Red Norvo on being a leader.

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Red Norvo on playing the vibes.

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Red Norvo takes an overview on his career.

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Q: “Looking back on it all, has it been a good life for you?”

A: “Oh, it's been wonderful. I’ve been very fortunate. Oh, man, I have a lot of friends and not necessarily in the music business. I mean, most of my good friends are not in the music business. But I’ve been very fortunate, I’m very grateful for it. It’s been very kind to me. So that’s why I try to help all the young kids I can. I used to - I don’t much anymore - but I figured that I learned from a lot of drummers in the pit in theaters and different ones here about the instrument, not necessarily jazz playing because there wasn’t any when I started. They just didn’t or wouldn’t think of playing jazz on that instrument, until a few like Victor Young and Paul Whiteman and some more, thought it was fine, and gave me a chance. So I figured that, in those days back in the 30s and 40s, if I could help anybody, I would. And there’s a lot of kids in California that I’ve help recently, too.”