Unpublished Interview with Arnett Cobb (1980)

My friend, the late swiss jazz researcher Otto Flückiger, was a great fan of tenor saxophonist Arnett Cobb (1918–1989). So when Otto went on a trip through the USA in spring of 1980 he took the chance to visit Cobb in his hometown, Houston TX.

Arnett Cobb with Otto Flückiger in Cobb’s home, Houston TX, spring 1980.
Photo probably by Trudi Flückiger.

On that occasion Otto interviewed Cobb about his career,  playing with Frank Davis, going to Chicago with Milton Larkin to play at the Rhumboogie, joining Lionel Hampton, forming his own band and the auto accident that dramatically changed Cobb’s life. There are about 40 minutes from this interview on a C90 cassette tape which I found in Otto’s collection:

So I decided to digitize this – unpublished as far as I know – fantastic interview. I just edited out some longer passages of silence and some parts where the conversation is running in circles and into dead ends caused by translation problems. The female voice in the later parts of the interview is Trudi, Otto’s wife, who probably also took the photo of Cobb and Otto shown at the top.

I was always waiting to find the time to transcribe the interview, but I probably never will. So I am putting it up here for you all to hear and cherish yourself:

If you came here because you like Arnett Cobb. I got something more for you. First some nice photographs that Otto Flückiger took when Arnett Cobb appeared in Baden, Switzerland on May 4, 1974 (you can click to enlarge)

(Click to enlarge) Arnett Cobb at a concert in Baden, Switzerland, 1974.
Photos by Otto Flückiger

And here is some footage of Arnett Cobb featured with the Lionel Hampton Band in Nice, France in summer 1978.

 Enjoy!

Eddie Chamblee and some unidentified people

I love to look on ebay for jazz or early r’n'b related memorabilia from time to time. A few weeks ago, being a little bored, I started to browse to see if any interesting photographs would come up. Then suddenly I recognized tenor saxophonist Eddie Chamblee (1920–1999) one one of the stamp sized pictures you see in an ebay listing. The seller was offering the photo under the heading “photo of unidentified black musicians” and I had the luck to get it for the pricely sum of $5.

Eddie Chamblee (left) and two unidentified persons, circa mid 50s.
Photographer unknown

Comparing with other photos of Chamblee I would say it is from the mid 1950s. The other two men look very familiar to me. Does anyone know, who these two might be? Maybe they are members of Lionel Hampton’s band, Chamblee played with Hampton around 1955/1956. They look familiar, but I am not able to place them.

You might as well have some music while thinking about who these men may be. Here is Eddie Chamblee and his band playing Julian Priester’s composition “Swing A Little Taste”.

This was recorded January 20, 1958 in Chicago for Mercury and the band members are:  Fortunatus “Fip” Ricard (tp) Julian Priester (tb) Eddie Chamblee (ts,vcl) Charles Davis (bar) Jack Wilson (p) Robert Wilson (b) James Slaughter (d). And it was released on this LP:

“Swing A Little Taste” had been recorded 18 months earlier on one of the first recording sessions of the Sun Ra Arkestra , of which Priester was a member at that time. This version was originally released on the sampler “Jazz In Transition” on the Transition label (go to Robert L. Campbell’s page about Sun Ra’s early years for more information about that session).

While the label on the Transition LP gives Julian Priester as the sole composer of this tune, the Mercury LP “Doodlin” adds one “Washington” to the composer’s credit. This “Washington” is obviously the person to the right of Chamblee on the cover of  the ”Doodlin” LP (no prizes for giving her full name).

I also acquired another photo from the same seller, also for $5 (it said ”photo of unidentified black musicians” again). Now does anyone have an idea who this lady could be? (And no: Just the fact she is holding a trumpet does not make her Valaida Snow!) Or where and when this photograph was taken?

Enjoy!

Lionel Hampton at the Strand Theatre 1949

As announced in this posting, I am finally putting up the gorgeous photographs of Lionel Hampton and his orchestra at the Strand Theatre New York in late April or early May 1949 (from the Otto Flückiger collection). Unfortunately I do not know who made this photographs. I have put my blog’s name on them. This is not to claim copyright on them (which I naturally do not own), but to prevent them from appearng all over the net, If you have an idea who made these, I’d be glad if you let me know.

And here’s some music to watch photographs by: Recorded on May 19, 1949 in N.Y.C. for Decca Records here is nearly the same band as on the photos playing “The Hucklebuck”. Vocals are by Betty Carter.

First up is a photo of the full band:

(click to enlarge) The Lionel Hampton Band at the Strand Theatre, N.Y.C.,
late April or early May 1949. Photographer unknown.
From the Otto Flückiger collection.

Too see, who is who, you can open above photo in a new browser window and compare with the reference photograph below

1. Frances Gaddison, 2. Roy Johnson, 3. Billy Willams, 4. Johnny Sparrow,
5. Wes Montgomery, 6. Lionel Hampton, 7. Johnny Board, 8. Bobby Plater,
9. Earl “Fox” Walker, 10. Gene Morris, 11. Benny Bailey,
12. Wendell Cull(e)y 13. probably Walter Williams,
14. probably Leo “The Whistler” Shepherd,
15. Ben Kynard, 16. Jimmy “Harpo” Wormick, 17. Benny Powell,
18. Al Grey, 19. Lester Bass.

Photo number two brings us closer into the action:

(click to enlarge) Bass trumpeter Lester Bass, Earl “Fox” Walker and
Benny Powell at the Strand Theatre, N.Y.C., late April or early May 1949.
Photographer unknown. From the Otto Flückiger collection.

A closer look into the reed section:

(click to enlarge) Bobby Plater, Earl “Fox” Walker and
Gene Morris at the Strand Theatre, N.Y.C., late April or early May 1949.
Photographer unknown. From the Otto Flückiger collection.

Johnny Sparrow was still there (he was soon to form his own band, Johnny Sparrow and his Bows and Arrows).

(click to enlarge) Johnny Sparrow at the Strand Theatre, N.Y.C., late April
or early May 1949. Photographer unknown.
From the Otto Flückiger collection.

The 1949 Hampton indeed band had a strong reed section. Here are some shots of tenor player Billy  Willams:

(click to enlarge) Billy Williams at the Strand Theatre, N.Y.C., late April or
early May 1949. Photographer unknown. From the Otto Flückiger collection.

(click to enlarge) Lionel Hampton and Billy Williams at the Strand Theatre,
N.Y.C., late April or earlyMay 1949. Photographer unknown.
From the Otto Flückiger collection.

And here is Johnny Board:

(click to enlarge) Johnny Board at the Strand Theatre, N.Y.C.,
late April or early May 1949. Photographer unknown.
From the Otto Flückiger collection.

Charles Mingus had left the band already and so Roy Johnson was the sole bassist in this edition of Hampton’s orchestra:

(click to enlarge) Roy Johnson and Billy Williams at the Strand Theatre
N.Y.C., late April or early May 1949. Photographer unknown.
From the Otto Flückiger collection.

Finally: Lots of horns (and a glimpse of Wes Montgomery):

(click to enlarge) The Lionel Hampton Band at the Strand Theatre, N.Y.C.,
late April or early June 1948. Photographer unknown.
From the Otto Flückiger collection.

Enjoy!

Wendell Cull(e)y writes to Milt Buckner

Trumpet man Wendell Cull(e)y (1906–1983) played in Lionel Hampton’s orchestra from 1944 to 1949, a period in which Milt Buckner was Hampton’s pianist. Culley (as his name is mostly written) and Buckner seem to have kept in contact over the years. There is a letter in Otto Flückiger’s files about Milt Buckner that Culley wrote to Buckner in August 1971 (the letter arrived after a longer journey).

(click to enlarge)

I decided to present this very interesting letter in full, since I think it contains nothing of a too personal nature. In addition I have some very nice other documents to offer here that somehow have a connection to this letter.  But let’s start with a question first: Who is “your former vocalist named Jerald” (??)” on the first page? Although being quite knowledgeable about Buckner’s career, I have no idea.

John Gordon: N.Y.C. Trombone Master

From time to time my friend Otto published little booklets and leaflets on musicians close to his heart. Since he had a strong interest in the not-too-well-known names who nonetheless had something special to offer, these booklets are very interesting documents, as they often contain information that might not have been published elsewhere.

One fine example is “John Gordon: N.Y.C. Trombone Master”, the little book dedicated to the career of trombonist John Gordon (1939–2003) that Otto produced in 1982. I decided to scan the whole booklet and put it up here, as it gives a fascinating insight to the everyday work of your average first -class jazz musician hustling in N.Y.C in the 1970s and 1980s.

But first, so you will know whom this booklet is about, here is a clip showing Lionel Hampton’s orchestra in Nice in summer 1978. Solos are by Lionel Hampton (vib), Jimmy Maxwell, John Gordon, Doc Cheatham, Curtis Fuller, Earl Warren and Hampton again (this time on drums).

And here is the track “No Tricks, No Gimmicks” from Gordon’s 1975 Strata East LP “Step by Step”, which you may want to listen to while skimming through the booklet:

And here is the booklet. Just click on one of the pages, a clickable gallery will pop up. Enjoy!

Lionel Hampton feat. Milt Buckner, Prague 1977

Four years ago I found in Otto Flückiger’s archive a 20 minute clip of the Lionel Hampton Orchestra playing Air Mail Special in Prague 1977 with Milt Buckner featured on the organ. It soon turned out that sound and  picture lost their synchronicity during the upload to youtube. At that time I did not see what I had done wrong, so I decided to not go through the digitizing process again and leave it the way it is.

But now yesterday I found out that even more footage exists from this concert. So I digitized all 43 minutes that are there (it still ends rather abrupt, so there probably is even more footage extant). Besides Hampton and big-mustached Milt Buckner you get to see and hear Cat Anderson on trumpet, Pauel Moen and the legendary Eddie Chamblee on saxophones, guitarist Billy Mackel and drummer Frankie Dunlop.

Enjoy!

Milt Buckner Acetate: Flying Home

Here is another track from the mysterious set of KAKE acetates featuring a 1953 Lionel Hampton concert as well as some solo piano tracks by Milt Buckner. Here you get Milt playing Lionel Hampton’s classic “Flyin’ Home” in a wonderfully agitated solo piano version. If anyone does know anything set about these mysterious acetates, do not hesitate and tell me!

Enjoy!

Cecil Payne – a little portrait

From time to time my friend Otto experimented a little bit with his semi-professional equipment to produce little video clips from footage in his archive. The clips he produced often were charming little  portraits of musicians he liked. Around the late 1980s he made a short portrait of baritone saxophonist Cecil Payne that I thought would be nice to present here.

The clip is based on a (professionally filmed) solo by Payne of which I do not know the original source. The footage of Payne with Lionel Hampton in 1964 is from this clip, filmed by Otto himself, whereas the source for the 1979 footage is unidentified again.

Enjoy!

Memories of a Lionel Hampton concert (1964)

From the late 1950s on – as soon as he could afford the equipment –  my friend Otto carried a camera when he went to a concert. Some of his early clips survive, most of them are silent though. One exception is the footage from a concert concert that Lionel Hampton and his Orchestra gave on July 24, 1964 at the Casino in the small french town of Divonne-les-Bains, 17 kilometers from Geneva on the other side of the swiss-french border.
On this occasion Otto filmed a part of the concert and had a tape machine running at the same time. Someone also took photos to which Otto had access – or maybe he made them himself. The clip I am presenting you here is a version that Otto himself edited sometime in the late 1980s. So fasten your seat belts and start the time machine full throttle. Be spiraled through the – sort of yellowish – mists of time and wake up in a little concert hall, where the Hampton band plays “Broadway”.  And look there: Cecil Payne gets some bars, and so does trumpeter Martin Banks!

Enjoy!

Ruth remembers Milt Buckner

Some days ago I received a very nice email from Ruth Gilson who has – as she says – “been an avid Milt Buckner for years”. Ruth who is now 80 years of age wanted to know if I would like to read about her personal interactions with Milt Buckner when he was booked into her local Holiday Inn Supper Club for a month every year. And of course I wanted to read that!