Classic Jazz: A Personal View of the Music and the Musicians

Epilogue

Somewhere in a stack of treasured material there is a round tin containing fifty feet of 8mm movie film I shot while on a Mississippi riverboat cruise about thirty years ago. On the third day of the trip, midway between Cincinnati and New Orleans, the steamer tied up on the shore shortly after sunset, as it did every evening—the old Delta Queen was not permitted to travel after dark. The next morning, while Eddie Bayard was playing his cornet up on the deck, and Vic Tooker was accompanying him on the ancient steam calliope, I walked down the gangplank to the soggy riverbank and scratched “Mississippi Mud” in the moist shoal. While I was photographing my “artwork” with my new Eastman movie camera, a passing barge created a gentle wake that rippled toward the riverbank. In the camera’s viewfinder, I watched my muddy etching gradually dissolve in the mild wave. Although my waterlogged message quickly disappeared, that memory is still strongly etched in my mind. One day, I hope, I will locate the old reel of film and enjoy watching the incident again—if my rusting projector still operates. This book is filled with similar vivid memories, recalling episodes that greatly enriched my life. I welcome the opportunity to have shared these personal views of the music and the musicians. F.L. EPILOGUE This page intentionally left blank ...