Young Man With A Horn Page #2

Even then, he looked like a guy

very few people would understand.

Hello.

- Better get your skates sharpened.

- Yeah.

- Here, let me help you with that thing.

- Thanks.

Thanks a lot.

- What kind of hotel towels you got in here?

- Oh, that's my record collection.

Mostly Art Hazzard.

I got just about every one

he made, I guess.

- Really?

- Yeah.

- Taught me how to play.

- Is that so?

Yeah.

Oh, my name's Martin. Rick Martin.

I'm Willie Willoughby.

They call me Smoke.

Never could figure out why.

Me neither.

You know Art Hazzard?

Boy, he's the greatest trumpet player

in the world.

Glad to know you.

- Hi.

- Hello, boys.

- Hi, Smoke.

- Hello.

Honey, will you hand out

the arrangements?

- How are you, Mr. Chandler?

- Fine. Glad to have you aboard.

Oh, you're over there. All right,

let's get down to business.

Kenny, hand those out, please.

Johnny, this is for you.

- Graham.

- Rick Martin. How are you?

- Jack Flanagan. This is Tommy.

- This is Bill.

- Tommy.

- Thank you.

Hello, my name's Jo Jordan.

I sing in the band.

How do you do?

All right, boys, let's get with it.

As you know,

we open here Saturday night.

First, I want you to remember...

...we're a dance orchestra. Our job

is to play a tempo they can dance to.

No blues and no low-down jive.

The public likes novelty stuff.

And that's what we're gonna give them.

I guess that's all. Now let's get started.

Number three in the new books,

everybody.

We'll take yours first, Josie,

so you can get back to the hotel.

One, two...

Wait a minute. Wait a minute.

Hold it. Hold it.

What's the matter, Martin,

can't you read music?

- Sure.

- Then why don't you?

You want every number played

how it's written?

Exactly. What do you think

I bought these arrangements for?

I don't know.

I mean, do we have to play every

number the same way every time?

That's right. This is no jam session,

it's a dance orchestra.

- I was just asking.

- Well, now you know.

All right, let's take it again

from where it got torn.

One, two...

That was very good.

Thanks.

You must like it here to stay so late.

It's a good place to play.

No leaders and customers.

Nobody in the next room

to tell me to shut up.

Oh, I'm sorry about the mix-up

at that rehearsal.

If I hadn't stopped singing, maybe Jack

wouldn't have been so hard on you.

It was your number. I didn't have

any business butting in anyway.

It seemed kind of right.

Incidentally, you're about the best

I've heard.

Well, thanks. You know something?

There's a guy on records who has a style

very much like yours. Name is Hazzard.

- Art Hazzard.

- Do you know him?

Since I was a kid.

He taught me to play.

He had a lot of trouble with me once.

I was starting to get a roll.

A what?

When you drop your mouthpiece

low on your lip.

Keep playing that way, you get

so you can't bring it up where it belongs.

Worst thing can happen to a trumpet man.

It gets you tired awful easy.

But he straightened me out. He gave me

an exercise and made me work on it.

Boy, it did the trick.

Yeah, he knows. He really knows.

I guess it's his fault I switched to a

trumpet. I always liked the piano before...

...but the trumpet...

I don't know.

Maybe because it's so close to you, huh?

It's like it's a part of you.

The music doesn't have so far to go.

How about it? This is a dance hall,

not a hotel.

- I gotta lock up.

- Sorry, Bill.

I was wrong.

There's always somebody in the next room

to tell me to shut up.

Well, good night.

Oh, Rick.

- Aren't you going to the party?

- What party?

Well, Jack's buying drinks for all the boys.

No, thanks, I'm not much for parties.

Oh, excuse me.

Oh, sorry.

Thanks.

You know, it's lucky you switched

from the piano.

The way you baby that thing,

you'd think it was alive.

Well, it's awful good company.

Whatever you tell it to do, it does.

Only better than you told it.

Never lets you down.

You're kind of sold on it, aren't you?

You gotta be sold, or you got no business

playing the kind of music I wanna play.

You gotta love it.

Can't just like it and understand it the way

the longhaired boys understand their music.

You can't write it down and keep it.

There aren't any notes.

You can only hear it right while

you're playing it...

...and you feel it.

Someday, when I'm really good...

...I wanna do things with this trumpet

nobody's ever thought of.

I'm gonna hit a note

that nobody ever heard before.

You've got to have some other interest,

or you'll go off your rocker. I know.

You need a hobby, like collecting stamps,

or a dog or...

How about a girl?

Don't pick on me, Rick.

You're a married man.

Married?

You're married to that trumpet.

I certainly wouldn't wanna

come between it.

Sorry.

Well, I guess you wanna get

to Chandler's party.

I think I'd rather breathe some fresh air.

Chandler wouldn't like this, would he?

No. I guess he wouldn't.

- Hey, Smoke, take over the rest of the set.

- Lf you say so, boss.

What do you say we grab a quick drink?

- No, thanks.

- You trying to brush me off?

- No.

- I never see you, except when we work.

- It's just that I've been busy lately.

- I know, with that trumpet player.

Why do you have to say things like that?

Hey, Smoke.

How about playing something our way?

- You're kidding.

- Oh, come on.

Let's have a little change of pace.

You, me and a couple of the boys, huh?

- Well, I've been fired before.

- Great.

Everybody take five, except Frank,

Jack, Ralph and you, Jim, down front.

- What's up?

- Oh, a little fun, maybe.

- Play a little jazz?

- Could be.

- Chandler won't like this.

- We can do it before he gets back.

- What will we play?

- How about "Get Happy"?

- Okay, but I ain't.

- You start it and see what happens.

Well, your answer won't be far off.

Here comes your answer.

I'm used to it. Well...

...it's been nice, fellas.

Thanks very much. See you around, Smoke.

I know, it's a dance band.

- You're through, Martin.

- I had a hunch I was.

You better watch your second trumpet.

He's starting to get a roll.

If the rest of you wanna keep your jobs,

don't let that happen again.

Door's open.

Hi, Rick. I just talked with Chandler,

and everything's all right.

I know he'll take you back,

if you just ask him.

- Lf I'm a good boy, you mean?

- Yeah.

All right, he doesn't like you.

But he knows you're the best lead

in the band.

Not in this band. I just couldn't take it.

What made you do it, Rick?

I had to.

Was it that much fun?

- Guess so.

- Rick, what's the matter with you?

- Why do you live in left field all the time?

- I don't know.

If you keep on, you're gonna work

in dives all your life.

Look, Jo, l...

You like what you're doing. You got a good

job here, and you're gonna go places.

I don't know where I'm going. Well,

like you said, some dive, I guess. But...

All right, Rick, you've made your point.

- Thanks a lot anyway.

- Forget it.

All the baggage you really need

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