To play with the great Steve Witser and Joe Alessi that summer in Colorado was pretty special.
The phone rings in my office. It’s Rudy Van Gelder! He says . . . did you write Basically Blues . . . yes I did . . . well Buddy Rich just recorded it. Where do we send the check?
In those days, the only people listed on the album were the rhythm section guys. For a year or more (after recording the flugelhorn solo on Paul McCartney’s Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey), I was the most famous unknown trumpet player in the world.
That was the night Woody started calling me Too Tall John. Someone said if he makes up a nickname for you . . . it means you’re on the band!
John Belushi told me he was going to make me the most famous trombone player since Jimmy Dorsey. I didn’t have the heart to tell him Jimmy was the saxophone player.
