Seems like no week goes by without us losing a great jazz musician these days. Last week it was not only the tremendous drummer Louis Bellson and the tragic plane crash that took the lives of two of Chuck Mangione’s band, saxophonist Gary Niewood and guitarist Coleman Mellett.

I had the good fortune to play some gigs with Louis Bellson in the early 1990s with a big band that was put together by Larry Novak, probably the best piano player today that seemingly no one has ever heard of. The gigs were usually outdoor park type of gigs and the band was always chocked full of great players, mostly from the Chicago area.

Let me tell you, Louis was just about the nicest guys you would ever want to meet. So gracious to every musician in the band. He always made you feel really special and he was always encouraging. The joy that he brought to other people was unbelievable. You always hear of horror stories of Buddy Rich reaming band members and everyone around him. Louis Bellson was the polar opposite.

I remember one gig where the band actually got lost on a chart that had a number of repeated sections. Half the band was at one spot while the other half was at another. Finally, knowing that the chart would never end on its own, Louis simply stopped the band and explained to the audience that we were lost and that we would simply start the chart over. It was the most amazing thing I had ever seen. And after the gig he never even mentioned it to the band! He just kept smiling! Boy, did we feel like a bunch of dopes. (Granted, we were sight reading some of the stuff, but still.)

I usually played 2nd trombone on these gigs so I sat right next to Louis and got a ringside seat at his amazingly musical solos. He had the same setup as the video below.

So in honor of the great Louis Bellson, here is a video of him in action on the Tonight Show (the way the Tonight Show used to be!). Thanks for the nice memories and the great joy you gave the world during your lifetime Louis!