being similar to the way a drummer hits a cymbol. Smith's start came with Alphonso Trent's orchestra and he played both sweet and hot features, including comedy "point" numbers. He married, settled in Buffalo and got together with Jonah Jones, one of my favorites and began a life-long friendship. They were booked by Dick Stabile into the Onyx Club on 52nd St. in 1936. The well-known hits, "I'se A Muggin'" and "If You're A Viper" were gigantic hits of that period. Stuff was not a mellow lad and was said to be rather difficult to deal with, looking after his own interests, which was not a bad approach, career-wise, but was misunderstood by many who worked with him. He left the Onyx, to Joe Helbock's disappointment, to make a Hollywood film in 1938, called "Swing Street" and dragged his heels coming back. Unfortunately, this break caused a bump in his career and jazz had moved on. There was a plateau, although he continued to work with a trio in New York and also in Chicago. Stuff opened a restaurant in Chicago, but his tempermental personality was still there and Billy Taylor said of him, "Stuff's trio at the Onyx in 1944 was one of the most rhythmic trios I ever heard. Their only records were made for Asch but they didn't show what the trio could do. They'd worked up some things for the session but then Stuff goofed and played some other things instead, as he was likely to do!" By the 1950's Stuff was soloing, mostly and was California based. His health was, sadly, not good and he had pneumonia, often and ulcers. His drinking was becoming a problem and his liver was shot. This was most likely due to his not eating properly when he was drinking. But, in the 1960's, Stuff arguably did his finest work, working like a demon, doing tours of Europe as well as playing concert halls and festivals. He swung hard, right up to the end, which came in September of 1967. A gigantic talent, silenced at fifty-eight. But, lucky for us, his recordings with his own band, as well as with Dizzy and with Paul Olsen and Svend Asmussen are still out there, for us to enjoy and marvel at. He was, and still is a giant. ...................................... ****Thanks Brownie.

Busted, EKE BBB!!! This is yet another avenue of approach to present bios in a random way. This way, well-known, as well as not so well-known artists get a chance to be known and honoured. Thanks guys. Yes, this is a more comfortable form. I'll try to profile a variety of artists and not concentrate on my favourites. Bias may, from time to time be evident, but I make no apologies. We like what we like. Re-grouping. ................................... Bean/Hawk were two nicknames of the fabulous tenor sax player, COLEMAN HAWKINS. The "Hawk" part is an abbreviation of his surname, but I don't know where the "Bean" part came from. Does anyone?? In any case, Hawkins was described by the great Lester Young this way. "He's the person who played the saxophone who woke you up and let you know there was a tenor saxophone". High praise, coming from Young, who was a rival during the first thirty years of jazz history. Coleman Hawkins was, for about forty-five years, considered to have maintained his seniority as THE BEST, because of his creation of an omnipotent vocabulary for his instrument. Before Hawkins was twelve, he was playing to school audiences and later was playing regularly in Chicago on weekends in his early teens. He heard the greats of the period, such as Stomp Evans, Buster Bailey, who had amazing speed, and Happy Caldwell. He also headlined for Sophie Tucker, and one of his favourites, Ted Lewis. Mamie Smith's Jazz Hounds used Hawkins in their touring group in 1921. He was around twenty at the time. By 1924 he was playing with Fletcher Henderson's group and stayed with Henderson for ten years. He was a star!!! Coleman became a close friend of Jimmy Harrison. He dressed beautifully, drove fast cars and was described as a kind of Atilla of the jazz saxophone, ruthlessly cutting anyone who was brave enough to challenge him. In 1934, he felt he had nowhere to go with Henderson's band and sent a telegram addressed to "Jack Hylton, London, England" and on March 29 he landed in England to begin a five year period of touring Europe with Hylton's band. He played the fabled Palladium during that time and also toured Holland, France, Switzerland, Sweden and Denmark. As many jazz artists discovered [much like Miles Davis and Charlie Parker] Hawkins did not experience the what he descibed as downgrading of him, because of his race, in Europe, but became homesick, moving back to Chicago in 1939. Hawkins described his return to Chicago this way. "Fletcher was playing. He knew I was out in the audience and sent a waiter with a note saying 'Don't you think it's about time the leave of absence is over?' and signed his name at the bottom." That was good enough for Hawkins. The side which is probably the one most associated with his name, "Body And Soul" was recorded for RCA Victor in 1939. His career was clickin' along and he went on to be involved with BeBop and, unlike some of the earlier artists, such as the great Dave Tough and Roy Eldridge who were somewhat pummelled by the evolution of the genre, Hawkins was challenged by it. By 1943 he was leading sextet with Don Byas, Thelonious Monk and trumpeter Benny Harris. He was also very interested in the emerging careers of Fats Navarro, Oscar Pettiford, Max Roach and the great Dizzy Gillespie. Norman Granz also used Hawkins in his series of concerts, Jazz At The Philharmonic in 1946, where he played with Lester Young. His career never really seemed to suffer any decline, as innovation became the cornerstone of jazz and his style stood up to the younger players on the scene, such as Stan Getz and Zoot Sims. As the 1960's came over the horizon, Hawkins was still at the top of his form, ever flexible and playing with much younger men. Those included Thad Jones and Sonny Rollins. It was amazing to me that even the advent of rock and roll didn't slow him down. He said of r&r, "Rock doesn't sound too bad, but I don't think the right people are playing it yet." He continued to forge ahead, until May of 1969, when worn down by a reputed diet of lentil soup and brandy, he threw off this mortal coil and died, leaving a legacy matched by few. Berigan, please tell us more about ISH KABIBBLE. Just saying it, makes me smile.

So am I... Patricia, now that you have taken one request, here is mine: Zutty Singleton. Hi Brownie!! Distracted, you say?? I smile. A drummer at the turn of the last century, ZUTTY SINGLETON, was born in Bunkie Louisiana in 1898. For those of you who love drum solos, Zutty is considered to be the originator of them, as well as a developer of innovative effects, such as the use of clicking temple bells and of the tiny choke cymbols. Those, like me, who love brushes can thank Zutty and his use of the tip and ride cymbol was copied by drummers who came later, such as Cliff Leeman and Stan Greig. Singleton was one of the personalities of the great jazz era and was held in great regard by Louis Armstrong. Zutty was the drummer on Armstrong's "My Monday Date" and also "West End Blues". Temple blocks and choke cymbols can be heard of both those records. Zutty was dropped by Armstrong, who was leading a band at Connie's Inn, but it wasn't because of a lack of talent, but rather, like Sid Catlett, that Zutty was too much of a leader. Like Catlett, Zutty Singleton was able to adapt his style from Dixieland to BeBop, so his career simply took another creative turn when the new jazz fashion evolved. His work is evident on Slim Gaillard's "Slim's Jam" and he also worked behind Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. Singleton did not think of drums as simply punctuation, but as musical instruments in their own right. One small stumble, some say, in his career was his move from New York to Chicago in the mid-thirties. He moved to Chicago to work with Carroll Dickerson, who was on the downside of his career. But he did work with Roy Eldridge, one of the up-and-comers, before moving back to New York in 1937. Zutty stayed in New York to lead various bands, then moved out to Los Angeles in 1943, taking his quartet to Billy Berg's. Singleton made the first of three films, "Stormy Weather", that year with Bill Robinson, Fats Waller and Lena Horne. The two other films were "New Orleans", in 1946 with Armstrong and Billie Holiday and "Turned Up Toes" in 1949. Eddie Condon and Nappy Lamare's bands used Zutty in the fifties and he also played in Europe with Bill Coleman and Mezz Mezzrow, as well as others. He came back to New York and worked clubs until the late 1960's. ZUTTY SINGLETON died in July of 1975.

Hi Pete, No, I don't, but I'll make an exception in your case, since Slim and Slam were an interesting and entertaining act. As many know, Slim Gaillard and Slam Stewart first got together as Slim and Slam as an act in 1936, having met at a Harlem Club, called Jock's Place. They recorded a hit record together, "Flat Fleet Floogie" which was a huge hit in 1937. SLAM [Leo] STEWART had studied at the Boston Conservatory where he heard violionist, Ray Perry, who was a huge influence on Stewart. Perry was singing in unison with his bowed lines and Slam borrowed the idea, which was singing an octive up from the bass. Peanuts Holland had hired Slam in 1936 and Stewart developed the idea during his time with Holland's group. Stewart often ran his own trio which, when it played the Three Deuces, included Art Tatum, as well as featured a very young Erroll Garner. Errol wrote bass features for the group during the three years he was with Stewart. The very unusual sound that Stewart played set him apart and he also provided an amusing, whimsical quality which was copied by others, notably, Coleridge Good and Major Holley. This is not to say that Slam Stewart was simply comic relief. He was a fine musician, in his own right and was well respected by his peers, working easily with the artists who played with him. He became very well known, having appeared in "Stormy Weather" in 1943 and also won the Metronome poll in 1946. During the 1950's and 1960's Slam continued to work and he was associated with Tatum, Garner, Beryl Booker, Roy Eldridge and Rose Murphy. A completely different from small group jazz style was exhibited, as he played with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra in the 1970's. He also taught master classes, as well as playing on the Today show and writing instructional tutors. He was featured with the New York Jazz Repertory Company in the 1970's as well. By the time the 1980's rolled in, he was still as busy as ever, until December of 1987 when he died.

Not at all. But since you didn't make it clear that it was your work, and the work is of publishable quality, I just wanted to make sure you hadn't neglected attribution. I'm not accusing you of this, but people cut and paste things without attribution all the time, not realizing that the same courtesies to the original author/source should be adhered to even in informal settings. I'm definitely not suggesting that you need a bibliography or footnotes in this case. Anyway, thanks for the research & excellent writing! Carry on. OK. Actually, my mother would be pleased that I am finally using my education to some advantage. I have also assisted in the gathering of information and the locating of interviewees, for a few friends who were working toward their own degrees. I love doing it, and hope that what I write here is interesting. I will indeed credit the source, if I use a quote. I also hope that others who contribute to the thread will too. So far, the only quotes were those from artists who worked with the honouree and they appear [obviously] the same way, no matter what the source. Thank you for the compliment and your interest though.

Recognized and appreciated. Throne? What throne?? Learned? Sometimes. Sometimes not so much.

I am consolodating information from various sources in my own words. I suppose it would be easier to lift entire biographies, as they appear, from one source, but I choose not to do that, but simply use facts of their lives and some quotes from those who worked with them. The sources are websites, biographies and jazz history collections. They are not cut and pasted, or re-printed verbatum, but condensed, re-worked and presented in a conversational way. I was unaware that using available information to write about historical jazz artists was violating copyright. Is that what you're suggesting?

Thanks Peter. That would be great! If you, and anyone else who can add to the list of bios, by nickname, do, it will be even better. I will try to contribute as much as I can, but group participation is always richer. In the meantime, may I draw your attention to "PAPA" JACK LAINE? Papa Jack, who played drums, as well as being a fine alto horn player and leader, was born at the very beginning of the emergence of jazz as a musical artform, not surprisingly, in New Orleans. His nickname was given to him because he was a father figure to many of the young white New Orleans jazzmen. He formed his own ragtime band in 1888. Soon after, he was leading his Reliance Brass Bands. A number of the great names in early white jazz, like Nick La Rocca and Tom Brown worked with Laine, as did many of the best so-called "Creoles of Colour", such as Achille Baquet, who played clarinet. Because the demand for his services was intense, Laine for a long time exercised a virtual monopoly on supplying music to white, upper-class New Orleans society, all over the neighbouring Gulf Coast states. Amazingly, Laine played Ragtime by ear!! He had an extremely successful career, until 1917 when he retired. That, of course, does not mean that he stopped playing jazz. Not at all. When the revival of Ragtime took place in the 1940's and the 1950's, Laine again took the spotlight and performed as a revered and familiar figure. In the 1950's PAPA JACK LAINE's records, "Papa Laine's Children" were re-issued on various labels, bringing his music to a whole new generation. PAPA JACK LAINE died in June of 1966.

I was facinated by how much I was able to learn, randomly, about jazz artists, both from the past and the present, by starting with whether or not they had a nickname and going from there. To look at ALL artists and study their work was simply a a task too vast. Zeroing in on the nickname angle made it more, well, half-vast. It was interesting to me just how many, both obscure and well-known players had a nickname. Although many do, it's not nearly as common as it is with blues artists, almost all of whom seem to have had one. In any case, I'll start this thread and see where it goes. At the very least, I hope it will jog people's memory and at worst............well.... ................................................ The first artist, by nickname, will be TRUMMY [James Osbourne] YOUNG. Trummy was born in Savannah Georgia on January 12, 1912 and grew up in Washington, studying trumpet first. He moved onto trombone, playing what has been described as a high-noted style, which was revolutionary in the late 1920's. In fact, he said of that period, "People used to say I was crazy and ask what I was trying to do." But, in 1933, Trummy was hired by Earl Hines, who was a sympathetic bandleader, who could see the potential of Trummy's style of playing. Trummy's style is said to have been based on Louis Armstrong's, combined with Jimmy Harrison's. He said at the time, "I worked very hard on a sharper, brilliant sound." Young played in Jimmy Lunceford's band in the early forties and added a freshness to the group, with his up front style. As a result, Young became a figurehead for trombonists everywhere. Dicky Wells said, "He really brought a modern turn to the trombone and it was unusual for a trombone player to be featured, as he was." Trummy also had an effervescent personality and was a perfect cornerman for his leader. Unfortunately, in 1943 Young left Lunceford's band, due to low wages. He then worked for Norman Granz's Jazz At The Philharmonic, before moving to Hawaii, where he lived and played. In 1952, Young was heard by Louis Armstrong, in Hawaii and spent the next thirteen years with Armstrong's All Stars. Young was happy with the All Stars and adored Louis. He said, "I try to keep him happy. Louis has got more soul than anyone I ever met in my life." The rough road life with the All Stars, unfortunately caused him to quit in 1964. He moved back to Hawaii. He then re-emerged with Dick Gibson's Colorado parties, special events and major Jazz Festivals, including the one in Nice. The innovative trombone player, TRUMMY YOUNG died in September of 1984, never retiring. He was seventy-two years old and had spent his whole life doing what he did best, playing JAZZ.

She's probably out there on some obscure bulletin board discussing these very subjects with DEEP. Or, perhaps not. As for the appliance maintenance tips, there weren't ever any. The discussion involved the possible detrimental effect the use of specific appliances, by some, may have had in contributing to the East Coast power outage and was a rib. All jokes do not begin, "A guy walks into a bar..."

Patricia, though the area you describe brings memories I can't recall that record shop. The ones I visited had really no interesting jazz vinyls. All I did find was a couple of Diane Dufresne albums that a friend of mine who was infatuated with Diane was looking for. Don't take it bad but am not planning to revisit the city any time soon -_- That's a shame. But, I haven't even looked at any other places, since I am relatively new to Calgary and never go downtown, except to RecordLand. Work interferes with a true exploration of the city. But, I was surprised that there is so much old jazz vinyl here, since it is like an alien world to me, all big hats and pointy boots and C+W, indespersed with loud Rap. My head hurts when I shop, from the Muzak I hear. I understand that there are quite a few places which have vintage vinyl. If you ever end up here again [there is a jazz festival, annually in July] please let me buy you several tipples of your choice.

Patricia, Calgary must have changed since 1988 when I stayed there for three weeks during the the Winter Olympics. Looked for record shops around town, found some but did not strike gold, nor silver. No jazz vinyl of interest. Nada! A rare instance when I traveled to a foreign city for a long stay and came back empty handed. Fortunately stopped over in Chicago on the way back to Paris. That was a jazz record city! Brownie, Did you go to RecordLand, downtown?? It's in the really old part of town, near tattoo places and little stores with uneaven wood floors and bars on the windows. I would never go to that part of town, but for the record store. They have a really good Jazz section, everything in excellent condition and I found out recently that the reason I couldn't find any Dixieland was that it has it's own section. They also have some '78's and '45's, but I've never bought any, remembering how I treated my singles. I'll have to take time to look at them next time I'm there. That was where I found a mint copy of Woody Herman's 40th Anniversary concert at Carnegie Hall, as well as some factory sealed records from the fifties and sixties. So, I did, I think, find gold. All their stuff is in at least good condition and most in excellent condition.

THE REAL VICTIM HERE! Yes indeed. Her walker has been yanked away from her, at the top of the single hill in Mayberry.

I know it does. It makes no sense at all. I don't like having to go to a completely different board, having to change my password, that I only have, because I registered to defend myself against comments made on subsequently axed threads. It's making me crazy. Rainy Day who already has her own opinion of me, has posted a sarcastic comment, making her opinion of me clear [Her semi- clever comment was "Maybe a dingo ate your baby". That's from some obscure Meryl Streep movie a few years ago, with a short but pleasant stop on Seinfeld. Droll], and is making an annoying situation worse. Thank you Rainy Day.

OK. Thanks. I've changed my password on Blue Note and hope that does something.

Thanks Chris. But, I know you're not going to agree with me, but we don't know for sure who did this, but if I do find out for sure, I'll do everything in my power to choke the life out of their useless frame. I am MEGA-PISSED off about this.

Chris, Could you mention again, for Rainy Day's benefit the erroneous registration at Blue Note, of you, me and I suppose others, which enables whoever it is to post whatever they want, using our names?? There were several of these posts, under my name, but not posted by me, which appear there, some since deleted, along with the threads, but some remain and Rainy Day has seen fit to post a sarcastic comment that is causing me even more distress than the phantom poster has the last few days. Although I can delete them, or edit them, because they are registered to me, by who knows who. I can't keep doing this every few hours, as, like you, I have a life. I've already notified the moderator at Blue Note, but to no avail. Rainy Day is making this not only stressful, but even more embarrassing. I guess she missed your post, mentioning this erroneous registering of our names on the Blue Note Europe board. She already thinks I'm a flake, or worse and this makes it really distressing. Her opinion of me is immaterial, but I can't just ignore it, because the posts keep appearing. What do you suggest I do??

Happy??? My friends don't use any of the offensive terms that you have. It never occurred to me to be THANKFUL that they don't. They don't punch me in the face either. It also never occurred to me to be thankful for that. Why would they do a stupid thing like that??? As I say, just back off.

BACK OFF and stop being an ass. If you don't understand why I was offended at the "synonym" YOU used, in reference to me, then you probably don't understand why the "N" word is offensive either. I quoted YOUR post, to clarify my comment. Just drop this nonsense and move on.

When I lived in Fresno, then Sacramento, I was paying anywhere from $10-$15 per disc. Here in Calgary, the top price at my vinyl source appears to be about $15. There are many available from about $5. Then, at a secondhand place around the corner the price is a straight $1 per record. So, if it's a two record set, it's $2, or a ten-record set from some mailorder place, it's $10. The selection, of course, is more varied at the more expensive place and they organize their stock and catagorize everything, making sure that the records are in good to excellent condition. It's interesting.

SGud, No offence taken. But, it seems to me that this idea was considered a while ago and rejected, for some reason. If I understand blogs, those who participate in discussions have to be notified of the blog's location in order to do so. That may be a viable choice, given recent events.

I'll add my thanks to Maren and to those who see where Chris and I were coming from.

Perhaps that's possible, Peter. But, if it's not, I can do a similar thing, on a new thread, over a few days. It was fun to put together the first time and will be slightly different if I do it again. The bios were not cut and pasted, but composed fresh, from reference material and put into my own words. Yeah. I talk like that, for better or worse. Thank you so much for your positive feedback. I'm not given to mood-swings, usually, but I was under a little stress then, I suppose.

Sadly, in an uncharacteristic snit I jettisined them. I was miffed when not a small amount of effort on my part was dismissed out of hand, and not just by the thread originator. It was originally a futile attempt to gentle the thread and pass on what I thought was interesting info in a random manner. I know that to some it was like the little old man, last week, who came into the patent office with his revolutionary invention for talking over long distances. He thought he might call it "the telephone". But, because I haven't spent my whole life, as many here have, listening to and loving jazz, this was a way of talking about obscure and not so obscure artists whom we don't discuss, or even hear, that often. I know that it was old hat to most, who already knew about them. But, I can create another if there is any interest. Thank you for the kind words.

Thanks Brownie.