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Chords & Discords
Shared Milestones
Last year marked a major milestone for
the Gretsch family as we celebrated
125 years manufacturing drums and
guitars. This year is a milestone for
DownBeat, as you mark your 75th
anniversary.
Over the past 75 years, you’ve had
some of the greatest jazz musicians
grace the pages of your magazine, several
of whom we’re proud to say were
Gretsch artists of the day. You may have
had modest beginnings in 1934 as a
musician’s newspaper, but DownBeat
quickly became a driving force in shaping
the tastes of the American jazz music
fan and is regarded today as one of the
finest jazz magazines. Congratulations to
everyone at DownBeat on your 75th
anniversary. We hope this year will be a
year to remember for you as 2008 was
for Gretsch.
Fred Gretsch
President, The Gretsch Company
Savannah, Ga.
Another House Party
Nice article about jazz house gigs (“The
Beat,” April ’09). Betty Hoover does a
terrific job with her Jazz At The ‘A’
Frame series. But the story failed to
mention the granddaddy of all such
“home” jazz events—the Bach Dancing
and Dynamite Society at Pete Douglas’
beach house in the San Francisco Bay
Area. This Sunday afternoon series of
jazz concerts began in the early ’60s
and is still going strong. One of the best
gigs I ever played was there, with my
group in the ’70s.
Dick McGarvin
Studio City, Calif.
Remembering Louie
I was shocked, stunned and saddened
reading about the passing of Louie
Bellson, one of the premier drummers of
all time (“The Beat,” May ’09). My fondest
recollection of Louie as a member of
the great Duke Ellington Orchestra was
his showcase number, “Skin Deep,”
when I went to the see the show at either
the New York Paramount, or the Strand
or Capitol theaters in the 1940s. At the
end of the show, as the stage lowered
into the pit, we’d rush to say hello to
Duke, Louie, Cat Anderson and other
members of the Ellington Orchestra.
Louie would hand out Louie Bellson
Drumsticks as a souvenir (I’ve got mine).
In the realm of big band music, Bellson
will never be forgotten.
Herb Stark
Massapequa, N.Y.
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Mobley’s Heroic Stature
Frank-John Hadley should know there’s
nothing wrong with hero worship (“Reviews,”
March ’09). Had Derek Ansell’s
book, Workout: The Music Of Hank Mobley,
been written in a Ben Stein voice, the book
would not have been as interesting. Nor
would it have stimulated me to contact
Mosaic and other labels and try to locate
some Mobley recordings that I hadn’t
thought I needed prior to reading the book.
It was also nitpicking for Hadley to write
that Ansell should have contacted Horace
Silver or the late Freddie Hubbard. I hope
that the book sells well and that many readers
will use it to enhance their Mobley collections
or try Mobley for the first time.
Judith Pavitt
Chelsea, Mich.
Chicago Guitar Props
With your headquarters in such proximity
to Chicago, I find it hard to believe that you
could have overlooked Bobby Broom and
Jeff Parker in your “75 Great Guitarists”
article (February ’09). Both of these musicians
have been staples of the Chicago and
international music scenes for years. Broom
has not only been playing with some of the
greatest jazz musicians for his entire career,
but he is a wonderful solo artist. Parker is
also a great jazz musician and he deserves
recognition for his association with
Tortoise.
Kenneth Oshodi
New York
Have a chord or discord E-mail us at editor@downbeat.com.
10 DOWNBEAT June 2009