Nancy [Lee] was made for New Orleans and they loved her and the band. It felt good being appreciated again. I had begun to doubt my playing. The word soon got around about the group, and many of the local musicians came to hear us. We were a hard-driving band with Red playing outstanding jazz. One of the local disk jockeys was crazy about my playing, a lot more enthused than I was. I felt sluggish technical wise and shy about my jazz. But who was I to complain if they were there to hear the group, and I was one of the reasons they came. I’d always been my biggest critic, which didn’t stop until my final year of playing. << less