The Union

During the early fifties, I spent hours hanging out at the Mutual Musicians Foundation in the
18th & Vine Jazz District. At that time it was the Local 627 Union.

I first met Trane there. I was upstairs playing poker and he came in looking for a drummer. I
said “John Coltrane!” And he said “Yeah, what’s left of me.” Eddie Saunders and the band
were practicing Have You Met Miss Jones. Trane said he didn’t know that tune, but he took
Eddie’s horn and started playing. If you listen, the bridge is similar to Giant Steps harmonies.
Later that night we were hanging out at the Mardi Gras, on the corner of 19th & Vine and
Trane played that tune. The next day I asked the drummer who sat in with him, Marvin Patillo,
what Trane told him. Trane had told Marvin to build naturally and not to force the drumming.

Actually, some of the best memories I have occurred at the Union, (what we now call the
Foundation)…. like hearing the Basie Band rehearse with Billy Eckstine, or hearing a session
with Sonny Stitt and John Jackson.

I remember rehearsing at the Union and who should walk in the door but Ben Webster
wearing a big white beaver fur hat. Another time at the Foundation, Ben threw a punch at Joe
Lewis. Lewis punched him back so hard that Ben started choking and vomiting.

I met Quincy Jones at the Union. He was the trumpet player for Lionel Hampton’s band, which
was in town at that particular time. There was a tenor player named Joe Thomas and I was
playing in his band. Quincy had written out one of Joe Thomas’ solos as a composition, and
brought it to the rehearsal. Quincy kept asking him, “Man do you remember this?” And Joe
didn’t. Quincy said: “This is your solo off of (such and such).” That blew Joe away. I was still in
high school back then.

One time, while playing All The Things You Are with Willie Rice’s band, we made a
modulation from the original key to another key and Jay McShann came up the stairs and
Willie asked him, “Hey Jay, what key is that?” Jay said, “Yeaaah… F sharp.” That’s when I
discovered Jay had perfect pitch.

I also hung out at Parker’s Show Bar at 18th & Garfield for the sessions from 7 am till noon, the
Blue Monday Breakfast. I missed school every Monday morning until the teacher called home
and talked to my mother.

Miss Brown's was another joint that musicians would come by and jam. Miss Brown ran an
after hours joint where she bootlegged liquor and sold food. To get into Miss Brown's, you had
to be 21. So I would go to a movie every Saturday night and sneak into Miss Brown's.

My college was the streets. I was learning improvisation on the bandstand. One of my early
rude awakening experiences was at a jam session at Miss Brown’s. Some of the top
musicians around town were there including Eddie Saunders. I got up enough nerve to go
down and play. I took out my horn, acting hip and slick, and asked “What key, man?” They
said key of G. I thought… one sharp. I got that covered. After I started playing, I found out that
what I was playing didn’t match up with what they were playing. Eddie Saunders eased up on
me and said, “Man, you’re playing in the wrong key.” I answered, “You said the key of G”. “G
concert!” he said. “You should be in the key of E which is 4 sharps.” (At that time I was
playing alto). Needless to say, I was crushed and embarrassed and slinked off the band
stand.