Reflections of Jazz

IT'S FINALLY HERE - THE FIRST INSTALLMENT OF JAZZ QUIZ!

There will be more to come and you can send in questions that you feel will be stumpers. Below are some reflections from my friend Marilyn on some Jazz Scenes of days gone by - but, not so long ago.

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The Harlem All Stars, who are mostly deceased by now, played in the restaurant/club I worked in every Sat. night. They all had long careers, working with famous people. When they played at "Louisiana Community Bar and Grille" at 629 Broadway, they were in their 80's. They played 2 sets, and then a rock, blues, or other similar younger dance band played 2 sets until 2 am.

The Harlem All Stars, played old jazz and swing songs, featured Johnny Blowers, Frank Sinatra's drummer for 11 years and a famous guitar player, Al Casey, not to mention lead singer, Laurel Watson who had the great fortune of singing with Duke Ellington once. Unfortunately, they packed the place and the crowded bar where she hung out while having a few drinks before the show, proved to be a heartbreak. Someone picked her purse and her cherished memento from Duke Ellington was gone forever. Other members were also famous. The sub drummer for Johnny Blowers, a younger man, put an African slant to the drum solo in "Caravan" and made the crowds cheer. If you worked a Sat. night shift, you always heard the same 2 sets. For 7 years, they offered up their talents. A note about Laurel's entrance to the show...she always had on a tight evening gown and had to be picked up by the much younger sound man or manager, because the stage was a platform... about a foot off the ground.

Howie Wyeth, cousin to Andrew Wyeth, and Jamie Wyeth, both famous American artists, played piano solos every night at 7pm at "Louisiana" (for about 3 years) until his passing at an early age from heart failure. A manager there was related to one of the owners of Ark Restaurants and was first cousin to Leslie West, Mountain, whose real name is Leslie Weinstein. He came in for free dinner all of the time with his wife and played his guitar at a huge musicians' night honoring Howie Wyeth that was put on at "Louisiana" as a memorial concert.

On Friday Nights for the first several years Loup Garou, a Cajun Zydeco band, filled the house with it's upbeat energizing sounds with the lead singer's whiney vocals and hard playing accordion blasting the roof off of the historic landmark building. It sadly houses a "Best Buy" now. I went in there recently looking for an appliance and had to descend to the lower regions where I saw our old manager's office door. We had to go down there every night to count our tips and enter our checks in the system. It was also had a stock room and walk-in fridge. Some one else's manager is in there now counting-up the refrigerator and microwave oven sales.

Prior to this restaurant being Louisiana Community Bar and Grille it was "K-Paul's NY" a 2nd restaurant of the owner's, K and famed Chef Paul Prudhomme from New Orleans, LA. I worked there for 3 years first, and then it evolved into the live music scene when he opted out of the place. When it was K-Paul's NY, our customers were the stars, Bette Midler, David Letterman, Mayor Ed Koch, Michael Murphy, Craig Claiborne, Billy Crystal, David Byrne, Bernadette Peters, on and on - So many! Time marches on. Prior to that I worked for 5 months at an Italian restaurant famous for its thin crust pizza on the east side. Frank Sinatra's pics were all over the walls. One night I turned around and there he was...under his picture. I was told that he was my table... Marilyn