Bone2Pick Interviews

You have to serve the music . . . whatever it is.

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.

The arts make people smarter!

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!

Urbie Green is the greatest trombone player I have ever heard.

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.