Duke Ellington's America-- What Gives?

[jazzbo]

A moment to remember forever! (Obviously). Thanks for sharing Chuck.

[Hot Ptah]

Said classes were a wonderful mix of stories and demonstrations - much better than real Master Classes.

Nothing like seeing Two Ton Baker roll onto the stage when Duke invited him for a 2 piano demonstration. The emotional highlight for me involved Paul Gonsalves in one of Duke's afternoon sessions. Paul had missed the previous night concert in Milwaukee - for the usual reason. Midway through Duke's presentation the auditorium door opened and there was a small disruption. Gonsalves came down the aisle with tenor in hand - he had tears streaming down his face. I was sitting next to Stanley Dance, who said "oh shit". Paul kept saying "I'm sorry" and Duke invited him up to the stage for a version of "Happy Reunion". DAMN!

Thanks for this story, Chuck!

Harold Minerve's girlfriend was in Richard Davis' jazz history class with us during Richard's first year in Madison, and she told us about the extent to which Paul Gonsalves was prone to missing concerts and other things in those early 1970s years--so your story is especially interesting to me.

[.:.impossible]

Wow. GREAT story!

[marcello]

Said classes were a wonderful mix of stories and demonstrations - much better than real Master Classes.

Nothing like seeing Two Ton Baker roll onto the stage when Duke invited him for a 2 piano demonstration. The emotional highlight for me involved Paul Gonsalves in one of Duke's afternoon sessions. Paul had missed the previous night concert in Milwaukee - for the usual reason. Midway through Duke's presentation the auditorium door opened and there was a small disruption. Gonsalves came down the aisle with tenor in hand - he had tears streaming down his face. I was sitting next to Stanley Dance, who said "oh shit". Paul kept saying "I'm sorry" and Duke invited him up to the stage for a version of "Happy Reunion". DAMN!

Thanks for this story, Chuck!

Harold Minerve's girlfriend was in Richard Davis' jazz history class with us during Richard's first year in Madison, and she told us about the extent to which Paul Gonsalves was prone to missing concerts and other things in those early 1970s years--so your story is especially interesting to me.

Love the story.

I saw the band just before Ellington passed and Gonsalves away. The band was ragged, especially in the numbers before Duke took the stage, but when he was on stage, it became electric and the band played from the heart with as much intensity as they could muster, with Duke growling, shouting and swinging on stage. Gonsalves was on he knees playing most of the time, and I remember the bit where he played a ballad and walked through the audience, pausing in front of a lady or two. He was also drinking every spare moment off stage.

Here's a photo of mine of Geezil Minerve:

[Hot Ptah]

Thanks for the photo of Harold "Geezil" Minerve, a player who deserves greater recognition.

I always wondered if the woman in Richard Davis' jazz history class was really Minerve's girlfriend, until one evening when she was with us at the Jazz Showcase in Chicago, to see Dizzy Gillespie. Dizzy came up to our table between sets and told her that he had Harold's pipe, that Harold had left it behind when they were playing chess.