jp- Your right about this country...via artists.
I was the one who helped Chas Ventura with the teeth stuff. I'm proud of it too...I ran a FUND for him; got a friend who was a dental surgon to dump his 4 implants and we ran a FUND so he could get false teeth. There was a huge article in Philly Inq.' years ago about it. It was called a " Gift Of Teeth For A Gifted Man". It was cool...Charlie called me and asked me why I did it. I proudly told him- YOUR MY HERO CHARLIE.

His daughter and son laid some great pics of him on me when he passed. I did it cuz I had to JP..I had to. This guy was a legend....beautiful cat. When he was down for the count in the hospital- I got him some great foot warmer slipper socks. His kids dug that their dad was REALLY somebody. And- He was. Ask some of my students- I got pics of VENTURA on my walls...on the " boardwalk" blowin'.
HE WAS GREAT....without him NONE of us woulda ever rocked the house with bop.
THAT CAT Jules....was something else. He broght a LOT of guys into this biz as sidemen- EG- Doc Severinson, Ed Shauntessy, Jakie And Roy, lots of guys.
A HERO.....to say the least.
And who played hipper BASS SAX???
Hans Dulfer has every Charlie Ventura record ever- he has stuff I had to get too- the coolest records C.V air checks and all....and you'd be surprized man at the HISTORY in Europe about him. PHILLY should have a statue of him in the center city....he was a deep player. After all how many cats could hang with BIRD!?!??!?!?!?!?
The word FANTASTIC applys when Chas finished a solo.
And- How 'bout that crazy Selmer with the TEA KETTLE OCTAVE KEY??
Very cool.
And while we're at it J.P- How about one of the greats from Philly Bootsie Barnes. Or- John Glenn.
And- Middy. And of couse - Odean and Carl and Earl Grubbs.