Tailgate Ramblings
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TAILGATE RAMBLINGS July 1980 In the hospitality line, it was agreed that individual Board members should handle the gate at least once a year and that more effort should be made to welcome people at special events. The TAILGATE RAMBLINGS PRJC membership is high — over 1,000 members — VOLUME 10, NUMBER 7 but the dropout rate is also high. If someone J u ly 1980 doesn't like the music after joining (incredible as that seems), that is not a problem we can solve. But i f someone d o e s n 't find a fr ie n d ly Editor: Ken Kramer group, we can do something. Contributing Editors: As a service to members we wish to continue Mary Doyle Harold Gray allowing the private sale of records or other jazz Joe God frey Dick Baker memorabilia. However, the Board agreed th at the George Kay Floyd Levin PRJC g a te w i l l not handle these sa les in the Vivienne Brownfield future. We are often asked to handle books on jazz or to sell records at a small profit to the PRJC President: Mary Doyle Club. But the work involved is tremendous, (703) 280-2373 because i t means keeping an inventory and books o f receipts and hauling these items to Specials. I f Vice President: Ken Kramer anyone in the Club is interested in this (703) 354-7844 undertaking, please let us know. TAILGATE RAMBLINGS is the monthly p u b lication Also in the hospitality line, musicians who are o f the Potomac R iver Jazz Club. The Club booked for this area often with to stay in private stands for the preservation, encouragement, homes in order to meet members o f clu b s. Thanks and advancement of traditional jazz. This to the C. Y. Browne's and the Roy Hostetters ' who means ja z z from 1900 to 1930 in th e New agreed to take four musicians from the B o a trid e. Orleans, Chicago, and Dixieland styles, Sometimes the le ft hand doesn't know what the including their various revivals, as well as right hand is doing, however, so this plan didn't blues and ragtime. TAILGATE RAMBLINGS work ou t. Contact a board member i f a you have a welcomes contributions from its readers. comfortable room available and would like to meet some out-of-town musicians. It's fun and cuts GREETINGS FROM YOUR PRESIDENT down on the overhead for the PRJC. The Board met before the Boatride for its usual Our next Special is in August. I t ' s th e third Wednesday o f the month meeting. Its first Natural Gas, a grea t West Coast ja zz band. See action was the election of Evelyn Franklin to fill you then. the remainder o f Bob Thulman's term. Evelyn has been active in the single's group and has served Mary H. Doyle at the door many times at Specials. She is presently in charge of sales and hopes for a good year in that department. New PRJC T-shirts w ill AD RATES be purchased in time for the picnic. Display ads in Tailgate are $90 for a full The Turk Murphy Special was a fin a n c ia l page, $55 for a half page, $35 for a quarter page, success. He is a big draw to Washington area and $20 for an eighth page. Small ads are free to members, and it was great to have him back again. PRJC members (eighth page and downwards). Payment for ad is due with copy submitted. Extra art work Congratulations are certainly in order fo Don that may be required is at the expense of the Angell for his masterful handling of advance sales submitter. Camera-ready copy is required. for the Severn River Boatride. This nonpaying job required full-time work, to say nothing of a million phone calls. Tickets were sold on a TAILGATE DEADLINES first-com e basis, and it was a sell-out. Musically it was also a great success, and Don The absolute deadline for Tailgate Ramblings also arranged for fantastic weather. copy is the 25th o f each month. Copy that is not in the sweaty and ink-stained hands o f the e d ito r w ill be held over to a possible later issue. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR SATCHMO, Barney Bigard, Jack Teagarden, Earl Hines, A r v e ll HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!" Shaw, and Cozy Cole! I had enough m aterial for six broadcasts. by Floyd Levin I reca ll another Armstrong birthday celebration The last time I heard that joyous phrase was on behind the bandstand at D isneyland, where Louis the 4th of July, 1976. I had proudly climbed on a Armstrong's All-Stars were featured in one of the flat bed rail car adjacent to Jacksor Square in "Dixieland at Disneyland" events that were held New Orleans to present the new Louis Armstrong for many years in the giant park. I think it was statue to Mayor Moon Landrieu on b e h a lf o f the 1967. The occasion was marred by an unexpected 1,000 fans who had contributed to the Louis rainstorm . As we huddled beneath an improvised Armstrong Statue Fund. The M ississippi R iver was canvas shelter, trombonist Tyree Glenn muttered to our backs as we faced the old statue o f Andrew some unprintable remarks about "Sunny C a lifo rn ia ." Jackson and listened to Danny B ark er's band with During that moist intermission, I decided that i t Blue Lu Barker singing the birthday theme. would be a good idea to plan a special birthday party for the next year so Armstrong could have 12 Standing t a ll and proud, the recently uncrated months to arrange his schedule for a rare day o f f . bronze figure o f Louis' Armstrong looked down on I promised Louis that, if he could attend, we the scene w h ile the TV cameramen recorded the would dedicate the entire day to celebration of event as part of the nation's bicentennial his birthday. We'd invite his favorite friends, celebration. Unfortunately, the network editors serve his favorite food, and have a memorable opted to provide extended coverage of the Tall holiday in his honor. He accepted the invitation Ships' foray up the Hudson River. As a result the but could not promise that the Associated Booking national TV audience had little opportunity to Corporation would arrange his schedule to witness the great honor that had been given to accomnodate our plans. Louis Armstrong in particular - and jazz in general. (The statue is now in its permanent We had the Arm strong b irth d a y p a rty th e location in the recently dedicated Louis Armstrong following year. It was a huge success. Our yard Park in New Orleans.) was decorated with toy trumpets dangling in the trees. Our backyard wall was covered with a July 4, 1930 is the 80th anniversary of 70-foot banner that proclaim ed "HAPPY BIRTHDAY Armstrong's b irth . Over the years, I have had to LOUIS ARMSTRONG, 1968." The vast panorama o f the privilege of sharing that event with Satchmo on San Fernando Valley below us was obscured by h a lf many occasions — both in body and in s p ir it . a hundred revelers celebrating the great occasion. Joe Darnsbourg spent several hours in our k itch en My first meeting with the great man was on his concocting pots full of red beans and rice, Louis' 48th birthday. Despite the passage of 32 years, favorite. Several musicians began a jam session the event is quite vivid in my mind. He had just in the yard that filled the neighborhood with returned from a successful European tour with his happy sounds. Inside, stereo speakers in every recently formed All-Stars. The band was booked room continually poured forth recorded sounds of in to The Oasis, a questionable venue in Southwest the Hot Five, Hot Seven, etc. A huge blowup of Los Angeles. With a borrowed Webcor tape Satchmo hung from L u c ille 's cherished c r y s ta l recorder, I meekly ventured into Louis' dressing chandelier. We consumed about eight cases of beer room during an intermission. I asked if he would and great quantities of liquor as we continually allow me to tape an interview for my radio program toasted the happy occasion . The only in v ite d — which was heard by only those very few who had guest unable to attend was Louis Armstrong. He encountered the recent innovation, FM radio. sent his regrets from England and in d ica ted that he would have preferred our pqrty to the audience I was ushered into an adjacent room, where I he had with the Queen that day! was greeted by a smiling Louis Armstrong nibbling a piece of birthday cake — stark naked! He was Armstrong's most momentous birthday took place changing cloth es between sets and agreed to talk here in Los Angeles in 1970. This was his last to me as he dressed. After our brief local appearance and it provided some o f the most conversation, he invited me to remain and dramatic moments of his entire career. A sell-out interview the members of his band. Before the audience in the huge Shrine Auditorium watched vening was over, I had recorded conversations with Louis climb a flight of stairs to reach the top of So this year, on July 4th, I w ill hoist a glass to again salute Satchmo.