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Tommy played his music for over 50 years in
places like Mason Bourbon, Crazy
Shirle's, The Famous Door, Court Of Two
Sisters, The Old French Opera House, Jazz Fest, and The French Quarter Festival,
just to name a few. He played for
17 years at The Venerated 500 Club, Tommy spent most of his life here but played
all over the world.
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New Orleans was his favorite city and Tommy
Yetta certainly
was a New Orleans favorite. Crowds immediately appeared when Tommy played .people
began to dance. It was truly magic.
I'm
so happy to have the memories. I even have some of Tommy's autographed Records
and tapes not to mention the pictures of Tommy and his band. |
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Tommy Yetta appeared at Jazz Fest over 25 times. He was a favorite at the
French Quarter festival as well,
I last saw him playing for the jazz memorial park
on Decatur. I was with my daughter when I heard his trumpet .I said,
"That's Tommy
Yetta." She asked how I knew. Obviously, from at least 20 years of listening. I picked up the pace
and indeed was fortunate enough to get to introduce My grandson Tiger to Tommy.
Tiger heard Tommy Yetta's Dr Jazz right after he was born. It was the
first music my grandson Tiger heard. My daughter had taken his
tape (Crazy Shirlie's) to the hospital with her. She was living in California at
the time and missing New Orleans. |
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Mr. Eddie
dances on the sidewalk as Tommy and his band play in the
French Market |
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- A Jazz fest review of Tommy
- - Author unknown
Trumpeter Tommy Yetta calls his brand of music "swinging
Dixieland." Yetta says he never plans what to play, instead depending on
his audience to set the tone. His favorites include classics like "St.
James Infirmary" and "Basin Street Blues." Performing with the
trumpeter today will be trombonist Russell Steel, pianist Ronnie Able, reedman
Saul Castigliola, drummer Reed Vaughn and bassist Phil Darios with special guest
trumpeter Dorothy Elfer. |
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| Tommy Yetta's Jazz Funeral |
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My husband and I were great fans of Tommy
Yetta's
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| We had a friend, French Quarter jazz musician
artist Joe Gaffney paint his portrait. We once visited Moscow Russia |
| We stopped by the Mason Bourbon from the
airport presenting him with a pin from Moscow. to add to his vest
full of pins and medals. I have been a fan for so many years I own vinyl of Tommy's music . |
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I never expected to be invited inside
when I showed up outside the funeral home to take pictures.
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| I'm so glad I was wearing black clothes.
I was
sitting outside on a bench looking thru some of the pictures I had
taken over the years of Tommy his friends and admirers such
as Mr. Eddie. |
| A young man I didn't remember sat down beside
me and identified many of the people in my pictures. I had an
accident that has affected my memory. I so wished I had been able to
write down the names. Someone invited me inside. Before I knew it I
was taken by the arm and seated with his family and friends. I
felt a little guilty but wasn't about to give up this golden opportunity to learn things about a person that has
meant so much to
me and my family for so many years. |
| The attending priest was an eloquent
speaker. He spoke of Christ as a Sheppard and explained why Christ is
often seen with a lamb on his back. Each sheppard, he explained has his
own special call that his lambs all know, and they answer this call
as if their lives
depend upon upon it. Occasional a lamb refuses to answer.
The Sheppard breaks its leg then carries the lamb on his back tenderly
caring for it. When its healed it answers its masters call. |
| Stories were told from Tommy's life and
times. Like the time he kissed the ground after giving one of his
daughters a driving lesson. There was even a Mardi Gras
story. |
| Tommy loved his daughters and was a great father.
When his daughters were little, he went out and bought the prettiest
Mardi Gras beads and stood behind them, so they wouldn't know
, and threw beads at them during Mardi Gras parades. |
| I was glad to learn these things. I didn't
really know Tommy, although I saw and spoke with him many times in clubs
and in The French Quarter. It was always Tommy Yetta the Artist.
I'm a
strong believer of leaving artist's private lives private. |
| This unexpected glimpse into Tommy the Father
and friend was a great way to say farewell to A Jazz Legend who
took the time to be a father and friend as well. |
| As I walked across the parking lot to leave, I was singing one of my favorites
of Tommy's songs. ("Hello central give me doctor Jazz .He's got what I want I know he
has...."). I
didn't see the man behind the blue van. He finished for me (
"...when the world is sad
and I've got the blues. He's the one who makes me put on both my dancing
shoes....") |
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We both had a tear and a smile but neither one said a word .I have my
autographed records pictures and some great memories of Tommy Yetta.
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| L Pearl |
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Pat Cooke describes Tommy's
Funeral
I've been away for a week, but I'm back and now I'll tell you about Tommy
Yetta's funeral, which was Aug 31, 2002.
The funeral was held on Saturday Morning on a bright
sunny day. A few mourners stood outside the front door of the Funeral home. As I entered, I
was greeted by his girl friend with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. She was
misty-eyed and told me about his last moments, which came after a five week stay in the hospital.
He had died after a kidney had shut down following a
long battle with vacuities. I signed the guest book and entered the parlor.
There were a number
of friends and family standing around, and a boom box in the corner was softly playing a
Dixieland CD. I made my way to the casket....Tommy was
dressed in a tux with a red bow tie. He had evidently lost a lot of weight
in the hospital.
Musicians started coming in later. I don't
know how many, but there were a lot....more than usually attend the union meetings. A few carried
instruments in cases, while others left theirs in the room that exited to
the hearse driveway. At 12:30 the mass began, which was done by a priest
well known to the family. One of Tommy's four daughters told some humorous
anecdotes about life with Tommy. She told of Tommy's comment after playing
the Bix festival "That was my Super Bowl."
When the mass was over, the doors opened to the
hearse driveway, where stood an antique hearse with glass sides, and pulled by a matched pair of
white horses, driven by a fellow wearing a black stove pipe hat. I
was
wishing I had brought my camera. As we filed out, the band of about 20
players started playing St. James infirmary. It took them a few bars to get together, but from there
on they got better as we walked to the grave site a few hundred yards
away. The band led the procession, playing the Saints (the Saints lost, as
usual [New Orleans humor]), and a few other tunes. Following the band was the hearse, and then the
mourners
. At the grave site, the priest said a prayer, then Tommy's girl friend Dorothy
played a solo chorus on trumpet of What a Wonderful World, and the band
joined in on the second chorus. The crowd then wandered back to the funeral
home and their cars. Tommy was a powerful trumpet player.
The front line had no trouble knowing where to go when he played. He will be missed.
Pat Cooke
New Orleans
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I have some good pictures of
Tommy's girlfriend Dorothy, who plays trumpet herself.
In
fact she plays Jazz fest and
several other jazz greats that day.
As they formed a second line to the tomb, where
words and memories were exchanged by Tommy's friends and family, I felt so privileged to be there. |
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Tommy used to play
St. James
Infirmary every time I came in a club. He knew I was a big
fan. I gave him some pins from my trip to Moscow. He
added them to his famous vest full of all sorts of pins and medals.
I had Joe Gaffney, a local artist who specializes in New Orleans musicians, paint
Tommy. I remember his daughters came down to Jackson Square to meet
Mr. Joe and I. They even took home movies. Tommy gave me a
picture of himself with the painting, which I lost, to my dismay. |
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Mr. Eddie in his finest second
lines at Tommy's Jazz Funeral. Some of my favorite pictures
are of Mr. Eddie dancing, as Tommy and his band played.
Mr. Eddie was at Tommy's Jazz funeral. Wearing a red sash
carrying a umbrella and doing the second line proud. Mr. Eddie
can dance!
I heard Tommy Yetta's once played for the famous stripper and mistress to
Louisiana Governor Huey P Long, Blaze Starr but all strip clubs used live music
back then so , Im sure the same could be
said for most jazz men of Tommy's era. Tommy was small in stature but larger than
life to his family friends and fans.
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| Times Picayune:
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