At an age when most of us are playing with imaginary friends or real toys, the lovely musician Enrico Tomasso was playing BASIN STREET BLUES for Louis Armstrong and — in that famous photograph — receiving “The Kiss Of Joy” from Louis. So when Marc Caparone refers to Rico as “anointed,” he speaks the truth.
August 9, 2017, was a very special day for me, for Enrico and his family — his wife Debbie and daughter Analucia — thanks to Ricky Riccardi, the Ambassador of Louis and Louisness. For it was on that day that Rico came to the Louis Armstrong Archives at Queens College, my idea of a holy place, to sit among the wonders. I was there, with my camera, and recorded what happened, for all to see. The opening videos of this segment are narrative: Rico, Ricky, and family, looking at Louis’ scrapbooks and photographs. But Rico has marvelous stories to tell: this isn’t “history”: it’s very much alive.
First, Rico’s stories of New York and New Orleans, 1971, with glimpses of Dizzy Gillespie, George Wein, and Big Chief Russell Moore:
Then, going back a bit, stories of Louis in England both in 1933 and 1968. You’ll want to hear what Rico’s mother told him, and that Louis called Rico, “my little trumpet player”:
Looking at one of Louis’ scrapbooks — and there’s a great punchline at 4:25:
And what I find very touching, the scrapbook that Lucille Armstrong kept of letters and notes of condolences sent to her after Louis’ death. I asked Ricky to read out the note from Spike Mackintosh, which is touching beyond words:
A little mouthpiece-talk:
“Now here comes the beautiful part”: Enrico Tomasso playing Louis’ trumpets. Much of the memories above have shown us the grown man reliving parts of his childhood, completely dear and alive — but now we move into the much more vivid present, even though Rico says that he has “holiday chops.”
Here are excerpts from DINAH, STRUTTIN’ WITH SOME BARBECUE, I COVER THE WATERFRONT, SLEEPY TIME DOWN SOUTH, POTATO HEAD BLUES, a story Bob Wilber told about the 1947 Town Hall Concert, a cadenza, and I USED TO LOVE YOU — which the young Rico learned and sent on a tape to Louis:
And a little extra taste:
When someone, as a loving gesture, says, “Have a blessed day,” I have a good sense of where that utterance is coming from. I usually say, “You too! I already am.” But August 9, 2017, with Enrico, Ricky, Analucia, and Debbie, was an especially blessed day. The kiss of joy that Louis gave Rico in 1968 — Rico has returned to us for decades. And this was another glowing unrestrained example of love in the form of sound, from Louis, from Rico: a great gift that warms us like sunshine.
And there will be more music from Rico and friends to come.
Rico and Louis at Heathrow Airport, 1970.
May your happiness increase!
JAZZ LIVES 