RIP Louis Bellson

[Al Stevens]

I worked with him once. Very nice gentleman.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hiDPIrnMy_Vq5BWktqLUN1HyjbkQD96DC9C80

[Ed Svoboda]

I caught that this morning in the Chicago Tribune. I bet he was a great guy to play with.

[Al Stevens]

I caught that this morning in the Chicago Tribune. I bet he was a great guy to play with.

It was interesting. They hired our Dixieland band to do a clinic at a high school in a neighboring state. When we got there, they said Louis Bellson was the featured guest.

He had a huge kit set up on stage. He asked us to play one chorus of anything uptempo and then clear off the bandstand. We played one chorus of Royal Garden Blues with Louis Bellson keeping time. Then we stepped off. Bellson played a 20-minute drum solo. We watched for him to cue us back onstage, but he never did.

That was it. A long drive to play for about a minute. Our drummer, who was also the bandleader, didn't play a lick, didn't even set up his kit.

But at least I can say I not only played trumpet with Louis Bellson but was in charge of kicking off the tempo for him.

He was great to hang with before and after the show and insisted on being treated like one of the guys.