Recollections ― With Erroll Garner, Oscar Brown Jr., Gloria Gaynor, Odetta, and Ike & Tina Turner

In the 1940s and 1950s, a young Ernest McCarty Jr. lived in a world awash with music. His mother conducted Thomas A. Dorsey’s Soloists Bureau—made up of Chicago’s best gospel singers—and the city’s nightclubs were home to jazz royalty such as Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and Miles Davis. A classically trained bassist himself, McCarty dreamed of playing with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra—but his hopes would eventually be dashed when he was barred from auditioning because he was African American.

Recollections recounts McCarty’s triumphant story of breaking free from society’s stringent boundaries to achieve remarkable successes in the world of jazz and beyond. Full of tales about his time playing with legendary pianist Erroll Garner, his memoir also includes escapades with Ike and Tina Turner, a humorous incident while on tour with Gloria Gaynor, and much more. Present throughout is the fervor of the Civil Rights Movement, makingRecollections a unique historical account of a pivotal time in US history.

Passionate, funny, and told with the melodic cadence of a born storyteller, Recollections takes you on an unforgettable adventure through an age that’s all but forgotten.