| "..........a
week with my band at Pizza on the Park in Knightsbridge,London.It was
the same old predictable story.A clubfall of cheering worshippers
watching the young man grown old - who at just under ninety - swung
harder and gave more pleasure in fewer musical bars than probably most
other Jazz musicians anywhere in the world ever did in the whole of
their lives!" |
|
| "What a
legacy he's left us! And we shouldn't say 'now he's dead' - because Nat
Gonella is not dead. That loveable,perceptive,funny and deeply down to
earth man may have left his old body behind,and taken himself off
somewhere where we cannot follow for now. But think of the memories -
and of course - the music he's left us. I like to remember what Humphrey
Lyttelton says, 'We shan't say - Nat played well on that record,says
Humph - we'll say - he plays well'. And Nat will continue to play well
as long as there are records to play,Jazz to enjoy,and ears to hear....." |
|
But we ought to let Nat have
the last word and quote from his book Modern Style Trumpet Playing and
the chapter on Phrasing,at which he was the acknowledged master
"...Try to make
the music into words and 'speak' them on your instrument as you would in
conversation, with a pause here, an inflection there, an accentuation
here, and so on....To sum up - put some feeling into it." |
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