AprilCadence2013

99 | CadenCe Magazine | april May June 2013
Interview Carmen Bradford
cB: oh, it was devastating. You know it was so abrupt. We were on our way to
europe the day of his funeral, which was in the morning and we were all there.
The church was packed and there were thousands outside, it was very emotional.
joe Williams sang, and i sang.
CAD: You sang? That must have been hard?
cB: i cried through it, got to the last couple of notes but didn’t quite make it, it was
devastating. But we left the church, all had lunch and went to the airport and went
to europe that evening, we had gigs.
CAD: That’s the best compliment you could have paid him. But someone had to
assume leadership?
cB: Well yes, it was decided that eric dixon would introduce the band and
announce the tunes, then he’d sit down and play, which he did. Then they thought
that freddie Greene should do it, as he’d been so long associated with the band
and they needed someone who was a Basie legend, but that didn’t happen.
CAD: So who did take the job? They would have needed a piano player right
away?
cB: i think they called Tee carson who used to be ella’s piano player, so then we
had jobs with cab calloway but that didn’t work out, and i guess Thad jones was
the first one.
CAD: Of course Thad was in the band?
cB: right, he was first, then frank foster after that and then Grover mitchell, then
Bill hughes and now dennis mackrel.
CADl That fixes the pronunciation of Denis’s name. We heard someone put the
emphasis on the first syllable, but it’s the second?
cB: Yes it’s mac-krel. it’s a common mistake but he says it’s easy to read the
other way so he just lets it go.
CAD: Now during these changes of leadership through the years, was the
band’s repertoire fairly rigid? Did they change the actual program much?
cB: Well the band’s book was huge because you know they were still doing a lot of
dances too, a lot of private affairs, and they recorded a zillion things, those were all
in the book. of course they always had to play their hits, but Basie used the entire
book and those charts just got sweeter and sweeter each time.
CAD: You never got a chance to record with Basie?
cB: not with Basie, no, but with the band yes. i did two cds with the band.
CAD: You stayed with the band through several leader changes?
cB: Well i left the band when frank foster was the leader but after i left they
continued to hire me. There was a singer after me named chris morell but if he as
unable to make a gig, and even after he left, they continued to call me. and also
my mother was the singer for the band too,.
CAD: How often did she work with the band?
cB: she’s been with them on and off about six years now.
CAD: She still works with them?
cB: Yes! They either call my mom or me.