A cry for help

Abstract

After the spring 1959 tour, I got yet another call from Jay Feingold, asking if I wanted to do a South American tour with Benny. I thought long and hard about the offer, but by this time I had already promised Max Kaminsky that I would join him at Condon’s. I only played tenor with Benny and, although I liked the tenor, it was strictly a secondary instrument for me. I still considered clarinet my main instrument, and of course I never got any real chance to play it with Benny. I figured that if I stayed with him I never would. I think, with hindsight, that had I taken the offer I would probably have been in line for his next big tour, which was the one to Russia. Financially, the job with Maxie wasn’t as good, but in a way I was looking forward to playing clarinet in a small jazz band — I felt like a fish flipping back into water.