Anita Gray McClelland

Wardell Gray's daughter

Anita Gray McClelland:
It just seems like it would be more interesting if you were asking me questions and I was answering and you were sitting here beside me and somebody was filming it. This is just too dry, I don't like this. If you were asking me..you know..what else would you be doing..or you'd be doing this and this and this and then..because this is just too dumb..this is dumb. I want you to hear this radio interview yesterday.
Abraham:
I understand exactly what you're saying...
Anita:
Because that was good but this is just really..I sound like a big dummy.
Abraham:
One of the things I'm interested in as I mentioned to you is that I want to talk to people who had an involvement with him at a certain level. And I realize you want to keep it positive, but on another level there's also a reality to a life and not necessarily it all being rosy. So the fact is that your father, who was a well known musician who I'm interested in also was a person, a human being with foibles , with mistakes that he made. And on some level I think you've expressed to me your frustration and your anger that he left you and you never really knew him.
Anita:
But I'm so thankful that now I'm beginning to know who he was.
Abraham: Right. right. So I think, I don't know, I mean, it's up to you really to what degree you want to respond to that or not.
Anita:
I think it's important.
Abraham:
I think so too. (Sounds of Abraham coming into the camera frame making sure he's in the film). Can you see us now? You got it? Alright, so do you want to respond to that question? In the beginning you said it was important about not knowing your father in a sense of you only knew him for basically about two weeks. And what that leaves with you now, what is it about thirty-five forty years later.
Anita:
Although there is some anger about being left and not being able to live with my father, I do appreciate the fact that he and my mother made arrangements for me to live in good homes. First, his sister helped my grandmother to raise me and she did the best of everything she could for me. Good clothes, good schools. She helped me through the school of cosmetology and introduced me to first class entertainment by other people and was always there for me when she was living. So it helps some to know that someone in the family sort of made up for what he didn't do. So I feel really good about the rest of the family being there for me. But I do feel frustrated still and angry due to the fact that I didn't get the chance to spend very much time with him. Only short periods of time like back stage and going to the job sites wherever he played. Being too young and having to go through the conflict of being allowed to be in the place, a lot of times they wouldn't want any children in and he would say well if my daughter can't come in then I'm not going to play. So they would allow me to come in so I got quite a few chances to go in night clubs before I was even twelve years old. But still it wasn't like having a father and mother together to grow up with daily so I don't really feel good about that but I do feel good about the times I did get to spend with him. Such as the times learning to cook and watching him rehearse, I enjoyed watching his rehearsals and asking different questions. I used to try to get him to play melodies all the time, you know he would play the West Coast style which was progressive, called progressive Jazz and I didn't really understand it as a child and I'd always want to hear the melody and he told me I don't play melodies this is the way I play, this is the style I play.
Abraham:
Was he aware that he was a great player?
Anita:
Yes he was aware of it and he wouldn't mind letting you know. He used to stand in front of the mirror and practice the dexterity of his fingers and the reason he used the mirror was I guess so he could practice both backwards and forwards and still be able to play with the speed that he wanted to play. And so he spent a lot of time studying and writing.
Abraham:
So is it better now when I sit next to you like this?
Anita :
Oh is it...