R.I.P., Dotty…

H.Ray Crawford Quartet
March 30, 1980
Widow Brumms, Indian Hill Blvd, Pomona
(south of Rt.10 about two clicks)
H.Ray — guitar
Charles Dumas — drumset
Keith Hanratty — Hammond B3 organ
Harold Howard — trumpet

“Alone Together”
“Shiny Stockings”
“Ain’t No Sunshine”
“Motherless Child”
“Green Dolphin Street”
“Stormy Monday”
and a fanfare I didn’t catch the name
+ three full sets of music in this
supper club

“Another You” — H.Ray bebops the hell out of this one.

“The Shadow of Your Smile” — during his solo H.Ray went into funk vamp
and loud grunting scatting along with gritty solo.

“Pick Me Up” — H.Ray said was about a pick, the plectrum [a joke]
He said from the stage: “The tune is fast. So, you’ve got to pick
up and down. I wish there was somebody up here who could play
it because I can’t. It features our percussionist Charles Dumas.”

“Motherless Child” — H.Ray: “This tune is for everybody who didn’t go
to church last Sunday. Boy, everybody’s got a guilty look on
their face (laughter) This is a spiritual called Motherless Child.”
Ray takes this song into the alley, smoking, bump & grind,
deep soul music from deep inside Black.

“Days of Wine and Roses” — H.Ray in his solo falls out of the tune and
goes into another number from his repertoire, I can’t recall the
name, then he goes freeform for awhile before returning to “Days”
and out.

H.Ray was a regular member of Jimmy Smith’s band at this time, playing
at the Jimmy Smith Supper Club out in the San Fernando Valley.

“Willow Weep For Me” — gorgeous. Harold Howard takes a touching
trumpet solo. [ Harold was my running buddy those years.]

At the break H.Ray explained to me that the pick guard on his
Tal Farlow Gibson model guitar is off of a Gretsch. It’s over-size, so,
one of his switches is obscured under it.

He says, “That’s what jazz is about: rapping with your friends, having
a little taste, having something good to eat, and playing good music.”

Note: H.Ray was a teetotaler and didn’t use drugs — and from what I
could gather, I doubt that he ever did. “a little taste” usually refers
to a nice mixed alcoholic drink but not always.

“All Blues” — H.Ray at heart is a saxophonist — more on that later –
but he was as good as it gets as a guitarist, too.

“Green Dolphin Street” — Hardcore swinging bebop. A couple tried to
dance but it was too difficult to dance to bebop.

*Al Harrell, who lives in Claremont, played the drums the last set, sings
and plays organ.

Ray’s wife at this time: Mariane Crawford