Hear Me Talkin' To Ya: The Classic Story of Jazz as Told by the Men Who Made It

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I think one of the greatest thrills I ever got was hearing Joe [Oliver] play "Dippermouth Blues". He and Louis Armstrong had some breaks they played together [at Lincoln Gardens Cafe, Chicago] that I've never heard played since. I don't know how they new what was coming up next, but they would play those breaks and never miss. Joe would stand there fingering his horn with his right hand and working his mute with his left, and how he would rock the place. Unless you were lucky enough to hear that band [King Oliver and His Creole Jazz Band] in the flesh you can't imagine how they played and what swing they got. After they would knock everybody out with about forty minutes of "High Society", Joe would look down at me and wink and then say, "Hotter than a forty-five".

They always had a water pail on the stand with a big piece of ice in it and a dipper. Anyone who got thirsty would just go over to the bucket and help himself to a drink. Usually this was after they had played about an hour. The place was informal and if the boys in the band wanted to take their coats off and really get comfortable they did.

excerpt from 'Hear Me Talkin' To Ya: The Classic Story of Jazz as Told by the Men Who Made It' pp. 100 (211 words)

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