Occupational Hazard

If you are a member of a swing band, one of the gravest risks you run is of being killed in an automobile accident. DEATH TOLL SHOCKS BIZ headlined Variety last week. Latest death, after a crash near Conneaut, Ohio, was that of Leon ("Chu") Berry, one of the best hot saxophonists in the business. The musicians' union recently tried to reduce casualties by limiting jumps between dates to 400 miles a day. But with Berry's death the toll of bandsmen fatalities reached more than 100 this year. The hazard is not just a matter of long drives between engagements -- it is multiplied by drink, fatigue, recklessness and special indulgence by the police.

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