Re: [Harp-L] personal epiphany, etc.

["Dan Berger" <dberger1@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Mick,
I love the Lester Young story !

Mae West said:
"Anything worth doing is worth doing slowly."




One
> of my favorite jazz stories, if I can recall it correctly, involved the
> package jazz jam session shows that Norman Granz used to send out touring:
> Jazz at the Philharmonic.  Basically, a series of amiable cutting sessions
> where jazz poll winners would play long solos over standards for big
> audiences.  Trying to top the other guys onstage.  At one of these events
> backstage a young horn player was warming up and trying to get psyched
> before hitting the stage.  He loudly blew all sorts of exercises and
> complicated song heads at breakneck speeds.  At one point, he made the
> mistake of sticking the bell of his horn in the face of the great tenor
> saxophonist, Lester Young, and blowing furiously.  Perhaps expecting to 
> get
> complimented or attempting to intimidate the old man.  Lester calmly
> listened and told the guy something like; "Yeah, cool, baby.  But can you
> tell me a story?".