Ella Fitzgerald Concert

One of my favorite times was being in the presence of Mrs. Ella Fitzgerald (the grand lady of song) while she was in concert at the Murat Temple with (the piano man), Oscar Peterson. A combo accompanied her singing; then before the concert closed, she & Oscar presented several numbers together.

He was great too as a featured piano soloist. This was back in the 50's in Indianapolis, Indiana on New Jersey Street. My admission was paid by a noble teacher of music in the Indianapolis School system, namely Mr. James Compton. I was even blessed to get her autograph backstage after the program - the same for Oscar Peterson.

Hang On Ramsey

hang on,
originally uploaded by gaz3.

When I visited Mr. B's Restaurant in Chicago, Illinois back in the 70's, I heard and met members of the original Ramsey Lewis Trio. At that time they were most famous for the "Tennessee Waltz" and the "In Crowd"; during this performance as a supper club spotlight, they had the people up on their feet even though the dining continued.

During my stay in Chi town for a few days, I also met Dick Gregory's family who resided in the same building as my sister in law, Carolyn Brown, a well known artist...interesting life!