today's entry is about taking one of my walks up around Monterrey avenue north of the ingleside district here in san francisco. i came upon a man who was loading some things into his suv from his garage. hanging on a nail therein was a mirrored picture of a young man in a suit holding a hollow-body electric guitar. on it were the words, "Edward Coven - guitarist for the legendary Benny Goodman!" now, if you're of a certain age, or if you know anything about the clarinet, then you know the name Benny Goodman. he was the leader of a big band that popularized swing music and played for decades.
and he was a mean mother f*^&er on that clarinet. he could play, play, play. fast and loud and precise. mmmm, mmm.
anyway, Edward Coven turned out to be this guy's father. he told me the story that his father approached Goodman at the San Francisco world's fair. Goodman wouldn't give him an audition, but Edward made sure that Goodman knew that he was playing that night at a local jazz club. Goodman showed, and Edward got the gig.
neat, huh?
2 comments:
very neat!
So, are you going to play Klezmer music? I LOVE Klezmer music!
Of course! I am married to a giant jewish family, so one day I'll learn. I'll join the Klezmoytens! ;)
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