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Mrs. Carsdale
Mr. Zeke Zee is a White musician who played music with some of the biggest Black Jazz singers of the era, including Bessie Smith. He plays the harmonica. When he hears Jimmie Malone singing in the Flint encampment, he recognizes Jimmie’s talent and encourages him to start a career as a professional musician.
Mr. Zeke “Saw Bones” Zee Quotes in The Mighty Miss Malone
The The Mighty Miss Malone quotes below are all either spoken by Mr. Zeke “Saw Bones” Zee or refer to Mr. Zeke “Saw Bones” Zee. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 23 Quotes
“But it wasn’t me singing, it was my brother, my big brother!” I don’t think a prouder sentence has ever crossed my lips. […] “We tell him all the time that thee isn’t anyone else in the world with a voice so beautiful.”
The harmonica man said to him, “I played all over this country and I ain’t never heard nothing like that in my life. […] My name’s Zeke Greene, folks call me Saw-Bone Zee and it’s a true honor to make the acquaintance of a brother musician like you, sir.”
Sir!
It’s horrible what one tiny word can do to you. […] I’d learned not to cry or even get angry when all sorts of calamity befell us. […] I thought I could control it all.
And then this man called Jimmie “sir” and all my hardness melted away.
Related Characters:
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Explanation and Analysis:
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Mr. Zeke “Saw Bones” Zee Character Timeline in The Mighty Miss Malone
The timeline below shows where the character Mr. Zeke “Saw Bones” Zee appears in The Mighty Miss Malone. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 23
...it was Jimmie. One of the men is the harmonica player. He introduces himself as Mr. Zeke “Saw-Bone” Zee . He once toured the country playing with Bessie Smith, one of the most famous...
(full context)
Calling Jimmie “Sir,” Saw-Bone Zee says that he’s never heard another singer with as much raw talent, maybe even more...
(full context)
Jimmie and Mr. Zee are still making music when Mrs. Malone returns from work and joins Deza in the...
(full context)
Chapter 24
...a crumpled piece of paper. It’s a note from Jimmie, explaining that he’s going with Mr. Zee to try to break into the music industry in Chicago or New York. He promises...
(full context)
Chapter 27
A few days later, none other than Mr. Zee , the harmonica man from the camp, chases Deza down as she leaves the library....
(full context)
Chapter 28
...from under the mattress. By 10:00 p.m., she’s standing behind a tree across from what Mr. Zee has told her is the New Turned Leaf. Deza is nervous. Mr. Zee told her...
(full context)
