Photos from gigs

B.B. King

This recording session of "Blues'n'Jazz" took place at the Film Center Building on 44th and Ninth Avenue in Manhattan and coincided with B.B. King's birthday. After we finished, a birthday cake was wheeled out which eventually became the album cover. B.B. wanted a combination of traditional blues and real New York jazz. The musician on the right (on crutches) is the great Arnette Cobb. Above me and holding his bass is Major Holley, with whom I did so many gigs. And next to him, above Arnette, is Woody Shaw. The album won a Grammy Award.

Tal Farlow

Tal was easily the greatest natural musician that I played with. He always played in the moment and his thinking was so harmonically advanced that every musical engagement was a delightful challenge. We had a strong rapport and shared a love of obscure tunes from the American Songbook. He sent me this photo after we played together at the Blue Water Inn in Seabright, New Jersey.

George Shearing Quintet

This photo was taken at the CBC Television Studio in Toronto for a live cross-Canada broadcast at the beginning of my jazz career. Back home in Nova Scotia my whole family and community were sitting in front of their TV sets watching.

Tito Puente

This was taken on a Monday night at the Village Gate for the "Jazz Meets Salsa" series. It was a tribute to Cal Tjader to a packed house audience. The crowd cheered wildly over our "battle of the vibes" antics and one-upsmanship, which of course we played to the hilt. That's Louie Ramirez in the middle.

Dick Hyman Conducting the Meat Cleaver Concerto

My Austin Powers look. Dick Hyman was commissioned to write a concerto for marimba, xylophone and meat cleaver to honor the Chinese New Year at the Lichee Tree Restaurant in Greenwich Village. Dick conducted while using the cues from the Chinese chef as he cut up the meat with his cleaver in very Asiatic traditional rhythmic sequence. I played the marimba while Doug Allen played the xylophone. The audience was mostly Chinese dignitaries as well as Virginia Graham, at that time a well known media personality.

Warren Chiasson Trio

This is a fairly recent outing for the Warren Chiasson Trio, featuring Jon Burr on bass and Joe Cohn on guitar. James Freund, a well known lawyer, gave a bash at the top of Rockefeller Center to celebrate the release of his book and hired us for the festivities.

Warren Chiasson Hosting a Weekly Jam Session

Back in the '60s I hosted a weekly jam session at the Signs of the Zodiac in Harlem on 136th Street and Broadway. My rhythm section was Charlie Haden on bass and Joe Chambers on drums with some of the best names in jazz appearing as guest artists. I remember Milt Jackson coming by few times to sit in and talk shop. One night an extraordinary thing happened to me during of these sessions. While playing a blazing fast tempo with Joe Farrell on tenor and being totally immersed, my mind became completely detached from my body and I was overhead looking down from another plane at my hands. Quite an experience.