Variety (Nov 1940)

48 MUSIC Wednesday, November 13, 1940 Band Reviews LES BROWN ORCHESTRA (15) With Doris Day, Ronnie Chase I if booked right other orchestra. relation to the Glen Island Casino, N. Y. ' | Griggs is a good sax. player, and ■ young band is this group that, rates jacks himself lip on a pair of among the best of the rising outfits, i crutches and moves nimbly around Well rehearsed and full sounding I the bandstand,, calling off the num- 1 setup interprets smart arrangements, [bets oyer the. p.a.. bending -.an- ear sweet or warmer, with a maximum for requests,; and giving out with his of . lift and erithusisam. Given the: feature sessions, ■., . proper spotting:and push; this bunch■-;The...■perspnneUpf the^Utfit. m- should get places; It' has just .fceeriH eludes. Dale Anderson, Sob. Reid, signed to record for Columbia's Okeh j Dave Purdue, and £huck pullin, on label brasses;. Benny Bentfield, Kenny ^ ..Band's most notableE quality lies ^^^^^S^^z^l ^ St w?^^ n ^rS S ^{f f i Sof' Bmy^^schf them writtenby Brown Ihmiseli.£,, n v Thne^bass in rhvthm ;v ^ey-re sUmped with excellent .taste ^^^^f reddie BrSiiri, and blending the. four sax. four rhythm, ^ th e librarv is eood Art. three trumpet, three trombone setup , the library i s goqu. v. A^- perfectly in ensemble and in the ride- . -but numbers always.: playing various SLEEPY HAiL GROUP (4) sections against each other in such a ciro's. Homestead Hotel, Kew Gar- . way that there's practically never any objectionable blared Yet it swings out with a wealth of drive. : Section by section there are no ap-' dens, N. Y.. It's a far cry from his recent 16- week run at the Hotel Biltmore, i where he had 14 men, but Sleepy -parent faults. Rhythm S: strong and : H u likes hi prese nt job. For years. : dishes o\\i a; solid dancing beat. Saxes , ^.g , believed in the 'keep working- are full 4oned, a curved soprano in-, ormu la, with the result that he has ^rument :i bein? respo ? a ?o^?S h 4nnPc- 0f Slnrfl^K I big combinations and small-but, the J^^i,^!c^fr^n^nSH PO»nt is that' he's played them.- • t o^ g -S!S a?™*? S matter of - musical Effects, ^a± ^LS n S this: quarters easily the equal of the are exceptionally .capable .men in each team,: particularly a trombone man and the pianist. Doris Day, good-looking, possessor of a nifty voice and style, handles the femme vocal assignments. Ron- hie Chase, from the trombones, : others. He's okay. Brown himself has an easy way of handling himself Up front, delivering: introes or what- . ever is: necessary in ingratiating " style. / ■ ■ ; .;..-■■■■ Personnel: Steve Madrick, Wolff Tayne, Tony Martell. Eddie Scherr, saxes: Bob Thome, Ed Bailev, Win- ston Bo*»art, trumpets: Si Zentner, Ronnie 1 Chase, Warren Brown, trom- v bones, Wm, Rowland, piano: Ed Julian. ,drums; Johnny Kr>eoner, . bass; Joe Petrone, guitar. Wood* BOBBY GRIGGS ORCHESTRA (12) Kind's Ballroom, Lincoln, Neb. Preferring to play it "swingy. or quit, rather than turn: to the Rotary v ^club oompah, Bobby Griggs has be r come the exception rather than the rule in the plains country. His is a ... ■ line of music geared to ballrooms and the bigger halls, with no thought of locations, sd it fits in well, a* change, average six or sevenrpiece outfit. The answer is in the men who com- prise Hall's little group. Hank Kmen. who plays tenor sax and shares leads with Hall, recently. was with Bobby Hackett's swing crew. He's a standout on virtuosity and feeling. Sol Breddan played second piano with Little Jack Little before joining this unit and bassist Bud Ladish was with 'Claude Thornhill's band; On the side, Ladish does ar- rangements for Ina Ray Huttori and: others. ..".'"'. ; Sleepy Hall ■ plays the original, electrified banjo, which he intro- duced on a Rudy Vallee broadcast in. 1936. By means of various dials, he obtains a number of unique effects. Playing tremolo on the bass string, he gets a new; tone color somewhat like that of a marimba; he is able to simulate a muted trumpet; a harp, an organ, and a Spanish guitar. . With slight variations, Hall's com- pact, little crew plays its numbers in brie of two routines. Generally, only choruses are rendered, the routine being two - choruses each of four, tunes segued. Hank Kmen usually leads the first chorus, with Sleepy Hall takijig the From BING CROSBY'S * '■/' Paramount Picture, "Rhythm on the River'* The Number One Song From Coast to Coast By Johnny Burke and James V. Monaco. A Great American Ballad CAN'T GET INDIANA OFF MY MIND By Hoagy Carmichael and R. De Leon A Human Interest Song. Hit GOODNIGHT MOTHER By David; Bryan and Lawnhurst Three Swell Novelties! I JUST WANNA PLAY WITH YOU **★*★*★★*★★ A Littc Touch of Gaelic WHAT'LL I DO IF I MARRY A SOLDIER (Tush-doo woggle-oh-toog-m-de-shin) WHEN PADDY McGINTY PLAYS THE HARP TWO SONGS IN PREPARATION Bing's New Feature ARE THE ONE By Carrol Carrol and John Scott Trotter One of. Ray Noble's Best (That Little Swiss Isle) , INC. first eight or 16 bars of the second refrain, the remainder being melo- died by either Kmen or Ladish. Because of the hovel banjo colorings, dullness is avoided. .-, Another formula is to give, a tune a complete workout, as is. done oc- casionally on 'South American Way/ and 'Song of India,' When this is done, a full 10 minutes might be spent on a single number, with each of the boys taking real rides./ 1 : An important advantage of Hall's smaller outfit over his larger orches- tra, is the. ability of the boys to jam any request, since they play entirely from memory, or simple lead sheet. They are at home in this intimate atmosphere and can s'tayiet the spot, indefinitely. That saving on arrange- ments is ah inducement to do just that, too, for Hall left the : Biltmore, N. Y>, date $2,000 poorer than when, he started, due largely to the need of cpstly specials. .'"■"'.■' JACK SHERR'S ORCHESTRA (6) Fountain Lounge, Hotel Roosevelt,, New Orleans Jack Sherr six-man combination opened in swank .: spot: and scored nicely with intimate type of dansapa- tion. Sherr; graduate of Meyer Davis, is practically a One-man band in himself. Besides conducting he performs on the accordion, .piano, saxophone, flute, piccolo and clarinet. The remainder of the" sextet also proye versatile, particularly in Vocal interludes. Ralph Napoli is the guitarist of the band and one of the better vocalists; George Flores massages the drums and likewise warbles suavely,, while Norman Small arid Sid Prussiri, saxophonists, contribute the novelty songs. Sam: Mined is the pianist of the outfit and tickles, the ivories adeptly when Sherr. isn't .taking over the keyboard, temporarily. •The band is small but ample for a room of this size. Its dance rhythm is solid. Liuzza. JAY McSHANN'S ORCHESTRA (12) Turnpike Casino, Lincoln, Neb. Pianist Jay McShann heads fast moving young: coljbred band. Has bounded forward far enough to go on records before the year-end. For the dancer, McShann offers a clearly defined variety; of easy-to- step-to tunes. For the listener, : he has some excellent arrangements on pop numbers arid many, originals. For the watcher, tie sports a colorful rhythm section, and several special- ists in the other sections. McShann, although technically the leader, seldom permits himself away from' the piano, and his rhythm trio is his pride. Other than McShann, it in- volves a fast slapping bass-player, Gene Ramey,; and. Gus, Johnson, an expert, drummer. To stop a crowd in front of the bandstand, all McShann has to do is call a rest for reed arid brass arid cut his rhythm three loose. Saxes are a nice collection, and in the several- sweet tunes,■: stand in nicely. They're headed by William J. Scott, who is arranger and composer of the originals used by the^pand; Bob Maybane, Charlie Parker," and John Jackson. The brass foursome takes in Joe Baird, Orville Minor, Harold Bruce, and Bernard Ander- son. Bruce is the; topper iri the color bracket and has an iron lip. .,' For songs, which are not the weighty department, Joe Coleman doesn't k.o., but satisfies. Ballrooms are the speed for Mc- Shann, mostly because his outfit would be unhappy if it had to sup- press tendencies for musical cutting up, arid haul back on volume. His music is mostly for dancing to, not much for the listener arid the on- looker. Therefore, the big halls are his forte, and he should be able to take care of himself in any of them. ■ Art. : III tt.Ttf f ffff V" ' ' '. V ft t t II I M M MuT Lanny Ross «Whisperinf'—*'Mo6nll|fht and Roses' (Victor 26784) Lanny Ross selected a pair of sure tunes for his debut on popular Wait The two are; delivered in fine style arid voice, the second slightly better than the first.. ^Moonlight* is hisi theme. It's, handled in slower tempo than the accompanying standard and stacks up as more likable. /; Ella Fittrerald 'Five O'clock Whistle'—'So Long' (Decca 3420) Fitzgerald's vocal on the rhythm side puts it in a top drawer. 'Whistle' is the type of tune that demands a good vocal which is what makes this cutting a best.. Other bands have done better instrumental jobs, but the Fitzgerald band provides plenty adequate backing. Coupling forms good contrast. It's a ballad done at extremely slow tempo. Up to her usual high standards, the singer's vocal occupies the entire side. Tommy Dorsey 'Make Me Know It'—When I Saw You' (Victor 26786) The first side cart be classed as one of the poorest attempts by Dorsey in some time. An original instrumental it runs off as a monotonous couple of minutes not worth bending* an ear. Near the fade it slips into blarey, brassy work that convinces it would sound better in two pieces. The arrangement Of the other side is anything but outstanding. Its only points are a Dorsey trombone solo arid Connie Haines' vocal; \ '■'.«'■'■..'.■ Will Bradley 'Rock-a-Bye Boogie—'Scramble Two' (Columbia 35732) • Another in the string of boogie-woogie tempo stuff the Bradley band has been concentrating on of late, 'Rock' is a sock job. it's almost spbtlessly played arid the tempo caught makes it attractive turnout. Trumpet, trom- bone, piano solos, all sock,- enliven it. Iri regular tempo the reverse; is equally .sparkling. Plainly relaying the band's lift arid drive the: original fare is studded with brisk breaks. • \ Gray Gordon 'Cuttin' Class—'Autumn on Campus' (Bluebird 10897) . First side shows up a Gordon band that has changed its spots in the last, couple of months. Instead of exclusively -tick-tick tempo the band is warm- : irig up. . 'Class' is a sizzling thing that winds up as a wild trip, to nowhere, however. It has the idea, but the execution ' open to improvement in several departments. Nevertheless the outfit has taken long strides for- ward. ; Outfit reverts to its sweet style on the coupling, delivering nice, work iri ensemble and behind Art.-Perry's good vocalf There's a long sax solo and a glee club inning by the band that sounds neat. Woody Herman 'Frenesl'—'Sons of Old Hawaii' (Decca 3427) .■ • 'Frenesi' has been tried in many different tempoes and styles/ but few pack the wallop of this version.' At slow tempo which allows the leader's vocal style full sway and enables him to interpret the lyrics with feeling, the side is new arid glistening approach. Barid's. modulated- accompaniment rates a nod. Reverse is also strong at almost the same tempo. Herman's vocal, again stands out of a smooth' interpretation of the Island tune. Electric guitar takes an appropriate break; r BARRY WOOD SHIFTS Radio Singer From Columbia To ;;'■■■■ Victor Label Tony Pastor 'Let's Do It;—'Ready, Get Set, Jump' (Bluebird 10902) : Pastor's vocal, occupying, almost the entire side, twists this Cole Porter tune into a weak bit of wax. His style doesn't fit it. Too, the reverse has little merit. .It's a monotonous arrangement of an original arid never climbs out of the ordinary except for the leader's sax break. There, are others ori piano and trumpet. \ ■ ■' ' ) Russ Morgan 1 Hear Music'—'Dancing on Dime! 1 (Decca 3419) ; Morgan's arrangement of 'Music* is. a light and appealing way of handling a tricky tune which can. easily go awry if hot \ treated right. There have been several tries at it, few as capably worked out as this. At a slow^ lilting tempo, it shines. Jimmy Lewis does"the vocali: Coupling,is an aver- age treatment of a pop. Carol Kay does the lyrics. Artie Shaw 'Special Delivery Stomp'—'Keepln' Myself (Victor 26762) Shaw's Gramercy Five, not his full band, is on these two. They're solid turnouts; the first a sizzling fide piece; the second a rhythm job spotlighting nice work in various breaks. Harpsichord, handled by VIohnny Guarnieri, is startling in its effect. It adds luster. First drives at high speed and serves: up some hot clarineting; by the leader, coupled to a harpsichord. Reverse drifts: along With the same sort of solos and at a rocking rhythm tempo. It's good. Quintet often sounds like John Kirby's small combo. BVC BVC • BVC • BVC • BVC BVC 1619 Broadway, New York Barry .Wood, singer on the Lucky Strike. Hit Parade, shifts from Co- lumbia to Victor Records next week, ' one of the flock of changes currently ! going on between cutting companies. | Wood hops frorri the 50c Columbia I sides to same price Victors. To''re-' i place him Columbia takes ori -singer i Buddy Clark, who had been on the - 35c Varsity sides. I Clark makes the fourth addition i Columbia has picked up-' the past I week or two - While dropping two of 1 the half dozen or so bands and singers scheduled to exit from the Columbia and Okeh labels.. Com- pany signed Charles; Spivak's outfit last Week soon after contracting Les Brown's and Joie Kear'ns'; bands; Tommy Reynolds and Ray Herbeck • were the two to go 6ff. Although r Herbeck's exit; is not as yet definite/ Both were on Okeh. Victor picked ; up. Teddy Powell's band'for its Blue- bird labels. - ; An outstanding picture score KAYKYSER In ffie RKO-Radio Pictun "YOU'LL F|ND OUT" Songs by JOHNNY MEM 'i'D KNOW YOU ANYWHERE" "YOU'VE GOT ME THIS WAY" ir THE BAP HUMOR MAN" "I'VE GOT A ONE TRACK MIND" "LIKE THE FELLA ONCE SAID" 1 Medical benefit of New York Local • 802 of the. AFM goes on next Mon- day (18) at Manhattan Center, N. Y. : All bands in the .area will show up at. the shindig, which will run most of the night. \ Alvlno Rey band replaces Glenn j Garr's group at the Rustic Cabin, Fort Lee, N. J., Friday (15). Sweeping the nation! By Charles Nawnan and taw Pollack 1619 Broadway & CONN, Inc. New Yoik BVC BVC • BVC • BVC • BVC • BVC •