I remember, many years ago, seeing Louis Armstrong performing at an outdoor venue and seeing quarts of beer on the piano and beside each player in the band. They all took gulps from the quart bottles though out the evening, and it seemed to me at the time, that they each knocked back several quarts each during the night. Gus Bavona told us that Harry James would regularly polish off fifth of vodka on a gig but no one ever saw him sipping the booze. I can assure you however, the booze in no way effected their performance ...