Thelonious Monk hired a bass player for a Tues-Sun. gig in a club in
Washington DC, and told him there would be a rehearsal at the club
before the first gig, starting at 4PM.
The bass player showed up at 4...no Monk, no band, club's closed. He
waited for an hour, and someone arrived and opened the club.
He waited until 7, still no Monk, no band.
Gig started at 9...Monk rolls in at 8:45, the bass player says "I
thought there was supposed to be a rehearsal today !!"
Monk says "Oh, yeah, man...that rehearsal was for YOU."
The gig starts and the bass player's doing OK w/most of the tunes, but
there are a couple that are kicking his ass. Goes home, practices the
ones w/which he's having trouble, comes back Wed. night, does better.
Goes home, practices them again, OK on Thursday except for one
tune...can't seem to hear it.
Spends Friday and Saturday working on that tune, finally the last
night of the gig he feels like he can play it.
After the gig, he says the usual things to Monk, then adds "Oh, by the
way, that one tune...it's REALLY hard. Took me all week to get it
together."
Monk's answer..."Shit, you played it better when you didn't know it."
*******************
One night Lester Young was playing with a drummer that he really didn't
like. The drummer kept trying to be friendly all night and finally
trapped Lester at the bar after the gig, saying "I sure had a
good time tonight, Pres...I've been thinking, when was the last time we
worked together?"
Lester's answer..."Tonight!"
*******************
"How can anyone seriously think they can conduct a symphony orchestra if
they've never listened to Tadd Dameron?" --Ran Blake.
******************
When Bill Evans was booked at Ronnie Scott's Club in London, Ronnie
decided they really ought to get a decent piano. They sold the old
one and set out to hire one from Steinway. It turned out that they
didn't have a grand piano in stock but the German lady in charge
tried to convince Ronnie that a small upright would be ideal because
"Mr. Evans could see the boys over the top".
*****************
When the Condon band was touring Britain, they naturally enjoyed the
hospitality provided by local musicians. During one such party, Eddie
Condon spotted Bob Wilber listening avidly to a record and talking
enthusiastically about it to his British friends. "Hey Wilber", he
shouted, "Quit making like a jazz fan!"
*****************
A reporter asked Zoot Sims what it had been like touring Russia with
the Benny Goodman band. Zoot replied "Every gig with Benny is like
playing in Russia". It was also during that tour that the notoriously
mean Goodman was persuaded, against his better judgment, to give some
small change to a starving child. This incident was filmed by Victor
Feldman who provided a great deal of amusement subsequently by running
the film backwards so that it appeared that Benny was taking the money
from the kid.
****************
Somebody wished Ruby Braff a Happy New Year. He turned on them,
saying "Don't you tell me what sort of a New Year to have".
*****************
"I don't think you're gonna like the drummer."
"Oh really, how come?"
"He's busy man... real busy."
"How busy?"
"Busier than a cat tryin' to cover up shit on a marble floor."
- Sweets Edison (?)
****************
Erroll Garner was occasionally teased because he couldn't read music.
"Hell, man," he once snapped back, "nobody can hear you read."
***************
When he was with Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock was backstage at a
concert. The promoter had put out a large spread of food. Herbie
went up to Miles and said "Miles! Check out all this food they have".
Miles said "I didn't come here to eat".
***************
Someone once asked Eubie Blake (when he was 97 years old) "How old do
you have to be before your sex drive goes?"
Eubie said "You'll have to ask someone older than me".
