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hedonist , a gutter-dweller , and , in the words of his then-wife Vivian , ‘ nothing but a drunkard .’ While he tempered the drinking when he headed east , he still ‘ didn ’ t give a damn ,’ said dancer Norma Miller . ‘ He liked to smoke weed and everything else .’
Over time the Count took up healthier habits , like reading comic books and watching shoot-em-ups on TV . But he never entirely gave up his more ruinous ones . Trumpeter Dave Stahl remembers how , in the 1970s , Basie hired a limo and took him to the racetrack . And drummer Duff Jackson says that , until the end , the Count was ‘ a champion partier .’
Duke Ellington had a handle on his partying and gambling , but was hamstrung by his irrational fears .
He was afraid of flying . He refused to do it at all in the early years – ‘ If God had intended me to fly ,’ he reasoned , ‘ he would have leased me some wings .’ Boats also frightened him . He remembered
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the sinking of the Titanic and when his ships went on automatic pilot overnight , he ’ d pace the deck and soothe his nerves with champagne and cognac .
Bad experiences often mushroomed into superstitions . He was afraid of most things green , which was the colour of grass and , in his mind , associated with tombstones . He hated brown even worse since it was the colour of the suit he was wearing when his beloved mother died . Duke neither gave nor accepted gifts of slippers , shoes , or even socks , which he felt risked the recipient or presenter ending the friendship . His greatest fear was death , which he wouldn ’ t discuss . He didn ’ t make out a will or take out life insurance . He postponed penning finales to his compositions , and procrastinated writing his memoir . ‘ If you write your autobiography , you die ,’ Mercedes Ellington recalled her granddad saying .
Like Basie , Ellington had experienced other dependencies . He occasionally gambled to the point of not making payroll , admitted being addicted to women , and hated losing so much that he would bet on every horse in a race . He also drank regularly –
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‘ My Mother always told me , to try anything at least once ... You either like it or you don ’ t .’
everything from moonshine to gin highballs – starting in his teens and continuing through his thirties . He stopped cold in the years after alcohol helped kill his father , saying , ‘ I call myself a “ retired juicehead .”’
Louis Armstrong was , as grateful fans made clear , King of the Vipers .
His marijuana adventure began in Chicago at age 26 , and it came courtesy of the so-called alligators , or white musicians who populated Black jazz clubs . ‘ It was at the Savoy Ballroom that Louis was introduced to pot ,’ according to then-pal Earl Hines . ‘“ I got a new cigarette , man ,” a white arranger said to him . “ It makes you feel so good .”… This guy lit it up , took a drag or two , and passed it around , and nobody would take it . “ Let me try it ,” Louis finally said .’
Louis ’ memory of the moment was vivid : ‘ I had myself a ball … That ’ s ’ why it really puzzles me to see marijuana connected with narcotics – dope and all that kind of crap … My mother and her church sisters used to go out by the railroad track and pick baskets full of pepper grass , dandelions , and lots of weeds similar to gage , and they would bring it to their homes , get a big fat slice of salt meat – and make one of the most ’ deelicious pots of greens anyone would want to smack their lips on .”
‘ My Mother always told me , to try anything at least once ,’ he added . ‘ You either like it or you don ’ t .’
His fondness for pot grew from a distraction to an obsession . ‘ It makes me feel good
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as gracious ,’ he said . ‘ He followed a regular routine practically every night . When he was through working and no one was left in his dressing room , he ’ d go back to his hotel , get undressed , and light up a joint ,’ said bassist Milt Hinton . And it wasn ’ t just at night . ‘ In the morning , first thing he ’ d do is go to the bathroom and spend a half-hour there ,” said photographer-friend Jack Bradley . ‘ He ’ d usually light up a bomber , which is a joint about the size of a pencil , and sit on the toilet .’
Louis apparently gave up gage the last few years of his life . ‘ Many years ago I quit messing around with that stuff . Got tired looking over my shoulder and waiting for that long arm [ of the law ] to reach out and somebody say , “ Come here , boy . Twenty years in the cage !’” he informed an interviewer in 1967 . And he told Jack Bradley , “ Hey , man , I gotta tell you something – Mr Glaser and the doctors finally convinced me to stop smoking shit .’ Then he whispered loudly , ‘ But don ’ t tell anyone !’
What lessons can we take from these maestros ’ addictions ? First , it ’ s clear the ease with which celebrities could paper over their dependencies in that era , when all that mattered to journalists and fans was the riproaring action on centre stage . Second , in spite of their cravings , this trio managed to stay at the tippity-top of their field not just for a short run , but for a full half century . Lastly , all three – with help from family and friends , managers and bandmates – overcame their addictions much as they had the strictures of their Jim Crow world .
Heartening , indeed .
Larry Tye is a former reporter at the Boston Globe . His ninth book , The Jazzmen : How Duke Ellington , Louis Armstrong and Count Basie Transformed America , is published by HarperCollins and available at harpercollins . com / products / thejazzmen-larry-tye
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JUNE 2024 • DRINK AND DRUGS NEWS • 23 |