Variety (May 1946)

Wednesday, May 1, 1944* Inside Orchestras-Music Screen Composers' Association, newly-formed Coust group o£ 94 of the lllm scorers,- will have difficulty inducing American Society of Com- osers Authors and Publishers to give background-music cleffers a special P ii.* Qtimmilv nnll^rtpd from film houses. In future confabs lice of Hie coin annually collected from film houses, th reps of SCA, the Society undoubtedly will hold that it cannot im- arovc classification, rating of average Aim scorer because his works are not always published and further that salaries composers receive from films are'so scaled that they are complete payments for compositions, all rights to which arc consigned to companies producing the pix. Occasionally a niece of accomp music is-fitted with a lyric and published. Outstanding recent example is i'Laura." Rex Stewart will have, a big dny May 2. He opens that night at Kelly's Stables. N. Y.. after a matinee scheduled for Bronx, N. Y,, Magistrate's court where he's pressing charges against Ted Hardy, operator of the Casa Bella, Bronx nitery, on charges of passing Aki;on checks. Stewart's band was pulled out of that care several weeks ago by N. Y. Local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians, because checks totaling $240 had bounced. Hardy refused to go along on a proposition to pay Stewart off nightly in cash until he could catch up with the defaulted amount. Union is pressing .separate charges against Hardy. The Sehillinger System of Musical Composition," authored by the late joseoh Sehillinger, is a 1,640-pagc, two-volume work in musical theory based upon mathematical concepts applicable to both popular and serious compositions. The work comprises 12 sections including the theory of rhythm, pitch-scales, melody, harmony, variations by means of geometrical projection, correlation of harmony and melody, theory of counterpoint, in- alrumeiital forms, evolution of pilch families, theory of composition and theory of orchestration. Arnold Shaw and Lyle Dow-ling, co-editors of the volumes, have con- tributed an introduction explaining .some of the author's fundamental ideas. Bel-Tone Records, Coast pop-plattery, last week dropped Apollo Records as its dislrib in N. Y„ Baltimore, Atlanta and 1 Detroit. Tieup had been unique, that of one-odd-label selling a rival's products. Reason for break was that Apollo would not.sign pact to take Bel-Tone disks on minimum- order basis. Neither Dick Elwell nor Bob Cook, Bel-Tone partners, will state that Apollo ever failed to push sales or favored own label, albeit both Arms specialize in race-records and oatunes. To replace Apollo, Bel-Tone has picked up regular distribs in the four key cities. British Best Sheet Sellers • iWeefc-EtidtJio .April 1 '46) London, April 12. Chickery Chick Connelly Cruising Down River.Cincphonio Ashby de la Zouch. Gay I'll Dream of You. .Macmelodies I'll Buy That Dream Wood Might Well Be Spring. .Chappell Grand Night Singing., .Chappell Kentucky .., Connelly Bygones Be Bygones.. .Feldman Had Dozen Hearts..... .Victoria Close My Eyes. World-Wide Can't Begin to Tell You. .Chapcll ORCHESTRAS-MUSIC S3 Buddy Rich, who had financial backing for his new band pulled out from under him two weeks ago by Frank Sinatra, is looking for new coin. He's said to have a new angel interested in a deal, but so far nothing definite .has come out of conversations. Sinatra withdrew support from the band after he had poured between $25,000 and $30,000 into the cost of building the outfit and sustaining it during early dates. It's said Rich's refusal to try to lower the band's payroll contributed to Sinatra's attitude. Columbia Records, in setting up a complete publicity outfit in its New York office, under Wayne Varnum. recently relumed from service, intends to have even its own photographers lo service talent, covering openings, unusual events, etc. Columbia, incidentally, last week shifted advertising agencies from Benton S: Bowles lo McCann-Erickson. At the same time Musicrafl look on the Earlc Ferris agency for advertising and publicity in the cast. Heidt Pays 500G For the Las Vegas Biltmore Hotel Hollywood, April 30. Horace Heidt has purchased the Biltmore hotel, Las Vegas.'Nev., for $500,000. This is the second hostelry bought by the former maestro. Last year he purchased the Lone Palm in Palm Springs. He takes possession of the Biltmore today (1). Heidt ia also owner of the Trianon Ballroom, Southgate, Cal., not too far from this city. He bought it several years ago while still baton- ning his own band. Since last year, Heidt has devoted all'his time to the operation of his real estate; After a long dispute with Music Corp. of America, he disbanded his orchestra. ASCAP, Berlin m Compromise, Set 4,750 Availability Point Rating RCA-Victor is going the average record company advertising department one better by getting out oil paintings of its various recording talent. Oils are then copied, in color, to make up posters, store displays, etc. ————i —t : : THE TALK OF THE TOWN GEORGE T0WNE Carrentty ANSLEY HOTEL ATLANTA. GA. ■roodcoiring Font Timet Weekly WOR-Mutaol, Cooit-to-Coatr ■ OPENING JUNE 4 PELHAM HEATH INN NEW YORK Mat: MUSIC CORP. OF AMERICA TEDDY POWELL TO SETUPNEWORCH Teddy Powell is going about the organization of a new orchestra. He will get back into action in the band biz about June 1, handled by Joe Glaser's Associated Booking Corp. Powell, who has had. a hit song, •'You Won't Be Satisfied," written with Larry Stock, riding for him I during his period of enforced inac- tivity (he got tangled up in a draft I evasion ease), leaves for the Coast ! this wecl;. Band will be formed after ! his return. 802 Bars Free Rehearsak For Nitery Moskians; Role Also Affects Hotels N. Y. Local 802 will eliminate free rehearsals for musicians playing N. Y. night clubs and cafes with floor shows. Up until now, 802 allowed a six-hour practice session for free for all bands and musicians, name or otherwise. New rules will demand the usual -rehearsal fee of $2 per man each hour in a six-hour session, applic- able when complete new shows have to be gone over. Rule will affect some hotels, such as the New York- er, Biltmore, et al, and many niteries.' ARNOLD S. GOODMAN MUSIC ARRANGER CLASSICAL—VOCAL-rPOPULAR 330 W. 101* St„ New York N. Y. MOnument 2-6892 Philly Symph Hits Road First Time in 8 Years Philadelphia, April 30. Philadelphia Orchestra next month starts on its first transcontinental lour in eight years. Tour will last 41 days and include 39 concerts in cities as far west as Vancouver. B. C, and south to New Orleans. It starts April 28, day af- ter the close of the local season, with the first concert in Buffalo, ending June 7 in Columbus. Tour is being booked by the Wil- liam Morris agency. Irving Berlin was partially suc- cessful last week in his long battle with the American Society of Com- posers, Authors and Publishers to obtain a better availability point rat- ing than that given his new Irving Berlin, Inc., last year. After de- liberating for weeks, the Society's Appeals Board upped the' original 4,000-point grant to 4,750; in other words it split the difference be- tween what Berlin was originally awarded and . the 5.500 points he wanted. Consensus of opinion among ASCAP publishers and writer ex- ecutives is that the new rating will not be disturbed in so far as they are concerned. .Originally, after Berlin started his campaign Tor 5.500 points, the Society's Publisher's Classification Board, which consists of all the publisher-members of the board of directors, rejected his bid for more than the original 4,000. In- crease to 4,750 was made by the ap- peals board and could be thrown out by the Classification Committee. That's not likely to happen. However, Berlin isn't likely to be satisfied with the 4,750 points. He has some definite ideas on the worth of his catalog (which consists of tunes he penned, both words and music), formed out of his split last year with Saul Bornstein, with whom he was .partnered for years. Berlin feels that the catalog is worth as much as any of the current 5,500- pointers, i.e., Remick, Robbins, Sha- piro-Bernstein and some nine more and Is adamant on achieving an equal footing. One point in the situation that has aligned sympathy with Berlin's cam- paign from a good many quarters is the fact that Berlin is the writer of both words and music of all his songs. This doesn't get him any more revenue from ASCAP than comparable Double "A" lyric or melody writers. In other words, whereas he drew approximately $20,000 last year as a top-rated writer, other "AA" men who con- tributed only lyric or melody drew the same amounts. Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, for ex- ample, drew $20,000 each for their "AA" ratings as lyricists and melody writers. Berlin drew the same for turning out both lyric and melody of his songs. . However, this point has nothing to do with Berlin's battle for availabil- ity points for his catalog. It has, however, been a point Of conversa- tion in discussing his publisher trou- bles. Many music men in hiyh ASCAP positions feel that Berlin as a writer is entitled to a double dou- ble "A" classification because all t>( his songs are entirely self-written. LEGION'S 25G BACKING OF SAXIE D0WELL BAND Sax re Dowell's new band has a unique financial arrangement. He's being backed to the tune of $25,000 by American Legion Post No. 1, Raleigh, N. Y., the contract calling for the organization to retain a per- centage of the band's profits after it pays back the original investment. Dowell, who recently returned from Navy service where he dis- tinguished himself during the bomb- ing of the aircraft carrier S.S. Frank' | lin. is now at the New Kenmore , hotel, Albany, with his band. He Roes soon to the Cavalier hotel, Vir ginia Beach. Band Box, Chi, Pacts Hampton, Armstrong In Top Coin Band Policy Chicago, April 30. I Thjs town will have a counter- part of the . Acquarium Restaurant, j N. Y., which recently inaugurated a ■ top-band policy, paying top prices. Band Box here is going in for the same idea, debuting with the.same two orchestras which opened the Ac- quarium—Lionel Hampton and Louis Armstrong, who's current al the N. Y. spot. Hampton opens June 21 for four weeks, with Armstrong following. Hampton is drawing $5,000 per; Armstrong's coin is undisclosed, but it's figured to be similar. Band Box seats between 700 and 800 and will operate without cover or minimum. Long Beach Spot Molls Name Band Policy Return Roadside Rest, Long Beach, L. I., restaurant, which before the war employed a name band policy for awhile, wants to return to that style of operation for the summer. It has as yet bought no talent. Spot wants to open May 20 or 30. Bands used will be medium priced combos, which means today names in the $2,000 and $2,500 per bracket. ^""-^PO^RS AND AKUANGF.RS l.v They REALLY Intorfoiii America's Most Versatile SinajRa Trie THE SMOOTHIES Babs, Charlie and LiMIe LOEWS STATE, NEW YORK This Week (April 25) Arthur Murray Traaicrlptioni oa WJ2 And 50 Other Station* Herbie Fields' 12-Wk. Date At Englewood Cliffs, N. J Herbie Fields' new orchestra will replace the current Les Elgart band at the Rustic Cabin, Englewood Cliffs, N. J. Fields opens next Mon- day (6) for 12 weeks, with options. Latter he'll probably get; Elgart went in for a like period -and held- over six months. Fields' band is less than two months old. It was formed after he left the Lionel Hampton orchestra. Price he's drawing at the Rustic is undisclosed. Scale for the spot was recently boosted from $50 to $70 per man by the Jersey City local of the AFM. which upped all scales in its territory. Betty Rhodes' RCA Buildup Hollywood, April 30. Belly Rhodes, singer and former Paramount starlet, has been signed to a five-year recording contract by RCA-Victor. She will be the sub- ject of a concentrated buildup by the company in an effort to create a new name, one that has not been connected before with any recording company.. Miss Rhodes made her first disks for RCA here Monday < 29) under Eli' Obcrstein's direction, Oberstein, head of RCA talent and repertoire, reached Hollywood over the week- end. I by lisiph SchillMftr TO STIMULATE FRESH MUSICAL IDEAS TO VARY THEIR MUSICAL EXPRESSION TO INCREASE THEIR OUTPUT AND SAVE TIME THE SCHILLINGER SYSTEM k a fundamentally new approach to music, based on scientific principles. It develops techniques and procedures to solve the problems of today's musicians—composers, arrangers, dir- ectors and performers. It is valuable for all styles of music, for any medium of performance. GEORGE GERSHWIN, OSCAR LEVANT, BENNY GOODMAN and other outstanding musicians of radio, stage and screen were enthusiastic students of Joseph Sehillinger. '"... en Invaluable tool'-NATHAN LANG VAN CLEAVE "-. .. clear, precise and foidnotinfl"—VICTOR BAY ". . . opens new virtai"-CHARLES PREVIN Price for the let of two volumes: $30.00 Write for the descriptive booklet by filling in Ihe coupon below. You may order your copy from your local music dealer, book store or from the publisher. Carl Fischer. ■ up. 63 Cooper Square, New York 3, N. Y. 119 Wert 57 Street, New York 19, N."Y. Boston • Chicago • Dallas • Lot Angeles Gentlemen: .... I am enclosing. $ ' or tets of Ihe Sehillinger volumes. Please send me the descriptive booklet. Deparlmenl ADX CARL FISCHER, Inc. Cooper Square New York 3, N. Y«. I or Your regular dealer * ome I Address - — ■ • • ■^■^^•j^H'^H'™-./ exclusive managemen* 1CIATEC B00KINC OP