New York City to Los Angeles, 1947 - 1948, brings our young drummer Uffe Baadh to the fading swing music scene in NYC just as bebop rises, and he's ready for it. Jazz impressario Timme Rosenkrantz opens his late night Cafe Bohemia and records the jam sessions just in time for Uffe to take a seat on the bandstand behind blues singer Doc Pomus. With little paid work in sight, the Scandinavian musicians hitchhike west to Hollywood for more opportunities to play and record for Capitol Records' growing jazz catalog. Both Uffe and Stan Hasselgard meet and play with Benny Goodman, among other jazz greats. This heyday ends with a tragedy that shocks the jazz world, and, after a brief time, Uffe scores a seat in one of the big bands of the era, back in NYC.
I love his letter.