Variety (Jul 1946)

44 ORCHESTRAS-MUSIC Wednesday, July 17, 1946 Music Notes Jack Williams, RCA-Vlctor ad chief, back in N. Y. after brief visit to Coast outpost of plattery Frank Walker, chief of Metro's waxery subsid, en route to Hollywood for huddles with studio execs... .Chris Courtney, chief of William Morris' N. Y. band.-bookery, oh Coast vacashing... .Frank Oberndorfer tabbed assistant ad manager of Musicraft Records Meade Lux Lewis opened four-week date last night (Tues.) at Streets of Paris, Hollywood nitery... .Orrin Tucker orch last week cut four new sides for Musicraft. Teddy Wilson and Sarah Vaughn ditto for same label:. . ,Sy Miller named production head of Souvenair Records... .Shelly Manne, Stan Kenton drummer, being co-featured with tenor saxman Coleman Hawkins on "52d St," album being readied by Victor... .Tex Williams, who recently cut away from Spade Cooley's western band to form own combo on Coast, signed to four-year disking pact by Capitol Records.,. .Howard Halbert, who recently formed 28-piece strings-and-rhythm orch in Holly- wood, signed for platters by 4 Star Records.... Alfred 1 Newman'scoring "Razor's Edge" for 20th-Fox. .. .Werner Richard Heymann scoring "Sin of Harold Diddlebook" for Preston Sturges. ...Emil Coleman crew this week disk four for DeLuxe Records "Down the Trail to San Antonio," orig- inal theme of Deuce Spriggens' western band, bought by Republic Pic- tures as title for vehicle and theme tune for forthcoming Roy Rogers pic ....Chirp Connie Haines has written her first song, in collaboration with David Holt, "Don't Treat Me Like That." Mayfair Music will release in autumn... .Lewis Music Co. has sold entire catalog to Ashley Music... Betty Hutton last week slashed two sides for Victor,, on Coast... .Ivie Anderson back on Coast and into Hollywood's Streets of Paris nitery for a run. .. .Stan Kenton band cut four sides for. Capitol Fri. (12)... .Polly Ellis, oriole, pacted for platters by Wide World... .Bernie Wayne and Ben Raleigh, authors of "Laughing on Outside," which has sold 700,000 copies for BMI, have switched publishers, spotting next, "Walking With My Shadow," with Herb Montei's Vanguard Music for fall issue... .Kitty Kallen cut four sides for Musicraft Thurs.. (11), backed' by Sonny Burke orch Mel Torme and Meltones now managed by Lou Irwin... .Freddie Slack orch cutting four for Capitol Records this week....Dai* Kapp, Dacca veepee, on three-week visit to Coast to supe waxlngs, including ses sions with Ink Spots, Victor Young orch and Russ Morgan combo. ...Phil Brito cut four disks for Musicraft yesterday (Tues. ... .Hans Salter-scoring "The Michigan Kid" for Universal,.. .Curt Massey sliced six sides for Cadet Records over weekend in Hollywood.. . .Mort Glickman will score Republic's "Rio Grande Raidecs".:'. .Grady Johnson, former Frisco news- paperman, added to ARA publicity-promotion dept. by Bruce Altman, pop- plattery's chief p.a. Convention HaD, A. P., Drops Band Net Wires Convention Hall, Asbury Park, N. J., which was taken over by the Rediker brothers local Jewelers, for name band promotion on a full- week scale, is removing its broad- cast wires as of next week. Since Inaugurating the full-week idea with Harry James two weeks ago and Gene Krupa last week, the spot has not done as well as expected under the weight of the coin the promoters are paying top bands. James drew $27,750 for eight days, Gene Krupa, $8,500, while the cur rent Vaughn Monroe is collecting $12,500. • ,'■ Hall had broadcast connections with both Mutual and CBS. TOP HITS Of GREAT P0 STANDARDS TODAY Clinton to ASCAP After BMI Recant American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers last week readmitted maestro Larry Clinton to membership. He is one of the few, perhaps the only songwriter so far to shift back to ASCAP from Broadcast Music, Inc. Clinton, following the click of a handful of his own material such as "Dipsy Doodle," "Study In Brown" and various adaptations of the classics, in - 1938-30, became angry with the slow progress of his ASCAP rating. As a result, he was one of the earliest songwriters to shift to BMI. He took it all back recently, and henceforth all of his material will be published by Rob- bins Music, which has a pop of his written with Carl Sigman, coming up. It's titled, "If It's All the Same to You". . " Others admitted to ASCAP, at the same time Clinton was accepted back, were: maestro Stan Kenton, Earl K. Brent, R.. Dale Butts, Charles Davenport, Maurice de Packh, Robert E. Dolan, Edward J Kay, Cyril J. Mpckrldge, Lionel Newman, Howard Phillips, Hans J. Salter, Louis E. Shelly, Martin H Skiles, David L. Snell, and Anna Sosenko, manager of Hildegarde. Standard writers taken in include: Francis H. McKay, C. Albert Scholin, F. C. Schreiber, Nathan Van Cleave, Glad R. Youse. Horn Makers To Hold OPA Line Chicago, July 16. Resolution to hold continuance of prices of musical instruments at OPA levels was adopted Monday (15) by the National Assn. of Music Merchants at its first postwar con vention at the Palmer House here. Resolution also urged that increases on new merchandise be kept at minimum. ■ Approximately 7,000 persons are attending the convention with 200 manufacturers, importers and whole- salers exhibiting their wares at the trade show. " ifall KORNHEISER, Manager, Standard Exptoltalion 06pt., k The Big 3, 1619 Broadway, '■ New York 19, Circle Inside Orchestras-Musk Jules Levey, producing "New Orleans/' forthcoming film, will slice into footage flashback Into early Jazz era of the Crescent City. He has en- listed aid of National Jazz Foundation in helping him uncover any living members of the legendary Reliable Band. That outfit flourished in N. O. at turn of century, batoned by Jack "Pappy" Laine, and is credited with being first white ragtime aggregation to gain any renown.along the Delta, Levey wants to slip members of combo, who probably now would be in 70's, into h sequence which will be cavalcade of all-time jazz greats. The Foundation, which has promised help in research, is organization of .Loui- siana businessmen who take avocatlonal Interest in jam music. Ray Anthony, who brought his new band into the Roseland ballroom. N. Y., last week for its first date in the east, stopped music contact men cold last week with his idea of how to handle their wares. Instead of following the normal procedure of most maestros in their relations with the majority of music men, which means personal conversation with them by either a maestro or his representative, Anthony is boiling it all down to paper He has had blanks printed which call for complete information about pop songs, title, source (If from a film), writers, when the publisher will start work on them, etc. These blanks are filled out by contact men, and Anthony keeps them on file for consultation each time a batch of new . tunes is to be arranged. Iowa is celebrating its centennial this summer and the state commission promoting the affair has commented notifying every band booked for lour through state that the song "Ioway" is a must on every , date. Tune was defied and worded by Meredith' Willsoh, and move is afoot to name ditty official song. Bing Crosby's Decca release is due in two weeks, when centennial capers will be at peak. Miller Music Co., publishing the item, now is readying huge shipments of sheet copies into Iowa, on tie-in with state commission, which has promised to push sales. Record for cover charges has been set by Freddy Martin at Cocoanut Grove, Ambassador hotel, Los Angeles, with 108,520 tabs registered during first six months of 1946. Figure almost tops mark for previous year by 10,000. Martin has been at the Grove over four years, topping each year's preceding record. Jack Kapp, Decca prexy, has suddenly rediscovered New York is a great town in the'summer. Normally he and the family sojourn in Beverly Hills all summer, but this year his trip west will be only-, for a fortnight, leaving the end of this month. Cngat, T. Dorsey, Ellington Slated For Chi's Opera House Chicago, July 16. Pay-offishness of pop concerts has the 20th North Wacker Corp., which operates Chicago's Opera House, hopped up over three definite com- mitments made last- week with Music Corp. of America's concert dept. for this fall. Sunday matinee and evening per- formances in the auditorium were pacted for Xavier Cugat, for Oct. 20; Tommy Dorsey, Nov. 3; and Duke Ellington, Nov. 10, with nego- tiations also under way now for Benny Goodman and others. Guar- antee deal for the maestro is $3,500, plus 60% of all over that figure, for each performance. . The Norman Granz "Jazz at the Philharmonic" layout — Coleman Hawkins. Lester Young, Meade "Lux" Lewis, etc.—mopped up in the house two months ago with a $12,000 gross for one performance, but that was a small outfit, due to overhead. 0X1EY SELLS N.Y. AGENCY Harold F. Oxley sold his: New York talent agency last week to Gerry Gross and Phil Hemingway. New firm will be known as United Artists Management. Oxley, who handled mostly bands, will continue, to agent on the Coast. BARNET AND DECCA TIFF; MAY DIVORCE Charlie Barnet's . affiliation with Decca Records is at the straining point due to the leader's sharp disagreement with the way his band has been handled on the label. It's probable that the contract between the two will have been cancelled before much more time elapses. Bamet Is said to have asked for his release. Barnet band is current at the Aquarium Restaurant, N. Y. Baddy Morris Gets Simon's Interest In No-Cash Transaction Hollywood, July, 16. Deal between George Simon and the Edwin H. (Buddy) Morris music combine has been completed. Morris acquired Simon's 10% of the Morris interests in a very unusual manner, however. No cash passed hands except for the amount Morris paid Simon as the result of an un- expired contract between, them. Deal was worked thusly: in lieu of cash for his 10%. piece'of Morris, Simon took seven copyrights from the Mel rose catalog he originally sold Morris. These tunes, among which are "Some Day, Sweetheart," "Muskat Ramble," "Revival Day," "I Would Do Anything for You" and several others including a new pop titled 'You Can't See.the Sun," will be- the foundation of a new music firm Simon will set up in New York. "Sun" song was written Simon for Mohhis. It was never some lime ago and acquired by Simon for Morris. It was never worked on. J. Dorsey's Opposition Dates in Jersey Spots Jimmy Dorsey may play three days at the Terrace Room, Newark, N. J., before returning to the oppo- sition Meadowbrook, at nearby Cedar Grove, in the late fall or early winter. His original agree- ment with the Terrace owners, un der which he opened the spot for them last year, called for two two week dates within a year. He was shy three days of the full four weeks on his- first two bookings'at the spot and he may. have to fill out the prescribed time; If that occurs, he will be forced to set back his playdate at Meadow- brook from Nov. 19 until the.holiday period. R. A. Nelson Back To Coast Diskers Hollywood, July 16. Following protracted series of Confabs last week, Richard A. Nel- son again has moved back into the 4 Star and Gilt Edge Record com- panies and emerged with 50% inter* est in combine. Two months ago Nelson sold the firms, of which he was prexy, to associates Cliff Mc- Donald and Don Pierce, for a re- ported $250,000, which covered all properties, including pressing plants, biscuit mills and two-thirds' stock of Consolidated Record Distributors. Actual cash never exchanged hands at recent sale, due to mixups over liabilities incurred during Nel- son regime and reportedly confused state of ledgers. Lately . McDonald and Pierce realized that in assum- ing the platteries and paying off they would not have enough funds left to carry on sales programs, pro- motion and waxing operations, hence door was left ajar for Nelson re- entry last week, In new setup Nelson will have no official say personally in policies of labels, being pegged only as national sales chief. However, he will be represented on board of directors by Harvey Scribner, one of his attor- neys and also N. Y. rep of the wax- eries. Scribner will have a 50% vote in board, obviously voicing for Nelson. 1a ^l1records sw6ms mr *S"£i£CT/ON 'Little Richard"' Band Review HAL McINTTBE OBCH. (16) With Naney Heed, Frankie Lester Meadowbrook, Cedar Grove, N. J. Hal Mclntyre has apparently be- come convinced that the dancing public wants dancing music. He's now certain that the day of jazz concerts — while terpen; stund around the bandstand with mouths and ears open—is over. It all adds up to this: Mclntyre hasn't a band that's going to bowl anyone over, but he has one that provides solid satisfaction for tern-' inc. However. Mclntyre should strive for some idea, some personal- ity, something that would civc the band a distinctive touch. He him- self plays alto sax up front; he plays, well but not enough to be outstand- ing in the way that Harry James, Tommy Dorsey. Benny Goodman, et al., draw attention. A good novcR.v singer might help, but they're not easy to come by. and they're in con- stant demand. Musically, the Mclntyre outfit, comprised of four trumpets, three trombones, five sax (including lead- er's) and four rhythm, sets up a good terp beat and .generally does a neat iob. Its arrangements have a commercial touch, with good color (the type that jazz-hounds will fluff off) schemes that make interesting listening. Mclntyre has with him two vocal- ists; neither is outstanding although they do a satisfactory job. Nancy Reed handles rhythm items and Frankie Lester, ballads. All In all. Mclntyre's outfit is very salable which will become more so as the trend toward dance music be- comes more pronounced. wood.