It has its own rhythm, doesn’t it? Here are the latest delicacies up for bid on eBay.
James Moody, who just left us, with his whimsical signature:
Dear Maxine Sullivan, giving someone her home address, once upon a time:
Kid Muggsy, faithful to the spirit of Joe Oliver to the end:
Jimmy Dorsey, his coiffure gleaming:
Very unusual — an Erroll Garner inscription:
And finally, the uncontrolled and perhaps uncontrollable Bulee “Slim” Gaillard, posing with a more serious young couple, circumstances unknown:
Now . . . shut your eyes and imagine the sound of this collective ensemble. I hear Maxine carrying the melody line, Moody and Slim improvising vocal counterpoint behind her; Muggsy, Erroll, and Slim keep the rhythm going.
That should take your mind off of holiday shopping!
I actually have 2 of James Moody’s distinctive autographs, with the o’s turned into eyeglasses. One’s on an album, of course, but the other’s on the poster for a 2001 Caribbean jazz cruise. And I have an autograph Maxine Sullivan signed for me on 1 of her last LPs in the early ’80s.