Tiger Rag: Davis Dixie Band (Ted Mack Amateur Hour)

A.B. Davis High School, in Mt. Vernon, N.Y., had its own Dixieland band beginning in the early 1950's. Aspiring jazz players from the feeder junior highs worked seriously to pass the rigorous audition. In this 1960 version of the band, that over the years made frequent appearances on the Ted Mack Amateur Hour, the leader and trombone player, Henry Newberger, invited a few alumni to return to play on the program. These included Ronnie Costa on drums, Norm Kubrin on banjo, and Eli Newberger on tuba. Legend has it that it was the applause meter that selected the groups that would go on to Ted Mack's annual grand playoff at Madison Square Garden. Whether or not this was so, this performance successfully booted us to the big stage. The trumpet solo phrase on "Tiger Rag" became a tradition in this group, when it was led in the interval 1953-1956 by the formidable trumpet player Eric Gutt, who first improvised it. "Muggsy" Gutt, on graduating, started a career with Stan Rubin's Tigertown Five, and performied spectacularly well at the A. B. Davis Senior Prom in 1958. Eric subsequently moved to New Orleans and played occasionaly with Al Hirt, while studying at Tulane University. Since, several of the DDB alumni have been searching for Eric. We would be grateful for news of him!
http://www.elinewberger.com

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• Tiger Rag

[difa2ol]

Hold that tiger!!

[julvalesc]

thanks eli! i am seeing all your vid again and again !

i love them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[dpsejp]

This is just great,Eli. Thank you for giving us more jazz history.

[hajbah]

This is unbelievable! Eli...where did you find this, and how come no one called me at Cornell to come down to play clarinet instead of whoever that was!

Jon Greenleaf