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Ted Panken's avatar

It's the same Call Cobbs. The club where Basie heard Kenny Clarke was the Black Cat, a former speakeasy-restaurant on the east side of what is now LaGuardia Place (then West Broadway) just south of Third Street, where the elevated train turned south. John Hammond lived on McDougal Street, and he frequented the place, which was Mafia. Hammond brought all the people you mention, including Basie, who he thought should hear Freddie Greene...we know the rest of that story.

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Michael J West's avatar

Very glad you mention “Epistrophy” as a Clarke co-composition! I’ve always thought that that song, in particular, shows how Klook’s off-kilter “cutting the time up” contoured the whole bebop movement. It’s right theee in the melodic accents.

Also, the story in Hennessy’s book of Klook smoking pot with Louis Armstrong is one of my favorites.

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