Aug. 1977 Vol. 7 No.8 PRJC Special for August: The Jazz Minors At Marriott Twin Bridges Sat. Aug. 6, 1977 9-1 Members $4, nonmemhers $5 W t £ & ^ G a & wPjgfflk ^ b F k 5^j^R ^ w P ^ 5f\jj^ -^otk *9\®?^ *%?** ^Sof^ •^Sbt^- ^tuP* ^Sor^ ^T®r^ MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION, POTOMAC RIVER JAZZ CLUB (Please print or type) NAME STREET CITY STATE $ ZIP PHONE NO. OCCUPATION (Opt.) RECORD COLLECTOR ( ) YES MUSICIAN? (What instruments?) * MEMBER OF ORGANIZED BAND? '^ 5 '" INTERESTED IN ORGANIZING OR JOINING ONE? INTERESTED IN JAMMING OCCASIONALLY?_ — READ MUSIC? ( ) YES DESCRIBE YOUR JAZZ INTERESTS BRIEFLY (What styles interest you, etc.) [ ] Individual membership - $7.50 per year. Member is eligible for all benefits of the PRJC, including all discounts offered and the right to vote in the general election and to hold office in the club. [ ] Family membership - $10.00 per year. Both husband and wife are eligible for benefits described above. Children under 18 are eligible for all discounts. (A single person buying a family membership is eligible for all benefits described above; discounts offered will be extended to one guest when that guest accompanies the member.) I enclose check payable to the Potomac River Jazz Club for the option checked above. Signature________________ Mail to: Doris B. Baker Membership Secretary 7001+ Westmoreland Rd. Falls Church, Va. 2201+2 Buzzy's Gig Ends Tail gate Rambling: One of the longest running gigs in PRJC history, long predating the club's exis­ Vol. 7 No. 8 tence, came to an apparent end in mid- August 1977 July, when the Stutz Bearcat JB got the Editor - Ted Chandler pink slip from Buzzy's Pizza Warehouse Contributing Editors - A1 Webber in Annapolis. Citing economics as the Dick Baker reason, management indicated satisfaction Ed Fishel with the band, but pointed to lack of Cover Art - Kevin Mitchell parking space and a location off the PRJC President - Harold Gray beaten track as factors militating against large enough crowds to maintain the gig. TR is published monthly for members of Few of what crowds did gather each the Potomac River Jazz Club, a nonprofit week were PRJC members. group, dedicated to preservation of The Stutz Bearcats, whose personnel traditional jazz and its encouragement had remained remarkably constant over the in the Washington-Baltimore area. Signed past year, have developed into a hard­ articles appearing in TR represent the hitting, crisp band with a metronomic views of their authors alone and should rhythm section and a tight, often uproar­ not be construed as club policy or ious front line. opinion. Led by clarinetist Chuck Brown, the Articles, letters to the editor, and band includes Joe Shepherd - tpt; Gerry ad copy (no charge for members' personal Nichols - tbn; John True - po; Bill ads) should be mailed to the editor at: Nelson- bass; and Gil Brown - drums. The 7160 Talisman Lane band, formed as the Basin St. JB, was Columbia, Md. 210^5 originally put together by the late Lou Weinberg from musicians who got togethet- • • • • at the PRJC open jam session. It was the latest in a long succession of trad­ The RECORD CHANGER L i v e s itional bands that have occupied Buzzy's I cannot think of any announcement bandstand as far back as 1962, by some that would make me prouder than this: accounts. The Stutz band had been at the Starting with this issue of TR, we pizza joint for two years. are happy to announce the reprinting The folding of the Buzzy's gig leaves of historical material of great import­ traditional jazz in parlous condition ance from the pages of the late Gordon in Maryland. About the only Maryland Gullickson's great magazine, The Record gigs left for PRJC bands are the South­ Changer. Material included in this ern Comfort engagement at Shakey's in first of a continuing series is a report Rockville and the continuing gig of the of an interview with the Black composer Bay City 7 at Baltimore’s Nobska Rest­ of Jazz Me Blues and many other classic aurant . a A jazz songs, Tom Delaney, and one of TR Goes 3rd Class a series of columns that appeared in With this issue of TR, you will be the Record Changer by Gully's good friend, receiving it by Third Class mail Roy Carew. Both of these features rather than by First Class. This is an appeared originally in 19^ . experiment to see if, by use of this Some heartfelt thanks are due to a _ kind of mail service we can expand our number of people involved in this project. service to you while maintaining some Among them: Ruth Gullickson, Gully's wife, kind of reliable mailing schedules. who gave her permission for use of these This will allow us to expand the historic articles; Orin Keepnews, who size of TR modestly from time to time bought the Record Changer from Gully and as occasion may warrant, and include who added his okay to the project; Jeff new features. Bates, who procured clearances and helped One thing, however, should be kept select material, and Rod Clarke, who in mind. With first class mail, we made the material in his files at the received undeliverable copies back. National Museum of Traditional Jazz Under the new system this is no longer available. Incidentally, Rod is missing possible, so unless you tell us, we some issues of the Record Changer, and will have no way of knowing whether asks that people search their attics you have moved or otherwise are not for copies they might be willing to receiving your TR. Also, there may donate to the Museum. TC A A be times when TR is a day or so later ■ than you normally receive it. These NEEDED: Picnic workers for Sat. Sept. 17• drawbacks, however, are minor and the All kinds of tasks - volunteers needed. possibility for a bigger, better TR Call Fred Wahler - 89^-6370. is the main reason for the move. A ▲ -3 But On The Other Hand An Editorial Outcry booth, there would be 17-year-old Johnny Just about the precise place where you Windhurst keeping up with the band on drive onto the on-ramp of the Mass. his cornet mouthpiece. Ruby Braff would Turnpike heading west from Boston's usually drop in and we'd groan a little Copley Square, I always say the brief­ because he still had not learned to est kind of RIP prayer. control his horn very well and was At that point, you drive across the not one of our favorites at the time. place where the bandstand used to be at One time Neil Hefti was there as a the Copley Terrace. The Copley (pronoun­ spectator and a number of us bullied ced COP-lee, never ever COPE-lee, for him into sitting in (a hopper, Hefti was God's sake) Terrace reached its zenith contemptuous of traditional jazz). To in the mid-40s, and in that brief period our shocked surprise, he not only knew housed some of the best jazz in a city Muskat Ramble, but took a pretty good which had jumped like mad since the days solo when it came his turn. But he a decade earlier when Bobby Hackett and snarled at us when he came off the Brad Gowans broke things up at the old stand. Theatrical Club (which was even before I don't know what this is all my time!). about. I just got thinking of the The Terrace bandstand was graced by Copley Terrace. people like Frankie Newton and Vic Dick­ A A enson, Joe Marsala, Ed! Hall, Wild Bill Davison, Art Hodes, Freddie Moore, Max Whatever Joe Shepherd did for the Govern­ Kaminsky, Pee Wee Russell, Ruby Braff, ment before he retired recently, it Buzzy Drootin, Bob Wilber, Johnny Wind- should have been in the diplomatic service. hurst, and Shirley Mhore (a tragic young The^ other day, Jazzbo Brown from Black singer who never could lose the Columbia Town asked Joe to frankly rate notion that we who loved her most were his kazoo playing. "well, Jazzbo," Joe seeking to injure her. John Kirby heard said thoughtfully, "I'd rank you about and hired her, but she soon afterward, third in the country." killed herself). Jazzbo could not contain his happi­ The Copley Terrace also was the home ness at the compliment. "Who are the of a band which was a precursor of the others?" He asked. New Black Eagles. The Charlie Vinal Joe smiled upon him and let him have Rhythm Kings were a group of semi-pro i'o ! '^°^n s o n McCree is second, and about musicians holding regular jobs off the 10,000 guys are tied for first," he bandstand. Howie Gadboys, the clarin­ said. etist, was a medical student; bassist A A John Fields and drummer Bill Burch drove EVERY KNOCK'S A BOOST OR (CONCEIVABLY) hacks. The band w a s named after a young VICE VERSA DEPT. That absolutely utterly cat from Quincy, wheelchair-borne - a marvy jazzmag, Jazzology, published by victim of polio. Charlie had recently the devine Bill Bacin said the strangest died but before he left us he established thing in its Apri1-May-June issue, 'wigs. such a reputation that Benny Goodman used It asked a question: "Is Tailgate Ramb- to go down to Quincy to jam with him when lings now a susidiary (sic) of Down Beat*'5" he came though town. The clarinet was TR never reads Down Beat, d'Ears, and Charlie’s axe. hardly ever reads Jazzology.