The quartet recently played a four-day engagement at the Blue Note club in New York City. For whatever reason or reasons, it produced one of the most explosive and passionate responses (on the part of our audience) that we have ever experienced. Every show seemed to have had an aura of expectancy to it, and each ended with an uproarious and passionate response.
Sunday night arrived, and while I sat in my trailer dressing room in front of the club, Niels arrived to tell me that Clark Terry had come in to hear us. I was delighted, of course; but since Clark has been troubled recently with health problems, I was also surprised.

It turns out I was about to be surprised even further. The time for the second show of the night arrived and the quartet took to the stage and got into the first couple of numbers. Part way through the third number, after I finished my initial solo, I suddenly heard the sound of a flugelhorn from the audience. Now, there's only one man who gets that sound, and there is only one man who plays with the kind of musical genius we were hearing. It could be no one else but Clark Terry. After the audience caught its breath and Clark finished the tune with the quartet, the place erupted in a cacophony of cheering, applause and general appreciation for what had taken place musically and emotionally. I invited Clark to come to the stage, and as he was being assisted in doing so, he made a very timely observation that was heard by the audience: “Don't believe what you heard, the golden years SUCK!” The audience broke up in laughter and applause, after which he proceeded to perform a tune that we had recorded together for Verve records, one that became somewhat of a hit in the Jazz community. The tune was his famous “Mumbles.” Once more the place erupted, and since there was no way of following this, we closed the set then and there, amidst the cheering and applause. This memory remains ingrained in my memory, and I will forever be grateful to Clark (“Chief Bogen”) for honoring us not only with his presence, but also with his unsurpassed musical talents.

©2000 Oscar Peterson