Trio with Mark Whitecage & Ra Kalam Bob Moses Sat. Oct. 28th!

I remember Mark from El Paso in 1961 (?). He was on his way to LA. We were the Mike Ning Trio: drummer, Cal (Sonny) Burnett, and I. Mark knocked us out with his phenomenal playing even then. He probably doesn't remember. He was there a very short time and it was 56 years ago. It sounds like it's going to be a great gig on Saturday.

were playing

 

I don't remember them ever having been in El Paso, TX, at least not while we were there, and we would have known. First, other than Texas Western College ( Mike Ning was taking classes there), I don't know where they would have played. There weren't any jazz clubs. Most were cowboy bars. There was one rock and roll place, The Frog, where Johnny Miller (?) of Nat King Cole Trio was playing bass. We were basically the only working jazz trio in town and everyone came to sit in with us. Our main job was in Anapra, NM, The Carousel Supper Club which was just across the state line. Unlike Texas, New Mexico bars stayed opened till 2:00am and served hard liquor, not just wine and beer. Many of our customers were bartenders and waitresses who came for a drink after they got off work. Because of our popularity we got a lot of work at bars in El Paso.
The only club that booked name jazz acts was La Cucaracha in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, (just a trolley ride from downtown El Paso) but they always booked duos or trios with singers. It was great for me, but not for Mike. He couldn't cross the border. He was on a student visa and couldn't reenter the USA if he left. I got to meet some great players. I can't remember all of them, but Slam Stewart was with pianist/singer Rose Murphy. He tried to come to one of our sessions in El Paso--but that's another story. Nancy Wilson also played the club. Duke Pierson was with her on piano. I got him to come to our adobe house in NM. It was fun for me to play with him. He was very gracious; I was very young and had more guts than brains. It was funny to see him seated at a small 66 key spinet piano.