Dick Wellstood on working with Sidney Bechet

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Dick Wellstood discusses musicians that have originated in New Orleans

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Dick Wellstood discusses early influences

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Q: “It seems to me that all of the best New Orleans musicians were the ones that left, and the ones who stayed home were semi-pros and amateurs – the guys who played Sunday nights. But the great players – the Louis Armstrongs, the Albert Nicholases, the Sidney Bechets – were the guys who were capable of being full-time professional musicians and left New Orleans…”

A: “Yeah, but again, New Orleans is a special thing. They all, the Black ones, the White ones, all of them down there, they have a special accent to their playing. You know, it's because of the speech down there is different and it's not really Southern, it's special. You know, it's a special city. They talk funny down there and you know, even somebody like Wingy Manone or Tony Parenti on the one hand or George Lewis or Bechet or whatever, it's a local thing or for that matter, Fats Domino or some of the, you know, the R&B people and for all I know, Wynton Marsalis, I don't know, but it's a special case, New Orleans.”