Bill Kirchner sent a link to a video. He accompanied it with a succinct message:
Play this when you’re having a bad day.
I wasn’t having a bad day, but the Thad-Jones Mel Lewis band made it better. This is from a European tour probably in the fall of 1969—not ’68, as YouTube says.
The reed section: Joe Henderson, Jerry Dodgion, Jerome Richardson, Eddie Daniels, Pepper Adams.
Trumpets: Snooky Young, Danny Moore, Al Porcino, Richard Williams.
Trombones: Eddie Bert, Astley Fennell, Jimmy Knepper, Cliff Heather.
Rhythm: Mel Lewis, drums; Roland Hanna, piano; Richard Davis, bass.
Conductor: Thad Jones.
Be alert for the shot of Snooky at 2:35, enjoying Hanna’s three-minute piano introduction. Who wouldn’t?
While I’m wrestling the deadline monster (So far, I’ve got him two falls out of three), the least I can do is attempt to keep you entertained. If this doesn’t do it, see your psychiatrist.