Now, A Jazz Moment?

MUSIC: "Silks and Satins" (Count Basie band). CD: Atomic Basie Roulett, CDP 7243 8 28635 2 6 (cut 12)

NEA Jazz Master Snooky Young spent much of his career on the road with some of the greatest big bands in jazz history, including those of Jimmie Lunceford, Lionel Hampton, and Count Basie. He recalls one crazy night while touring with the Basie Band.

Snooky Young: We was in Atlantic City and the drummer, Sonny Payne, and I used to hang out. And we was hanging out one night and Sonny Payne had a brand new Chrysler Imperial and we was hanging out at a bar and Sonny Payne got drunk. He was out of it. So, I said, ?Sonny, give me the keys to the car. You can?t drive a car.? He said, ?Sure.? Me and Sonny was very close. He said, ?Sure, Snooky. Take the car. I?ll see you tomorrow.? I took-- we weren?t staying at the same hotel. I took the car and went to the hotel where I was staying. And it was late at night so I didn?t get up in the daytime. We generally didn?t get up in the daytime. We?d just rest all day and get up and eat and go to work. When I got up to go to work -- I guess Sonny Payne didn?t know who had his car so he reported his car stolen and he had the cops searching for his car. Now, when I was-- got in the car and getting ready to go to the club where we were playing that night, the police pulled me over and stopped me and pulled me over and said, ?This car is stolen.? I said, ?No, this car is not stolen.? I said, ?This car belongs to the drummer in Count Basie?s band.? Cops took-- they arrested me! They took me to jail.

MUISIC: up for punctuation and end

This Jazz Moment with trumpeter Snooky Young was created by the National Endowment for the Arts. I?m Delfeayo Marsalis.