wkcr now featuring 5 hours of trailblazing trombonist, dicky wells.

[alocispepraluger102]

http://www.studentaffairs.columbia.edu/wkcr/

Edited May 20, 2013 by alocispepraluger102

[Larry Kart]

It may just be me, but "early trombonist" strikes me as weird when applied to Dickie Wells . I mean, Kid Ory, Honore Dutery -- those are early trombonists, both in terms of era and style. Dickie Wells could (and did) stand tall alongside Lester Young as a soloist -- hear "Taxi War Dance," for one.

[AllenLowe]

I have an amazing cassette tape somewhere of a concert Dickie did for a class I taught, maybe 1977, with Dick Katz and Jeff Fuller. It was interesting, like a re-awakening. He was a fascincting guy who had a clear case (though I had no idea at the time) of PTSD (he'd been beat up and left for dead some years before; he'd gone, from what I was told, from being a very sociable guy to one who was almost silent). When he wanted to he could still pull it off (and he was deeply hurt by the Hodeir article on him that said, in effect, that he had lost his ability).

I'd also recommend the Paris recordings.

His autobiography, Night People, is a classic of the literature.

Edited May 19, 2013 by AllenLowe

[alocispepraluger102]

It may just be me, but "early trombonist" strikes me as weird when applied to Dickie Wells . I mean, Kid Ory, Honore Dutery -- those are early trombonists, both in terms of era and style. Dickie Wells could (and did) stand tall alongside Lester Young as a soloist -- hear "Taxi War Dance," for one.

agreed

I have an amazing cassette tape somewhere of a concert Dickie did for a class I taught, maybe 1977, with Dick Katz and Jeff Fuller. It was interesting, like a re-awakening. He was a fascincting guy who had a clear case (though I had no idea at the time) of PTSD (he'd been beat up and left for dead some years before; he'd gone, from what I was told, from being a very sociable guy to one who was almost silent). When he wanted to he could still pull it off (and he was deeply hurt by the Hodeir article on him that said, in effect, that he had lost his ability).

I'd also recommend the Paris recordings.

His autobiography, Night People, is a classic of the literature.

thx, allen.

[John Litweiler]

Thanks, Allen. In the late 1970s Dicky Wells and Earle Warren played in Chicago together, and Wells was so creative still. A rather rougher attack, if I recall aright, but original and melodic. I didn't keep up with the later recordings, but the Paris album and some big-band solos are favorites, especially Basie's "Panassie Stomp." There's an even more spectacular version of that one in the Savory collection in the Harlem Jazz Museum (everybody takes 3-chorus solos).

Larry is so right. Nowadays most everyone, including (maybe especially) most people my age, seem to think of pre-bebop music as early jazz. Like J.B. Figi, I was raised to believe that trombone was supposed to be played like Kid Ory and Charlie Green played it.

[Enterprise Server]

WKCR is great! Love how they will do 24 hour plus playing of selected artists on their birthdays....