The subjects interviewed for Underground Rhode Island were selected, among many possibilities, for several reasons. The eldest were likely to have been part or the "hip" scene around jazz and the Celebrity Club of the 1950s. More than a few had a connection with AS220 and its circle, at some time in the past. And the youngest members have been active in the Rhode Island arts scene, in one way or another, during the last twenty years or so. Not all are either "lost" or "unknown"; some of them have long been prominent. And yet they represent a self-consciously offbeat take on the mainstream culture of Middle America. They are "underground" even when "overground," part of a world more recognizable to Allen Ginsberg (or Bruce Springsteen) than the people in the White House or Wall Street. And they were intriguing to the students who chose to interview them.
You may expect to find a photo--not necessarily from the recent past--a short biography, a recording of the subject's own voice, a verbatim transcript of the interview, and links to related materials. Not all these are present for each interview--some are still being gathered (or recovered)--but they definitely represent a sense of a life and creative work within that life.
Born in Brooklyn, NY, 1924, Edward Zaretsky learned to play the saxophone by watching his cousin. After two lessons, he started his career at the Brill Building, securing his first gig before he even knew how to read music. Moving to Providence in his senior year of high school, he gained experience by playing in restaurants including the Port Arthur Restaurant, Bovi's, and Ballard's. Zaretsky was a member of the first house band of the Celebrity Club, the first racially integrated jazz club in Rhode Island. He played with musicians like Louis Bellson, Count Basie, Chubby Jackson, Jim Mendez, Bill Harris, Charlie Ventura, Slim Gaillard, Slim Stewart, and others. Retired now, he lives outside of Providence.
© 2005