Several years ago during Jazz Fest, Lee Allen let me play his horn between sets at Tyler's, the now-defunct Uptown jazz club, where he was working a gig with Fats Domino's band.

I was thrilled to be in the company of one of my musical heroes, but disappointed that, even on his rig, I could not match the buzz he had created that afternoon with Fats at the Fair Grounds. In chorus after playful chorus of soloing on "Jambalaya," he took his time, quoting country songs and nursery rhymes before...