Jim Young and I booked Ed Hagan and Friends for one month in April or May of 1976. Ed's day gig was cooking lunches at The Grape. I can't remember when they stopped playing Thursdays through Saturdays and most Sundays, but it must have been for the next four years or so when Pat Coil's Recoil started playing weekends. We didn't charge a cover for years. And Ed continued playing regularly until I sold my part of the club to the other partners.
~~~
Shown above are Cody Sanderfer (drums), John Perkins (guitar), Ed Hagen (vibes and marimba), and Alex (bass; sorry I can't remember last name here but I will). Thanks to Jim Atkinson for reminding me that Alex's last name was Kemp. I bet you still might find him at the Stoneleight P. reading a magazine and eating lentil soup.
Ed had lots of friends: Steve Sunday (piano), Pee Wee Herman (piano), Lee Robinson (guitar), Genie Grant (female jazz singer extraordinaire), Jimmie "J.Z " Zitano (drums), Mimmie McShane (DSO cello) and almost every musician in town who could drop by for the last set to sit in. The photo was taken by Dick Hyman, a steadfast regular, one of my best friends until this day, and, as you can see, a great photographer.
~~~
More soon....
16 comments:
Yo, I was there as a patron often during that era.
It was in my neighborhood, more or less, Lemmon/Oak Lawn.
It was a favorite joint with my group.
I was living in a broke down duplex half a block away on Bowser from about '77 to '79, buried in medical school. But my classmate Joe next door and I would frequently take the half-block walk to Strictly Tabu after shutting the books, before bedtime. We'd have a 65 cent beer and think we were the luckiest guys alive, listening to that level of music for no cover. It was probably my best memory of Dallas. But I also remember seeing Red Garland re-emerge from retirement at the Airport Bar (?) on Maple once, then bizarrely finding him headlining at the Village Vanguard as I passed through NYC a few months later. The Tabu opened my eyes to jazz.
This was my first bartending job and my first exposure to jazz. I was pretty much a folkie at the time. The bass player you are referring to is Alex Kemp. He is still driving an orange "Thing" around Lakewood.
Thank you, Jim Atkinson. Alex Kemp, how could I forget that. Well, I think you know how I could have forgotten a "few" details about those days.
I was a guitar student of John Perkins; John was the guitar instructor at Melody Shop in Northpark for many years. John was the most tasteful Jazz guitarist I ever met or played with; a wonderful human being with a great sense of humor. I later played jobs with him in the John Perkins trio; what an honor it was to play music with the man. In truth, I was just playing chords and trying to hang on, he was playing the Jazz...
Nick
Van Lyle and I drank substantial
amounts at your place. Great murky
memories.
sammy squyres
ngongro@gmail.com
If you know how to email Liza Allen
please send her my email.
I live in India now studying
HI all - John Perkins was my father -- it's so great to find this site - if anyone is still reading this and you have pictures or other stories about my Dad would love to hear them - my e-mail is czperkins@yahoo.com -- both my Dad and Ed died in 1996 -- two very different men who remained great friends till the end :)
Best regards - Carolyn Perkins
Jim, where are you? N
More information found at:
http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2007/10/these_paintings_are_strictly_t.php
A story on Ed's life and death can be found at
http://www.dallasobserver.com/1997-01-16/music/ed-hagan-1919-1996/
Great memories...So happy to hear Alex is still driving the Thing...what a soulful cat. Having dinner tomorrow with Leah and Shirley Robinson...Lee Robinson's daughter and widow, with Mom. God bless J.Z.
peace and love,
Fred Crane
Alex Camp, not Kemp.
Heya - My brother, Glenn Coldwell, used to sit in with Ed hagen and others almost every weekend... He's a Drummer Extraordianire... Lives in Houston now... You contact me on facebook for more info - Dennis Coldwell
I took guitar lessons from John Perkins beginning at age 12 in 1967. We began at first with classical finger picking and then graduating to some jazz chords later on. To get me started, he taught me to a sweet little progression he used to introduce me to the basic jazz chords that "every guitarist should know" and I learned them well enough to accompany him at my recitals. I never went far as a guitarist though- always suffered a bit of stage fright, but I still play for my own entertainment and satisfaction to this day - that one piece I call the John Perkins Blues -and I always think of John. What a great guy he was. II'll never forget his jovial wit, his calm even demeaor as a person, his patience as a teacher, the story he told me about his youth in the navy and the "best coke he ever had" (no Im not talking about drugs here), and then of course, his incredible guitar. I got a private concert at every lesson. He was an amazing guy and I'll never forget him.
Jason Freeman
I frequented Sunday nights to listen to Ed Hagen. Was only 17 (the legal age back then was 18). Got there early for a table down front. Stayed late. No one ever carded me, thankfully. I usually went alone and was perfectly content in doing so. My fondest memories of my short time living in Bedford, TX was those nights at Strictly Tabu (and an occasional evening at Maxine Kent’s).
Ten years late, but here are a some corrections: The bass player's name is Alex Camp (not "Kemp") and the pianists' names are Pee Wee Lynn (not "Herman") and Steve Sonday (not "Sunday"). (And yes, I misspelled a few names myself when I published Texas Jazz magazine.)
Post a Comment