Veteran Montreal jazzman serves up riffs and ribs

Welcome to Biddle8217;s Jazz and Ribs, a club the Philadelphia-born jazzman has run for two decades that allows him to keep up his chops on the bass and play with some of the greats. The joint, as they say, was jumping.

quot;You can come to Biddle8217;s when it8217;s 40 below zero, and you see people in the parking lot breathing on the window trying to get in,quot; said the affable Biddle, who made it a point to greet patrons warmly during breaks between sets.

The bearded 74-year-old, who holds strong views about the state of jazz and black culture in North America, was given the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal8217;s Oscar Peterson Award this year for his contribution to the art form in Canada.

quot;It8217;s a very lucky thing,quot; he said of his club, adorned with portraits of himself plucking his double bass and records on which he and friends have played. quot;We have a lot of love there.quot;

A lot of history too.
Montreal, during the 1940s and 1950s, was Canada8217;s main centre for entertainment, especially jazz, and a mecca for black entertainers. It was also fertile ground for homegrown musicians, such as piano great Peterson, a longtime friend of Biddle, to hone their skills before striking out abroad.

Biddle played a big role in that, working in many of the local clubs, and throughout mainly French-speaking Quebec. He also brought to town luminaries of the day like Johnny Hodges, Art Tatum and Earl quot;Fathaquot; Hines.

Later, he rented his own clubs, making them venues for the likes of Bill Evans, Art Farmer and Thad Jones, and an outlet for his own playing when the club scene wilted in the 1960s.

Biddle said he was attracted to Montreal by his experience in the segregated southern United States during his Army stint. quot;I went down South and saw a different type of white man 8212; I saw somebody who was able to do something to me and I could not retaliate. That is what hurt,quot; he said.

quot;I came up here to French Canada and something rubbed off right away. I saw people going through pretty near the same thing as I was going through in the States 8212; racism.quot;

In the 1940s, Quebec had yet to embark on its quot;Quiet Revolution,quot; when French Canadians began to take control of their industries and economy from the Anglophone minority and to protect their unique culture. Today, Biddle still shares an affinity with the people of his adopted home, he said.

quot;The French people have something happening here. You can walk up and down the street in the province of Quebec and you feel different,quot; he said.

During the Montreal jazz festival, the music is everywhere 8212; on outdoor stages and spilling out of nightclubs as Montrealers teem in the city8217;s main arts square. But Biddle lamented jazz was not getting its due on North American airwaves or in live venues, like in Montreal8217;s musical heyday.

Back at the club, jazz is still king. Biddle8217;s bass-playing is steady but not flashy. He avoids solos, letting the piano player and drummer in his trio claim the glory while working through the standard jazz tunes 8212; chestnuts like quot;Gee Honey, Ain8217;t I Good To You.quot;

During the festival, Biddle8217;s is a hot spot for after-hours jam sessions involving many of the visiting big-name artists.

quot;The year before last, Wynton Marsalis came in and tore the club down, man,quot; he said. quot;I figure they8217;ll be coming back before the week8217;s out.quot;

The festival runs through July 9.