Clarence “Tootsie” Bean always had time for youngsters and Nathan “Nate” Lucas never forgot that.

The 47-year-old jazz musician met the Bermudian drummer through his father, Maxwell “Max the Sax” Lucas.

The two would regularly play in Harlem nightclubs in the 1980s.

Mr Lucas is on the Island for a performance at Marcus’. The first thing he did after he arrived last week was to reach out to his late father’s 85-year-old friend.

Although jazz legends like Dizzy Gillespie and Louis Armstrong regularly practised in the Lucas living room, they didn’t have the patience that Mr Bean had with youngsters.

“I dreamed of following in their footsteps,” said Mr Lucas. “But the old guys would just say ‘Get out of here’ when I asked questions. Not Tootsie, though.

“Tootsie always had time for me. He was extremely kind and encouraging and I learnt a lot from him. I wonder if Bermuda realises what a treasure they have in Tootsie?”

Today he’s the organist and leader of jazz band The Nate Lucas All-Stars and is in regular contact with Mr Bean. His father died in 2010 at 101. The two met on a cold, wet morning at Marcus’ in advance of Mr Lucas’s performance. Mr Bean admired the younger man’s instrument set-up, and took a seat behind the drums.

“These are very nice,” he said, whistling. The two chatted.

“Nate was a teenager when I knew him,” said Mr Bean, who is now hard of hearing. “He was never little though; he was always very tall.

“I still play gigs when I get them. Mostly though, I play at my church, Heard Chapel AME.

“Nate’s father was quite a guy, oh boy. He was quite a saxophone player and played well into his 90s. I don’t think Nate could keep up with his dad. Those would be some big shoes to fill. Max the Sax was still playing at the end of his life. I was really proud that I got to perform with him.”

Mr Lucas said he didn’t realise how famous some of his father’s friends were as a child. “Back in the day, musicians would congregate at our house to practice,” he said. “I called Dizzy Gillespie and Louis Armstrong ‘uncle’.

“It wasn’t until I took a music history course in college that I realised how legendary these people were.

“Some people wouldn’t come to Harlem for anything else, but they would come for the music.” His band plays regularly in the Lenox Lounge in Harlem, the same place his father played for many years.

For the past four years, Mr Lucas has also been playing in Marcus Samuelsson’s restaurant Red Rooster Harlem.

“Right now, the Red Rooster is probably one of the hottest spots in Harlem,” he said. “When we work on Sundays there, it is hard to get people in and out, because people want to listen to the music. The bar area is normally packed.”

This is his second appearance at Marcus’. He also performed when the Hamilton Princess restaurant opened a year ago.

“I fell in love with Bermuda,” said Mr Lucas. “It’s beautiful here and it feels mighty warm compared to the weather in New York right now.”

Mr Lucas will perform at Marcus’ Thursday through Sunday from 8pm until 11pm. There’s no cover charge however dinner reservations are recommended: 298-2028 or ham.diningreservations@fairmont.com