The Jim Cullum Jazz Band, the producers of "Riverwalk, Live From The 
Landing," and the staff of the Landing Jazz Club in San Antonio wish 
all of our fans a happy, healthy New Year! 

To find out more about the Jim Cullum Jazz Band (JCJB), the Landing, 
and the Riverwalk Public Radio series, visit our websites at 

http://www.riverwalk.org
http://www.landing.com

RALPH SUTTON, LEGEND OF JAZZ PIANO, DEAD AT 79

Jazz pianist Ralph Sutton died at his home near Denver, CO on 
December 30, 2001.

Ralph Earl Sutton was an outstanding pianist in the great tradition 
of Harlem stride giants James P. Johnson, Fats Waller, and 
Willie "the Lion" Smith. 

Ralph was born in Hamburg, Missouri on November 4th, 1922. His 
career got under way when he joined Jack Teagarden in 1941 while he 
was still in college. During the 40s he attracted widespread 
attention, thanks to his participation in a series of radio shows 
hosted by jazz writer Rudi Blesh, "This is Jazz." He had a trio with 
Albert Nicholas, and beginning in 1948 he worked eight years as 
intermission pianist at Eddie Condon's club in New York. Later he 
worked for Bob Scobey and, in 1963, was featured at the first Dick 
Gibson Jazz Party in Denver. This was to lead to the formation in 
1968 of the World's Greatest Jazzband, of which Sutton was a 
founding member.

Thereafter, Sutton's star rose.  He recorded a series of albums and 
toured the world, solo and in a variety of settings. His musical 
partners in these ventures included Ruby Braff, Jay McShann, Kenny 
Davern, and Peanuts Hucko. 

On TV, Ralph appeared on the "Dick Cavett Show," the "Ed Sullivan 
Show," the "Tonight Show" starring Johnny Carson, the "Steve Allen 
Show," and the "Today Show." He appeared at Town Hall and the 92nd 
Street Y in New York, the Boston Symphony Hall, and the Hollywood 
Bowl in LA. He recorded for Arbors, RCA Victor, Columbia, Verve, 
Decca, and Commodore, among others. In 1993, Ralph was inducted into 
the New Jersey Jazz Hall of Fame.

Ralph recorded two Riverwalk shows in San Antonio in 2000: "Long Way 
>From St. Louis: The Story of Jazz Pianist Ralph Sutton," and "The 
Famous Door and Jimmy Ryan's: Memories of 52nd St."

Editor's note: It was my great good fortune to have known and worked 
with Ralph Sutton, both on these Riverwalk broadcasts and apart from 
them at live concerts in Denver in recent years. I can only sum up 
the experience by repeating Ralph's favorite quote, said by Fats 
Waller to Eddie "Rochester" Anderson: "You get that right tickin' 
rhythm, man, and it's ON!"
 

REMEMBERING BILLY

By John Sheridan, JCJB Pianist and Arranger

[Ed. Note: This article first appeared in the "Novelize News And
Updates" newsletter and is reproduced here with permission. The 
Novelaires was a youth jazz band of which John was a member, based 
in Columbus, OH, John's home town.]

The October 2001 Jazz Me News ran the obituary of jazz great Billy 
Maxted. Billy's obituary contained a quote from my buddy and fellow 
musician Don Ingle, who cited Maxted's accomplishments as an 
arranger--Red Nichols thought Billy was the best arranger he ever 
had. Also mentioned was his knack of making a small band (the 
Manhattan Jazz Band was only six and later seven in number) sound 
like a big band. Ingle was kind enough to credit me for carrying on 
with the Billy Maxted arranging tradition. I suppose you could say 
that Don Ingle knows me a lot better than I thought, because from 
age 15 to roughly 22, I was the biggest Billy Maxted fan imaginable.

I think my buddies in the Novelaires--Jimmie, Donnie, Jack Dragoo, 
and Phil Wayt--were responsible for me getting bitten with the bug. 
Of course, in late 1960, I certainly was familiar with Benny 
Goodman, Eddie Condon, The Dukes Of Dixieland, and many others. 
Somehow, Billy Maxted and the Manhattan Jazz Band had escaped my 
ears. My aforementioned band mates took care of that little 
oversight at one of our post-rehearsal listening sessions by letting 
me sample some of Billy's records. I was knocked out with his piano 
playing to be sure, but what really got me was the huge sound he got 
out of just a four-man front line. Having been lucky enough to have 
a pretty fair background in theory at the time, I was starting to 
get interested in arranging, as I had previously been exposed to 
Fletcher Henderson, Bob Haggart, and some other top-flight 
arrangers. But they all had "big bands" to write for, I remember 
thinking. I just had to see how this miracle worked for myself.

In the summer of 1961 I finally got my wish. Billy and the band 
settled in at the Grandview in June for what turned out to be a ten-
week run. My folks treated me to a night out that July, and I 
finally got to hear my newfound heroes in person. I can still 
remember the personnel: Danny Tracey on clarinet/tenor; Benny 
Ventura, trumpet; Johnny Dengler, trumpet/bass sax/tuba; Lee 
Gifford, trombone; and Don McLean on drums. Since my first exposure 
to the Maxted sound, I had diligently been collecting their albums, 
reading their reviews in the Columbus papers, trying to follow where 
they were at the moment via "Downbeat" Magazine, etc. But none of it 
compared with sitting right in front of the stand and hearing it 
live.  To me, it was comparable to watching the New York Yankees in 
their heyday.

After that, I was, as much as someone my age could be, a fixture 
whenever the band would come to Columbus. As time went on and I 
worked up a little bit of nerve, I became friendly with some of 
Billy's sidemen--principally Don McLean and later Bill Prince, who 
eventually replaced Johnny Dengler. I think I met Conrad "Connie" 
Jones, the great trumpet man, after he replaced Benny Ventura, too. 
Today, Connie and I are good friends, and we've played together on 
more than one occasion.

Whenever I heard the band in person, it was never in an empty room. 
Billy had a huge following in Columbus, and always packed the 
Grandview Inn. Many were the times that OSU Head Coach Woody Hayes 
was in the audience (he always insisted on hearing "Mandy, Make Up 
Your Mind," his favorite Maxted arrangement). I found out later that 
he and Billy were great friends. Billy had played football in high 
school and college. He faithfully attended practice whenever the 
Manhattan Jazz Band was in town during football season, and they 
were featured in at least one halftime show at Buckeye Stadium. He 
even recorded OSU's fight song, "Fight The Team," for one of his 
albums.

In the summer of 1965, my ears were rewarded with another little 
bonus. While the band was playing Fort Lauderdale the previous 
winter, Billy's then clarinetist, Joe Barifaldi, had broken his leg 
in an accident and had to leave the band for a few weeks. The 
legendary Matty Matlock, who proceeded to add many brilliant 
arrangements of his own to the Maxted library, temporarily replaced 
him. The one Matlock chart that I still remember is "What's New," 
which featured trumpeter Benny Ventura. I can still hear it to this 
day. 

The last time I heard the band was in September of 1968, after I had 
enlisted in the Navy and was home on a two-week leave. By that time 
I had started arranging, and I guess that Billy had successfully 
ingrained himself into my consciousness. I've written for larger 
bands from time to time over the years, and symphony orchestras, 
too, but most of the time, it's been for bands no bigger than eight 
or nine. Most of my work has been for the Jim Cullum Jazz Band, Banu 
Gibson's New Orleans Hot Jazz, plus a few of my own albums. I've 
always tried to make whatever band I was writing for sound greater 
than the sum of its parts, and I guess I have Billy Maxted to thank.

Thanks, Mr. Maxted--the pleasure was all mine!

(c) 2001 by John Sheridan
 

THE NEWS:

FREE LANDING ADMISSION EXTENDED TO ACTIVE-DUTY U.S. 
MILITARY, POLICE, FIREFIGHTER, AND EMERGENCY PERSONNEL

For January, 2002, Jim Cullum's Landing in San Antonio offers FREE 
ADMISSION if you are currently employed as:

*Active-duty U.S. Armed Forces
*Firefighter
*Law-enforcement
*EMS

Please show your ID to your server. There is a limit of 4 free 
admissions per party.

For reservations, please call the Landing, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM 
Central Time, Monday through Friday, at 210-223-7266 or 210-602-
0967. Or, you may email your reservation to Chris Cullen at 
christocullen@hotmail.com. Reservations are suggested only on 
weekend nights or for large parties.

UPCOMING ON "RIVERWALK, LIVE FROM THE LANDING" 

Note: dates given are for the weekly (Thursday) satellite feed only. 
To find out when your local station airs Riverwalk, go to:

http://www.riverwalk.org/carriage/carriage.htm

1/3 Famous Doors: Night Clubs and Hot Spots 
A musical tour through some of the hottest night spots in America 
from the '20s through the '40s, from New Orleans' Mahogany Hall to 
the Landing in San Antonio, with The Jim Cullum Jazz Band and 
friends: Dick Hyman, Doc Cheatham, Leon Oakley, Mike Walbridge, 
Topsy Chapman, Marty Grosz, Carol Woods, and Bob Barnard. 

1/10 Goody, Goody: Love Songs to Mend a Broken Heart 
Breaking up isn't always hard to do. The Jim Cullum Jazz Band takes 
a wry look at love gone wrong. Guests include vocalists Rebecca 
Kilgore, Carol Woods, Nina Ferro, Vernel Bagneris, Topsy Chapman, 
and Terry Burrell; trumpeters Nicholas Payton and Jon-Erik Kellso; 
and pianist Dick Hyman.

1/16 Special for Black History Month (February): For Black History 
Month 2002, Riverwalk Jazz presents two special broadcasts, "Harlem 
Rhapsody" and "Jazzonia," to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 
birth of Langston Hughes, the most celebrated literary figure of the 
Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s. Guests include William Warfield, 
Vernel Bagneris, and Dick Hyman. These special broadcasts may not be 
available on all stations, so check your local listing on your 
Public Radio station's website.

1/17 The Boogie Woogie Beat: Rompin' Stompin' Rhythm
The Jim Cullum Jazz Band explores the roots of boogie woogie and 
early masters of the style, with our piano master Dick Hyman. Tunes 
by Jelly Roll Morton, Cow Cow Davenport, Jimmy Yancey, Meade Lux 
Lewis, Albert Ammons, James P. Johnson, and Clarence "Pine Top" 
Smith.

1/24 Soulmates of Song: Famous Jazz Partners 
Join The Jim Cullum Jazz Band and friends as they celebrate famous 
musical partnerships of the jazz age. 

1/31 Cole Porter & Irving Berlin: Music Made in America 
The Jim Cullum Jazz Band and guest vocalist Nina Ferro honor the 
sophisticated wit of Cole Porter and the optimistic spirit of Irving 
Berlin. Nina and the Band perform their versions of classic tunes 
like "Puttin' on the Ritz," "How Deep Is the Ocean," "Let's Do 
It," "Night and Day," and "Just One of Those Things." 

More on upcoming Riverwalk programs here: 
http://www.riverwalk.org/proglist/proglist2002.htm

More on Riverwalk guest artists here:
http://www.riverwalk.org/profiles/rwgalery.htm
 

ON THE ROAD

There are no touring dates for the entire JCJB in January, but Jim 
Cullum will be in Australia touring with cornet legend Bob Barnard. 
You can purchase the latest (released in 2000) JCJB CD, "Cornet 
Copia" with Bob Barnard and the JCJB at:

http://www.jazzbymail.com/albums_rw/lb0037.html

Also, pianist John Sheridan and clarinetist Ron Hockett will be 
traveling to Florida in January to record a new CD for Arbors 
Records.

Coming up in February: the Landing welcomes the Texas Music 
Educators Association to San Antonio, Feb. 20-23.

More about the Landing schedule and JCJB Touring Itinerary here:

http://www.riverwalk.org/events/calendar/itinery.htm
 

VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITES

Cast your vote for your favorite recent Riverwalk show and guest 
artist on our revamped Riverwalk poll at 
http://www.misterpoll.com/poll.wga?id=3696458478. Let your voice be 
heard! If you haven't taken the poll in a while, the choices for 
favorite performer and show have been updated.
 

STREAMING RIVERWALK ON THE WEB

Can't hear Riverwalk over the air on your local public radio 
station? Or, are you located outside the United States? Listen to us 
on the Web in streaming format, from anywhere on the planet:

http://www.riverwalk.org/audionet.htm

You can always keep up with the latest news about the JCJB, the 
Riverwalk Jazz public radio series, and Jim Cullum's Landing in San 
Antonio by periodically checking in with us at:

http://www.riverwalk.org/new.htm

The Riverwalk public radio series is sponsored by See's Candies, 
Inc. Visit the See's site at

http://www.sees.com

See you next month!

--Don Mopsick, Bassist and Web Guy