In a previous life, I was a waiter at a family-style pizzeria in Greenwich Village. I used to enjoy working Saturday nights, and I’ll tell you why.
And old, shuffling guitar player would come in the restaurant around 4 PM, just when the first customers were tricking in, and walk to the grand piano. Slowly, he would unfurl his guitar cable, pull out his old electric guitar, and plug into the house PA. He’d pull up a bar stool and proceed to play some simple, beautiful blues songs, unaccompanied, on his guitar. He’d play one set for about 40 minutes, take a break, play another set of mostly repeat songs, pack up, and then shuffle on out of the restaurant.
Customers would walk past him and barely bat an eye. He was humble and played quietly, little noticed by the owners, employees, or customers. Little did they know…
That he was the last surviving human to play music with Duke Ellington. His name: Lawrence Lucie. He can include Benny Carter, Coleman Hawkins and Big Joe Turner, among others, as collaborators.
Lawrence recently celebrated his 100th birthday, and had a heartfelt feature in the NY Times. He also appears on a Web site called www.generians.com dedicated to those reaching 100 years of age. He eventually stopped playing at the restaurant, but after reading this article, I realized that he had been doing those matinee sessions at the tender age of 97.
So, Larry, I was glad to hear you play. I hope by the time I’m 100, I can still wrap my hands around a bass guitar.
Filed under: music | Tagged: duke ellington, jazz, lawrence lucie
