Variety (Dec 1947)

42 Bands at Hotel B.O.'s Hsinil - Hotel Plwycd Nat BfandWynne*.Waldorf. (400; $?> 8 ' CharlieSpivak... Pennsylvania (500; 50) 2 Sammy Kaye..".. New Yorker (400; Sl-5!l-50). . 3 Johnny Pineapple Lexingfon (300; $1-31.50) 55 GuyLombardo Roosevelt (400; $1-$1.50) , .. ..7 Stan Kenton" Commodore (400; $1-$1.50) 1 *jPe Marcos at Waldorf, Vic Damone at Commodore. . Wck 2,400 2,250 1,725 950 2,;500 2,325 TOtttI Coven On nnte 19,675 9,750 8,700 ■ 51,800 l'?,800 2,325 Chicago Jose IMelis (College Inn. Sherman; 700; $2-3.50 min.). Mel Torme hitting hefty 5,600. : Ray Morton (Mayfair Room, Blackstone, 300; $3.50 min.-$l cover). Illona Massey opening Friday (28) following Jan August and' Monica Lewis run, pulled 2,100. (Beorjfe Olsen (Marine Room, Edge water Beach; $l-50-$2.50 min.). Bad weather early part of week accounted for slight drop to 3,800. Ofrin Tucker (Boulevard Room.^ Stevens; 650; $3.50 min.-$l cover). Another weather-hit spot. Fair 3,000 Grja Williams (Empire Room, Palmer; 550; $2,50 min.-$X cover). Turkey Day diners swelled covers to 3,700, |.^os .Angeles Freddy Martin (Ambassador; 900; $l,50-$2). Hefty 3,300 tabs. Jan Garber (Biltmore; 900; $1-$1.50). Excellent 3,200 covers. Location Jobs, Not in Hotels . • .'■ . ■ ; .:, (Chicago), . ■ ■,. . ■■ , Marty Gould (Chez Paree; 550; $3.50' min.). Paul Draper pre-holiday opening helped net 5,500. Eddy Howard (Aragon; $1-$1.15 adm.). Good holiday weekend biz. Bright 18,100. Buddy Shaw (Latin Quarter; 700; $2.50 min.). Lenny Kent headlining. Parties for hospitalized vets during entire week raised take to hot 3,600. Liawrence Welk (Trianon; $1-$1,25 adm.)i Thanksgiving Day bow equalled spicy 18,000. , (Los Angeles) Xavier Qu'gat (Aragon, B, Ocean Park). Closed five-day stand with •tout 6,200 payees: Paul Martin's local crew continuing. Lionel Hamtiton . (Meadowbrook, B, Culver City, 5th wk.). ■ Closed stand with fair 5,400 admishes for flnal frame. Count Basic opened last nite ■ (.2). ■ ■ ■ Elliot Lawrence (Palladium, B, Hollywood, 2d wk). Biz picked up a little over holidays; profitable 10,800 stub buyers. Monroe Uses Ballerina As Song's Illustration Boston, Dec. 2. Vaughn Monroe is making visual use of the sharp impetus he and his band have been given by the heavy click of their Victor recording of tlie tune "Batieriria." Onstage at the RICO Bostort theatie, Monroe has built a,-production number around his arrangement of the tune—using an actual ballerina as background for his vocalling. Girl works under a subdued spot, Monroe: doesn't go into other the- atres following his current date un- til next month, but when he resumes hell continue to use the ballet terper, * Dreyfus Warms Up Harms Co. to Hypo Songs in Disk Crisis Dreyfus jriusic publishipg group is reactivating'the T. B. Harms com- pany to the extent that it's assigning to that firm a new contact staff and moving Into a group of new tunes. Harms has been comparatively dor- mant lor. months, but now that the recording ban of Jan. 1 is forcing all companies to bunch tunes for disking, and must have open spots wherein they can be exploited, when released, renewing tl^e Harms staff was one answer to Dreyfus' particu- lar problem. " Carley Mills, professional manager of Chappell,; will be moved into the same spot 'in Harms. He will work' on '.'Mickey,' which, is being sched- uled for a revival ride due to the success of. Ted Weems' Mercury disking. Firm will also hahdle the score of the forthcoming "Make Mine Manliattan," Broadway-due musical. ''6 j|jo|iths.ago, I was just another piano player!" Th»n I added a Solovox to my piano. Now, I'm booked solid / • ■ aiid drawing down more money than I ever made before. Six MojtTHS Ago, I sit in a night dub. There I sec a piano player who isn't half the musician X am take three *ncorcs'and leave the customers hol- Jering for more. ^ 'Wbet^ he takes the last bow, 1 in- vite him to my tabic for a di inlc. I tell him who I am and one thing leads to another^imtil by the time the joint clobcs he is in a mood to .show mc what gives. A Solovox*, he calls it and hi^ilets mc try it. Brother, this is something! With .thii.Solovox hitched to the piano, I <ian make like a sax or get hot like a trmnpet, while playing my own piano accompaniment. Just by fiddling with the ton? controls I can get a whole raft of colorful effetts—oboe, organ, violin, flute, cello—almost any instru- ment you can name. I can dress, up pop tunes and make .the long Iiair stuft sit up and beg. The ' SoIovo.K makes mc a speciality instead of just another piano player. The liext morning ! hit for a piano dealer on the double; tell him to wrap up a Solovo.i: for sjic, and tlien I beat it for my agent. The rest is very happy history. I'm booked solid for months and making money like a counterfeiter. You get the hang of the SolovOx in no time. It's portdblc. It's easy to attach to any piano, and just as easy to detach, ypu'jnst plug it into the lighting circuit and play. Doesn't aflect.tlie normal tones of the piano, 'Cither.' ■ f What a Solovox docs for you may.' be less; or it may be even more than it did for me.^\ lot depends upon your oivn musical skill and showmanship. Certainly, you can't lose a plugged nickel by clipping the coupon and finding out more about the Solovox. Now, can you? oVox MpJ* ^ V# mJcmn of Hammond Organ %iMiMn.ii.KMriMh.- Hammond Invtrunient Cfnnpaiiy 4248W. Div«raey Ave., ChickKo 39, Illinoll Gentlemen: Ple*^ send me further tttfArmati'im abont the Solovox, amt the nmnea oT Sdovex dealen aeti mm. N«np ,i ,," ■ Addren~ ■ ,■: . :. ■ ' . ■ . , ' ■ ■ ■ /ik Best Mh Sheet Sellers {Week Snditig Nov, 20) Now is the,Hour , K. Prowse Sorrento-' , i Ricordi Little Old Mill ^ ."Dash Apple Blossom Wedding i Connelly I'll Make Up For'Everything Maurice First Love, Last Love Dash" Danger Ahead , 'Vale Donegal , Lead? Guilty ; F, D, &H, Chl-Ba-Ba Sun Peg O' My Heart ~.,., Ascherberg Garden in the Rain , Connelly Second IZ . Bow Bells ..> (....,: .'..,...).., Kassner Christmas Dreaming ' Leeds Old Spanish Trait .... .i..... .......... i... .....Maurice Lovely World and You ................ ........ .. .Cincphonic My> Desire .,— . ; ;.........; .. . Feldman Feudin' and Flghtin' Chappell Sweetheart Avenue F. D. & H. Anniversary Song .,, Connelly I Believe '........• Morris People Will Say , , Williamson They Say It's Wonderful Berlin What a Beautiful Morning Williamson Coin Tunes Big In Britain sterling Sherwin, whose last cow boy book, published by Francis, Day & Hunter of London, proved to be Great Britain's top : cow-crooner seller, has signed with that com- pany for a new book to be titled "Sherwin's Saddle' Songs." New book features all original il- lustrated numbers. Band Review Giiy STAN KENTON .ORCH. (31) With Jone Cbristy. Ray Wetzel Commodlore Hoteli N. IT. Stan Kenton's reorganized orches' tra was expected to burst the seams of the Commodore hotel's Century Room. It is doing just that-—but not in the manner anticipated. Its pres- sure on the room's construction comes partly Irom the tremendous drive of this big band, but ma,inly from the amouilt of business Kenton is drawing into the cubicle. At the week's end SundayOO), he had piled 2,325 covers into the spot. Few bands have I. come into N. y. for a date at a major hotel under the sort of apprehension, that'-sur.> rounded Kenton's debUt. His big ■band—consisting of 10 toass evenl^ divided, five sax, and six rhythm-* is known for its wild attack on anything but so-called popular mU' sic. Those concerned with the \)o6k- ing ielt like small boys who had set a fire where they shouldn't have; they were scared silly by the pos- sible consequences. As it's turning out, the bookers liiight well have set a fire alright—one that may put .a flame" to the dying embers of a: once- hot swing-band 'business. It's very possible that Kenton may achieve that result. There's no question but that Renton is working a room he shouldn't have been booked for and that he's wrong in playing the kind of'music he does .in a spot'such as this, but he's ■ doing business and that's the only answer to be sought. Whether the kids who are patroniz- ing him are .gpending much is an- other story. They "Seeni like Coca- Cola, chejcks. '- Here at the Commodore, Kenton is doing things' .that many thought were no longer possible in the band field: (1) He's playing to'heavy crowds exclusively made up of kids who 12) rush to surround the band- stand th^ second the first musician puts foot on the stand to start a set and (3) then stand around open- mouthed, drinkmg in his surrealism in music like they knew what it was all about. In short, somi. datiee, but the majority listen. ' . There's only one answer to the newly.found'success-of Kenton in N. Y. His band plays the most ex- citing music to be heard anywhere. And that's what has been lacking among the top-name bands for some time. Disregard'for a moment that. Kenton uses material that starts where Duke Ellington, in his hey- day, left off (it plays no pop tunes). Disregard tor a moment that it is played toy a unit that has no rival among current bands, performance- wise. It is being successful with the kids here because it is tremendously exciting—and that's the only thing that has been wrong with the so- called "swing band" 'business. None of the big Bands has been able to get out of its own way. They are tired in more ways than one. Trying to analyze Kenton's music is like trying to analyze the world's current troubles. rThis reviewer frankly didn't care for Kenton's ideas as presented by the combo used before his illness last spring, with the exception of certain record- ed arrangements sqch as "Intermis- sion Riff" and "Artistry in Rhythm." Too much of the remainder of his book then seemed aimless and often jtst plain uncomfortable noke. This rt^w band, while it plays the' same (Continued ODi page. 48) Mpls. Stirs Ui» Jazz Minneapolis, Dec. 2. Local jazz musicians are being given a chance to display their ability at a series of Sunday after- noon concerts, titled "We Call It Jazz," in the Radisson hotel Gold Rpom. Best of local jazz musicians have been assembled into a dixies land band. Idea is that of Bob Smith of KnOx- Reeves ad. agency and Leigh Kam-' man Of WLOL. Purpose of the, proj- ect, they say,, is to create a greater local interest in jazz. From Holiywood mm MEN'S DINNEf? SHIRTS SJ.95 <& S4.95 SUIT—-I'oi-' JSaiicei-fli, SUftt era' mtift iS.cro^. batic T e ft tti «.- Of ■ sturdy All ?Wooi ■Whipcord. Tou wilt flljd theiil veiT' eaas^ and fomtortttl^le ±0 wofk In, a'nlhired »s only We kliow lioWf In Mldliiglit BjUB, Royal Blu(!, Powder Blue, Grey and •"■--■-■^ *_ ■ Maroon;'. ■ ■■•■.i' 3f4IMt!>CO MBASritK—7lt.0O SUPREME MEN'S SHOP 1693 BROADWAY, Neiir S3rd St. She's an Old SwMtheart I with the Ne«y Leoli ■ MARY LOU If It's True : MIlTf) Bro». (Dcccn m84) Johnny I>«iim»n<1-Vnsci OuvniitiuBli Trio „ . (Vlrtor 80-8818) CoAtle WilUanip (Mnjcatlc J165) ■Art Mooney ' itM:0;M. 10088) When YouVe Smiling MILLS MUSIC. Inc. I6M Broadway New York 19 Compltt*. Faciliticc of DYNAMIC RECORDNG STUDIO AvoUabl* EvMings for DRAMATiC AND RADIO CLASSES 37 Wait 57th Street. Now York PLon S-14M