Variety (Sep 1946)

so ORCHESTRAS-MUSIC Wednesday, Scptemlier 25, 1946 Basie Splits With Alexander, Gets 15G Bonus for Renewing With Morris William Morris agency capped a* Jons campaign last weelc by recap- ■tiLiing the Count Basie orchestra, a circumstance that involved quite a to-d' among the agency, the leader and Willard Alexander, his personal rviiiager tor the past levy months. Basie's return to Morris^ from which he was withdrawn by Alexander, along with Vaughn Monroe, followed a split between the maestro and Alexander. Morris deal with Basie involved ■ the payment by Morris to the leader ■ or a $15,000 bonus in return for a - One-year with options up to three- yeai-s' contract. It also involved an agreement by Morris to pay ,Alex- ander 35% of the commissions earned by the band for an undis- closed period per a deal made with Alexander after-he leit Morris!, em- , ploy, but just before ,withdravving | Basie and Monroe from the agency's j • ■ Toaler. , Prior to Basic's ,rnove back 16 Morris ■ Alexander is said to have approached the agency with his Own; plan-tq return the band there.- This called tor the agency's guarantee- ing him (Alexander) a minimum ot $15,000 yearly for the next five years against 35% of the band's com- mission earnings, or to buy Alexan- der's interests out for a flat $17,500. Morris turned the deal down. Ever since Alexander left Morris to set up his own office, last winter. Morns has been after Basie to re- gain booking rights to his band. Latter had been handled by Alex- ander,' who farmed him out to vari- ous bookers in various fields. This method of sellinj the orches- tra, however, developed a couple of scrapes. Alexander and Joe Glaser,, head of Associated Booking Corp:, got into two arguments when Glaser booked Basie into ti e Aquarium Restaurant. New York, and Alexan- der refused to pay him commission on the job. Later, Glaser set the band into the Band Box, Chicago, and, Alexander again refused to split 'commissions, This resulted in the booking being withdrawn. As a result of Waste's move back to Morris, Alexander is no longer managing the band. Milt Ebbins, i.s handling the chore. Chase, St. L., Sets Masters Chase hotel, St. Louis, has booked sufficient name br.nds to take it into next year. Spot has Frankie Masters starting Oct. 4, with George Olsen backed by a floorshow sset for Oct. n. Hotel then uses: a straight orch lineup which includes Jimmy Dor- sfv, Victor Lombardo, Tony Pastor. Claude Thornhill, and Frankie Carle, Rosemarie Lombardo's Tonsillectomy Result NSG Complications following Rose- niarie Lombardo's tonsillectomy have sor in and will probably keep her out of chirping action for several more weeks, Operation was per- formed three weeks ago, wilh nor- mal recovery usually taking about ten days.- Sortie doctors called in on the case have said it's possible, that the Lorn-: bardo si.stor might never be able to sing again. . Music Notes Brit. Songsmiths Ask 50% Plugs London, Sept. 25. Top British songwriters held two t-neetings today (Tuesday) with the first huddle demanding that the British Broadcasting Corp. arrange its program schedules to-insure air- ing of a minimum of 50% British tunes along with a bigger percentv age of operatic and classical selec- tions. Second powwow of cleffers was for purpose of forming a Brit^ tsh .songwriters' association equiv- alent to the U. S, Songwriters' Prp- tective Assn. ' Should BBC fail to meet music men's demands, representations will be niade to Parliament and even to Prime Minister Clement Attlee. At- tend mg meetings were Noel Coward, Ivor Novello, Eric Maschwitz, A. P. Herbert, Joe Gilbert, Jimmy Ken- nedy. Michael Carr and Hayden Wood. - Songwriters' conclave resulted in an election committee comprising Eric Maschwitz, Noel Gay; Vivian Ellis, Irwin Dash, Jimmy Kennedy, Joe Gilbert, Michael Carr, Billy Reed, Sonny Miller, Tommy Connor, Box and Cox with Bruce Sievier as temporary chairman. Also Arnold Clayton and Phfl Cardew, heads of, the arrangers,' composers and copy- ists section, a branch of the musi' cians' union, will give expert advice on trade union matters. The com mittee is skedded to meet again ,Oot.',,2. ■ ■ Calif. Ballroom Ops To Meet On Setting Up of Owners Assn. Hollywood, Sept. 24. Meeting of southern California ballroom operators will be held Oct. at Bos Angeles Athletic Club for purpose of forming nucleus of Western Ballroom Operators Assn. Barney McDevitt, of Avodon here, and A. V. Bamford of Pacific Coast Amusement Co., are sparking meet, which will be attended by Larry Gear, head Of Midwest Ballroom Operators. Assn., who has been in- vited to assist in forming new group., ■ • Outfit plans to discuss correction of prices and other problems as they arise. They also plan taking up such problems as ASCAP levy and possibility of BMI: arranging simi- lar collection setup. TODAY'S TOP TIP! 'THE BEST MAN' out of Roy AKred and Fred Wise Track Records Columbia Capitol Mercury 'Decea , Transcription Handicaps Capitol Standard Lang>WortK World MocGregor Capitol Standard NBC Thesaurus Lang-Worth Muzak Associated Jockey Let Brown King Cole Trio Sunny Skylar Romo Vincent .lockcy Peggy Lee & Frank DeVol Freddy Martin The Four Knights Les Brown Jimmy Grier Pee Wee Hunt The Starlighters Novatime Trio Tommy Tucker Jerry Seers Elliott Lawrence Playing 'THE BK^T M.\N Jack Smith Bobby Sherwood Martha Tiiton Leighton Noble Buddy Morrow Freddy Martin King Cole Trio Marshall Young Glen Gray Across the Board Dick Jurgens Buddy Rich Jimmy Grier Tommy Tucker Doris Day Jock McLean ■ Les Brown Eugenie Baird Louis Prima Milt stein now representing Pemora Music in Hollywood...,Ralph Todd Buenos Aires representative of various U. S. publishers, in New York. ' George Duning composing score for "Johnny O'clock" at Metrb,,.. Aaron Gonzales turned in Spanish lyrics for Jimmy McHugh-Paul Adainl son tune, "Chiquita Prom Santa Anita," for "Hit Parade of 1947" at Re- public. . . .Arthur Franklin will be music coordinator for "topacabana ".,.. Marlin Skiles writing background music for "Dead Reckoning" at Colum- bia. .. .Jack Elliott composed eight songs to be us^ in shorts by Meridian Productions.. . .Emit Newman scoring "The Best Years of Our Live.s" for Samuel Goldwyn. .; .Frank- Slcinner doing background music for two Universal-International pictures, "Swell Guy" and "I'll Be Yours",.!. .Franz Waxman comf>leted scoring job on "Cry Wolf at Warners.., .Cass Daley opening her own music shop in San Fernando Valley. , . . Adolph Deiitsch composing score for Harry Sherman's "Ramrod" at Enterprise. Band Reviews SPA-Pubs continued from page 49 : Entered by Harry Tenney Marty Tenney New York VANGUARD Trainers Billy Sioneham Cliietiso SONGS Herb Montei Hollywood kept under cover, the paramount propcsals are these: The contract under which a pub- lisher accepts a song will not con- stitute an a.ssignment of rights. It is an offer to assign within six months. To earn the assignment, the publisher must print a certain number of sheet music copies, one orchestration and at least one key vocal orchestration. If at the end of six months this has not been donej the songwriter can demand the return ol his.tune without returning the ad- vance he received. (This is to pre- vent publishers from accepting songs, filing them away and never working on them, or holding them until ready.) 3-6c Royalty on Sheets SPA proposes a sliding scale on royalties calling for: (a) 15% of the wholesale price on the first 100,000 copies sold, or not less than 3o per copy; (b) 20% of the retail price on all sales between 100,000 and 300,000, or not less than 4c per copy; (c) 25% of the retail price on sales between 300,000 and 500,000, or not less than 5c per copy (d> 30% of retail price on everything over 500.000 copies, or not less than 6c. , ', No bulk deals; for example, no agreements with foreign music pub- lishers to handle the catalog of a U. S. publisher. B'ifty percent ol all foreign income, including advances. Fifty percent of the statutory roy- alty rate from mechanical sales (Ic per record sold to songwriters, since legal rate is 2c), ' , . , Fifty percent ot all revenue ac- cruing to publishers from all sources other - than the usual sheet sale in - come, mechanical and s.ynchroniza- tion revenue. (This means lyric mags, which are currently-returning publi.shers approximately $650,000 annually., „tieups with jewelry, nov- elty, clothing concerns, etc.). Quarterly, accountings to song- writers and more detailed account- ings,' ,,,\VV;\:;,,' , :, , ^ ■ Publishers cannot dispo.se of for- eign rights, to a song before giving it a try in the U. S. This is to pre- vent a publisher from taking a .song, shelving it for the future in the U. Si while foreign affiliates; wOrk on it and exhaust its possibilities. Then when the U. S. publisher eventually returns the ditty its potentialities abroad have already been dissipated, so that few other pubs will accept ! it:..', y::.::: ,'■,■■>,■'"', " . Those proposals are not couched in the language devised by the SPA committee and attorneys, and they are not complete. But, essentiallj'. they are the salient points in the proposals. On the basis of the feel- ing among publishers aware of them, it may take more than the next three months to arrive at a satisfactory conclusion. Or the ne- gotiations may drag out beyond the expiration of the current contract between the SPA and publishers, which expires Jan. 1. KEN CASEY ORCH (IJ) With Gloria Dale Kustic Cabin, Engiewood Cliffs, N. J, Ken Casey, who's led various bands around New York since 1923, now fronts a young crew of earnest, cx-G.I.'S at this spot. B'ormed around six months ago, the band is a welU balanced Outfit; comprismg four sax three trumpets, two, trombones and four rhythm. Casey's arrangements feature plenty of bounce h* brass, but on the other hand, the outfit is versatile enough to be equally able on sweet and Latin rhythmsi It's also evident that even on the jumpier numbers, the melody is never lost. Sidemen are amply spotted for solos and among standouts are Mor- ris Libby, who trumpets a unique "Can't Give You Anything But Love" and "Had to be You." Gloria Dale, red-headed vocalist who's on the portly side, gives out with latter. A vocalist of more eye and aural appeal would be of in- estimable aid to a newly launched orchestra such as Casey's. Skin- beater Clem : deRosa, piano and guitar solos by Bill Maxted and Joe DiRoberto, respectively, come in for a nice change of pace. Four-man arranging staff, headed by Ken Sisson, also rates a nod for better than average treatments. As soon as Casey irons out the minor wrinkles inevitably present in all new bands, outfit may well move upwards from this Palisades show window. carries a gal toreher, but matrimony took his.latest couple week ago. Qiiin. : - HAL HARTLEY ORCH. (15) ROSELAND BALLROOM. MONT- REAL ,, ■ It's hard to tell whether or not Hal Hartley pulled a smart move by ankling the El Morocco, one ol lop niteries here, where he played tor four years, to come to this jive joint. Harlley',s band had considerable fol- lowing at the El, but whether he caiV garner the same popularity at the Roseland remains to be seeri. ■ Possible booking oC name bands may bring mobs to the spot, though it must be admitted on opening night (14) the joint was jammed. Hartley has boosted his crew to a well-balanced IE men, which is a considerable improvement over the 11 he used at the El. Demands here are different, of course, but the boys are coming through in fine shape. Being strictly a rug-cuttet's spot, much of the band^s success will lie in how far the men can go in blow- ing their brains out, and setup of six brass, five sax and four rhythm seems to fill the purpose to perfec- tion. What's needed most now are a hot vocalist, novelty items and some good arrangements. l.nza. JIMMY JOY ORCH (12) With Bobbyi Dixon, .lack Rael Muehlebarh Hotel, Kansas c:ty Jimmy Joy is an old face on the band.stand in these parts, but he's out with a new band this season. Outfit is one he's been building since its assemblage in Chi last spring, when salaries of his old outfit forced the a.sking price into the ether and him to reorganize. This crew uses the locally well- known Joy style, with tunes right out of the honeycomb and rhythms on the moderately lively side. Solid sweet has been the Joy forte tor 10! these 20 years, and it takes With the customers as much as ever. It's nifty for this compact dinner-dance spot. ■The date also return.'! the Terrace Grill to its former rut of top names and semi-names, as Joy is to be fol- lowed by Orrin Tucker's band, which Ivasn't made a stand here in years. A reed roan himself, Joy plays them heavily in his instrumentation with five doubling saxes, including his own. Incidentally, his standby .stunt of playing two clarinets at once registers as cleverly as ever. Whilfe the saxes carry the main load, brass section of trumpet,trio and trombone works in nicely. , Rhythm section nils out with piano, string bass and drum. Vocal work features Bobbv Dixon, young balladeer, and okay. Jack Rael takes rhythm singing, and Joy chants out most of the oldies, for which he's reputed. Joy usually Criterion's Next Tome Criterion Music, which, recently went into book publishing as a side- line, by taking on the marketing of a jazz tome by Dave Dexter, will also publish in the U.S. the next edition of Frenchman Charles De- launey's "Hot Discography,'' Book is due later in the year. Dexter's book, "Jazz Cavalcade," will be released next month. Top Tunes for Your Books An All-Time Favorite I'M IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE Music hy ., . JIMMY MeHUGH Published by Bobbins READY, WILLING, ABLE DigcharKeil Vet wunia l» set buck! ThoroiiKh knowirdffA of inuHic liiihi- nrM. Dxalrei Job wllh fulnr*. iUf- nranem farnlDlin]. (iAnlat't Box ftif, VARIETY, 184 Went 4«M> S«., Nfw Vork 1». N. y. LINDA BUENA Lyrics and Music by BETTY MAIER Available for Revue LIN'-OA MEANS LIN^DA» ES BEAU - Tl - LIN - TiK FUL Y BUE- flUE- NA ME^NS Hh rm- SOqO. SHE WA'5 A 600D NEiq|H-BOR, SHEUM-OER- B»EN LA BOE-NAVE- CI - NAQue COH-PRE-INO Capyrinhr 1946 by Betty Ma'nt Orchestration Ready Contact—ELLIOTT JACOBY Station WOR—PEnmylvaaia i-UOO STOOD. DIE'N.