Hello Christer.

My name is Ole Lindgreen, also called Fessor. I have always been a great fan of Kid Ory. Even if I play many types of music, Kid has always had a part in my heart. I am also interested in buying Sid bailey´s superb discography. Let me hear from you

Kind regards  Fessor

Hello Louis. 

I am not South African. I am a Yorkshireman. My daughter married a South African and after 15 years in London he wished to return. We all migrated 5 years ago to this vast, often beautiful, but complex country. My Son in law runs a Tour operation covering Cape Town and the Southern Peninsula. Its a great country to visit but living here is another matter.  / John Whitehead

DEAR SHADOWS.

by John Whitehead

“If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast”  Ernest Hemingway.

1955-LOUIS ARMSTRONG is to perform in PARIS. At the behest of the Musicians Union overseas players were refused permission to visit Britain.

A few enthusiasts made the journey and from one of these I learnt that ALBERT NICHOLAS the well known clarinettist could be heard in the Latin Quarter. The “Riverside” was a small bar with

limited seating and no bandstand. Nicholas proved to be a dignified Creole middle aged,, approachable, and happy to talk.

This was the start of a relationship which lasted until his death in 1973. The next year I was over for the KID ORY band and subsequently I visited regularly. Nick was a great raconteur sometimes “holding court”in a record bar, Storyville. In the Rue de la Huchette (the subject of a book “The Narrow Street”). Conversations could go on until the early hour of the morning, fuelled by brandy and occasionally champagne.  He would talk about his early days in the Crescent City and then on to Chicago where he played and recorded with the delightfully name “Jelly Roll” Morton who he particularly liked and “King” Oliver whose records are a milestone in jazz history. His greatest admiration was for LOUIS ARMSTRONG whose band he graced in the late 1920s and early 1930s. He the travelled in the Far and Middle East including Shanghai and Cairo. The 1940s saw him in New York recording and broadcasting what is now known as “Traditional” jazz. Following a visit he settled in Paris in 1953 and, along with other Americans (including Sidney Bechet), became  part of the city's vibrant jazz scene, his limpid Creole style playing being widely appreciated. Apart from seeing him in Storyville and on his gigs I visited his apartment and listened to his records. He had a car which he drove erratically taking me on a hair raising journey to Versailles. 

Through the years I heard him in Dunkirk, London ( where he had many friends ) and on a tour of the UK.  Nick was reputed to have a temper but I saw no sign of this although he was forthright in his condemnation of prejudice and exploitation He was attractive to ladies captivating my girlfriend and, later, my wife.

Sickened by police violence during the student protests he moved to Switzerland where he lived happily with a lady before dying from emphysema. She kindly sent me photographs of his funeral.

He had a family in New York including a son who was a dentist. 

On what proved to be his final visit to London I was privileged to hear him in the Victoria and Albert museum and to enjoy a New Orleans lunch which he cooked for friends. I saw him for the last time appropriately enough near 100 Oxford Street – a long standing jazz haunt.  He had just made a record which happily has him reminiscing and  talking about the tunes played by his English trio.

Round the corner from the “Riverside” was a 12th century cellar which housed the Metro Jazz Club featuring the fluent trumpet playing of BILL COLEMAN, who had established his reputation in pre war Paris and was now a long term French resident. Bill would come across to a café for a night cap. He was by far the most charming person I have known – a delight to be with. He also often came to London and toured the provinces.

At the Metro Jazz I talked with “MEZZ” MEZZROW, an indifferent clarinettist, whose claim to fame was as the author of a lurid book, still, in print, which recounts his attempts to live as a  Negro; and his activities as a supplier of marijuana in Harlem. He turned out to be a mild mannered person !

Nick took us to”Gabby and Haynes” a café used by ex pat American musicians. He also introduced me to “La Cigale ”, a bar in Montmartre featuring the saxophone player BENNY WATERS. My wife  and I would push our daughter in her pram up the hill and sit outside listening to the music.  Waters played until he was 93 and it was pleasing to be able to take my daughter to hear him in later years.

Albert Nicholas was  more than just a friend he was a father figure – mother and father having divorced when I was small. I was very moved to learn that he had my last letter with him when he died.

I am grateful to the friends who accompanied me to Paris at various times – Bob Tullie &  Yvonne Rutter, both now dead, Geoff Woodhouse, living in the USA , Mike Lamb, Peter Dennehey, and above all my late wife whose tolerance knew no bounds.

Bonjour,

Je suis allé sur le site Kid Ory ce matin. Je suis impressionné par la masse d’information qui sont rassemblés. Beau travail.

"Hello,

I have been on the Kid Ory site this morning. I am impressed at the wealth of information put together. Good job."

Jacques Besse

(A short message from Jacques Besse, a prominent member of the Hot Club de France).

Dear Christer

What a wealth of Ory info on your website!!! Wonderful stuff.

My name is Dutch Uithoven.  I am a professional musician living in Central Florida, USA.  I am also the proprietor and owner of VintageMutes.com.  I would appreciate if you would put a link to my website http://www.VintageMutes.com  on the photo at the bottom of the Ory Mute page.

Mike Owen and I are friends and we had discussed about 8-9 years ago whether the Ory mute was manufactured as such or just an improvised piece of kitchen equipment he used.  A few years back obtained one of them - a Magin & Mayer Saxonette mute for trombone (they were also made for trumpet).  I contacted Mike Owen when I found it.   And told him "the next one I find is yours"  and sure enough I found one and sent it to him last April at French Quarter fest.

I play trombone in my own style but I was certainly influenced by Ory, Louis Nelson, Jim Robinson and Frog Joseph.  On trumpet I play  a primitive style like a mix of Kid Thomas, Red Allen, and Kid Sheik.  Anyway you can imagine my delight when  a few months ago I see this gentlemen walk into my weekly gig at a local New Orleans restaurant.  The gentleman is obviously of creole heritage. He comes up to say how much he enjoyed the music and that he "had a great Uncle who played trombone like that in New Orleans. But you probably never heard of him..his name was Ed Ory" .  What  a pleasant surprise.  Attached find a photo of me with Vernon Mitchell.  You can easily see the family resemblance.

I was wondering if you have lyrics ( and perhaps translations) to some of the creole songs Ory did - "Creole Song", "Sallee Dame", etc.

Cheers,

  Dutch Uithoven

Jazztime Productions, LLC "Home of Kid Dutch™"

P.O. Box 10 Sanford,FL 32772-0010 USA  407.782.5305

www.KidDutch.com<http://www.kiddutch.com/>

Hello Mr. Bailey,

I was trying to look up some information about the Album by Kid Ory Titled "Edward Kid Ory And His Creole Band At The Dixieland Jubilee" put out on Dixieland Jubilee Records (Really GNP Crescendo) catalog number DJ 519. I came across the webpage here  http:/www/kidory.com

Which had some great stuff! But then as I read more I've become a bit confused... The album, released by Gene Norman's own company, so presumably correct as he was the promoter, states it was at the Shrine Auditorium, as does the text of the website... However the newspaper articles both say it was at the Pan Pacific Auditorium. I wouldn't think that people who attended the concert would know the venue as well. So you see the confusion???

Since you're such an expert on Kid Ory, and since your email was on the site,  I figured you might be able to shed some light on the subject. I can only think of a couple possibilities. It seems like later Dixieland Jubilee events were held at the Shrine, so maybe the writer of the liner notes on the LP just screwed up and Norman didn't catch it in QA... Or there were 2 both held in 1948? That doesn't seem likely though.

Anyway, any help you could provide would be most appreciated! Thank you in advance for your time, and I look forward to hearing back!

Wilhelm Beck

-------

Hi Wilhem,

Many thanks for your query regarding the Dixieland Jubilee concerts. You will find that the sleeve notes on some albums are not always correct, probably due to sloppy work by the record companies.

I compiled the following from "Jazz West 2" by K.O. Eckland. Concerts that Kid Ory's Creole Jazz Band played on:

1st. Dixieland Jubilee 5th October 1948 at the Pan Pacific Auditorium (No recording issued)

2nd. Dixieland Jubilee 7th October 1949 at the Shrine Auditorium (Buckner tpt) recordings on DJ/Vogue

12TH STREET RAG/TIGER RAG/SAVOY BLUES/EH LA BAS/ + 3 Massed band on Decca

3rd. Dixieland Jubilee 6th October 1950 Shrine Auditorium NO ORY

5th May 1951 Concert at Ponoma Junior College, Los Angeles recordings on DJ/GTJ/Vogue

ORY'S BOOGIE/ST. LOUIS BLUES/BLUES FOR HOME (JIMMIE) part 1 & 2

4th. Dixieland Jubilee 5th October 1951 Shrine Auditorium recordings on DJ/Vogue

FANFARE/SHINE/MARYLAND

6th April 1952 Concert at Shrine Auditorium

MILENBERG JOYS/MUSKRAT RAMBLE recordings on DJ/Vogue/GOJ

5th. Dixieland Jubilee 5th October 1952  Shrine NO ORY

6th. Dixieland Jubilee 10th October 1953 Shrine NO ORY

7th. Dixieland Jubilee 15th October 1954 Shrine NO ORY

8th Dixieland Jubilee 15th October 1955 - Ory plays, but no recording

I hope that this helps to solve this puzzle for you, I am always willing to help a fellow Ory fan.

Cheers,

Sid.

April 2012

Hello

I am the great granddaughter of McClure Morris aka Red Mack.

I would like to thank you for collecting information on my great grandfather who we all miss dearly!!

I was telling a story to a friend about my Granddaddy Mack (the one where he let Dr.Dre and Snoop Dogg use his house in a rap music video) and then I proceeded to google him and found your site.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

I learned things about him that my mom didn´t even know!

We truly appreciate your work!

With much gratitude, 

Chantell Harris

Well, writing from very sunny Madrid (well into the mid 90's today!),

there

is not a whole lot to add to what I already said.  Many moons have passed,

of course.  I do remember the Beverly Caverns well, as it was my second

home for about a year.  It was small & not normally particularly crowed.  There

was Dixieland nitely, usually Teddy Buckner's Band (who I still have great admiration for).

One of the nites, though, Kid Ory's band was scheduled.  I only remember

the two names, Ory & Mutt Carey. I don't remember who else was in the band.

Would have been 1959/1960.  I was thrilled to hear Ory, of course.  They  all seemed very old to me, since I was a kid, not The Kid, but just a kid. He would have only been about 74 then.

I do remember that the sets were extremely short, and the band made a bee-line for the bar at every chance, to sit down.  (They did NOT sit down on stage, which seems to be the mode these days for U.S. bands...something I will never understand!)

I also remember that they played the melody line, before solos, twice at the beginning of the song.  The first time through was at the level it should have been, but the second time through they dropped an octave.  I gathered at the time that it was a way of saving the chops, but don't really know the reason.

I'm very sorry, but that is all I recall other than I enjoyed myself greatly.  I'm pretty sure they played Muscat Ramble.

Jim

Jim Kashishian is a member of the Dixielandjazz mailing list; He also is a

trombone player (check http://kashprod.com/pdf/MagArticleJim.pdf)

Here are his recollections of seeing Kid Ory live at the Beverly Cavern.

Louis Woodlanders wrote:

Dear Jim, As one of the co-editors of www.kidory.com , I am always excited when I hear of someone who's heard the Kid play live. Would you care to let us know whatever you might remember of those gigs you attended at the

Beverley Cavern? Thanks in advance, Best regards from not so sunny Britanny