Top Of The Bottom

There's an old joke about the man who travels to an African village.  For several days and nights he hears drums beating in the background.  Then one day they stop and he asks a native what that means.  He's told "very very bad--it means the bass solo is about to start."

Bassist Israel Crosby, whose birthday we celebrate today, is allegedly the first man to take a bass solo on a jazz record.  I think we can forgive him, considering what a fine player he is.