The record changer (Jan-Dec 1950)

8 bis early training came "back 'o j'ones" and the WAIFS HOME KAY C. THOMPSON One time last winter, when Louis Armstrong and his wife, Lucille, happened to be in town for aTjrief spell, they invited the writer to spend the evening at their Long Island home. We spent several hours sorting through a huge box of photos that had been accumulating dust for some years in the bottom of the basement. As might be expected, nearly every picture suggested some welcome bit of reminiscence. Of the entire lot, though, the most interesting one to me was a group shot showing Louis as a member of the brass band sponsored 'by the Waif's Home in New Orleans. As far as I know, such a picture has previously appeared in print only in Louis' own book, Swing That Music, published back in 1936, and that reproduction lacks one feature of the present one : the marking of the negative. Louis, in this instance, is clearly indicated by an arrow. Louis has long regarded the years spent "back o' Jones" as a critical turning point in his long career. It was here, in fact, that his musical beginnings first assumed a formal and systematic character. Before this, his inherent love of music had found expression principally in singing and dancing ; it had represented little more than a means of earning an occasional dollar or two. Consequently, in later years, and notwithstanding the strict rules and regulations which the Waif's Home imposed, he has since come to look upon those distant days with a feeling that at times borders upon nostalgia. "Right until this day,*" Louis remarked recently, "I visit the Waif's Home whenever we play in New Orleans. Every day I spent there is really worth remembering, and I can relate it to you today the same as if it happened yesterday because it was so real and interesting. In fact, I had gotten so attached to the place that when my mother came out there with the papers from the Juvenile Judge for my release, I actually hesitated about getting dressed to go home. "Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Jones were in charge of the Home, and they are still there. Under them was Mr. Peter Davis and also a Mr. Alexander. Mr. Davis is not there any more. He is retired, but still living; an old, old man in New Orleans. I don't happen to know what became of Mr. Alexander. His position was to teach the kids gardening ; all about flowers, and stuff like that. But the only flowers I ever liked were roses, and I didn't think you had to study to know about them !" To a large extent, as far as Louis was concerned, being "back o' Jones" meant being back o' Davis. Peter Davis had charge of the Home's musical activities, in addition to which he was band-master. In this dual capacity he came to exert a considerable influence on Louis during what proved to be one of the most formative periods of his boyhood. "Concerning Professor Davis," Louis observed, "he's one of the finest persons I ever met in my life. Even when he would get angry with you, there would be a little something that would make you feel you'd definitely do the thing right the next time, without him saying another word to you. He was the type of man you'd want to please at all times. Yes, he was wonderful, and that's why I can talk about him all day long. "Usually, Mr. Davis never had much to say, but when he did — especially about playing his music right — then, look out! Being from a real bad neighborhood, when I was arrested with that pistol of my step-father's, Professor Davis didn't like me too well at first. He figured because I was from that kind of neighborhood, I was a bad boy, just like the rest of the youngsters from Liberty and Perdido Streets, where I was raised. And for a while, he made it awful tough for me. But as the days went on, he saw the difference, and finally, one day, he gave in, and said to me : 'You're not as bad a kid as I thought you were. You were only mixed up in bad company, like a lot (Continued on Page 43) Note: The bugle and cornet shown above are the ones used by Louis Armstrong at the