Cornbread Thomas/Climax Ain't gonna Give

  • 17 years ago
Ain't gonna Give Climax J.B. 1976

In 1975 our Climax Jazz Band played for the second year at the Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans.
During one of our sets in the Esplanade Cafe on the corner of Toulouse and Bourbon an elder gentleman walked in. His name was Joe Cornbread Thomas. Joe had a paper delivery route in the French Quarter and the night before had come through a little side street with his big stationwagon and heard us play. He had stopped and listened and came back the next night to come and say hello.
He played clarinet, we had him sit in, and instantly we clicked. The crowds went mad seeing an older New Orleans musician playing and having fun with our bunch of Canadians.
The friendship grew and when the pilot show of PeterAppleyard's jazz program's was made the producer selected our band with an authentic New Orleans player and that was Joe.
We had invited Joe several times before to perform with our band. He had grown out of his small neighborhood as well and had become the reedplayer in the Legends of Jazz Jazzband and had been touring the world over.
Here is our old and good friend Joe, now proudly wearing his Canadian suspenders in a tune called "I'm ain't gonna give none of my jelly roll"

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