Jazzman Nelson Burton describes himself as a "rhythm drummer ... not a flashy soloist." For his memoir, Nelson Burton: My Life in Jazz, Burton sticks with this simple, no-frills approach.
With help from Simon Anderson and Lisa Ledin, who transcribed and edited untold hours of conversations with the 77-year-old musician, Burton narrates his own fascinating history as well as Cincinnati's swinging musical past. And consistent with his unobtrusive, "rhythm" style of playing, Burton lets Cincinnati take center stage.
His story begins across the river from Cincinnati in Covington, Ky., which he describes as "the kind of place where, as a black person, you learned to mind your own business." At the age of 9, he took his first "real job" shining shoes at an all-white barbershop. Burton recalls earning respect for his hard work and also the excitement he felt over meeting celebrities like Reds pitchers Johnny Vandermeer and Bucky Walters. Burton's early brushes with celebrity were harbingers of things to come, as his memoir is filled with encounters with famous musicians and personalities.
Burton discovered his talent for music as a student at Lincoln Grant High School, where he played German "oompah," dance and marching band music. But soon he would be a much-sought-after Swing drummer, becoming part of the house band at The Cotton Club and touring with Scatman Crothers, Jack Jackson and the Jumping Jacks, and Nat "King" Cole. Burton describes Cole as a kind and understanding gentleman, and remembers his time spent with the singer as a highlight of his distinguished musical career.
The Cincinnati described in Burton's memoir is really two cities. Vine Street divided the city east and west, but it also divided the city racially: White musicians played on the east side and black musicians on the west side. Although the west was open to blacks, work was hard to come by unless you were a national act or working at the Cotton Club. Burton describes the plight of his fellow African-American musicians, hanging around outside the Cotton Club like "cats outside in the cold," hoping for work.
Often the lack of paying gigs in Cincinnati would send musicians across the river for jobs. At the time Covington and Newport were the local centers of vice, where gambling and prostitution were overlooked by the local authorities. The lack of law enforcement, however, did create opportunities for musicians.
"The mobsters didn't give a damn about any unions," Burton recalls. "As long as you kept the crowds happy, they'd hire you and pay you well. But those could be dangerous times, dodging bottles and bullets. You put up with it because you needed the money."
After World War II, Burton became a regular at Syd Nathan's King Records, the legendary Cincinnati label that released recordings by James Brown, Big Maybelle Smith and Lonnie Johnson among others. Burton describes Nathan affectionately as "Mr. Five-by-Five" because of his short and round stature, and praises the entrepreneur for opening his arms to Blues and Gospel singers. Nathan was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.
Over the years Burton had, of course, seen numerous changes in music. He had weathered the change from Swing to Bebop and seen some lean times in his musical career, but with his touring days behind him, Burton was looking for some job security.
In 1970, The Nelson Burton Trio began an 18-year-engagement as the house band at the Millcroft Inn in Milford. Burton recalls the good times at the club, like the evening when tenor sax great Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis sat in and played until the early hours of the morning, when the cops finally came and shut them down.
My Life in Jazz covers Burton's 70 years in a scant 150 pages, so it is by no means an in-depth chronicle of his musical career or the city where he made his mark. It is surprising, though, just how much historical information has been woven into Burton's story. He has great tales to tell and a narrative voice that is utterly charming. My Life in Jazz is essential reading for anyone interested in the musical history of Cincinnati. ©
