Dame Vera Lynn

I met Vera Lynn at the start of a parade in Toronto. the parade was forming at the legislature grounds on University Ave. I was tooling around on my bicycle and was chatting with some people I knew in the parade. (Elwy Yost for one) When a bus with an American marching band arrived late. This held up the parade and I peddled slowly on down by the waiting parade. And There was Vera Lynn sitting alone in the back of a huge old Bentley limo convertible. She asked me if I knew why the parade hadn't started so I told her why and she just started chatting asking questions about Toronto etc. and we chatted for about 10 minutes until the parade started. She was very natural gracious and open and I was thrilled to meet her.

Kid Bastien

Started watching Treme HBO series about a New Orleans Neighbourhood.

Brings back memories of when I managed Kid Bastien. Which was an experience in itself. I tried to make the band full time and famous and it took me a year to realize Kid was happy with part time an infamous.

I started off going to New Orleans with the band for the 1972 Jazz Festival. We hung out at Johny White's Bar and drank Dixie beer which we called Treefrog. I got to meet Jazz greats like Louis Nelson and band leader Kid Thomas. The week before we got there Kid' Thomas's Bass Player died on stage. Kid said we turned to hear the bass solo and he was dead. Kid Bastien knew everybody and we played gigs at Heritage Hall. Hotel rooms were at a premium and I had 2 buddies traveling with me Gord Jones and Krash Radcliff. We ended up with an Attic room in an old slave quarters with one bed and we slept in shifts. Which wasn't a real problem since New Orleans swung 24 hours a day. I got to meet Dejean's Olympia Band which was much like the band in Treme. We partied and played with them and later that year they all came to Toronto where we got them a good paying gig and partied and played some more. Kid played 2 times at the Jazz Festival and I must sadly admit I never made it to either performance. new Orleans was like that.

With Kid Thomas at Heritage Hall New Orleans
photo by Krash

Kid Bastien also introduced me to Fats Domino. We sat in the dressing room at the el Macombo. It seems Fats uncle had taught Kid to play the banjo and had lived with him for a while. As Kid ran down the names. Fats turned to me and said wow man he knows more about my family than I do. (Click the title to see video)



False but funny as cliff struggled to learn the cornet Donny Walsh meanly said That Kid Bastien was the only horn player he knew that only played with one lip. mean but funny

The Electro-Magnetic Spectrum

Also known as the Silicone Contol and The Solid State Waste removal Company Orchestra and chorus.
The band was created one very late stoned night at Ziggy Blazer's studio. A multi media band consisting of Bart Schoales, Jerry Santbergen, Moses (Edward Smith) and Tom Seniw. The first rule was that you must never have played a musical instrument. Tom admitted he had trombone lessons and was kicked out of the band and replaced by me. The band consisted of 4 2 track tape recorders, 2 or 3 film projectors a couple of slide projectors, and a wind machine and lots of incense.
We had one paying gig. We got $2000.00 to play at McMaster University and were written up in Arts Canada.

Craig Russell

I met Craig Russell in the subway one night. He was on his way to his hit show at the Royal York.
Craig was entertaining about 6 people. He was sitting beside a wino and a small group had gathered around him and he had them in stitches. I stood and watched for awhile and when I got an opening I held out my hand. "Hi Craig I always wanted to meet you. I am a friend of your friend Sandy's." " oh Sandy, How is she? he pushed against the wino slightly to make room for me to sit down.We talked about Sandy for a couple of minutes and suddenly he stopped sniffing."What is that horrible smell?"he gasped. "I am afraid it is your friend." I said nodding to the wino. "Shit!" he said "there goes the promise I made to myself to fuck anybody that asked me."
Links



Craig Russell (from glbtq)

Marcel Barbeau

Marcel was a delightful absolute madman. I met him through Jerry Santbergan in the 60s. he always seemed to be married to some heiress and had tons of money. After drinking 9 bottles of champagne at the rooftop bar at the Park Plaza. Marcel orders a tenth bottle. he sips it dumps the bottle upside down in the ice bucket. "Bah it is young and fruity he yells. so we get kicked out. One night we left the Pilot Tavern to walk down to an opening at a gallery some where south of Bloor. It was garbage night and Marcel gets me to help him carry a 10 ft long piece of cardboard tubing and plastic wrap to the gallery where he tells the owner it is one of his Artworks and he wants to store it there.

Cannonball and Nat Adderley

I met Cannonball and Nat Adderley at the colonial Tavern in 1969. Mickey Handy introduced me. Cannon and Nat became good friends and i was their Toronto buddy whenever they came to Toronto, we spent many days hanging out at the underground railroad etc
I once cooked a seafood chowder dinner for them at Grossmans Tavern. Al let me use the kitchen and was the special of the day. It sold out quickly.
One night I took them to Gordon Rayner's Studio to watch an Artist's Jazzband rehearsal. they liked it but would not jam.
This was very much a "Blackpower time and they got invited to all the Black after hours clubs. But they would not go without me. I knew most of the black clubs and we had a lot of fun.
I was on their permanent guest list at the Colonial and I got to listen to great jazz and meet their fabulous sidemen like  Louis Hayes,Ray Brown, Walter Booker, Bobby Timmons, Victor Feldman, Joe Zawinul.

One night I was late getting to the Colonial , they were halfway through the set and the bar was packed full. The only place for me to sit was at the staff table. They would not serve me until I moved so i sat there drink less till the set was over.They joined me at the end of the set and ordered us drinks. They still refused to serve me. So Nat called the manager over and told them they were not going to play until I was drinking. needless to say that never happened again.

After Cannonball's tragic death in 1975 Nat played Toronto regularly and he was always glad to see me. He embarrassed me on my birthday at the Montreal Bistro by dedicating almost every song to me. Vincent Herring was with him.  I met his wife too and spent a few nights sitting with her.

Cannonball had never heard Paul Desmond's tribute to him until I told him.
Paul Desmond won the Evergreen Review's  Higgledy piggled contest with

Shubada Shubadee
Cannonbal Adderley
Came on the scene with a belt of the blues.
His popularity
Coincidentally
Gives me more time
For women and booze.

Bonnie Raitt - Runaway (Live 1977)

This is the best cover of Runaway it tops the original. i went to see Bonnie at Massey hall with Coleen Peterson. We were back stage before the show and i was having such a good time drinking toking and chatting that Bonnie had to kick me out of her dressing room so she could get ready.