Jazz Greats I've played, gigged, jammed with . . . .
when and where:
(click name in alphabetical list)

Ray Anderson, Benny Bailey, Long John Baldry, Dave Bargeron, Art Baron, Eddie Bert, Richard Boone, Jaki Byard, Junior Cook, Hal Crook, Wild Bill Davison, Alan Dawson, Kenny Drew, Rolf Ericsson, Booker Ervin, Jon Faddis, Carl Fontana, Dizzy Gillespie, Dexter Gordon, Tim Hagans, Joe Hunt, Khan Jamal, Ingrid Jensen, Budd Johnson, Bobby Jones, Philly Joe Jones, Thad Jones, Jimmy Knepper, Lee Konitz, Horacio Larumbe, John Lewis, Charlie Mariano, Jackie McLean, Blue Mitchell, Sunny Murray, Albert Nicholas, Keith O'Quinn, Horace Parlan, Bosko Petrovich, Ray Pitts, Herb Pomeroy, Red Rodney, Claudio Roditti, Roswell Rudd, George Russell, Paul Rutherford, Dino Saluzzi, Wolfgang Schlüter, Manfred Schoof, Woody Shaw, Sahib Shihab, Ken Sims, Tak Takvorian, Gene Taylor, John Tchicai, Clark Terry, Kai Vinding, Ernie Wilkins, Richard Williams, Phil Wilson, Phil Woods, Richard Wyands

Blue Mitchell, Junior Cook and Gene Taylor. Düsseldorf, Germany 1962

During the Jazz Capp gig with Ken Sims Vintage Jazz Band many celebrities of the days visited the club, a.o. singer Tommy Steel and Margot Fontayne, trumpeter Oscar Klein and Papa Bue's Viking Jazz Band. One night a party of American musicians came in, turned out to be Horace Silver's Quintet. They were sitting in the bar for a while, eying us curiously and finally Blue Mitchell walked up to the stage, asking if they could sit in. I was awed and scared stiff as famous players Blue Mitchell, Junior Cook and bass player Gene Taylor took the stage and played a couple of tunes with us. Horace Silver stayed at the bar and didn't sit in. A world shaking experience to listen and play with musicians of that calibre.

Albert Nicholas. Essen, Germany 1962

I was touring Germany with the Ken Sims Vintage Jazz Band featuring blues singer Long John Baldry playing Jazz Capp in Düsseldorf in August going to Kaleidoscope, Essen for September when one night this fine looking elderly gentleman came by and would like to sit in. He presented himself as Albert Nicholas, brought out his clarinet and played some beautiful creole jazz with us. We also chatted for a while, he told us about the advantages of the Albert system clarinet for sound and articulation in jazz. One of the most genteel persons I ever met. The band went back to Jazz Capp for another month and on to Riverboat in Lübeck for the month of November, where we disbanded, losing an upcoming gig in Hamburg in December to the Beatles.

Philly Joe Jones. Reprise Teatret, Holte, Denmark 1969

Philly Joe was playing the Montmartre, Copenhagen in January, and pianist Ole Matthiessen got the idea that we hire Philly Joe for an afternoon concert at the cinema Reprise Teatret which in those days had jazz concerts Sunday afternoons, sporting the new up-and-coming talents and their groups. Luckily Philly Joe agreed and we put a group of local 'heavies' together. The concert took place on January 11 with Matthiessen on piano, bass maestro Hugo Rasmussen (after all, it was PHILLY JOE, so we had to have a great bassist), a four-horn frontline consisting of Jens Jørgen Gjedsted (tp), myself on trombone, Jan zum Vohrde (as), Knud Bjørnø (ts). A mind-blowing experience of which there's a few pictures and actually even a little music preserved from a private recording of the event.

George Russel. Danish Radio and Vallekilde Summer Jazz Clinic, Denmark 1969

I was hired for a radio recording, subsequent broadcast, of George Russell's Electronic Sonata for Souls loved by Nature to be performed by a special edition of his George Russell Sextet with George on piano/conducting, Hugo Rasmussen on bass and Alex Riel on drums. The horns were Swedish trumpeter Bertil Lövgren, American expatriate Ray Pitts and myself. There's some pictures from the recording session (January 29) and the actual broadcast has been preserved. In the Summer George was teaching his Lydian Chromatic Concept at Vallekilde and also put together a George Russell Sextet with myself as musical director/trombone and Lars Togeby (tp), Jesper Nehammer (ts), Thomas Clausen (p), Mads Vinding (b) and Jon Finsen (d). I played with George again in 1983 with the Radio Big Band, performing some of his newer, very inventive things as well as All About Rosie.

Dexter Gordon

I have gigged, backed, played and jammed with Dex throughout his stay in Denmark (late sixties to late seventies). With the Radio Big Band, Niels Jørgen Steen's Big Band, various radio broadcasts, at the Montmartre. Long Tall Dexter was one of the most easy-going, sweet guys I ever came across. Meant the world to all of us.

Ernie Wilkins

I was a regular with Ernie Wilkins Almost Big Band since its inception in 1980 'till it disbanded due to Ernie's illness in 1991 (4 LP's/CD's). Ernie also took me along for a Festival in Zagreb, Yugoslavia 1984 where we played concerts and made TV-appearances with a special group consisting of a.o. Benny Bailey (tp), Ernie and Karl-Heintz Micklin (saxes), myself on trombone, Bosko Petrovich (vbs), John Lewis (p). Also contributed arrangements to the Almost Big Band and recording projects with Ernie and Kenny Drew. Playing with Ernie has been one of the most important experiences of my career. Terrible band leader, wonderful person, fantastic arranger. Uncle Ernie to us.

Kenny Drew

I have played with KD in many situations, jams, recordings, Ernie Wilkins Almost Big Band, Danish Radio Big Band etcetera since the late sixties. Have also played and been contractor as well as arranged for KD's recording By Request two. Kenny actually never paid me my contractor's fee . Forgot it, but said: "I'll make it up to you.". Never did. Didn't have to neither. The sheer pleasure of working with/for him more than made up for it.

Richard Boone

took my place in the Danish Radio Big Band in 1973 and we played together there, during my second stint with that band (1978-1983) under Thad Jones, and were the trombone duo-section of Ernie Wilkins Almost Big Band for 11 years. Giggin', playing, jammin' in a variety of contexts. Soft as butter, sweet as pie.

Thad Jones

I was 'head hunted' back to the Radio Big Band by Thad's need for a trombone soloist also mastering the difficult task of plunger-playing. Two LP's were recorded. When Thad split the Radio Big Band in 1980 I was singled out for his own new big band along with a bunch of other great local and resident players. We had a couple of rehearsals in Copenhagen with this pre-Thad Jones Eclipse band. However Thad didn't go through with his idea, because many of us were still under contract with the Radio Big Band and he was afraid of the conflict of interest this might ensue. So he eventually (much to my dismay) made his Eclipse band where I subbed once and asked: never no more, because I found it sub-par. Luckily for me, Ernie Wilkins founded his Almost Big Band at the same time, so I went there in stead. But the two years with Thad were mind-blowing.

Dino Saluzzi

Performed as músico invitado with Dino's sextet at Jazz & Pop in Buenos Aires, 1985 (private recording of the event). Later on sat in many times while he was visiting Copenhagen with his groups. Dino had many plans of us doing more things together, but these ideas never materialized, until I brought him to Copenhagen as featured soloist with my Dream Quintet for the JAZZPAR concerts in 1998. A CD from the last concert was released.

Bobby Jones

I met Bobby at some jam sessions in the Village in late summer of 1970. Booker Ervin had brought me there to sit in. Booker didn't play then, supposedly recouperating from an illness that eventually killed him a few months later, sadly. Richard Wyands and Jaki Byard were among the (solo) pianists playing the gig. Turned out that Bobby was as much a Mingus-fanatic as was I, and we struck up a friendship. Some months later my phone rang (back in Copenhagen) it was Bobby who had finally made Mingus' band and was playing in town. Later on, Bobby stayed at my flat (after he skipped Mingus) playing a gig at the Montmartre. In 1975 he contacted me about doing a joint venture, me as arranger/conductor, himself as soloist (alongside German trumpet player Manfred Schoof) with the NDR Big Band in Hamburg in a Mingus program. Wolfgang Schlüter, who I met back in Lübeck in 1962, played vibes. I brought my horn and played a solo on one chart. The broadcast has survived and shows Bobby playing magnificently although he was already suffering from the illness that was going to kill him just a short while after. I think it was the last gig he played.

Budd Johnson & Red Rodney

March 25, 26 & 27, 1976 I gigged with the Budd Johnson Sextet featuring Red Rodney at the Vognporten in Copenhagen. Niels Jørgen Steen (p), Hugo Rasmussen (b) and Svend-Erik Nørregaard (d). Working three days with these two master musicians is beyond words. I recorded the event and still have the cassette tapes somewhere. The next year Budd came by a gig I played with Leif Johansson's Quintet at Café Sommersko and sat in with us (see photo). Playing great, but complaining about not feeling too well. He died a few years after our last meeting.

Wild Bill Davison

In the mid-seventies I played a gig at Vognporten, Copenhagen. I don't remember the other players, but will never forget Wild Bill, sitting on a chair blowing some of the dirtiest, jazziest sounds I've heard, on his cornet.

Sunny Murray & Khan Jamal 1986

In April 1986 I played a string of gigs in Copenhagen with vibist Khan Jamal's quintet with Sunny Murray on drums. Sunny was one of my free jazz heros of the sixties and playing with him so many years later in a non-free situation was a great experience. A beautiful drummer with an almost Elvin Jones-esque quality to his drumming. A private recording from the Slukefter Jazzhouse exists.

Jimmy Knepper

Jim took me everywhere whenever I was in New York. I often stayed at his home in Staten Island and we would play duets in his basement. We met in '69 when he came to Copenhagen with Thad & Mel and stayed in contact until his passing away in 2003. Only time we played a gig together was in 1989 when he passed thru Copenhagen doing a master class and playing two nights at the Ben Webster Jazz Club with Thomas Clausen's Trio. Jim stayed on a couch in my basement to keep expenses down. I happened to have a two set concert/broadcast recording with the Radio Big Band, one set of my arrangements of Astor Piazzolla's music and a few of my own tangos, and the second one some of my jazz pieces. I called the radio and Erik Moseholm fixed a modest soloists fee for Jim, so I changed the programming to include some Mingus charts and a Knepper original (Who You) all arranged by me. I conducted and handed over all the solos to Jim (of course) but rearranged Mingus' Nostalgia in Times Square to feature two plunger trombones, Jim and me. The only time we ever played together in public. Have the tapes of the concert, luckily.

Eddie Bert

I met Eddie when he and Jimmy Knepper came over here with Thad & Mel in '69. In July 1976 he came by Copenhagen, and I was lucky to set up a recording at the Danish Radio two Sundays in a row. We recorded with four trombones & rhythm section. The subsequent recording, Skeleton of the Band, was later released on Backbone Records that we set up, too. Kjeld Ipsen and Niels Neergaard were the other two bone players, doubling bass bone. Eddie also sat in with my Jazzmobilen quintet at Vognporten, and we did a gig there, too with the Skeleton Septet augmented by six more trombonists. Arrangements were by Eddie, Neergaard and me. Here's a few pictures from those events. Some private live recordings exist.

Dizzy Gillespie

I played with Dizzy at various occasions. In the late seventies with the Danish Radio Jazz Group, early eighties with the Danish Radio Big Band (televised) and Ernie Wilkins Almost Big Band in a concert, (likewise televised) at the Tivoli Gardens.

Sahib Shihab

Sahib was in the Almost Big Band until he moved back to the States circa 1984. We recorded three albums with Sahib on alto- Prior to that we also played a theatre gig (Chicago and All That Jazz, 1976) with the pit orchestra conducted/arranged by Niels Jørgen Steen.

Tim Hagans

Tim had just settled in Sweden when we met in late 1976. I immediately put him on my new cd, The Forgotten Art, recorded in 1977 - tho he didn't solo. We played together in Lars Togeby's Creme Fraiche Big Band (one LP, 1978), Lars Beijbom's White Orange band (one LP, 1979) and "6tet" - Per Goldschmidt / Erling Kroner Organization with Horace Parlan (p), Mads Vinding (b) and Beijbom (d). We were both in Ernie Wilkins Almost Big Band from the onset in 1980. Tim was also the original solo trumpet in my new Erling Kroner Folk Dance Organization 1979 (later called Erling Kroner Tentet) eventually replaced by Jens Winther in 1982, when he went back to the States. We played together again in 2003 with the rejuvenated Creme Fraiche Big Band, this time with Tim as featured soloist.

Woody Shaw 1985

At the 26th Ljubljana Jazz Festival I was conducting/playing as a soloist with the RTV Big Band in a program of my own music. Woody Shaw was guest -starring with us. I didn't have any music arranged specially for him and he couldn't really read due to poor eye-sight. So he just learned my music, listening at the rehearsal and trying out a few spots. He was in great shape, extremely sweet and blowing up a storm. It was recorded/broadcast directly on the air by the RTV. Luckily I got a copy of the master-tape. A memorable experience.

Booker Ervin 1969

I was working as a sub for the Radio Big Band. Living about a five minute walk from the radio was very convenient. Often the phone would ring like 8:15 AM: "It's from the Radio, such and such is sick, could you please be in Studio 3 ready to play at 9 o'clock?" The band had a lot of American greats coming in as soloists. No different this day. As I walked in the door I looked around to see if there were any soloist on and got a shock: There was Booker Ervin, readily recognizable with his Afro hair-do and bushy, Mexican-style, drooping moustache. I rushed out of the studio (there was still time) and called my home, waking up my then-girlfriend, photographer Kirsten Weinoldt and told her to grab her camera and get her ass the hell over there and shoot some pictures. We struck up a friendship (one of the most genuine friendships I've encountered) that lasted until his sad, untimely demise at the age of 39 in 1970. I spent much time, staying at Booker's at the Lower East Side whenever I was in New York (I was studying at Berklee in Boston). Booker was planning a new album of Booker'n Brass to be recorded as soon as he had recovered from his surgery. He wanted me to participate and asked me what I thought about the other bones. I yelled: Jimmy Knepper MUST be part of it (They were old friends from the Mingus days). Oh man, was I happy. Last time I saw Booker, I was (as always) staying with him, his wife Jane and the kids, Little Booker and Lynn. Booker was on leave from the hospital and had to go back that evening. I was returning to Denmark the next day. I watched Booker turn the corner of East 13th Street and 3rd Avenue waving back at me. Booker was due for another operation that fall. Eventually had a kidney removed. First thing he asked the doctor when he woke up from the operation was: "When will I be able to play my horn again?" Then the other kidney set out. The world of jazz lost a giant. And mankind lost one of its finest, most humane exponents.

Phil Woods, Vallekilde, Denmark 1968

Phil Woods guested the Vallekilde Summer Jazz Clinic. Sitting in the dining room, he told stories from the world of jazz and he jammed with a bunch of us students all night. Unforgettable.

Jackie McLean, Denmark 1972

Jackie taught at the Vallekilde Summer Jazz Clinic and gigged in Denmark in August of '72. His early sixties recordings were very inspirational for me, and meeting / playing with him was exceptional. Niels Jørgen Steen ran the student big band, I was teaching in my capacity as 'Dr. Brass' and playing lead in the trombone section. We had some great rehearsals with Jackie and also played a concert at the Holbæk Jazz Club with Jackie as a soloist. We met at several occasions later on, but alas never played together again

Lee Konitz

I met Lee at a Vallekilde Summer Jazz Clinic - must have been around 1971 - and he was just playing, jamming, teaching in his inimitable way around the clock. Whenever he was in Copenhagen, usually playing in the Montmartre., I would catch him, and sometimes he would crash at my lowly pad just off the center - but within walking distance - of Copenhagen to save a little bread. One of the funniest cats I ever met and one of the most determined, don't want to be no repeater-pencil whatever the consequences cats I know. Once talking in my flat about the completely ridiculous economic situation of an original artist, I suggested he go and make a fortune in Japan by emulation his style and music of the fifties. He looked at me in horror: "Repeat myself?" Then he would rather starve. In 1988 we put a Danish/American version of his nonet together, playing out of his nonet book (I wrote a single contribution to that book, Milas). Participants were Jens Søndergaard (bs) who had worked a lot with Lee whenever he was in Cope, Butch Lacy (p), Jeff Davis (tp), myself trombone a.o. We played the Copenhagen Jazz Festival that year and I have a private cassette tape from the out door concert lying around. In 1992 Lee was awarded the JAZZPAR PRIZE and a special JAZZPAR Nonet was formed. Lee, Søndergaard and Peter Gullin on saxes, myself (tb) and Niels Gerhardt (btb/tu), Jeff Davis and Allan Botchinsky (tp), Butch Lacy / Peggy Stern (p), Jesper Lundgaard (b), Svend-Erik Nørregaard (d). The CD "Leewise" was recorded at the Grand Finale concert.

Claudio Roditti

Claudio was hanging out in Boston while I was studying at Berklee in 1974. He came by a private concert I played with my Berklee-based Tentet and sat in on a couple of tunes, blowing up a storm. We hung out together and he also introduced me to his friend Raul de Souza.

Phil Wilson

When I first got to Berklee School of Music in September of 1969 on a Down Beat Hall of Fame Scholarship I had an audition with Phil. I was nervous, had just arrived the same day. At one point he asked me to play the blues in G while he accompanied me on the piano. The blues in G? - HORROR! Not my strongest suit. However I tried to do my best. Phil jumped up, shook my hand and exclaimed: "A jazz musician, welcome to Berklee!" and promptly whisked me away to play with his 10 trombone ensemble and got me into some very fine other ensembles. Some people have all the luck in the world. In the Trombone Ensemble were Hal Crook, Tony Lada, Art Baron, Tim Sessions and Jaxon Stock among others! FINE company! On my return to Berklee College of Music in 1973 Phil set up a concert with Carl Fontana and himself as soloists accompanied by the Trombone Ensemble and his Thursday Night Dues Band. A huge bunch of trombonists! Unfortunately I couldn't hear Carl because of the acoustics in the concert hall. A very nice cat, Carl was, very humble.

Herb Pomeroy

I not only studied Line Writing and Duke Writing with Herb, I also played under him in the Berklee Recording Band. Clark Terry was featured guest-soloist with the Recording Band at the Memorial Concert for Lennie Johnson at Berklee in 1974, and the Recording Band accompanied Tony Bennett at a concert in Rhode Island and recorded for the Berklee-series LP's, a.o. my own composition L.M.G.C. I also played concerts with his private Herb Pomeroy Orchestra with a.o. Keith O'Quinn and Tak Takvorian (tb), Wes Henzell and Lou Mucci (tp), Andy McGhee (ts) and Joe Hunt (d). In 1989-90 we took the initiative to bring Herb to the Copenhagen Jazz Festival and the Brandbjerg Summer Jazz Clinic. We put together a version of his Herb Pomeroy Orchestra for the festival with a.o. Ingrid Jensen, Jeff Davis (tp), Michael Hove (as), myself, Lars Beijbom (d) (all ex-Herb-study-ites) and Bob Rockwell (ts), Hugo Rasmussen (b). I also put Herb in charge of the New Music Orchestra (an initiative of mine to bring forward new Danish jazz composers and musicians at the CopeFests 1985-1990) in '90 and Lars Beijbom and I put together the Herb Pomeroy ScanAmerican Sextet which recorded a demo tape and played the Copenhagen and Kristianstad-Åhus Festivals that year. Apart from taking over the NMO that year, Herb also took over my duties as big band director/conductor at Brandbjerg in '90.

Ingrid Jensen 1989

Herb Pomeroy brought Canadian trumpet player Ingrid Jensen along to participate in the Copenhagen Jazz Festival and Brandbjerg Summer Jazz Clinic. We played a concert with the Herb Pomeroy Orchestra and sextet at the festival, and I put Ingrid - fine soloist - on lead trumpet in the Brandbjerg Big Band, much to her dismay. We also jammed like crazy all nights, she, Bob Rockwell and I, a.o.

Ray Anderson, Dave Bargeron, Art Baron. Hamburg 1992

I was working with the NDR Jazzorchestra in a tango/jazz project when George Gruntz's band did a concert, also at NDR. Turned out my old pals Tim Hagans and Art Baron were in the band alongside Jack Walrath, Ray Anderson, Dave Bargeron and Dave Taylor. One evening all of us boneheads went to jam with Joe Gallardo of the NDR who played piano and trombone in a small joint. At one point we were 4 to 5 trombones accompanying a girl-singer. Hilarious. We had a wonderful time. Taylor didn't jam, just sat in the bar grinning like a madman while the rest of us took it out.

Ray Pitts

When I joined the Danish Radio Big Band in 1970 and until I resigned from the band in 1973, Ray Pitts was the band's regular conductor. Ray was also part of the George Russell Sextet with which we recorded Russell's Electronic Sonata in 1969.

Clark Terry 1974 & 2000

One of the more memorable times I played with CT was at the Memorial Concert for Lennie Johnson at Berklee in 1974. CT was featured guest-soloist with Herb Pomeroy's Recording Band. I was lucky enough to get a plunger trombone solo on CT's Mumbles. The most important appearance was at a concert in 2000 with the resurrected Ernie Wilkins Almost Big Band with CT as soloist, premiering Ernie's original Suite for Jazz Band which I transcribed and rearranged for the Almost instrumentation, adding Ernie's original suggestions for a special solo part for CT. The concert took place at Copenhagen's Royal Library, Diamanten, in the Queen's Hall. The event was recorded by the Danish Radio for subsequent broadcast and CD-release. It is still unissued.

Jon Faddis 2001

When CT got sick, the Ernie Wilkins Almost Big Band had Jon Faddis subbing on a concert/TV-production at Copenhagen's Royal Library, Diamanten, the Queen's Hall, 2001, in a celebration of the music and life of Louis Armstrong. I wrote all the arrangements and Jon was a joy to work with. Sweet as pie and blowing that horn.