More About Charlie Barnet
To the Editor:
Scott’s article about Charlie Barnet in the July issue of Sync Times reminded me of “Porky” Cohen’s stories about life on the road as a trombonist with Barnet, Artie Shaw, and others. One of my favorites was about Charlie Barnet.
During a long series of one-nighters Barnet worked up a gag with his drummer: Charlie would go backstage during a long drum solo. At one point the drummer would toss a stick to Charlie, and Charlie would toss it back. The drummer would catch it without missing a beat, and the crowd loved it. Back in NY on the final night of the tour the drummer tossed the stick as usual, and Barnet threw a bushel of drumsticks back at him.
During his later years Porky played trombone with Tony Tomasso’s “Jewels of Dixie,” “Red” Balaban, the Galvanized Jazz Band, the Ringling Brothers’ Barnum & Bailey Circus band, and then went back on the road for several years with “Roomful of Blues.”
Art Hovey
Galvanized Jazz Band
Syncopated Times LIVE!
To the Editor:
For four years or so I’ve been reading the lively dialogue and interesting writings of Jeff Barnhart and Hal Smith in The Syncopated Times. I viewed them as knowledgeable writers and jazz historians but didn’t really know their music. Wow! At the recent Bix Beiderbecke festival that changed in a big hurry.
With no apparent physical effort, J
