I just hapened to bump into your info on Henry Westbrok Orchestra. I was playing lead alto for Henry when the orchestra disbanded. It was just too big to book. Eight of us broke away and formed a small eight piece dance band - then we actually played too much. Some of the group: Fred Turberville, trumpet -Jack Downs, Trombone, Harold Lohr,Tenor, Charlie Edwards, tenor, etc. We had a super vocalist, Doris Corley who had just left Blue Barron & Orchestra. Henry was nice to me - He once caught Harold Lohr and me breaking the rules-no booze allowed- we had played just a special and Henry turned to me and said,"Jack you've been drinking"-- I said, how do you know? - cause it sounds so smooth it's making me sick. Great arrangements and fine sidemen- toward the last Floogie Scaphe from the Jimmy Dorsey group and Billie Mustin, piano and vocalist whose trio continued to work the Columbia area for years. I played and worked a big band into the seventies but finally gave up. You just could not sell it. Thanks for letting me blow my horn about a wonderful era.
-Jack Blount
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