It has been said that when Count Basie played full, two-handed stride with his later bands, some of his younger musicians would say “Yeah! I hear you reachin’ WAY BACK!” Though I never heard Basie play more than a few plinks in live performances, I did get to experience some “time travel” thanks to the incredible Earl “Fatha” Hines…
In 1977, my good friend Chris Tyle had just introduced me to the 1929 orchestra and solo recordings by Hines. I was astonished by Hines’ endless creativity on solos such as “Glad Rag Doll” and his personal variations on the stride style on uptempo numbers like “Good Little Bad Little You,” “Everybody Loves My Baby,” and “Blue Nights.” Not long after I discovered these vintage recordings, Chris found out that Earl Hines had been booked to play a concert in Portland. Tickets for the event were immediately purchased!
The first 2/3 of the concert was an extreme disappointment for anyone hoping to hear Hines himself. Except for his megawatt smile and flashing ring, “Fatha” was in the background for much of the concert. There were features for the tenor sax, the string bass, drums (complete with glow-in-the-dark sticks, when the house lights were turned off), and numerous vocals by Marv
