Variety (Apr 1942)

TTednesdAj,- April 1, 1942 ORCHESTRAS 39 Inside Stutf-Orchestras . Times Appliance, .N«w^ork distributor of Columbia and Okeh recordSi Is preparing to establish additional distributing points to service coin machine operators. Company assertedly has had sach success with a re- cently opened uptown branch that another Is being opened In Brooldyn. It^elleves, too, that the rubber situation will eventually prohibit long trips by operators for new stock: hence, is figuring on adding othi>r branches as time goes on to luring platters to them. Times' uptown branch, which opened about a month ^go, went into competition with Indeoendent distributors who have, however, the ad- : vantage ot being able to service operators with labels of all companies. Times handles only Columbia and Okeh; hence, operators dealing there, •have to go elsewhere for Victor and Decca output. i*' — - — Hay McKlnley has deliberately built his new band with men under 20 years or over 29, since those between 21-28-are deemed more likely Army candidates. McKinley has been reherasing for weeks at Patchogue, L. I. (a secret everyone connected with the band tried to keep as a means of protecting band's rehearsals from music publisher, etc., interruptions). It debuts Saturday (4) at Cleveland hotel, Cleveland; April 19 it will replace Vaughn Monroe at the Commodore hotel, New York, until warm weather closes the room. ' . . McKlnley's IT-piece combo (10 under 20 years) will haVe all sorts of gmall musical combinations from within it; a quintet of vocalists (four boys-girl), imale quartet, end a group of instrumentalists titled 'Texas Bay-ngers.' Another Blng Crosby philanthropy came to light last week when It was revealed that all royalties from the sale of the Decca's double-decker, 'Silent Night' fan#'Adeste Fideles,' are used to finance a unit playing the camps. Platter sale, which gets brisk around Christmas, reached 315,000 last year, and the $8,132 accruing to Crosby In royalty payments went into the fund. When time from pictures and radio permits, Crosby joins the entertainers and emcees the show. When he's not available, brother'Larry takes over. Last year Crosby donated royalties from the disks- to the St Charles church In North Hollywood to help construct the parochial school. Defense Workers Only Seattle Sunday Morning Dancei Prove Popular With Production Hands SeatUe, March 31. For the third week the Trianon ballroom held a "Nlghtshift dance' from 1 a.m. to 9 a.m., Sunday morn- ing (29), with attendance limited to defense plant workers. Boeing em- ployees sponsored the dance and in- vited other defense workers to attend. Thb sponsorship makes the early morning dances possible, as the city council has refiised to change the present city ordinance which pro- hibits public dancing after 1 a.m., but does' give permission for such jigs t{ a responsible organization ' sponsors them. Whether or not the first swing shift dance on March 1 was spon- sored by Boeing employees or not has been a subject of contention be- tween manager Ted Harris of the Trianon and the Seattle musicians - local. Local has a rule that all spon- sored dances must'be-played hy a local band, and the first dance was .played by Art iflowley, a traveling organization currently at the Tria- non, Manager Harris contends that the first dance was not a sponsored affair, as it was advertised merely as a dance. AFM local's board is to decide today whether or not Harris must pay for the local band which was not used. Local bands have been used for all early morning hops since the first one. Business at the Trianon continues terrific, with Ibursday getting a particularly heavy play. DANCE BANDS DICK STABILE MOVING Booked Into Strand, "N. T.—Nearly Broke Vp Becently Uick Stabile orchestra, which only a few months ago was on the verge of breaking up, has been signed for two weeks at Strand theatre, N. Y., opening April 10. Tomorrow (Thurs.) it debuts on Decca Records and in addition it has been bought for tran- scriptions by World. Reorganized and now under the direction of Bill Burton, Jimmy Dorsey's manager. Stabile started his comeback at Del Rio Club, Washington, D. C, aljout eight weeks ago, with Grade Barrie (Mrs. Stabile) on vocals. Outfit is currently at the Top Hat, Union, N. J. LOWER RATE ON DEFENSE SHIFT DANCES NBC went back on the air with dance band remotes Sunday (29) af- ter months of passing them by in favor of studio produced programs and house orchestras. First pickup goes to Teddy PoweU's band at Log Cabin, Armonk, N. Y. roadhouse; four shots weekly, three of 25 min- utes and one quarter hour. _Powell Is booked by Consolidated Radio Artists, formerly a part of NBC Ulent booking efforts. NBC has ho other jlckups scheduled as yet. . Duchin at Palmer House Chicago, March 31. ■Empire Room of Palmer House sets a precedent April-1. Will open a new show on Wednesday, first tune In nine years. Occasion Is munching of new show with Eddy M fci"* Orchestra. It's Duchln's oirthday, hence reason for change. Coming in with Duchin are Cower ■•ao Jeatine.- Philadelphia, March 31. - -Local" 77; ■ American Federation- of Musicians, has Instituted a special scale for' bands -playing at. dances for defense workers on swing shifts. Most of these affair:, begin after midnight and continue until about 3:30 a.m. Ordinarily, musicians playing In the early morning hours would re- ceive a minimum of $19 per man. Under this new-soale, -miiitor.um is- $10. The new schedule was Insti- tuted for the first time over the week-end for Freddy Herman's band which played at a dance for RCA- Victor employees. The dances are booked by Richard Ingram. LOMBARDO IW THEATRES Colrate Commercials to Originate Weekly From Starei Guy Lombardo, who opens a the- atre tour Friday night (3) at the Boston theatre, Boston, will do his regular Saturday night broadcasts on CBS for Colgate-Palmolive-Peet from the stage each week. His fol- lowing dates include Hartford, Provi- dence, Passaic, N. J., a week's layoff, and then Buffalo. After that he may tour the army camps. Accompanying the band will be T. Wells, director for the Ted Bates agency; Tip Corning, announcer, and Marilyn Jean Miller, commercial singer. _ _ , Decca's 50c Releases Ont Decca Records' 60c line of re- cordings debuted yesterday (Tues- day). New series called Decca but using a black label. Initial release lists De'anna Durbin,- Kenny Baker, and Grade Fields, all of whom were sold at 50c l>efore. New names on first, release were Fred Waring, who made an albiun titled This Is My Country;* and Raymond Scott and Lionel Hamptor.. JAZZ CONCERTS SUCCEED. MORE BOOKED Trio of jazz concerts staged at Town Hall, New York, past months have been so successful at the b.o. that promoters Eddie Condon and Ernie Anderson have reserved the. Hall for 11 consecutive Saturday matinees next Fall. JFrom Oct. 17 to Jan. 9, 1943, concerts will .be week- ly affairs. In addition three shows have been tentatively prepared for Carnegie Hall, N. Y., built around Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong and Count Basle's- orchestras. No contracts have been signed for last three, but okays given. Condon will stage a fourth get- together of jazz musicians at Town Hall this April 11, using tapster Bill' Bailey In mubh the same way Buck and Bubbles' song and dance turn was used several weeks ago. Bailey will be backed by musicians pre- viously used and others playing their first date, Including Cootie WlUIams, Sande Williams, Dave Tough, Rod Cless, Dave Bowman, colored pianist Jimmy Johnson, and femme vocalist Billle KolUday. Group of jazzmen led by Condon will also be televised April *16 "by CBS, in place of that nets' usual Wednesday evening variety telecast There's also a deal in the works to put a Condon jazz outfit on Coca- Cola's 'Spotlight Bands' program on Mutual, emana'ting from the Little theatre of N. Y.'s Museum of Modern Art instead of the Mutual studio. ' Todd ShipbDildinis Corp. Considers Dance Music During Rest Periods Todd. Shipbuilding Corp., one of the most actlv^ firms of Its kind In the country on war work. Is mulling the Idea of entertaining its workers during the lunch hour with the mu-' lie of dance bands,. A company rep has already discussed the matter with the New York musicians union and asked band bookers to cubinit orchestras that might be available and their prices. " Hie company might decide to try out the plan in its Brooklyn and Ho- boken yards April 6 and 7. A band would be booked 'to play "the spots on successive dates. The playing time- suggested- Is between-Hvl.S"and- 12.45 p.m. Hammond Part Owner ^ Of Fan Mag on Bands John Hammond, Jr., jazz critic and former recording director for Cor lumbia Records, has bought a part ownership in Music and Rhythm, band fan mag. He Is associated In it'; operation with Carl Cons, for- merly co-owner of Downbeat, jive mag, with Glenn Burrs. Cons' por- tlon of Downbeat has been acquired, by Gus Edwards, Chicago band booker, not the talent discoverer. Ned Williams; former New York press-agent who recently parted with K. K. Hansen in the operation of Hansen-Williams,' has taken over managing editor post of Downl>eat, headquartering in Chicago. Dave Dexter, Downbeat's N. Y. rep, has switched over to a similar spot with Music and Rhyth—. Replacement In N. Y. In Dexter's former post hasn't been made. Further Handicapping Dance Tours Ardlc Wilber, former leader of bis own small combination, replaces Aba Moast on clarinetrtox with Les Brown; Moast goes into service. Wit- her joins April 10. L^cy Awaits Missing R. Henderson, Bandman Kelowna, B. C, .larch 25. Editor, 'Variety': Today a cutting froni a English paper was brought in to me, which read as follows: 'Legacy Awaits Lost. Singer: A legacy awaits Reginald Mainwaring Henderson, radio-singer son of the late Capt. John S. Henderson, Chief Constable of Reading .(England) for 26 years, who died lec. 12, leaving a widow, four sons and two daugh- ters. Solicitors and friends are try- ing to trace Reginald Henderson, who is 33. Fifteen years ago he went to Canada to farm, but soon gave It.up for singing on the radio at Montreal. 'Phree months ago he. was with an orchestra at a cafe in Bridgeport, Conn^ but a letter ad- dressed to him by a sister was re- turned.' This information came to me from a young lady who knew Henderson in England, to whom .the cutting was sent by her mother. She also would like to -hear of or from him, as they were friends of boy and girlhood. It has occurred to me that since he was engaged with an or- chestra as late as three to six months, ago he would no doubt be a member of a union, end a repetition of this Item as a newsnota In'the orchestral section of your paper may reach his attention. J. W. Browne. (CKOV, Kelowna, B.C.) ONE-NIGHTERS LOSING THI LURE? Band booking agencies are having trouble these days getting leaders, particularly topfligKt names, to play one-nlghtert. Several factors < con- tribute to the situation beside the headaches of traveL'Ifs particularly difficult to get names to play south. ' One agency claims it had over $10.- 000 worth of offers last, week from southern colleges, and couldn't in- duce any of it* higher priced talent to accept any of them. S^m'e of" the bookers are a bit worried by the situation since they owe something to one-night promoters as well as the hands they handle. - Qne-Tilghtera are and always have been the back- bone of the band business as its cur- rently known and they have to. be serviced with material If they're to remain alive.' HOST PLAYED'LIST JWPTEP BY NX POST New .York. -Evenli}^.. Post., begins publishing a weekly breakdown of songs 'most played' on the networks April 11. Tabulation will be a weekly Saturday edition feature as .part of a new orchestra-music colurhn writ- ten by Dan.Rlchman, which will be run. d3Uy..„Richmain!a.co),umQ>ng. hez. gins Monday (6). Post switches over to tabloid-size format same. day. Its use of a 'most played' tabulation Is apparently an attempt to cut in on.the N. Y. Eh- ouirer, which Is published on Sun-: day. ' ' ■ « I. 1 i. A Ji, t y Colie Stohz Into Army Memphis, March 31. .Colie Stoltz, leader of a local or- chestra thie past 10 years and re- cently chairman of the music com- mittee for the Memphis Cotton Car- nival, leaves this week for Induc- tion. His band will attempt to re- main intact under leadership of Lewis Nute. For the past two years Stoltz has been' In charg* of arranging bands for the Cotton Carnival, a fete- can- celled this year due to tha war.- He worked for the Melody Music Shop. Friends flung him a farewell feed. Pennsylvaniit Greyhound Bus Co. suspended all charter bus operation last week at the behest of the Gov- ernment Order to halt bus-leasing to traveling bands seemingly does not affect companies set up .exclu- sively for' charter w'ork; because ap- plicants to that company for trans- portation are being referred to other, rival outfits. Greyhound has been handling the majority of troop movements around the Country, and It's understood that their giving up charter work is a move to conserve equipment and rubber for this most Important func- tion. Company's cruisers, though the most exliehslve to hire, were^used by every band, that could afford'them. TOMMY DORSEY RECONCILED TO Tommy Dorsey' continues on RCA- Vlctor's 60c labeL This is finis on a drawn-out argument ^ith the com- pany. Dorsey signed and mailied to. Victor the contract he's been carry- ing around -for several months. It' called for . a guarantee of $1,250 a side for 90 sides (24 records a yea^). or $120,000 minimum'over two-jrear run of .'.the agreement, . This is against a royalty. Dorsey band flew Into-NCw York Monday (30) afternoon to start re- hearsals for its opening at'-Para- mount theatre, today. (Wed.). Band^ played at Rainbow .iSardens, Fre- mont, O.,' Sunday (29),. a date that was owed that promoter since, last December. Doke Ellington Lines Up AllrNegro Jam Session For HoDywood Bowl Duke Ellington plans to stage an all-Negi^o jam session at'the:;H6lly- wood Bowl 'ibi$. tiiiuiuner. .Three re- cording companies are, hiddlhg for - platter rights to the program.. ' - ThOse so far. invlted.io t>erform are the Deep Itiver Boys, Erskine Haw- kins, Helenk Hortti^* Roy Eldrldge and Coleman BftwUns-. ' J. DOBSEY IN FASTEST REPEAT AT NX SffiA^ Jlogmy Dorsey's orchestra has been signed for the fastest letunj booking of anj'-name band at the Strand the- atre. New York. It openk at the house May. i lor' foiir weeks, less than; four months after , a prevloui date." - Bend ■was'-«t-tHe-)iouse--from Xmas day past to mld-Jaiiuary. ' ' Dorsey will be opposed at the nearby Parampunt by Woody Her- man, .who'':opens May .13, Herman's usual B'way- stand was .(he Strand, the date dt the Par being his first since becoming a name band. Cliarenai CarteiflQji 5-Yr, ^ Probatibh for Desertion f . Tpledo, 0_ Biafch 31. Clarence' Carter, Colunibus, O, orchestra leader,, was placed on pro- bation for five yeart: last week (26) by Judge John McCabe at Toledo, and ordered to pay $20 a month for the^support ot his two. children. It was charged that Carter deserted his wife 12 years ago. shortly after the birth of » child. The other child is 14. ■ Fii^«derick* Hire P.A. / ' Chicago, March 31. Frederick Bros, mustc office has made two additions to Its staff. lbs installed a press and exploitation department, wlth Dlr); Courtenay at its head. Jack Kurtzc has been brought la to chief the new xocktail music unit department,