Carol Creighton interview with Kenny Mason

The John Burrison Georgia Folklore Archive recordings contains unedited versions of all interviews. Some material may contain descriptions of violence, offensive language, or negative stereotypes reflecting the culture or language of a particular period or place. There are instances of racist language and description, particularly in regards to African Americans. These items are presented as part of the historical record. This project is a repository for the stories, accounts, and memories of those who chose to share their experiences for educational purposes. The viewpoints expressed in this project do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of the Atlanta History Center or any of its officers, agents, employees, or volunteers. The Atlanta History Center makes no warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of any information contained in the interviews and expressly disclaims any liability therefore. If you believe you are the copyright holder of any of the content published in this collection and do not want it publicly available, please contact the Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center at 404-814-4040 or reference@atlantahistorycenter.com. Please note that this recording contains explicit, racist, homophobic, and sexist language. In this recording, Carol Creighton interviews jazz musician Kenneth Kenny Mason Propst about jazz, his bandmates nicknames, and musician folk humor and superstitions. Propst begins by explaining the intuitive bond he shares with his bandmates, which allows them to improvise music as they play. He also discusses the work ethic and skills jazz musicians need to expertly perform flourishes while keeping time, which he dubs the extra two percent. At 13:41, Propst talks about his drummer, Spider, and the story behind his nickname. He then discusses the origin of the phrase according to Hoyle, before sharing how another bandmate came to be known as Shirt. Next, at 22:25, Propst delves into the prevalence and challenges of alcoholism among jazz club musicians (using homophobic language). He then recalls his childhood nickname, T-Bone, the origin of his Kenny Mason stage name, and moving to Atlanta after serving in the military during the Second World War (this section contains sexist language) at 25:43. Next, at 31:44, Propst shares some common superstitions among musicians, including a story about drummer Brother Dave Gardener and players compulsive habits concerning their instruments. He also illustrates the theory behind Swing time at 35:09. Propst returns to the topic of his bandmate Shirt at 42:36, highlighting his unique sense of humor, penchant for conferring nicknames, and a series of debacles involving his marriage. At 49:44, he recalls trying to catch a train in Buffalo, New York, and the vibraphone mentorship he received from a bandmate around that time. Then, at 56:35, Propst shares additional nicknames for his bandmates, uses racist language to remark on Shirts suboptimal living conditions, and discusses some of the bands alcoholic beverages of choice. Kenneth Artel Propst (1922-1995) was born in Bristow, Oklahoma, to Walter Otto Propst (1900-1959) and Daisy May Propst (1895-1981). He grew up in Texas and later resided in Eureka, Oklahoma; Houston, Texas; and Baldwin, Georgia. He served in the United States Armed Forces from 1943 to 1945. Afterward, he worked as a touring Jazz bassist under the stage name Kenny Mason and later as a vibraphonist at the Keyboard Lounge in Atlanta, Georgia. FOLKLORE PROJECT COLLECTOR: Carol L. Creighton 388 Cochran Drive, N.W. Atlanta, GA 30327 INFORMANT: Kenny Mason llll St. Augustine Place, N.E. Atlanta, GA 30306 A PDF transcript exists for this recording. Please contact an archivist for access. Professor John Burrison founded the Atlanta Folklore Archive Project in 1967 at Georgia State University. He trained undergraduates and graduate students enrolled in his folklore curriculum to conduct oral history interviews. Students interviewed men, women, and children of various demographics in Georgia and across the southeast on crafts, storytelling, music, religion, rural life, and traditions. As archivists, we acknowledge our role as stewards of information, which places us inaposition to choose how individuals and organizations are represented and described in our archives. We are not neutral, andbias isreflected in our descriptions, whichmay not convey the racist or offensive aspects of collection materialsaccurately.Archivists make mistakes and might use poor judgment.We often re-use language used by the former owners and creators, which provides context but also includes bias and prejudices of the time it was created.Additionally,our work to use reparative languagewhereLibrary of Congress subject termsareinaccurate and obsolete isongoing. Kenan Research Center welcomes feedback and questions regarding our archival descriptions. If you encounter harmful, offensive, or insensitive terminology or description please let us know by emailingreference@atlantahistorycenter.com. Your comments are essential to our work to create inclusive and thoughtful description.