Variety (April 1950)

April S, I95ff 4$ By HEIRT^l SCnOENFELD ‘‘Ghoo’h Gum’V Ing Wtrumental Worko^ of the fifte..oldie. . Marie Khiffht: “Seal of Heaven“- ‘‘JLive^The Life”- (Decca). These sides by Marie Knight are among the best examples of a class of superb vocals which, Tor some rea- son, are ignored except for special- ized-audiences. Jocks with a taste for the unusual will find this disk sui^ble for a big play. Miss who is in the Sister Ros^ Sharpe genre, has a powerful oldtime blues style which, for its dramatic, moying .quality, would be difficult. to Iniatch ■ in; the pop field. Themes of both humbers are gospel revivalist, but Miss Knight handles them, with a terrific low- down rhythiTi> The contrast is striking. Sam Price Trio dishes out a solid jazx beat in the background. .Capitol is reissuing a flock of Stan Kenton disks, including siich standout jock items as “Peaniit yendor’’ and ‘'How High the Moon “ with june Christy. yocal- liug ‘ • Mercury has waxed ah unusual. album with the top ; bop biXophohist, Charlie Parker, hew- ing to the. melodic line against a string aind woodwind background. “Charlie Parker with Strings” is a solid three-disk set thatTl proT vide good materiai for jock pror gramming . . . Tihiy Brown goes Way off grounds with her “Slowr Motion Baby” (Capitol) although it’s not rougher than some of the Bessie Smith numbers reissued by Columbia several years ago. . But the bluenoses are tougher today and it could produce a reaction . . . Jan. Garber has come up with a neat version of “Old Piano Roll Blues” (Columbia) . Eddy Howard does another firstrate job on “Wilhelmina” (Mercury) . . : April Stevens is late with ‘■Black Lace” but her rendition On the Castle label is standout . . . In the rhythm instrumental field, Dave Brubeck Trio shows great form 6n two disks issued by Fantasy . Kay Armen has a good jock and juke item on “Sure Thing” (London) , . . Nat, “King” Cole gives a solid beat to “Calypso Blues” (Capitol) ^ . > Alan Holmes has a cute number in the bang- tail novelty, “Citation” (Columbia) , . . Ditto for Peter Donald’s vei> sion of “A Paper Full of Fish and Chips” (Columbia) which Danny Kaye did originally for Decca ... London has waxed a fine tribute to Bill Robinson in Anita . O^Day’s “Blues for. Bbjangles” (London), v^i-esa BrewerJ "cnoon uum > «Honky Tonkin'(London). .Miss Brewer is figured to do for “^Gum” SS sh^ did for "Music. Muric. Miisic” and it could happen in the Snt state of the disk .market Ihei-e virtually any novelty has: Z potential of. becoming an epi- somic "Gum,” which is taken from ah Sd stdewalk-folk tune, wIf s: some cleverness In its lyric & meiodyr but Miss Brewer dresses It UP brightly with; a fiive- like vocal and a solid. Dixie back-:. Ground by Jimmy tytell’s combo. SS MaVtln's cut fw Capitol is okay, but the number, sounds even Sllier than it is with his male and msiture pipes. Martin does much better with the reverse, T Don’t Care If the Sun Don’t, Shine,” with Paiil Weston’s Dixieland Eight ac- comping. “Honky. TonkinJ ” is rapid; rhythmic and raucously ren- dered - in Miss Brewer’s tricky ■'istyle.'' Dinah Shore-Dnsty Walker; “Ask Me NO Questions”-**You’ve Been Playing Checkers” (Columbia). “Questions” is getting plenty of play and this duet by Miss Shore and Walker should multiply the number of spins. Number hns a good beat and cute lyric that’s salably done on this side .with some playful detuning in the vo- cal. Flipover has equally strong chances for a jock and juke ride. A fresh pop,“Checkers” gets the benefit Of a highly appealing work- out by this nicely balanced duo. Gordon Jenkins Orch; “Be- witehed”-'*Where, In the World” (Decca). Two fine standards with lovely ' melodic patterns woven simply and tastefully by the Jenkins Orch and Chorus. Revival of “Bewitched” will be abetted by this side’s excellent arrangement, opening with that haunting, one- ifingcred keybqgrd strain, and fea- turing Bonnie Lou Williams- warm ,vocal. Jenkins is launching the comeback of “World” with another ifirstrate choral and instrumental interpretation. Don Burke neatly bandies the solo chores on this side. Spike Jones: “Chinese Miile Train”-*‘Riders In the Sky” (Vic- tor). Both of these numbers, which w'ere topping the hit lists several months ago, are no wgettirtg that murderous Spike Jones bur- lesque treatment. Jones has to be appreciated as ihore than an or- chestrated coniic; he’s also a dev- astating critic who ciits up hi$ pop musical, victims with the sharp edge of his parodies. No wonder these sides were held in check un-, til both numbers dirooped and died. The original versions might have withered under these hashed-up takeoffs. Now these tunes could come back for a laugh. Lorry Raine: “Music, Maestro, •Please”-“Where Can I Go?” (Uni- versal). Miss Raine, who stirred up some excitement with ‘Tt’s Too Late Now” last year, has A strong chance With this material. “Music” Is a solid torch piece handled feel- Ihgly by Miss Raine and followed up with a straight reeltatioh by an unbilled male voice. Solid for jocks and jukes: “Where Can I Go?” is a worthwhile, but extreme- «ly melancholy number with a refugee theme that Miss Raine vo- cals wtih appropriate restraint, Vic. Damone also sliced this un- usual item for Mercury in topflight style. Whether it; can buck the usual you-gotta-be-happy customer taste is doubtful. Doris Day; “Marriage Ties”- 'Hopp-Dee-Doo” (Columbia). Two cute sides that could catch On. Miss pay, with an a.ssist from the Mel- mmen, gets a lot out of “Marriage Ties,” with a light; bouncy noVelty With A “Don’t Fence Me In” idea. Vocal is done with a bright and natural rhythm that sells; Flip- over, in the polka vein, also has a solid potential with Miss Day giv- mg out in a freewheeling,' infec- uoiis style. George Wylie’s orch backs up cleanly, Salty Holmes: “I Found My ”7**DDh't Shed Your Tears . r I'm Gone” (London): “Mama-^ Js a novelty that’s pegged onto a talking harmonica. That’s all but H could be bnough to make a dent. Holmes, a hillbilly mouth organ virtupsp, gets the seript across ex- pertly; but the lineA could have peen much better.; Bottom deck is straightj uhdistinctive hillbilly stuff, ^ ■; r--' • ^ .Bmmy Dbrsey Orch; “Kiss Me”-1 T Sweet Georgia Brown” (Goliim-' Dia). “Kiss Me” is a firstrate side Py the rejuvenated Dorsey orch vocalist Claire; HbganV Latter Works over the cute lyrie with neat rnythmie stops against a grpWh trumpet pbbiigato that: could push tnKVnumher high in juke and jock preferences. Turnover is a British Sheet Sellers (Week ending' March. 25) Lohdon, March 28. Music, Music......... Leeds ^ Jealous Heart ..i.New World Dear Hearts ...... Morris Harry Lime Theme >. Chappell Down, in the Glen.; . Wright Bunch of Coconuts Box & Cox '' Garden of Weeds Box St Cox is It True About Dixie. Wood Hop Scotch Polka:. . Leeds Can-Can PolkaConnelly Chatanoogie Boy ; . . Pic Musie Song In Our Heart.. 20th-C3eht. Second 12 Best of Aiiv.....;. . Connelly ITl string Along . *. , .Feldman Clear Blue Sky...... . Dreyer 0 Breaking My Heart..: Sterling When World Forgotten Carolih : My Thanks To Ypii; Noel Gay ' Why Is It : :.;.. .Cinephbnic Our Love Story;,... CArolin Mule,Train . .Chappell Someday My Heart s . Chappell . Forever arid Ever :. ;F.D. & H. : I Need You .. •. Victoria on Natiottal Records, ctirreritly hit- ting the best seller lists with its Eileen Barton recording of “Baked a Cake,” is trying its luck with an uriknown. Compahy has pitched Lynrie Howard against Teresa Brewer arid other w.k. plattef artists iri tlie “Choo’n Gum” raOe, Waxing, accordiri.g to a Natioiriat rep, marks Miss Howard’s profes-^ sionai debut, except for some ap- pearances at army camps durihg the recent war. Miss Howard. has backed “Gum” with a reridition of ‘‘Cry, Cry; Gry.” ON TUNE AUTHORSHIP Illinois Jacquet is currently squabbling with Advance Music over outfit’s publication .- of the Jimmy MundyrAl Stillman tuhe, “Dbncha Go Away Mad;” Jacquet’a beef is that the number is nothing ihore than a lyrical version of the iristrum>jntal -‘‘Black Velvet,” which ;he clainis he vvrote in collaboration with Mundy.“Velvet” was also pub- lished by Advance. Jacquet, who recorded the rium- ber for, RCA yirtor, was lirted as co-writer on the initial platter A re- leased. • his naine has since been removed froiri the label as ; collaborator, According to ah Advance spokesman, the writer status only pertained to the Victor diskirig and was probabiy the re- sult of a special personal deal be- tvveeri Mundy and Jacquet. Number is registered in the files of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers as being a Mundy creation. ^ The pop mtisle business be heading for; the 8*‘ave» according to the moist pessimistic of its ob- servers,* but the current output of tunes would seem: to indicate just the reverse^that it’s going back to The cradle. Since “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” captivated not only the small fpr but enough of the aduhi population to make it a: frohit-running- click last Christ- mas, there has beeii: an increasing procession of ditties with a juve- nile angle in one di^octioh Or ah- .other/'■ Gene Autry’s, Mefvin Shirter’s arid Frank Luther’s diskihgs of “Peter GOttontaU” are hiirdlIng the mpppet barrier. and heading for general hifddm. “Floppy,” Luther’s kiddie-slanted backing on his "Cot- tontail’’ platter is also startirig to attract adult jukebox arid; disk-- jockey Attention.V Theri there is. the upcomirig Teresa Brewer Lon- don waxing of “Chbo'n Gum” With its elementary “my mama gave me Itqrbi Gets Gold Disk Hal Davis’ Pittsburgh, April 4. Hal Davis, recently re-elected president of Local 60 of the Musi- cians Union for second straight yesterday (Tues.) to receive the year, was painfully injured in a award. It. will be the first time a freak accident last week. At local’s gold-plated 45 rpm master hax been headquarters, ia fellow-musician at' presented to a Red Seal artist, his table was telling a story : with I Followirig t h e preseritatipn, all the gestures when he accident- j iturbi will leave for Cincinnati to ally knocked a cup of burriirig cpf- t begin a three-week tour of the U.S. fee out of a waitress’ hands, and He will be soloist with the Cih- the scalding java went down Davis’; cinnati :symph orch on April 9, back, I aftet which he will appear in 13 He was removed to the hospital cities, in solo and in joirit recitals suffering second degree burns. with his sister, Amparo Iturbi. While abroad, Iturbi made a num- ber of recordings With the Valencia orch which will be released shortly :by victor’s Red Seal division. Echo Recording chartered in New York; capital stock 200 shares, ho par value/ : a nickel to buy some, ;etc.“ word- age arid time jlrigle. Mills Music has an item called “i Found My Mama,’’:cut by Floyd . “Salty” Holmes for London, with a definite slaht toward the short-, pants .set via the lyi’ics and the; i simulation on harmonica of a “or EC A^chopin Sales Concert pianist-conductor Jose j ous ^talking” ii^truriients. ; While the lyric is not particu- larly kiddie rtuff, the melocly of “If I Knew Yoii Were Comingv I’d’ve Baked a Cake” steins froin a fA-T miliar nursery-rhyrrie tune, arid the mouth-watering titular appeal to the youngsters of “Gandy and Cake” IS undeniable. : ; Pickwick Music, newly aetivateef* Leeds Music sUbsid, is reviving ai 20-year-old song, “Stars Are : the Windows of Heaven,” title being One child’s answer :,to another’s query about the Stars, Ariother current lyric with the accent on youth is “Scarlet Ribbons” while “Daddy’s Little Girl” is the 1950 distaff answer for the small fry to “Sonny Boy.” It’s po.ssible to make out a case for “Rag Mop” as: a ditty with con- siderably more appeal to^ yourig- stera than the ayerage because of its jingly alphabet wordage, and a good deal of the success of “Bib- bidi-Bobbidi-Boo” has been due to the juvenile attractidn of its. lilting tune-and-lyric welding. Iturbi will ; get gold ' disfc today (WedA; from RCA Victor prexy Frank“^ Folsom in ceremonies marking the record-breaking lorig- hair sales of Iturbi’s C h o p i ri ‘^Polonaise,’’ which has topped the 1,300,000 mark since its release in 1945. Iturbi, who just Completed a concert tour of the British Isles and the, Continent With the Va- lencia orch. planed to New York ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦ /I, ' MUSIC,MUSIC* MUSIC|ip),(Cromwell);... ^ ^ ». CHATTANOOGIE SHOESHINE BOV (*) (Acufl-Rose). J 3/ IF I KNEW YOU WfiRE COMING (3) (Robert) 4. ENJOY YOURSELF (4) (Morris)., ......,...,.. .>.... 5. RAG MOP (10) (Hill & Range) «. DEARIE (4) (Laurel) . \:.Teresa Brewer., • I Eddie Miller... \ Red Foley, . I Bing Crosby /:... \ Eileen Barton .. I Georgia Gibbs .. i Guy Lombardo. I . Doris Day ... .. \Aines Bros- Week of April 1 ■.4' I ‘lA VIE’TO GET NEW .. -«. -.;. -.-. Londoiir * .Rainbow ... Decca . Decca ..... . Mercury ......:. .Coral .... . .. ; Decca ,..., . Colv^nbia Coral . >... ..........; j jidipii Flanagan.. ....... .Victor 7. IT ISN'T FAIR (2) (Words-Music) .......... «. r SAID MY PAJAMAS (ID (Leeds) . 0. ' CRY OF THE WILD GOOSE (5) (American) t 10. THIRD MAN THEME (1) (Chappell) • • w t ( I Merma n-Bolger . i Staff or d~MdcRae Sammy Kaye Mariin-Warren \ Frankie. Ldi ne. . j Tenncssee Ernie. \ Anton Kdras .. I Guy: Lombardo .. . . Decca Capitol .Victor Victor Mercury J . Capitol .London ;, Decca Secbiid Group T SENTIMENTAL ME (Knickerbocker) . .. DADDY’S LITTLE GIRL (Beacon) MY FOOLISH HEART (Saiitly-joy) ., THERE’S NO TOMORROW (I?) (Paxtph) ; f • • «. f C’EST SI BON (Leeds):.-.. CRAZY HE CALLS ME (6) (Massey) f BIBBIDI BOBBIDI BOO (Disney) /Ames Bros. /( Russ Morgan. •;.;.. \ Mills Bros/ I Phil Regan . . ..;, /.. Gordon Jenkins. .> \ Tony ' Martin , . ... ' \ Alan Dale . •/; v . Johnny Desmond: Billie Holiday, ..... ( PiliRy Como i Dinah Shore : ....... .Columbia Coral '/. Decca .. Decca .. Victor ./peced . Victor QUICKSILVER (Merris)' « j * f » • • « t SITTING BY THE WINDOW (ShapHo-B) V ’ » i ' • « ♦ ♦.‘4 «• •. t' ♦ •. •' # • i)EAR hearts, GENTLE PEOPLE (15) (Morris) OLD MASTER painter (16) (Robbins) . . . / MAN AROUND--’THE HOUSE. (M.prr|s);-,... .. WE’LL BUILD A BUNGAjLbW (Algpnquiri).. ■ e * 4 • • \ Crqsby-Andrews ,.......... • j; 0(5m Day. .. ... : \;Vic :Damone . : ‘''( Billy/Dekstihe .': /.. . /Dinah Shore ...... ..: • ‘: i Bing Crosby ..... . \ SinatraModernaires ( Snobky /Lanson . , Dindh Shore ........ ,, Johnny Long. .. i Mi nd y Carson . . . I Arthur GqdRey. . Gene Atiiry ... . • » • • CANDY AND CAKE (Oxford) PETER COTTONt ail (Hill-Range) [Tiqvres im Vdjrcim^ number oj weeks song has been in the Top 10.1 -■ If i * f ♦t ♦ 4 44 »» > ♦ ♦ ♦ 4 ♦ M ♦ 4 4 ♦♦4-M>444.44444444444.4*»44 to revive “You’re Too Dangerous, Cherie” with a ‘ new American lyric and under its brig- inal French title of “La Vie eh Rose’’ will be made by Harms, Inc., as a result of unexpected reaction on the number after it had quietly been interred, last .j^ear. Song, the“Stardust” of France since its publication in 1947 by Editions Arpege, Paris, had been incorporated iri a Warner film as “Dangerousi Cherie,” \y |t h an American set of words by Mack David; Despite plugging, the tune refused to step out at the tiriie, but mbrtths after Harms had given up on it several records—- Victor A'oung bn Decca, Paul Weston on Capitol, Mariclin Moirbw bn M-G-M arid Hairy James oh Columbia-— began to create a demand for the number. With: the exception of the James platter, which boasts the French, lyric, waxings were ail in- strumehtai. Calls for the song have now led Harms to reissue it as a iprthcofh-^, . Harmohl/ J! ing plug tune for the second time. ;. M-G M 4 I New lyric was writteri by David to 1! fit in with use of the original French title, a colloquialism which approximates the Ameriean expfes- j Sion “a rosy world.” / ^ j. Also partly responsible for re- . newed interest in the ditty is its : wax interpretation, by Edith Piaf^ ; Freiich ehanteuse who. vvrote the ; Gallic lyric and vyhbse French ■ platter of it has gotten around fol- ' Ipvlrig her repeated plugging of the number ih several engagements at: the Vefsailles, sriiart East Side ■ N. Y.:’ nitery. :' ,. I ; Music of the numbei: is Louiguy, with nb American vision in that department. Decca " 4 Victor i Decca . . Columbia :■. Mercury - ; .M-GM-: .:. Columbia I... Decca, Columbia : // LoiUdon .: Columbia ...\,Kvng, .,;. . Victor . ; Columbia ., Cdtunibid: by re- I Sta rgen, Music. chartered to cbnr i duct a rnu.sic arid theatrical bu.si- 4. ness In New York, with capital ‘ stock bf 200 shares, no par value.