The Information Super-Frog

Sidney Bechet was one of the great geniuses and giants of jazz, one of the first to take what was a New Orleans musical folk tradition and turn it into a virtuoso art form loved around the world.



5 years ago, one of his saxophones sold for Euro 120,000 (US$140,000).

"Bechet to me was the very epitome of jazz... everything he played in his whole life was completely original. I honestly think he was the most unique man to ever be in this music." —Duke Ellington

The Bechet childhood home still stands on Marais Street, 7th Ward, New Orleans. Sidney Bechet grew up here with his brother trombonist Leonard Bechet. His first band, the Silver Bell Orchestra, rehearsed here.



There's no plaque.

There's also no door, and only part of a roof.

A view of the interior:



Can you imagine, say, Mozart's house in Salzburg being left to decay like this?

I have stepped boldly forward into the 1990s. Yesterday I purchased a moblie telephone ( or a "radiotelegraphic device of Satan" as ragtimematt calls them).

I was motivated by the suggestion of various friends, including a musician who said there was discussion that I was hard to get in touch with, and various circumstances.

Just over a week ago I rushed down to Rampart Street after getting word of demolition going on at the old Oddfellows Hall/Eagle Saloon Building (major jazz history site; probably the most historically important building in the state without a plaque on it). Fortunately it turned out that they just removed a later addition to the back of the building that was collapsing; so not as bad as feared. (As the city has done way too many things like bulldoze Louis Armstrong's birth house in the wee hours of the morning, local preservationists and historians have to be wary of sudden unexpected and sometimes illegal demolitions.) I realized that I could have a band on the corner playing dirges within 15-20 minutes if that had been needed, but would have had to borrow my friend Sue's phone to do so-- and if she hadn't also come down to Rampart Street to witness at the same time, I would have had to hunt for one of the increasingly scarce pay phones in the CBD.

Note that I will NOT use the mobile telephone to chat while driving. Note to those who do: HANG UP AND WATCH THE ROAD, DAMNIT!

When I take it out with me, I expect the ringer will be off more often than on. I rather like there being some times when I do not need to be at the beck & call of the telephone. As has been the practice with my "land line" phone, talking and socializing with people in my presence will continue to take priority over answering the 'phone unless I am expecting a Particularly Important Call. I'm not sure what to think of the alligation that I've been hard to get in touch with; I not only have a "land line" telephone with an answering machine and voicemail, I have an email address, and a nice brass mailbox by my front-door.

Still, yes, those mobile things are no doubt useful to have in emergency situations, so I've been persuaded.

For anyone who may be interested, I went with Verizon, as my friends who use that brand have much less of the "sounding like you're calling from a small town in Bolivia on a tin can, when I can hear you at all" than other providers.

Note to RagtimeMatt: to apease the spirit of retronianism, yesterday I also got the 100 to 110 year old clock on my livining room mantle happily ticking and chiming the hours away again after 2 years of silence. It turned out to need only a new winding key stem, $16, so I'm happy.