Blue Notes

Meek Rollins didn't like people being late for his sessions...and tonight, Keyboardist Chazz Gillison was late...Meek paced back and forth, back and forth...

"Relax Meek...B-Flat aint here yet either." I said..Who am I? I'm Reed Nelson...Trumpet player extroidinaire...I was recording my first album in two years...I had been on the road a lot and playing gigs at Josies..and Mulberry Street...

"I'm gonna dock that guy some pay when he does get here.."said Meek Rollins, who was producing the session..

''Aww now you sound like that New York guy...remember him Donnie Ray?" laughed Downtown Rob Brown...

"Yeah man...how could I forget!" said Donnie Ray.

Donnie Ray Alexander...a brilliant ,but part time trumpet player from New Orleans was setting in with us tonight...He was actually a Private Investigator, who worked for and was married to the pretty little lawyer, Olivia Bennett-Alexander ,who had joined us tonight in the studio...She had come to see her husband work..

She was a cute one , sitting quietly and watching us...

Chazz finally walked in ....

"Heyyyyyyyyyy guys.." he said as he fumbled his way to the keyboard...

''You're late" said Meek...

''Awww man, you know I'm blind baby..and us blind folk have no sense of time."he said..

I wondered if he was really blind or just faking it...rumor had it that he had had an operation when he he'd been in Europe and that he could actually see...Who knew? One thing we did know..He could play the hell out of them ivories..

B-Flat walked in also...

''And don't think I didn't see you too...Mr. Brown." said Meek Rollins.

Bernard "B-Flat" Brown, the organist.. just smiled that toothy grin of his..

''It's all gravy baby..When I'm here...I'm here...Let's do this." he said.

''Reed, you up first...Do you need to warm up?" asked Meek...

"I'm square baby...let's do this." I said..

"Donnie Ray...You're second trumpet....

"I'm ready man."said Donnie Ray...

His cute wife, Olivia waved at him...He smiled..

Meek then looked at the other players..

"Dutch, you're on Saxophone....Bone, you got trumpet..." he said...

''Where's my sheet music with the arrangements?" asked Dutch..

'Right over there on your stand man...What are you blind too?" asked Meek...

Bone Hampton cracked up..

"Okay...88, you and Chazz set up....B-Flat..You got Organ.. Poot..you on the traps (drums)"he said.

We had the legendary "Poot" Carter on Drums... and Joe ''Downbeat" Harrison on Bass.

"Rob, next track is yours.." said Meek..

"I'm hip...I'll just lay back and talk to the ladies.."laughed Rob....smiling at Olivia,Sissy and Bridgette.

Dutch's daughter, the beautiful Lieutenant Sissy Van Buren of the Homicide unit was here tonight to watch her dad...and Bridget Jones, who owned two lingerie stores was also here...She used to be Chazz's girl...I wondered why she was here..

They sat next to Olivia..

"Hey Livy.."said Bridgette..

"Hey Liv."said Sissy..

"Hey Sissy....Hi Bridgette...What are you doing here?" asked Olivia...

"Gotta talk to Chazz....Actually, he called and asked me to come here....I was going to have this talk with him some other time...but he insisted.." she said.

"That doesn't sound good."said Olivia...

"Gotta be done."said Bridgette.

"I'm just here because this is the only time I can catch up with my dad."laughed Sissy...

II-

"Alright guys....our singer is in the booth...Do your thing..."he said...

The Vocalist was a young white guy Meek had met in Boston.....I had heard his demo...He sounded pretty cool...


Donnie Ray and I complemented each other very well and Bone Hampton and Dutch brought the rear up quite lovely...

Chazz saw Bridgette in the spectator section and he played the hell out of the keyboards...He gave my man 88 a run for his money if I don't say so myself...No mean feat...

When the session was over....We all took a bow...

Sissy , Olivia and Bridgette all clapped wildly and cheered...

"If the ladies like it..I love it guys..."I said...

"Reed, you took the damn words out my mouth...you guys knocked it out of the ball park...I was gonna  dock you some pay Chazz for being late...but you made up for it..."laughed Meek...

''Good to know."laughed Chazz.

''Man after that...I don't even want to play.." said Downtown Rob Brown...who came with his own musicians...

He looked at Olivia..

"Hey Livy...Mind if I borrow your husband for my jam?"  he asked jokingly...

"Yes I do mind......Just joshing Rob...How ya been?" said Olivia..

"I've been well..Hey how is Beverly doin?" he asked..

"She's doing great...She's at Aqua Bar tonight.." said Olivia...

"When you see her, tell her I said Hi." said Rob Brown..

''I will.." said Olivia.



Downtown Rob Brown was a jazz purist...He and his band...backed by Donnie Ray Alexander and Dutch Van Buren did a new version of Miles Davis's "So What."

Donnie Ray's solo at the beginning made me to tighten up my game...Downtown Rob Brown told me he felt the same way....

And Old Dutch Van Buren was a true master of his craft, mellowing everything out with his Saxophone solo...

Meek Rollins was sitting in the booth taping his fingers on the board...I smiled.. I put my arms around Sissy and smiled..

"Listen to your daddy girl."I said.

''He is something isn't he? He used to play around the house when I was a little girl..."she said dreamily...

All the years I knew Sissy...from when she was a patrol cop to a detective , to a Lieutenant and I never knew she was the product of a marriage between a white man and a black woman...You'd never know it to look at her or talk to her...She just seemed like a sister to me...But of course..she was..

88 was grooving on the keys with B-Flat backing him on the organ...playing just subtley enough not to overshadow him...That was B-Flat Brown..a real cool and unassuming cat...

III-

Chazz was sitting this one out..He was talking to his ex-girl, Bridgette...

"Baby...I want us to get back together..." he said.

"Chazz honey...I'm with somebody now.."she said.

''Who ? That lawyer? Come on Bridgette...I know he aint cooler than me baby..You know where the love is..Come on now girl.."said Chazz...

"Chazz baby...It aint gonna happen....He's a little more stable than you...." said Bridgette..

"You knew I was a musician when you met me.."said Chazz..

"You know that has nothing to do with anything...Donnie Ray is a musician..." said Bridgette.

''He moonlights as one...He aint on the road like us...He just sit in at the bar and does recording dates.." said Chazz..

''That's not what I mean and you know it...He's there for Olivia...You were never there for me..And that's alright...That's not who you are...but that's what I needed...I'm sorry baby...We had a good time..A nice run...but I've moved on.....and you need to move on too."said Bridgette...

Chazz sat at the keyboard...His head slumped down...

"Chazz,don't be like that baby... let's not end it like this...We had a good thing...Let's always think of that..."said Bridgette...

Olivia and Donnie Ray walked past them...

''Everything alright guys?" asked Olivia..

"You guys straight?" asked Donnie Ray...

Chazz perked up...

"Yeah..Yeah...Uh where we eatin? All this playin has made me hungry." he said, acting like nothing had just happened..

''Mabel's and Sam Mothers joints are both closed..Gotta be someplace we can eat...I'm hungry myself."I said.

"IHOP is open all night." said Sissy who walked by with her father, Dutch...It's a good thing her husband, Eddie C. was my boy because she was sayin a taste in that Black dress...I couldn't take my eyes off of her..

''Yall talkin bout the IHOP in Chris and Chess's 2nd shoppin center? Cool, that aint far from here.."said Bone Hampton...

"Sounds like a plan...I'm in" said Downtown Rob Brown....

"Let me lock up...We can all head there together...I could go for some pancakes.." said Meek Rollins...

Chazz looked at Bridget...

"Come on baby...have one last meal with me...How bout it?" he said.

Bridget hesitated...

''Come on Bridget...it's just pancakes.."said Olivia.

Sissy laughed..."Yeah come on."she said.

I smiled as we musicians packed up our instruments and headed to our cars...with our women...Those who's women were present....

I treasured these good times!

For SAM