JAZZ, ETC.

A milestone in jazz history may well occur in Boston on Monday, March 12, when five of the greatest living Now Orleans jazzmen gather together at the Savoy Cafe. The world famous soprano saxophone star, Sidney Bechet, will open a four weeks engagement at the Massachusetts Avenue club with a new Dixieland Band featuring Pops Foster, Bunk Johnson, Hank Duncan, and Fred Moore. The Bechet quintet will also appear Monday night at 30 Huntington Avenue in a concert sponsored by the Boston Jazz Society. George Frazier, former CRIMSON columnist and present Theatre Editor of Life magazine, will be in town to cover what he terms "the jazz event of the decade."

In the year 1914 way down yonder in New Orleans Sid Bechet, still in short pants, broke into music, playing clarinet in the Eagle Brass Band which paraded for festivals and funerals. In recent years Bechet has made many great jazz records with special studio bands and only last month he appeared as features star on Esquire's coast-to-coast jazz broadcast over the Blue Network. Bunk Johnson on cornet also played in the old Eagle Band, and by 1914 hen Bechet joined him he was already an old timer, having performed with King Bolden's Band in 1895.

Pops Foster pounded the bass drum with numerous New Orleans marching bands, but later shifted to his present instrument, string bass, when he joined Kid Ory's Band in 1910. Since then Pops has appeared with Louie Armstrong, Luis Russell, and nearly every other outstanding colored orchestra. Fred Moore on drums and Hank Duncan at the Piano add a touch of youth to the Bechet group. Both grew up in the '20's-those glorious days of prohibition--and have gained fame only recently after leaving the Crescent City to appear at various New York bistros.