Sideman, here and there

Abstract

I went into a dancing school for the first time with a band led by a pianist named Johnny Monnegue. Paul Barnes was on alto sax and Jimmy Wright on tenor sax. Paul Bernet, who had played banjo in Arthur Gibbs’s orchestra when I first heard him at the Savoy, played guitar. The other trumpet man was Theodore “Ted” Colin, whom I had seen at the Rhythm Club many times. Ted was the loudest-blowing trumpet player I have ever known but he did not blow out of tune, which is blasting when a guy plays loud. Ted was a fellow with a big head and big face and talked almost as loud as he blew. I don’t remember who the drummer was and there was no bass.