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Drums, and Al Gibson on Tenor. Nat Cole and Art Tatum His Words

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Drums, and Al Gibson on Tenor. Nat Cole and Art Tatum His Words drums, and Al Gibson on tenor. Nat Cole and Art Tatum his words. He told the guy: “You cur! You took advantage we were playing opposite us. Did we hear some piano playing! of my friend!” Bit After that, I went out with Charlie Barnet for three weeks He was such a wonderful person, and I have seen so much me in Toronto, then rejoined Benny, then went with Coleman written about him that is false or unimportant. I remember Th Hawkins. This was getting on toward 1942 or 1943. 1 him as a person as much as a great musician. worked with Earl Hines and Billy Eckstine in 1943-44. Then, in late 1944. Oscar Pettiford and 1 formed a group, I was the first one to join Earl Hines, though Yard came wo as co-leaders. And we immediately sent Charlie Parker a * with the band right after. we telegram asking him to join us. I had been with the Lucky Millinder Band. He fired me far By the time we heard from Yardbird, we'd been in there in Philadelphia, in 1942. I worked a club there for a while 1 for several w'eeks, Don Byas had come in to work as a and then joined Hines in '43. We all started asking Earl to Ho single, and Oscar Pettiford and 1 had broken up the group. hire Bird. Unfortunately , there were already two alto players mei In fact, 1 was co-leader across the street from the Onyx with in the band. That didn't stop us. Billy Eckstine said, “Let’s Nc Budd Johnson, and Bird still hadn't showed up. Budd and get him anyway—he can play tenor.” E 1 were there six weeks. By then, Charlie Parker was just So Yard joined the band right after that, on tenor. lots getting into town . and I no longer had a group tor him He played superbly with that band. I remember Sarah maj to work with! Vaughan would sing This Is My First Love, and Bird would But Yard was in New York, and that was the main thing, play 16 bars on it. The w hole band w ould be turned to look put and a number of us were experimenting with a different at him. Nobody was playing like that. Yoi way of playing jazz . We stayed with Earl Hines until Billy left to form his for He ^here has been a lot of talk about where and when so- * called bebop started. But a simple answer to the question is impossible. It de­ pends on your viewpoint and on what you consider were the important contributing factors. If you consider that Charlie Parker was the prime mover, then bebop started at Clark Monroe's Uptown House, be­ cause that was where Yard used to go to jam. If you con­ sider that Thelonious Monk was the prime mover, then it was Minton's, where Monk was playing after hours with Joe Guy, Nick Fenton, and Kermit Scott. 1 was in an odd position: 1 was jamming at both places, and ducking the union man at both places! Bird used to come to Minton's to play, too, but he was jamming mostly at Monroe s. Who do I consider was the prime mover in the bebop movement? I would answer that with another question: what is the most important ingredient in spaghetti sauce? But this much I can say: it is true that we used to play unusual substitute chords and extensions of the chords to throw some of the other musicians who came up to sit in. That did have a lot to do with it. 1 can remember when nobody except us play ed the chord progression A-minor seventh to D seventh to Db. That was one of the chord progressions I showed Monk. But Monk was the first to use E-minor seventh with a flatted fifth, or as some call it an E half-diminished. Monk just called it a G-minor sixth with an E in the bass. ny this time, Bird and I were very close friends. Parker sitting in with Gilltspia's big band, Pershing hotel, Chicago, late 1940s. Gillesf He was a very sensitive person, in the way that many creative people are. Everything made a profound impres­ own band. Sarah left. too. Yard and I joined Billy. Gale we c sion on him. He also was very loyal, and he had a terrific Brockman and Benny Harris were in the brass section with bam sense of humor. me, and Billy Frazier, Dexter Gordon, Lucky Thompson, buik 1 remember one incident that illustrated all these charac­ John Jackson, Charlie Rouse, and Gene Ammons were in teristics. the sax section at one time or another with Bird. That was Yarc It was after the period of Minton's and Monroe’s Uptown a radical band. It was the forerunner of all the big modern was House. We were with the Earl Hines Band. I was sitting at bands. But a lot of ballroom operators didn't dig it. They Bird the piano one night in Pine Bluff. Ark., and some white thought it was just weird. But it was a very fine band, very Roa< fellow came up and threw a quarter on the bandstand to me advanced. I and said, “Hey, boy! Play Darktown Strutters' Ball." I paid I can't recall whether Charlie Parker and 1 left the band last him no mind and kept playing. together. We must have, because from the band, we went mam When the dance was over. I went to the men's room. As I into the Three Deuces. That was in early 1945 The group came out, this guy hit me on the side of the head with a was in my name, and the members included Stan Levey, Al B'r bottle. Blood was spurting, and 1 grabbed for a bottle myself. Haig, Curly Russell, and Bird. We were there for several and Some people grabbed me, before I could crown him with a months. In December, 1945, we went to Billy Berg’s club on even bottle of Seltzer. Vine St. in Hollywood. Ray Brown had replaced Curly Rus­ Y< They took me off to the hospital. I remember as they were sell. and Milt Jackson had been added on vibes. And, taking me out, Charlie Parker—he wasn't very big—was I wasn’t always sure Bird would show up, and that’s why Kan< wagging his finger in the man's face. I’ll always remember 1 hired Bags. The contract was for only five men. With Bags unde 22 • DOWN BEAT.
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