[78-L] Jack Pettis [was Happy 100th, Prez!]

[Julian Vein]

Ate van Delden wrote:
> I like to add Jack Pettis to this list. He was filmed by Lee Deforest 
> playing the first sax solo with the Ben Bernie band. Before that he recorded 
> with the NORK. He always had a light tone. His instrument at the time may 
> have been the so-called C-melody sax, but he is basically regarded as 
> probably the first major white jazz saxophonist. Chilton's Who's Who has him 
> as a tenor player who started out on C-mel. But Rust's personnels ususally 
> have him playing clt/Cmelsax/ten for all sessions. Has it ever been figured 
> out if he really ever stopped using his C-mel?
=============
I hear his sound as more "alto" than tenor (e.g. his work with Ben Bernie).

If we're including C-melody, then I'd include Mezz Mezzrow.

It's great that someone like Pettis was the first jazz soloist to be 
captured on sound film, rather than a more famous person. Having said 
that, if you listen to the film you'll notice there is a trumpet solo on 
"Sweet Georgia Brown" that precedes Pettis.

Pettis provides those felicitous touches when he weaves in and out of 
the ensemble on many Bernie sides, rather like Harry Terrill did on alto 
with Mitchell Ayres a decade later.

I can't think of any other examples where a sideman was able to do this, 
or a leader for that matter.


      Julian Vein


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