THE SWINGING SEPTET DOES ALASKA

When playing the big annual celebration in Ketchikan, we were flown to Annette Island on a Second World War Grumman Goose ten-seater:  a very old second world war pusher flying machine. The audience was comprised of local native people: Tsimshian, Tlingit and Haida Indians.  They had never heard a contemporary commercial dance band. We played our best stuff: knock your socks off R&B, Dixieland and the big hits of the day.  The audience just congregated around the band stand, staring quiet and dumbfounded, no toes tapping or dancing, no response or applause. It was the first time we ever had that experience so we were dumbfounded too.  I don’t remember how I got that gig on Annette Island but I suspect that the city fathers of Ketchikan put it together in order to sweeten the deal to get a good band from Seattle, that big city in the lower forty eight.  We had a great reception at the Grand Ball of Elkdom in Ketchikan.