CC:NO.I WAS BURNED OUT WHEN I WENT WITH HIM(SUN RA).I CAN GET TO
THAT.THAT'S ANOTHER STORY.WHAT HAPPENED WAS WHEN ON PHAROAH'S
DATE WITH IMPULSE... A

PH:SECOND ALBUM?

CC:NO.HOWEVER,THE THREE OF US ENDED UP DOING JUST A TRACK
TOGETHER.SO IT WAS PHAROAH,WOODY(SHAW),AND MYSELF.WE WERE ALL
PLAYING TOGETHER.PHAROAH TOLD ME.HE SAID IT WASN'T COMPLETED OR
SOMETHING.I HAVE NO IDEA.SO THE ONLY THINGS I RECORDED CAME OUT
WITH SONNY.

PH:WHERE DID YOU FIRST HEAR OF SUN RA?

CC:PHAROAH...SEE I WAS LIVING AT TRANE'S(JOHN COLTRANE).I KNEW
TRANE.AND WHAT HAPPENED WAS...

PH;WHAT YEAR WAS THAT?

CC:I MET JOHN AT COPA CITY.FIRST TIME I SAW HIM I WAS ABOUT
SEVENTEEN,EIGHTEEN YEARS OLD.THREE FRIENDS OF US...WE WENT
DOWNTOWN TO HEAR SOME JAZZ.THIS IS ABOUT 57,58.57 I THINK.I'M
ORIGINALLY A REED PLAYER.I STARTED ON CLARINET,FLUTE AND ALTO
AND AT THAT TIME I WAS STILL PLAYING CLARINET WHEN I FIRST SAW
JOHN.BUT WHAT HAPPENED WAS...I WENT OVER TO THE CIRCLE IN THE
END(?)TO HEAR GERRY MULLIGAN AND TWO OF MY FRIENDS WENT TO HEAR
MILES AND THEN AFTER GERRY MULLIGAN I FLEW OVER TO THE VANGUARD
AND I CAME IN JUST ON THE TAIL END OF THE LAST SET ON THE LAST
NUMBER AND THAT'S WHEN I FIRST SAW TRANE.THEN I MET HIM AT COPA
CITY ABOUT TWO YEARS LATER,I THINK.I WAS ALREADY INTO PLAYING
TRUMPET THEN.WHAT I ENDED UP DOING WAS I ALWAYS WANTED TO PLAY
TRUMPET 'CAUSE I WAS INFLUENCED BY LOUIS ARMSTRONG.AND I COULDN'T
GET A HOLD OF AN INSTRUMENT SO WHAT I DID...I OPTED FOR WHAT I
COULD GET MY HANDS ON.MY MOTHER BOUGHT ME THE CLARINET.AND I WAS
MAKING SESSIONS ON THE ALTO SAX.I WAS PROFICIENT IN THE
INSTRUMENT TO GET AROUND IT BUT I STILL NEEDED TO KNOW EACH AND
EVERY SCALE BECAUSE THE CLARINET GAVE ME THE PROFICIENCY.THEN I
HAD TO GET INTO MY CHANGES.SO I WAS MAKING A FEW SESSIONS ON ALTO
BUT WHO I WAS HANGING OUT WITH KEPT PUSHING ME AND PUSHING ME

SO I WENT IN MIDSTREAM...AND WENT TO TRUMPET WHEN I WAS EIGHTEEN,
NINETEEN TEARS OLD WHICH WAS LATE.SO I LOOKED AT THIS AND I SAID,
'DAMN,I'M NOT GROING TO BE OUT HERE PLAYING 'TILL I'M ABOUT
TWENTY SEVEN OR SO.SO WHAT I DID WAS PRACTICE LIKE A MANIAC.I
PRACTICED LIKE A DAMN FOOL.I WAS LIVING AT TRANE'S.I COULD
PRACTICE ANY TIME I WANT.

JH:WHERE WAS HE LIVING?

CC:HE WAS LIVING IN QUEENS ON MEXICO STREET.I LIVED ON QUEENS
OVER IN SPRINGFIELD GARDENS AND HE LIVED OVER IN ST.ALBANS.NOT
THAT FAR APART.AND I MET HIM BY WORKING IN BLOOMINGDALE'S PART
TIME AND HIS WIFE'S NEICE,BETTY,WORKED IN BLOOMINGDALE'S.AND
GETTING TO KNOW HER...I WOULD GO BY HER HOUSE AND THEN ONE DAY
NAIMA SHOWED UP.I DIDN'T KNOW SHE WAS TRANE'S WIFE AND SHE SAID