Interview with Leonard Bechet about his parents

Audio file
Date recorded: April 4, 1949 to April 14, 1949
Contributor(s): Performer: Lomax, Alan; Performer: Bechet, Leonard; Recordist: Lomax, Alan
Subject(s):
Genre: interview/commentary
Culture: Louisiana Creole, Southern U.S.
Instruments: voice
Setting: At the home of Dr. Leonard Bechet
Location: New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana, United States
Physical form: Reel to Reel
Tape number: T991
Track Number: 2
Archive ID: T991R02
Note: Leonard Bechet discusses his parents. His father owned a shoe store and later worked at the mint; he was active in politics and was a stern disciplinarian, who would often whip Leonard and his brothers (Sidney and Albert) with a strap. Their mother was the kind who didn't "like to see nobody hurted."
Belongs to: Leonard Bechet 4/49
About the session: Interviews with Dr. Leonard Bechet at his home in New Orleans. A dentist by trade and occasional trombonist, Bechet was the older brother of renowned clarinetist Sidney Bechet. He recalls the Bechet family's opinion of Sidney's involvement with the hot jazz circles, the differences between the Creole and black social scenes, pre-jazz Creole music, and discusses his current profession of dentistry. He led the Silver Bells Brass Band, featuring Sidney, until World War I and was a member of the Young Superior Brass Band in the 1920s.
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