Variety (Dec 1944)

Weduesday* December 13, 1944 ORCHESTRAS-MUSIC S9 Inside Sttiff-Orchestras-Music Mitch Ayrcs, recording director for Columbia Records, had himself no picnic la^t week trying to reach Chicago in time to record Gene Krupa. Ayrcs has a sustaining show on the Blue net Tuesday nights and immedi- ately after hopped a plane out of N.Y. to start work with Krupa at noon next day. Ho was dumped oK the plane at Pittsburgh by the Ariny and . caught a local train there that didn't get into Chi until 2:30 p.m. However, a conducloi oil the. train .suggested his .ion, a private pilot, could fly Ayrcs to Chicago. Ayres accepted and got off at Willard, O., lo meet the plane, .\pproaching Chicago the pair were.turned back by : fog and had to reluiii lo Auburn, O. PayofT was that lhei;c Ayres got the same local train he had bocn on and .stayed with it this time, being late for the ''recording date,- which had ali eacly been started by Manie .Sacks, Columbia. N.Y., bo.<;.'i. Move to vac.-ili' llie examination before trial ot Ella Barllett, ClilTord Herbert, Alan MacDonough and Marjorie Blo!;.som Wil.<-bn, sought by Co- lumbia Recording Corp., Dceca Records and R. C. A. (Victor) is .-ichcduled for hearing Dec. 19 iji N. Y. Federal coiut. Examination.s .sought are in connection with the lest suits filed by the heirs of Victor Herbert, Glch MacDonough and Henry Blo.-soni. involving the mechanical rights to .song.s composed before cnactnient of the 1909 copyright act. Suit charges that the disk companies infringed upon "Moonbeams," "The Sidewalks of New-YoiJ<." "Babes in Toyland" and "Toyland," penned be- fore 1909, by mechanically recording manufacturing and selling more than 1,000,000 records since 19:11. without payment of royalties. Heirs insist that upon renewal of copyright, owners arc entitled to me- chanical riyhls Major Glenn Millor'.s .^imy Air Force orchestra is .still in England. For gome unexplained rea.son it never got into France, where it was preparing mooths ago to follow the inva.sion forces. Meantime, however, the band and various combinations formed' from it, led by recognized nariies active in name band circles pre-war, is getting a lot of air time. All (old, Miller's big outfit and groups led by Ray Mc- kinley, Mel Powell, etc., are drawing 12 broadcasts weekly, with repeat ahows, over the A. E. F. network. Take 1, Put 1 Pittsburgh, Dec, 12. Army last week took away one pianist from Mercur Music Bar here and then promptly gave one back. Teenie Trent, colored keyboardist, at the spot for nearly a year, was lapped by Uncle Sarh and in return Untc handed Ed Johnston, another colored pianist, a medical discharge and he was promptly signed to re- place Trent. Trent had headed 'Jic '■'i T s' irio as well at Music B.'rr. and with John.son taking over lor him. name of unit has been chaiigcfl to Mu.sic Bar Stylists. Bands at Hotel B.O.'s KlIIKl IIUll'l Hal Aloma Lexington ^300; 7oc-Sl.j«) Lee Castle J>Iew Yorker (400; $1-Sl.j0). Frankie Carle P(jnnsylvania (500; $1-S1 50 i Leo Rei.sman Waldorf (550; $2) Dean Hud.son ... Lincoln (275; Sl-$l.jO) ■. Guy Lombardo .. Roosevelt (400; Si-Sl,50) Enoch Light Biltmore (400; S1-S1.50). , . Hal Mcliilyre.... Commodore'( V Sl-$1.50)-. CoTen Total Weeks I*R8t Cover* riiiyed Week On l>Ht« ... 8 1,975 16,375 2,075 9,975 2,575 27,025 2,800 5,675 900 .. 5 .10 .. 2 .. 9 .. 11 ..11 .. 0 13,450 2,400 32,575 ^,075 13,625 H,000 1,000 Tunesmiths, particularly on the Coast, are complaining about the Holly- wood influence which makes it tough for a .song to get a hearing from a publisher unless it has a picture connection. First question asked, the writers assert, when trying lo sell a tune to a publisher, is "What picture will it be in?" If the ditty is not hooked up to a film, the publisher sud- denly discovers that he is loo busy to listen. Meanwhile the publishing houses owned or controlled by film companies are too busy to bother with songs not in pictures. TOMMY TUCKER, HEIDT SIGN NEW COL. PACTS Columbia Records has re-signed both Tommy Tucker and Horace Heidt's orchestras to new two-year contracts on the Columbia label. Both bands have been with Colum- bia, but their pacts expired during the recording ban. Tucker made his first recordings •ince Columbia and RCA-Viclor made peace with the American Fed- eration of Musicians, last week in Chicago. Heidt made some new ■tufr in California. Plenty Hoppin' Around For N. Y. Band Preems Music publishers and band men who make it a habit to attend all band openings, are on the jump this week in N. Y. There are four open- ings this week, an unusual number for this time of the year. As a rule there isn't so much activity except in early October. Les Brown's orchestra opened at the Pennsylvania hotel, N. Y., Mon- day (11), Freddie Slack last night (Tues.) at Frank Dailey's Meadow- brook, and tomorrow night (Thurs.) there are two bows. Jerry Wald at the New Yorker hotel and George fOlsen at the Copacabana. ' Asur'tsks iiidicntc a .sitpponiirf; jloor ahow New Yor/cer, Biltmore, linu* ice s/ioics. Lexxnglon, Haxcaiian floor slioiiv t 3 (/(I lis. IRVING ROMM SCRAMS OUTTA CHELSEA MUSIC; .'Vfter ;i dispute with his pai inc. s. the owners of Musicraft Records, living Romm has broken his con- nection with Chelsea Music in N. Y. Deta'ils of the breakup haven't as *cl bccri settled. Romrn holds a considerable portion of the music firm's stock and both sides are en- deavoring to buy each other out. .Mcanlime. Pete Doraine is in charge of the firm. Chicago Rod Cless Dies . Rod Cless, clarinetist who.sc la.st engagement was with Maxie Kamin- sky's jaz7, band at the Pied Piper, Greenwich Village, N. Y., died Fri- day i'8) in St. Vincent's hospital, N. Y., from injuries suffered in a fall at his home the preceding Monday (4). A native of Des Moines, Cless played with several bands in the Chicaijo area before coming to N. Y. in 1939 v,ilh Muggsy Spanier's rag- time combo. He also worked with Art Hodes and had been featured in several Town Hall jazz concerts staged by Eddie Condon. Cless was 37, Survived by his wife, parents, two brothers, and a ^hild by an earlier marriage. Tony Casey, city ed of Brooklyn iN. Y.> Citizen, contribbed lyrics for novelty tune, "Showman's Wed- ding Day," which Top Music, N. Y., is publishing. He itiso collaborated with Johnny Tucker on two other new ones, not piiblished as yet. X'armrn Oavallaro (Empire Room, Palmer llou.so: 700; $3-$3.a0 min.). Digatanos and Minevitch'Rascals head floor show, with Cavallaro's pianist- ics solo-spotted, for good 7,000. ■Tommy Dorsey (Panther Room, Sherman holel; 950; $l.S0-$2.50 min ). Dorsey i:hiefcd in to front Saturday i9), wiih a lair 6,000 recorded for the past week. Bill Snyder (Mayfair Room, Blackstoiie hotel; 400; $2:50 min.). Snyder and split week of Lillian Cornell ai'id Killy Carlise, who opened Wetincs- day i6), boosted it to 3,000. Benny Strong (Walnut Room, Bismarck hotel; 46*5; $1.50-?2.50 min.). Yule shopping isn't keeping the crowds away IVom Strong either, with 34300 chalked lip. 'romray Tucker (Boulevard Room, Stevens hotel;'650; $3-$3.50 min.). Standard vaude acts helped Tucker keep it to a .steady 5,000. Los Angeles Freddy Martin (Ambassador; 900; $1-$1.50). Headman at this spot. Re- turn to smash 4,500 tab.s.. Henr.v KInj (Biltmore; 900; $1-$1.50). Going .steadily for good 3,80C covers. • Location Jobs, Not in Hotels (.Chicago) Gay Clarldre (Chez Paree; 650; S3-$3.50 min.). Joe E. Lewis and Ro.se Marie opened Thursday (7), following show headed by Buddy Lcstex', with 5.200 jampacking. Chuck Foster (Blackhawk; 500; $l-$2.50 min.). Going along okay with 3.400 . ' Frankie Master* (Latin Quarter: 700; ?3-.S3.50 min ). Biggest biz in towii here, with Masters-Rilz Bros, combo drawing a stand-up 7,500. . (Los Angeles)^ Slan Kenloii (Palladium B, Hollywood, second week). Sunday matinee and weekend jitterbugs boost to 31,000. Bernie Cummins (Trianon B, Southgate, third week). Little variation in'nightly take. Rates 6,500 admishcs. Leighton Noble (Slapsy Maxie's, N, Los Angeles, second week). No fluctuation here. Repeat usual 5.200. Lt. Milton Hammond, honorably di.scharged from Navy, back with Miller Music in the Pittsburgh ter- ritory as contac' man. Willie Horowilc now general man- ager of Allied Music, which is finan- cially backed, 'at- least in part, by bandleader Horace Heidt. .lack .Maas remains in charge ot Shapii-o-Bernstein's office in Holly- wood. His function as head of that branch is *n no way disturbed-by the recent acquisition by the firm of Fred Raphael. Latter's duty will be entirely as film studio contact, com- pletely apart from Maas' duties as contact man. ROBBim COMES THROUGH WiTH A GBEAT LATMN-AMERICAIV HITt