Jimmy McPartland in Chicago Loop
from Hear Me Talkin' To Ya: The Classic Story of Jazz as Told by the Men Who Made It, pages 120-121:
What we used to do was put the record on--one of the [New Orleans] Rhythm Kings', naturally--play a few bars, and then all get our notes. We'd have to tune our instruments up to the record machine, to the pitch, and go ahead with a few notes. Then stop! A few more bars of the record, each guy would pick out his notes and boom! we would go on and play it. Two bars, or four bars or eight--we would get in on each phrase then all play it.
[...]
It was a funny way to learn but in three or four weeks we could finally play one tune all the way through-- "Farewell Blues". Boy, that … more >>
Nat Hentoff and Nat Shapiro, Hear Me Talkin' To Ya: The Classic Story of Jazz as Told by the Men Who Made It (London, 1992), p. 120-121. https://led.kmi.open.ac.uk/entity/lexp/1434721864341 accessed: 25 December, 2024
Listeners
Listening to
hide composers| Farewell Blues | performed by Rhythm Kings |
Experience Information
| Medium | live, playback |
| Listening Environment | in the company of others, in private, indoors, outdoors, in public |
Notes
McPartland and others, including his brother, as young boys, were known first as the Austin High School Gang, before forming their band, the Blue Friars.