Jack Fine born 1928 and still blowing a sweet note
First shot of the month so it’s a shot of a musician from New Orleans, only five months to go now before I am back there.
Seeing Jack Fine play was a complete accident. I was in the Spotted Cat club on Frenchtown Street and the young band I was listening to took a break. Suddenly round the club came the word Jack Fine is going to play in this next set. I had know idea who Jack Fine was but a guy told me he had been playing for years and had been friends with Louis Armstrong. Anyway he played beautifully with great energy and you had no sense you were watching a guy in his eighties. A lot of you will not be that interested in Jazz but I have copied a piece I found that gives an account of Jack Fine history and it’s been quite a life.
The following words are by Nanette Ledet a New Orleans writer
Jack’s professional life has spanned nearly seven decades, he played the music he loved with all of his heart, as anyone who has ever heard his cornet will confirm.
Jack Fine was born in Brooklyn on Sept. 26, 1928.Growing up; he loved listening to jazz on the radio. His family friend, Big John Yeyichen, frequently brought young Jack to a local club called Bright Eyes. The inspiration to play the cornet struck him around the age of 12, when a visiting musician brought one to his elementary school. Later, he joined the Air Force, and played in the band at Bowling Field near Washington, D.C. But he found that any type of rigidly organized playing did nothing for his spirit, and decided to concentrate on jazz, which spoke to his soul incessantly.
After his stint in the military, he returned to New York and began to hang out on 52nd Street, which was a hot spot for late-night gigs with the top jazz players of the time. A significant break came to him through Milt Gabler’s Commodore Record Shop, when he was hired as a store clerk. The store also functioned as a producer of recordings and promoter of live events. Jack considers his association with Commodore Records and its family to be a significant turning point in his professional career. During his time there, in the 1950’s, he met nearly everyone imaginable in the jazz world, including Danny Barker, who became a great friend and frequent collaborator. He worked with Jack Crystal and eventually started doing gigs at his club on Sixth Street and Second Ave.,called the Central Plaza. As Jack’s notoriety and connections increased, so did his desire to support more venues that would give opportunities to up-and-coming jazz players.
He managed the Cinderella Club in the Village for a while, and began what he describes as his “hippie years.”
Jack made the move to Paris, and fell in love with all things French. He was also delighted to be near another artist who greatly influenced him: the gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt. He also encountered another ex-pat, Sidney Bechet.
This Parisian foray lasted for several years, and was perhaps a foreshadowing of his time to come to New Orleans. As he continued to perform, Jack’s musical influences and outpourings remained in the traditional milieu, and he played with an intricate, blues-flavoured style that had the essential flavour of a truly authentic New Orleans sound.
His move to New Orleans was not his first visit; he had been stationed there briefly during his military days, at Camp Leroy Johnson. Taking advantage of the very tempting opportunities offered by life in the French Quarter, he managed to live in an apartment off-base and quickly immersed himself in the vast musical offerings of the city. “What an incredible experience it was, to
finally be living in the place that had provided me so much creative energy, for
so many years,” Jack remembers. “All I ever wanted to do in this life
was to play one sweet song.”
It was here that Jack started his traditional jazz group, the New Orleans Jazz Vipers, around 1998. They very quickly became a fixture at the Spotted Cat and were a favourite of the social dance crowd, which included countless locals, as well as jazz fans from around the world.
The crowd would typically start to gather by the front door, drawn in by the mesmerizing rhythms and soulful sounds emanating from within, and quickly expanded into a full-on dance party that spilled out from the club, onto the sidewalk, and often into the street!
Of course, this is all before Hurricane Katrina, which changed everything and everyone forever. Jack’s home was flooded during the storm, as was his car, but still he remained in the city during the aftermath.
I recently spoke to a friend who had heard Jack playing at one of the few coffeehouses that was still in operation in the Quarter shortly after the hurricane. She was overwhelmed by the beauty of his tone and his soulful renditions. He was still playing his heart out, in spite of all the sadness and tragedy that engulfed our city. Jack is still very much a part of the current scene. It’s difficult to find anyone in New Orleans who has not heard of the Jazz Vipers. Jack even appeared in an episode of HBO’s “Treme,”which takes place here.
THANKS FOR YOUR VISIT AND FOR TAKING THE TIME TO WRITE A COMMENT IT’S MUCH APPRECIATED.
IF YOU WANT TO FOLLOW MY STREAM I SUGGEST YOU OUGHT TO READ MY PROFILE FIRST
Jack Fine born 1928 and still blowing a sweet note
First shot of the month so it’s a shot of a musician from New Orleans, only five months to go now before I am back there.
Seeing Jack Fine play was a complete accident. I was in the Spotted Cat club on Frenchtown Street and the young band I was listening to took a break. Suddenly round the club came the word Jack Fine is going to play in this next set. I had know idea who Jack Fine was but a guy told me he had been playing for years and had been friends with Louis Armstrong. Anyway he played beautifully with great energy and you had no sense you were watching a guy in his eighties. A lot of you will not be that interested in Jazz but I have copied a piece I found that gives an account of Jack Fine history and it’s been quite a life.
The following words are by Nanette Ledet a New Orleans writer
Jack’s professional life has spanned nearly seven decades, he played the music he loved with all of his heart, as anyone who has ever heard his cornet will confirm.
Jack Fine was born in Brooklyn on Sept. 26, 1928.Growing up; he loved listening to jazz on the radio. His family friend, Big John Yeyichen, frequently brought young Jack to a local club called Bright Eyes. The inspiration to play the cornet struck him around the age of 12, when a visiting musician brought one to his elementary school. Later, he joined the Air Force, and played in the band at Bowling Field near Washington, D.C. But he found that any type of rigidly organized playing did nothing for his spirit, and decided to concentrate on jazz, which spoke to his soul incessantly.
After his stint in the military, he returned to New York and began to hang out on 52nd Street, which was a hot spot for late-night gigs with the top jazz players of the time. A significant break came to him through Milt Gabler’s Commodore Record Shop, when he was hired as a store clerk. The store also functioned as a producer of recordings and promoter of live events. Jack considers his association with Commodore Records and its family to be a significant turning point in his professional career. During his time there, in the 1950’s, he met nearly everyone imaginable in the jazz world, including Danny Barker, who became a great friend and frequent collaborator. He worked with Jack Crystal and eventually started doing gigs at his club on Sixth Street and Second Ave.,called the Central Plaza. As Jack’s notoriety and connections increased, so did his desire to support more venues that would give opportunities to up-and-coming jazz players.
He managed the Cinderella Club in the Village for a while, and began what he describes as his “hippie years.”
Jack made the move to Paris, and fell in love with all things French. He was also delighted to be near another artist who greatly influenced him: the gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt. He also encountered another ex-pat, Sidney Bechet.
This Parisian foray lasted for several years, and was perhaps a foreshadowing of his time to come to New Orleans. As he continued to perform, Jack’s musical influences and outpourings remained in the traditional milieu, and he played with an intricate, blues-flavoured style that had the essential flavour of a truly authentic New Orleans sound.
His move to New Orleans was not his first visit; he had been stationed there briefly during his military days, at Camp Leroy Johnson. Taking advantage of the very tempting opportunities offered by life in the French Quarter, he managed to live in an apartment off-base and quickly immersed himself in the vast musical offerings of the city. “What an incredible experience it was, to
finally be living in the place that had provided me so much creative energy, for
so many years,” Jack remembers. “All I ever wanted to do in this life
was to play one sweet song.”
It was here that Jack started his traditional jazz group, the New Orleans Jazz Vipers, around 1998. They very quickly became a fixture at the Spotted Cat and were a favourite of the social dance crowd, which included countless locals, as well as jazz fans from around the world.
The crowd would typically start to gather by the front door, drawn in by the mesmerizing rhythms and soulful sounds emanating from within, and quickly expanded into a full-on dance party that spilled out from the club, onto the sidewalk, and often into the street!
Of course, this is all before Hurricane Katrina, which changed everything and everyone forever. Jack’s home was flooded during the storm, as was his car, but still he remained in the city during the aftermath.
I recently spoke to a friend who had heard Jack playing at one of the few coffeehouses that was still in operation in the Quarter shortly after the hurricane. She was overwhelmed by the beauty of his tone and his soulful renditions. He was still playing his heart out, in spite of all the sadness and tragedy that engulfed our city. Jack is still very much a part of the current scene. It’s difficult to find anyone in New Orleans who has not heard of the Jazz Vipers. Jack even appeared in an episode of HBO’s “Treme,”which takes place here.
THANKS FOR YOUR VISIT AND FOR TAKING THE TIME TO WRITE A COMMENT IT’S MUCH APPRECIATED.
IF YOU WANT TO FOLLOW MY STREAM I SUGGEST YOU OUGHT TO READ MY PROFILE FIRST