A Hot Summer at Zuk's

It was 3 a.m. Labor Day at Zuk's (a roadhouse in New Jersey). Most of the crowd had gone. Zuk, a bartender by trade and horse player by hobby, was behind the mahogany puffing a black cigar and cleaning glasses along with Ernie, his helper. Zuk's gracious wife Irene passed among the tables announcing curfew to the few couples that lingered. On the bandstand five young men, dressed in green blazers, packed away their instruments and took down the Dartmouth banner that hung above them, thereby dissolving The Dartmouth Dixieland Band and writing finis to a very pleasant summer.

For awhile it looked as though the band might not last till Labor Day. The original clarinetist, Al Brout '51, dropped out before the opening date but was replaced, after much searching, by Ham Carson of Rye, N. Y., who has since decided that he wants to be a Dartmouth man and has filed application.

At the half way mark, drummer Tom Ruggles '50 from Marblehead, Mass., had to leave for induction. His place was taken by Bob Ringstad '52, just back from a Navy cruise.

Bob Pilsbury '48, pianist from Newton, Mass., was the next to feel the tremor from Korea when he received notice calling him back as a reserve infantry officer. Bob flew to Boston for his physical and back to Zuk's the next night with the welcome announcement that he could finish out the summer before reporting for duty.

Rounding out the band were Rusty Jackman '52 from Concord, N. H., whose fine trombone work gained the respect of all jazz lovers in the North Jersey area, and Frank Gilroy '50, cornetist, who has a summer place near Zuk's, and arranged the job.

With the exception of Gilroy, the boys lived in a renovated chicken coop (equipped with two moose heads, four "beds" and five puppies) situated between the Wanaque reservoir and a railroad track. As one of them put it, "For five dollars a week you can't go wrong."

There was swimming and sleep in the day, New York or the local movies on nights off, lots of jazz all the time, and a constant stream of Dartmouth men who heard about the band.

It was with sincere regret that Zuk polished the last of his glasses and then went outside to take down the slightly weathered sign that announced "THE DARTMOUTH DIXIELAND BAND HERE FOR THE SEASON". And in a similar mood the five boys took leave.

"It's a small saloon," they agreed, "but there are those who love it."

ALL-IN CHORUS by the Dartmouth Dixieland Band shows (I to r) Rusty Jackman '52, Frank Gilroy '5O and Ham Carson '??. Behind the front line are Tom Ruggles '5O and Bob Pilsbury '4B.