Before he moved to 48th Street, Irving Kirshner had had a repair
shop in Harlem, and many of the great saxophone players would
go to him to have work done on their instruments. Ben Webster,
Choo Bery, Ike Quebec, Johnny Hodges, Joe Eldridge, tenor man
Stafford Simon, who wrote "I Wanna be a Big Fat Momma,"
were among them. When Irving moved to 48th Street, they all followed
him. Johnny Hodges had his alto sax overhauled, and I was there
when he came to pick it up. I had the courage to ask him if he
would play "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" - and he
DID! What a thrill to have Johnny Hodges play his masterpiece
just for me! It was another great moment I'll never forget!
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