Oct 28, 2019
I have a very, very special guest that I’m so excited to introduce, Angela Levey, who is the wife of the late great jazz drummer, Stan Levey!
We talk about how they met, their wonderful marriage, knowing some of the great jazz legends personally, Stan living and playing with Charlie Parker for a long time, Angela chasing Charlie Parker out of a club, being close with Dizzy Gillespie, recording his first record with Art Tatum, being friends with Max Roach, getting into trouble because of Sonny Stitt, Stan's amazing speed and many more amazing stories.
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1:43 Talking about Dr. Joseph Curiale
2:16 How did you meet Stan?
5:50 Being hired at Birdland
6:28 Were you there at the very beginning of Birdland?
7:12 On Bud Powell on being a very snappy dresser
7:56 Did you get to talk to Bud Powell much?
9:47 On chasing Charlie Parker out of Birdland
11:23 More on Charlie Parker
12:33 Stan Levey is the only person who owed money to Charlie
Parker
14:23 How long did you work at Birdland before the Sonny Stitt
incident?
15:48 The Sonny Stitt snitching incident
16:39 Were your parents discouraging you from seeing Stan?
18:39 On going to jail actually helping Stan quit drugs
19:19 Talking about Dizzy Gillespie and how close they were
21:19 Dizzy Gillespie encouraging Stan to go back some money and
leave the band
22:03 On the strange Benny Goodman experience
23:06 Stan being a boxer
24:12 Benny Goodman calling Stan again to perform like nothing
happened after decades of no contact
25:07 Stan’s difficult life but stoic attitude to adversity
27:02 Stan’s first recording date being with Art Tatum
27:31 Did Stan recall that date?
29:02 On Stan being the person who’s played the most jam sessions
with Charlie Parker
30:07 Dizzy giving Stan an endorsement to work for Oscar
Pettiford
30:50 Stan’s friendship with Max Roach
31:41 How did Stan play so fast?
32:47 Victor Feldman’s recording of Bebop with Scott Lafaro and
Stan
33:17 Recording “For Musician’s only”
34:02 On meeting Sonny Stitt again, post-jail
34:41 Did Stan’s clean life influence the musicians around him?
36:20 On Stan’s positive attitude towards family
38:31 How does Stan teach himself to learn so many things?
39:32 How long was Stan when he taught himself to sight read?
39:52 Stan reinventing himself as a studio musician in the west
coast
40:48 On the amazing trajectory of Stan’s career
41:05 Who were Stan’s heroes?
42:39 The other side of Stan that was “ADD”
45:18 The redemption story of Stan’s life
46:22 Did Stan want his kids to learn music?
47:53 How does it feel to know that thousands of people are so
fascinated with that period, that you lived in?
49:05 What albums should people listen to that demonstrate Stan’s
playing?
50:28 Dizzy Gillespie complimenting Stan’s time keeping
50:56 Wrapping Up