6 Responses to Sunday Water Cooler: Happy Birthday Dizzy Gillespie, Manfred Mann, Steve Cropper, and Elvin Bishop

1. Matthew Detroit October 22nd, 2012 at 2:17 am 1

   I once got to noodle around on the piano with Dizzy backstage at Ann Arbor’s Hill Auditorium. One of those rare artists who was both a brilliant intellect and a delightful showman.

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2. mafr October 22nd, 2012 at 10:44 am 2

   In response to Matthew Detroit @ 1

   you should read

   “to be, or not to bop”

   his autobiography. very entertaining and gives insight into the lives of black jazz musicians, in his time.

   he was a fantastic person.

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3. mafr October 22nd, 2012 at 10:49 am 3

   my elvin bishop story

   1967 Montreal, I heard the butterfield blues band in a small bar. elvin was in the band.

   I was a hugh admirer of the band, and Elvin, I guess it showed, he said ” come on over to where we’re staying tomorrow, and hang out”

   or something like that..

   I went over, he was there with his guitar, he played me a tune that he was writing that was on their next album.

   what a huge thrill for a kid, and what a nice guy he is.

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4. mafr October 22nd, 2012 at 10:51 am 4

   Elvin was the first guitar player that I heard that got his brilliant, warm, wonderful sound from a very small amp, probably a fender deluxe, which was miked.

   most players in those days, were using marshall stacks, and so on.

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5. Matthew Detroit October 22nd, 2012 at 2:12 pm 5

   In response to mafr @ 2

   Thanks–I read a lot of jazz bios/autobios, but haven’t got around to that one. I will!

   Reply
6. mafr October 22nd, 2012 at 3:48 pm 6

   In response to Matthew Detroit @ 5

   You’re welcome, I hope you can find it, incidentally if you’re interested there are some great live recorded interviews

   here

   http://www.smithsonianjazz.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22:oral-histories&catid=2:resources&Itemid=28

   some of them….

   : J.J. Johnson, Elvin Jones, Hank Jones, Quincy Jones, Sheila Jordan, Lee Konitz, Yusef Lateef, Hubert Laws, John Levy, Ramsey Lewis, Dave Liebman, Abbey Lincoln, Melba Liston, Johnny Mandel, Branford Marsalis, Delfeayo Marsalis, Ellis Marsalis, Jason Marsalis, Tom McIntosh, Jackie McLean, Marian McPartland, James Moody, Dan Morgenstern,

   there’s a very good interview of Dave Brubeck, who grew up on a cattle ranch.

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