As a green and eager young Lindy Hopper way back in 1998, I would do just about anything to get to a dance. Those were the magical days when nothing mattered in life beyond my next swingout. Naturally it made perfect sense to drive seven hours round-trip for a three-hour-long dance in Albany. I would get to dance to an actual live band! This was a big deal.
The band we heard when we arrived quickly became, and remains, one of my all-time favorite modern bands: Joe Salzano and the Blue Devils. The band swung hard; they had a grit to them that was palpable. Above all, it was hard to miss the presence of the man behind the drums, George Reed.
George, spry at 76 years old when I first met him, was rediscovered by Joe Salzano at a jazz club in Elmira, NY sometime in the late 1990s. Before too long he was recruited into Joe's new band. I always loved George's timing, his flourishes, and his humor both on the bandstand and off. He had a particular knack for seeming to catch what people were doing on the dance floor and reflect it in his rhythms.
What I soon came to understand was that this was no accident, and that this man was directly connected to the roots of the dance and the music we loved so much. George was not only a drummer who played at the Savoy Ballroom, he was also a dancer in the Savoy's fabled 400 Club. He lived that life, and lived long enough to share it with all of us, passing away just this past October.
George played with greats like Teddy Wilson, Henry "Red" Allen, Willie "The Lion" Smith, Buddy Tate, Marian McPartland, Vic Dickenson, Tony Bennett, Sarah Vaughan, Carmen McRae, Charlie Parker, and countless others. He was a World War II veteran in Europe under General George Patton, fought in the Battle of the Bulge, and won 5 Battle stars. He toured Europe in the 1960s and recorded albums there with The Saints and Sinners Jazz Band and the Buddy Tate Celebrity Club Orchestra. Yet for all the credits he has from his past, George will be remembered by us for his warmth, his generosity, and his grand sense of humor. When asked at a Lindy Hop workshop's history class what the mythical Savoy Ballroom was like, he replied, "Well, they had really good beer."
George has a long history of recordings, going back to the early 1950s with the Horace Henderson Orchestra and going all the way up to just a few years ago with Lindy Hop Heaven. Here is a selection of albums George appears on with track samples to give you a feel for the breadth of his work.
Horace Henderson And His Orchestra: Gail Brockman, Hobart Dotson (tp), Porter Kilbert, Goon Gardner (as), Eddy Williams, Moses Grant, Jimmy Forrest (ts), Pat Patrick (bar), Horace Henderson (p,arr), Eddie Calhoun (b,vcl), George Reed (d,vcl); Chicago, IL, July 24, 1954
'Tis Autumn
For those of you familiar with George's recent vocals, this one might surprise you. Yes, that fine baritone voice is credited to the same man we know, who has stepped away from the drums for a moment and up to the mic for 'Tis Autumn. The strength of his delivery is what struck me most, but that is what a span of fifty years could do to a voice. I almost didn't think it was him when I first heard it, and I knew I had to ask him about it specifically. Looking at the liner notes, he said, "I played with Horace, but I don't remember... at the Trianon Ballroom. In Chicago? ... It must be somebody else. And I gotta find out who he is. [laughter] Eddie Calhoun, the bass player, I played with him too! That's interesting." Later, after insisting it wasn't him, we played one of the vocal tracks. "That's a nice voice! ... I don't think so, but it sounds like me! It does! But I don't remember. I knew Horace... his brother was Fletcher, Fletcher Henderson, and he was the piano player. And interesting enough, I sing that tune ... that's funny ... well, I guess my memory doesn't serve me. Because I knew Horace ... I don't know ... I know where that is, the Trianon. Wow. You shocked me." George left that day still believing that it wasn't him, but he told me he'd let me know for sure after he listened to the whole album. Unfortunately I never heard back from him on the subject, but listening to it myself I am more convinced that it is him and what was possibly a short gig from half a century ago may have been forgotten. If anyone can help solve this mystery, please let me know.
T in the Red Book
The second tune here is T in the Red Book. It's a 50s era jazz number that borrows heavily from Lester Leaps in and One O'Clock Jump, among others. Jimmy Forrest does blow pretty well and seems to be channeling Lester himself in places, while George backs up the band nicely.
I’m Coming Virginia (Donald Heywood) Henry “Red” Allen Quartet : Henry “Red” Allen (tp), Sammy Price (p), Benny Moten (b), George Reed (d); Roslyn, Long Island, NY, August 18-19, 1965
Now we fast forward to the 1960s and hi-fi recording. George toured and recorded with the legendary Henry “Red” Allen, who had just finished an 11-year stint as house band for Manhattan’s Metropole Cafe.
This album is the Columbia release of recordings done at the Blue Spruce Inn on Long Island. Allen’s band was initially booked for only two weeks but proved so popular it extended for two whole months. I think you’ll see why; listen to I’m Coming Virginia and how free and loose Allen’s phrasing is. The rhythm section behind him stays very tight, and these together make an irresistable combination.
Blue Spruce Boogie (Henry Allen) Henry “Red” Allen Quartet: Henry “Red” Allen (tp), Sammy Price (p), Benny Moten (b), George Reed (d); Roslyn, Long Island, NY, August 18-19, 1965
This album was released long after the original date, originally as an exclusive record club LP in 1987 and on a Storyville CD in 1999. The recordings were from the same dates as Feeling Good, and these were simply unused tracks. Apparently the tapes were found in the basement of a Long Island collector in the mid-eighties, and tunes not included on the Columbia album were selected. George only recently found out this was ever released, and only when a Blue Spruce Inn regular sent him the CD in the mail.
Here is a tune written especially for the gig, Blue Spruce Boogie. This is the sort of rollicking fun I wish I could have been there to witness. George and Benny Moten make a powerful pair here, a freight train of rhythm, and what a sound for only a quartet. As Allen would say, “Nice!”
Creole Love Call (Duke Ellington, Bubber Miley, and Rudy Jackson) Saints & Sinners In Canada: Herman Autrey (tp), Vic Dickenson (tb), Rudy Powell (cl), Red Richards (p), Dan Mastri (b), George Reed (d); Toronto, Canada, October 17, 1967
George actually lived in Canada for a while, and while a member of the revered Saints and Sinners band he recorded this album there. This was his first recording with his friend Herman Autrey, who you’ll know as Fats Waller’s killer trumpet player on all of his “and His Rhythm” band recordings. George and Herman played together for more than a decade and I sense the elder jazz man was somewhat of a mentor to George as well as a friend.
This take on Ellington’s classic is even slower than normal, and its gentleness along with George’s brushwork make it the dreamy delight it deserves to be.
Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans (Louis Alter and Eddie De Lange) Sugar: The Saints & Sinners in Europe: Herman Autrey (tp, v), Vic Dickenson (tb), Rudy Powell (cl), Red Richards (p), Dan Mastri (b), George Reed (d); Villingen, Black Forest, April 1 & 2, 1968
On a band break in Rochester I once played Fats Waller’s Yacht Club Swing. George immediately came over, and said, “That trumpet! I’d know that trumpet anywhere! That’s Herman Autrey!” You’ll see how much of an influence he was to George in this next track.
That tone, that phrasing… I had a hard time believing this wasn’t George singing when I first heard it. He confirmed to me a while back that it was in fact Autrey. His memory of this recording date was especially sharp, as he told me how the studio they used was the same one Oscar Peterson has used two months previous. He then proceeded to open the gatefold cover and go down the song list, telling me a little something about each and every song they had recorded. The most memorable for me was definitely the track Soft Buns: he gently elbowed me and slyly said, “that one’s about a chick!”
Moten Swing (Buster and Bennie Moten) Unbroken: Buddy Tate And His Celebrity Orchestra: Wilbur “Dud” Bascomb (tp), Eli Robinson (tb), Ben Richardson (cl,as,bar), Buddy Tate (ts), Nat Pierce (p), Eddie Jones (b), George Reed (d); Villingen, Germany, June 30 & July 1, 1970
George later went on to tour with Buddy Tate’s Celebrity Club Orchestra, and while in Germany they recorded this album. Here we have the classic Moten Swing, performed in a pretty straightforward manner. For those of you familiar with George’s modern renditions, check out how early he has worked out those signature details we know so well.
South (Bennie Moten and Thamon Hayes) Joe Salzano and the Blue Devils: Savoy Nites: Joe Salzano (cl), Russ Musseri (ts), Jeff Stockham (t), Dino Losito (p), Harry Aceto (banjo), Dave Arenius (b), George Reed (d); Ithaca, NY, March 1999
This album was highly anticipated at the time and still has a special place in my heart. Many fans felt that the tracks didn’t capture the essence of the live band, and I personally feel the studio recording quality sounds a bit harsh and too modern. These criticisms aside, the album is still the best window to this band at the time. George spoke very highly of the Blue Devils, saying “That was some kind of band. Talk about tight… no one could touch that band.”
Here is South, an old Bennie Moten number and one of my favorite tracks from the album.
I love how George changes the mood of the song between phrases, utilizing rolls on the snare and wood block to bring the song in different directions.
George felt that if they had not broken up a couple of short years after this recording, the Blue Devils could have become the best band in the country. We can only dream of what may have been.
Lindy Hop Heaven (Instrumental) (Peter Davis) Peter Davis: Lindy Hop Heaven: Peter Davis (as, p), George Reed (d), Peter Ecklund (t), Dave Davies (tr), Harry Aceto (b)
Although he played with Gordon Webster and a few pickup bands recently, Peter Davis’s Lindy Hop Heaven is the last band many people remember George being a permanent member of. They were regulars at events such as Swing Out New Hampshire and Saratoga’s Dance Flurry, and were known for solid midtempo Lindy Hop numbers.
Here is the band playing the tune Lindy Hop Heaven (sans lyrics; trust me, this is the one you want) on their debut album:
This brings me back to dancing those nights away and following George on all those breaks. Being a dancer himself, he knew what rhythms would appeal to all of us.
This post ended up being a much bigger task than I had even envisioned, so I actually had to split off some of its content. In a forthcoming post I’d love to share some of the video interviews I have with George and a photo gallery as well. Please share your own memories in comments below.
George, you are fondly remembered, and we miss you.
Originally posted Tuesday, January 10, 2012 (4 months ago)
This is an amazing collection of George's work. "Creole Love Call" is one of the most beautiful recordings I have heard in my life. Thank you Mike, for having the forethought to talk to George and get all these great stories and for writing this.
We did a spot on the Hey Mister Jesse Podcast (episode #71) about George. Mike helped us get that together, so it's great to hear it directly from him now!
Originally posted Tuesday, January 10, 2012 (4 months ago)
Thanks everyone! And Manu, thanks very much to you guys for doing your tribute on the Yehoodi show. That kind of spurred me to do this article in the first place. I have done other interviews with other musicians and dancers, so maybe the future will bring more of these.
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The Musical Legacy of George Reed (Part 1)
George Reed, circa 1970
As a green and eager young Lindy Hopper way back in 1998, I would do just about anything to get to a dance. Those were the magical days when nothing mattered in life beyond my next swingout. Naturally it made perfect sense to drive seven hours round-trip for a three-hour-long dance in Albany. I would get to dance to an actual live band! This was a big deal.
The band we heard when we arrived quickly became, and remains, one of my all-time favorite modern bands: Joe Salzano and the Blue Devils. The band swung hard; they had a grit to them that was palpable. Above all, it was hard to miss the presence of the man behind the drums, George Reed.
George, spry at 76 years old when I first met him, was rediscovered by Joe Salzano at a jazz club in Elmira, NY sometime in the late 1990s. Before too long he was recruited into Joe's new band. I always loved George's timing, his flourishes, and his humor both on the bandstand and off. He had a particular knack for seeming to catch what people were doing on the dance floor and reflect it in his rhythms.
What I soon came to understand was that this was no accident, and that this man was directly connected to the roots of the dance and the music we loved so much. George was not only a drummer who played at the Savoy Ballroom, he was also a dancer in the Savoy's fabled 400 Club. He lived that life, and lived long enough to share it with all of us, passing away just this past October.
George played with greats like Teddy Wilson, Henry "Red" Allen, Willie "The Lion" Smith, Buddy Tate, Marian McPartland, Vic Dickenson, Tony Bennett, Sarah Vaughan, Carmen McRae, Charlie Parker, and countless others. He was a World War II veteran in Europe under General George Patton, fought in the Battle of the Bulge, and won 5 Battle stars. He toured Europe in the 1960s and recorded albums there with The Saints and Sinners Jazz Band and the Buddy Tate Celebrity Club Orchestra. Yet for all the credits he has from his past, George will be remembered by us for his warmth, his generosity, and his grand sense of humor. When asked at a Lindy Hop workshop's history class what the mythical Savoy Ballroom was like, he replied, "Well, they had really good beer."
George has a long history of recordings, going back to the early 1950s with the Horace Henderson Orchestra and going all the way up to just a few years ago with Lindy Hop Heaven. Here is a selection of albums George appears on with track samples to give you a feel for the breadth of his work.
Horace Henderson And His Orchestra: Gail Brockman, Hobart Dotson (tp), Porter Kilbert, Goon Gardner (as), Eddy Williams, Moses Grant, Jimmy Forrest (ts), Pat Patrick (bar), Horace Henderson (p,arr), Eddie Calhoun (b,vcl), George Reed (d,vcl); Chicago, IL, July 24, 1954
'Tis Autumn For those of you familiar with George's recent vocals, this one might surprise you. Yes, that fine baritone voice is credited to the same man we know, who has stepped away from the drums for a moment and up to the mic for 'Tis Autumn. The strength of his delivery is what struck me most, but that is what a span of fifty years could do to a voice. I almost didn't think it was him when I first heard it, and I knew I had to ask him about it specifically. Looking at the liner notes, he said, "I played with Horace, but I don't remember... at the Trianon Ballroom. In Chicago? ... It must be somebody else. And I gotta find out who he is. [laughter] Eddie Calhoun, the bass player, I played with him too! That's interesting." Later, after insisting it wasn't him, we played one of the vocal tracks. "That's a nice voice! ... I don't think so, but it sounds like me! It does! But I don't remember. I knew Horace... his brother was Fletcher, Fletcher Henderson, and he was the piano player. And interesting enough, I sing that tune ... that's funny ... well, I guess my memory doesn't serve me. Because I knew Horace ... I don't know ... I know where that is, the Trianon. Wow. You shocked me." George left that day still believing that it wasn't him, but he told me he'd let me know for sure after he listened to the whole album. Unfortunately I never heard back from him on the subject, but listening to it myself I am more convinced that it is him and what was possibly a short gig from half a century ago may have been forgotten. If anyone can help solve this mystery, please let me know.
T in the Red Book The second tune here is T in the Red Book. It's a 50s era jazz number that borrows heavily from Lester Leaps in and One O'Clock Jump, among others. Jimmy Forrest does blow pretty well and seems to be channeling Lester himself in places, while George backs up the band nicely.
Buy these tracks on CD from Amazon
I’m Coming Virginia (Donald Heywood) Henry “Red” Allen Quartet : Henry “Red” Allen (tp), Sammy Price (p), Benny Moten (b), George Reed (d); Roslyn, Long Island, NY, August 18-19, 1965
Now we fast forward to the 1960s and hi-fi recording. George toured and recorded with the legendary Henry “Red” Allen, who had just finished an 11-year stint as house band for Manhattan’s Metropole Cafe.
This album is the Columbia release of recordings done at the Blue Spruce Inn on Long Island. Allen’s band was initially booked for only two weeks but proved so popular it extended for two whole months. I think you’ll see why; listen to I’m Coming Virginia and how free and loose Allen’s phrasing is. The rhythm section behind him stays very tight, and these together make an irresistable combination.
Blue Spruce Boogie (Henry Allen) Henry “Red” Allen Quartet: Henry “Red” Allen (tp), Sammy Price (p), Benny Moten (b), George Reed (d); Roslyn, Long Island, NY, August 18-19, 1965
This album was released long after the original date, originally as an exclusive record club LP in 1987 and on a Storyville CD in 1999. The recordings were from the same dates as Feeling Good, and these were simply unused tracks. Apparently the tapes were found in the basement of a Long Island collector in the mid-eighties, and tunes not included on the Columbia album were selected. George only recently found out this was ever released, and only when a Blue Spruce Inn regular sent him the CD in the mail.
Here is a tune written especially for the gig, Blue Spruce Boogie. This is the sort of rollicking fun I wish I could have been there to witness. George and Benny Moten make a powerful pair here, a freight train of rhythm, and what a sound for only a quartet. As Allen would say, “Nice!”
Creole Love Call (Duke Ellington, Bubber Miley, and Rudy Jackson) Saints & Sinners In Canada: Herman Autrey (tp), Vic Dickenson (tb), Rudy Powell (cl), Red Richards (p), Dan Mastri (b), George Reed (d); Toronto, Canada, October 17, 1967
George actually lived in Canada for a while, and while a member of the revered Saints and Sinners band he recorded this album there. This was his first recording with his friend Herman Autrey, who you’ll know as Fats Waller’s killer trumpet player on all of his “and His Rhythm” band recordings. George and Herman played together for more than a decade and I sense the elder jazz man was somewhat of a mentor to George as well as a friend.
This take on Ellington’s classic is even slower than normal, and its gentleness along with George’s brushwork make it the dreamy delight it deserves to be.
Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans (Louis Alter and Eddie De Lange) Sugar: The Saints & Sinners in Europe: Herman Autrey (tp, v), Vic Dickenson (tb), Rudy Powell (cl), Red Richards (p), Dan Mastri (b), George Reed (d); Villingen, Black Forest, April 1 & 2, 1968
On a band break in Rochester I once played Fats Waller’s Yacht Club Swing. George immediately came over, and said, “That trumpet! I’d know that trumpet anywhere! That’s Herman Autrey!” You’ll see how much of an influence he was to George in this next track.
That tone, that phrasing… I had a hard time believing this wasn’t George singing when I first heard it. He confirmed to me a while back that it was in fact Autrey. His memory of this recording date was especially sharp, as he told me how the studio they used was the same one Oscar Peterson has used two months previous. He then proceeded to open the gatefold cover and go down the song list, telling me a little something about each and every song they had recorded. The most memorable for me was definitely the track Soft Buns: he gently elbowed me and slyly said, “that one’s about a chick!”
Moten Swing (Buster and Bennie Moten) Unbroken: Buddy Tate And His Celebrity Orchestra: Wilbur “Dud” Bascomb (tp), Eli Robinson (tb), Ben Richardson (cl,as,bar), Buddy Tate (ts), Nat Pierce (p), Eddie Jones (b), George Reed (d); Villingen, Germany, June 30 & July 1, 1970
George later went on to tour with Buddy Tate’s Celebrity Club Orchestra, and while in Germany they recorded this album. Here we have the classic Moten Swing, performed in a pretty straightforward manner. For those of you familiar with George’s modern renditions, check out how early he has worked out those signature details we know so well.
South (Bennie Moten and Thamon Hayes) Joe Salzano and the Blue Devils: Savoy Nites: Joe Salzano (cl), Russ Musseri (ts), Jeff Stockham (t), Dino Losito (p), Harry Aceto (banjo), Dave Arenius (b), George Reed (d); Ithaca, NY, March 1999
This album was highly anticipated at the time and still has a special place in my heart. Many fans felt that the tracks didn’t capture the essence of the live band, and I personally feel the studio recording quality sounds a bit harsh and too modern. These criticisms aside, the album is still the best window to this band at the time. George spoke very highly of the Blue Devils, saying “That was some kind of band. Talk about tight… no one could touch that band.”
Here is South, an old Bennie Moten number and one of my favorite tracks from the album.
I love how George changes the mood of the song between phrases, utilizing rolls on the snare and wood block to bring the song in different directions.
George felt that if they had not broken up a couple of short years after this recording, the Blue Devils could have become the best band in the country. We can only dream of what may have been.
Buy this CD online
Lindy Hop Heaven (Instrumental) (Peter Davis) Peter Davis: Lindy Hop Heaven: Peter Davis (as, p), George Reed (d), Peter Ecklund (t), Dave Davies (tr), Harry Aceto (b)
Although he played with Gordon Webster and a few pickup bands recently, Peter Davis’s Lindy Hop Heaven is the last band many people remember George being a permanent member of. They were regulars at events such as Swing Out New Hampshire and Saratoga’s Dance Flurry, and were known for solid midtempo Lindy Hop numbers.
Here is the band playing the tune Lindy Hop Heaven (sans lyrics; trust me, this is the one you want) on their debut album:
This brings me back to dancing those nights away and following George on all those breaks. Being a dancer himself, he knew what rhythms would appeal to all of us.
This post ended up being a much bigger task than I had even envisioned, so I actually had to split off some of its content. In a forthcoming post I’d love to share some of the video interviews I have with George and a photo gallery as well. Please share your own memories in comments below. George, you are fondly remembered, and we miss you.
Put some Lindy Hop on your wall with Vintage Jazz Art
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This is an extraordinary piece of work and worthy of the man. Terrific work, Mike! Can't wait to see part II.
I am totally blown away by this! Great work, Mike.
Why It Took Me 13 Years to Learn the Big Apple • My hiphop crew Freeplay performing at the Dance-a-Rama (video).
This is an amazing collection of George's work. "Creole Love Call" is one of the most beautiful recordings I have heard in my life. Thank you Mike, for having the forethought to talk to George and get all these great stories and for writing this.
We did a spot on the Hey Mister Jesse Podcast (episode #71) about George. Mike helped us get that together, so it's great to hear it directly from him now!
The physics is theoretical, but the fun is real!
I love this kind of article, the clips and how you made it personal. Great job. Please say you'll do more with other musicians as well.
The stories, selections of music, and historical details all intertwine to make an interesting read. Well done Mike!
If you are bored check out my blog... http://taintwhatyoudo.wordpress.com/
Thanks everyone! And Manu, thanks very much to you guys for doing your tribute on the Yehoodi show. That kind of spurred me to do this article in the first place. I have done other interviews with other musicians and dancers, so maybe the future will bring more of these.
Put some Lindy Hop on your wall with Vintage Jazz Art
Thanks so much for compiling this, Mike. This is really lovely. We were so lucky to have gotten to know him as a musician and as a person.
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