Variety (September 1950)

Wc(Tuesdays September 27, 195Q ORCHESTRAS-MUSIC and Disks By HERM SCHOENFELD- Betty Brewers ' MolflSSfiS, Mo* l'isces , ’- < *Grizzly Bear" (London). -Molasses," a novelty tune based on an old sidewalk theme, gets a Eight juve-like rendition by Miss Brewer. If this type of item still his any impact left, this could be Miss Brewer’s biggest side since '•♦‘Music, Music,; Music." Lenity Carson bn the Discovery Tabqialso deliver this number brightly but the infantile accent is a^ bit Mqo P ronounced. On the London flip- Jver. “Grizzly Bear”; is^a smappy • two-beat, number punchily. deliv- ered bv Miss Brewer. Both Brewer sides have solid backgrounds. Billy Eckstine: “By My Love"- -Onl v a Moment Ago"; “Blue Christ mas"-“The Lonely Shep- hercl" i M-G-M)-. More .commercial 'sides by Eckstine, Who. is given jiere a lotirsome of ^low-beat num- bers which he can project most effectively. “Be My Love" and ‘•Moment Ago" are excellent bal- kuK : ereamily .rendered by Eck- «tihc, with . suitably sweet back- grounds bv RusS Case brch, “Blue Christmas," a holdover from last > car's Xmas season, gets another. a good beat * o ver well-balanced, varied ■ instrumentations. This set comprises eight great standards, including “Star Dust," “Once in a While," “Laura," “I’ve Got a Crush on You," “I Can’t Get Started," “East of the Sun," "Deep Purple," “J’m in the. Mood for Love." Rosaline Patton handles a brace of vocals in good style. Platter Pointers ..M-G-M has packaged a fine s'et Of Hawaiiai* tunes by the LaniMc- Intfre and;, orch, one of the stand- out combos in the island style , Mills Bros, have a good side in “I Still Love You" (Decca) . . .Ken Barry’s rendition of “It May Be on Sunday" rates attention (Lon- j don) , ; Eileen Barton has a i couple of cute sides in “Baby Me," an oldie, and “What Will Be, Will Be," a calypso number (National) ... Jane Pickens has two tasteful patriotic Sides\ in “God Bless America" and “America the Beau- tiful" (Victor) . . .. Kbrii Kobblers have that film-going plug tune, "Let’s Go Out to the Movies," • v ' : ••. , . >* : which. is so corny that it might line treatment r ! damage the cause it’s aiming to .line .tune in a. bucolic setting, is ■ serve <m-G-M) , .. . On the same •saperabiy produced. ; label, Trudy Richards delivers Ilaymcs: “Could Be”- Dick ....... ♦•Home" (Decca). Haymcs has a pleasing .side in “Could Be,” a good melody with - a. conventional ■rimiantic lyric. Rendition makes the most .of the, batchy musical phrase repeated in the chorus. Fine Victor Young background helps. Flipover is a highly listen- able version of the standard. Mel Torme: “Recipe for Ro- mance" - “Do - Do - Do” (Capitol). ‘•Recipe" is a bright rhythm num- ber bounced smartly by Torme who gets more animation on this side than usual for his crooning style. Good, for jocks and jukes. Pete Rugolo batons on a jump boat. Reverse is a smart rendition ot tlie Gershwin oldie now getting , renew el spins, on basis of the cur- rent Warner Bros, pic, “Tea for Tw o.” Sonny Burke batons effec- j ti\ely on this side. ! Gene Autry: “Frosty the Snow 1 Man’-“When Santa Claus Gets Your Letter" (Columbia). Autry conies up with a couple of Xmas times for the. juves, “Snow Man" lias a light beat that sells, Boy Rogers on Victor alho has a good cut of “Snow Man." “Letter,” by Johnny Marks, who .Wrote last years Autry click, “Rudolph, tlie Red-Nosed Reindeer," is another okay seasonal tune for the kkttdes. Carl Cotncr backs up with a jing- ling beat. Ink Spots: “Right About Now”-. “The AVay it Used to Be" (Decca). Ink Spots are delivering in pre- cisely the same exaggerated style as they did years ago. But they currently sound like a parody of i S pot. their own imitators with Bill 1 Kenny’s tremolo', solos and the broken-speak interludes . by . the bass; Both tunes are okay, lor this combo but a slight variation in at- tack might produce another click IVftgy Lee: “Life Is So Faeu liar "-“Once In a Lifetime" (Capitol). Miss Lee, who duetted “Peculiar" with Bing Crosby in the pic, “Mr. Music," socks across a line solo on this side. "Louis Armstrong and Louis Jordan, on Deeea, give a broad clowning treatment of this number on Decea. On the Capitol flipover, Miss Lee has a change-of-pace ro- jnantic Gypsy number with guitar backgrounds. . Johnny Desmond: “A Bushel and a Peek"-“So Long Sally" (M-G-Mi “Bushel,’’ which is be- ginning to .stir some excitement, gets one of most colorful cuts by Desmond. Bounced out with a thiir. this side is solid for jocks (»u(l j (i kes. “Sally ” is a good ballad Jell-executed by Desmond.. Tony Jlotlola brch, with Ray Charles oingers. back up effectively, Album Reviews Herman Chittison: “Keyboard Capers” (Columbia). Chittson’s e can keyboard style is excellently • showcased on this long-play set in which he interprets eight fine J'landards. Chittison ranges from JlH* complex [to the unadorned,; aU. vays maintaining a good taste in. jiis melodic variations. Numbers v .VI K °t include “Memories of You, Let’s Fall in Love,” “Daiic- • 1,1R 0rt .the- Ceiling," “Isn’t It Ro- nicely on “I’ll Never Love You" .. . . Lawrence Welk has an okay version of “Petite Waltz” (Mer- cury . . . Bing Crosby etched some more tasteful hymns in “Holy, Holy, Holy God Almighty" and “O God, Our Help in Ages Past" with j the Ken j. : . Boy Ross delivers, nicely on 1 “Call of the Shepherd," Don Rod- Best- British Sheet Sellers (Week ending Sept. 16) London, Sept 18.. Silver Dollar.,.;.. Pic Music Bewitched ..;........ Sterling Have I Told You,. Leeds Sam’s. Song. ... .Sterling Blackbird ... .. Box & Cox Daddy’s Little Girl Yale Mona: Lisa....'... . New World Sentimental Me,. .Cinephonic Once in a While......,Magna My Foolish Heart....: Sun Dearie .. " Connelly If I Loved You. X Williamson Second 12 Candy & Cake Dash Rbmember Cornfields Arcadia Quicksilver . ..Y. 3 Morris Ashes of Roses /..•:... Connelly Your Heart. My Heart VVright Let’s Do It Again . Lennox Only Eyes For You . Feldman Happy Times; . . . Feldman Tzena Tzena Tzena . Leeds Me and Shadow F. D. & H. Piano Roll Blues Leeds Oh, You Sweet One Southern BY DECCA, One advantage the British mu- ■ about the British music business, sic publisher' has over American ! an <J ^ s J n ; J healthy state. „ ,, ./i-'.i , Feldman, incidentally, still uses firms is the fact that lie doe.nt ^ demonstration method of sell- Arthiif Schwartz tunes are slated have to pay for his plugs, accord- ing to John Firman, managing di- ' rector of Feldman & Co., Ltd., one of Britain’s oldest and most power- ful publishing houses. Firm ah, in New York for one of his periodic visits, says the code that publish and the British Broadcasting# Sys- tem entered into about two years ago, prohibiting payment to artists for performances, is working out entirely satisfactorily. Under the agreement, any pub- lisher caught making payments for performances gets his entire Cata- log taken off the air. by BBC. Like- wise, any performer found accept- ing payments is banned from the air, Result, says Firman, is equit- able opportunities for all publish- ers to get their songs played, on the merit of the song arid the abil- for heavy disk promotion this fall j ity of the “exploitation man," as •on the. basis of two alburns being ! the British eoiitaetman is called, prepped by Decca and Columbia. | Whether such a system coiild be Decca has pencilled iri a set of achieved here, is doubtfql,.Firman [.top Schwartz numbers, which, will [ says. Remember,, in . England., be cut by tlie Gordon Jenkins orch we ve 6°t only one radio network, and chorus; k X i Columbia, meantime; is going I ahead With plans to wax a shoW- tune album of “Band Wagon," the Schwariz-Howard Dietz legit, musi- ing music, but only in one spot. About 30 years ago, the company set up a hall in the resort of the Isle of Man, at which it demons strated and sold music. Every . summer, the practice continues, and according to Firman, is a pro- lific source of sales; -i Otherwise, Firman, says, demon- slralions have been replaced by records. Two chain store outlets in London, the Woolworth Chain and tlie British Home Stores, both use records to demonstrate pop songs. . Woolworth’s, as a matter pf fact, doesn’t even sell records, but buys its own to demonstrate songs. The chain stores, Firman says, are one of the best retail outlets available to British publishers. Firman, who is in N: Y; to confer with American publishers regard- ing songs on which he holds Brit- :ish rights, will be here for another month or more. ; He said he’ll pick up rights to a couple of tunes he likes, and has brought over a num- ber of British songs rights to which he. will assign here. Darby Singers ^(Decca)(^ ca j 0 f the early 1930’s, with Mary Martin starring in the platter set. Columbia Broadcasting System 01 Band Wagon’ boards for a colorful side on 1 Ranri ^ •“Nola” (M-G-M). Standout folk, western, jazz, polka, reliigous, etc.; Eddie Mar- Hub’s Bobby Norris Set As shall, “Buddy, Stay Off That Wine" (Victor) . . . The Pinetop- pers, “Big Parade Polka" (Coral) Harold Burrage, “I Need My Baby" (Decca) . . , Smokey Rogers, “Lose Y'our Blues" (Coral) ... ; the Hub’s WNAC. staff orch, has Floyd Tillman, “I’ve Got the | been appointed musical director Craziest Feeling" (Columbia) . „ . for Hildegarde, the post recently Luke the Drifter, “No, No Joe" . relinquished by Bob/Grant, and is (M-G-M) . . . George Morgan, |burrenlly breaking in the new or- Afraid to Love Me” (ggnization during her Providence (Columbia).* the BBC. Here, you’ve got count- less stations that must enter into agreements and; keep them. It would, be extremely difficult," While the code prevents the wealthier houses [from exerting un- due advantage, Firn^n says, there is generally enough of. a savings in money to offset this entire^ And it gives the lesser publishers an op- portunity to get performances on their songs. Biz Picking Up Apart from the payola angle, Hildegarde Music Leader ; Boston Sept,. 26. ■ heavy empliasis on disk jockey Bobby. Norris, longtime leader of.: expressed surprise at the importance of the deejay here, saying / that while in recent months a coUple of bits have been made in England via heavy dee- jay concentration, there’s no com- parison to the weight <iach exerts in liis respective country. One pos- Comito Pro Mgr. In St. Nick Co. Reorg .Biltmore engagement. Although. ... the majority of sidemen were re-! ,sl ^ e reason lor- tne difa.crcnce is cruited by Norris iri the Hub, Sal- vatore Gioe continues as her per- Irving Green; president of Mer- cury Records, flew to Europe Sat- urday (23) to look over possibili- ties for setting .exchange deals with foreign diskeries. Mercury has long been mulling the idea of ex- changing ; their domestic pop mas- ters for foreign longhair masters, with the pops being pressed in Europe and the foreign longhairs here. Diskery has had one such deal in Denmark, and idea was to expand all over Europe. Green will v also look over the international situation, which, of course, must figure as a major , ^ „ , factor in any negotiations he con- the fact that there are. only a few ducts. Up 16 recently, raw material disk jockeys, in EngJand, and its shortages overseas prevented im- sonal pianist, witlv,-M.el^ Rosenbach 1 '.unlikely-^ the uu?n^er will be | n “ plementation of the plan, but by and Joe Spallino held over from creased. ^ ; last spring, shortages had eased In a reorganization of .Johnny the Grant organization. ! British plugging continues to to the point \vhore Mercury was Marks’ publishing .firm, St. Nich.o- Norris, a violinist* has at various emphasize commercial shows aml j a t)lo to send a special agent over las Music, Lou Comito has been times been connected with R ay remotes, Firman says. Television , t 0 lay the groundwork lor negotia- named professionai manager in 1 Noble, Ruby Newman, Jack Ren-: h^u’t grpw<n enough iii England I tions. Now Green must decide New York with Jerry Lewin added !.ard arid jabk Marshard. : to be -an imporlant factor, but “we i w hcther the current crisis will af- to the local staff. Tom Sherman has been appoint- ed Chicago manager, with Danny Cameron stepping, into the Coast Xavier Cugat orch will stage a musical revue here at the Houston Auditorium Nov. 7. Other Texas dates are being lined lip. [ contact every possible outlet, and , f cc . t rbw jiialerial supplier to an television is one of them.” Regarding business, the pub- lishing exec said it’s been picking 1 up in recent weeks. He’s ooLimistic Week of Sept. 23 I 5. TZENA, TZENA, TZENA (II) (Cromwell) riant ic," “September dn the Rami’ 1 . Can’t Take That Away . ‘‘Can’t-We,Be Friends" X ul On the Sunny Side of the otreet. •• 1. GOODNIGHT IRENE (8) (Spencer) 2. MONA LISA (12) (Paramount) 3. SIMPLE MELODY (7) (Berlin) .., 4. SAM’S SONG (10) (Sam Weiss) ^ • • • p • ♦. i * t 6. 7. 8 . 9. 10 . LA VIE EN ROSE (5) (Harms) CAN ANYONE EXPLAIN (4) (Valando) ALL MY LOVfe (3) (Mills) :. : I WANNA BE LOVED (18) (Supreme) BONAPARTE’S RETREAT (10) (Acuff-Rose) \ J on kins-W cavers l Frank ■. Sinatr i . . V King Co/c Trio l Victor Young.. Bing &. Gary Crosby \ Bing & Gary Crosby, j Joe “Fingers” : Carr. ( Jenkins-Weauers j Mitch -iullcr..,....... Tony Morlin :. Ames Bios: : Pal\i Page . ( Andrews. Sis-Jenkins . j Billy' Eckstine Kay Starr. J' . Decca ... . . . Co’umbia ....... ; Capitol Decca ... .Decca Dacca . C'" pitot Dacca Columbia Victor Coral .Mercury .; Dacca . .M-G-M Capitol appreciable extent, j Since a good portion of Mer- cury’s longhair catalog, comes from overserGreen will probably eon- : fer v> ith his present longhair i sources there. Among the groups '.supplying .'Mercury., with longhairs . : are the Bay^rian Rad'o orch, ! Czech. Philharmonic. Danish S(ate | Radio orch and Prague Philhar- monic.. : Cowl piirt of the negotiations : wrs to have been handlcd on a .; .schctitled trip. ■ i'or Sept. 1, by ; David rail,. Mercury’s longhair • chief, hut Hall was unable to get [away from New York. It’s, not ; k io-..n how long Green will stay,. " ovorrea*. Secund Croup ABC Signs Cherry : Singer. Don Cherry 'ha^ been signed with Associated . Booking Co^’n. for theatre and nitery dates. Singer’s radio and television bookings are handled by Lester Ijcwi 1 '. Music publisher. ITowie Richmond is his personal manager. T ’ 11 T J , T x - Lawrence: “College Proxii" Vv,! ( n a, *i of the younger dance . gmlleaders now making his mark, -inrence delivers a fine package sot' - l ? ce Vhythm® in this Decca Lawrence’s band blays with I’LL NEVER BE FREE (Valando) . MUSIC MAESTRO PLEASE (Bourne) I LOVE THE GUY (Shapiro-B) CINCINNATI DANCING PIG (Old Hickory) , HARBOR LIGHTS (Chappell) ........... COUNT EVERY STAR (Paxton) . .C. DREAM A LITTLE DREAM (Words & Music) VAGABOND SHOES (Jefferson) CROSS MY FINGERS (United) JUS& SAY I LOVE HER (ABC) I’LL ALWAYS LOVE YOU (Famous) 1 DIDN’T SLIP, I WASN'T PUSHED, 1 FELL (Remicfc) NO OTHER LOVE (Disney) . . . . OUR LADY OF FATIMA (Robbins) Kay SlarrrTenn. Ernie Capitol ■ y • • • •) • ••• • • • • * • ♦ ■» i ;•* # %• '• •' *.» • • • • • . * • •. i Frankie ■ IAine :... } Tony. Martin .. ...... . . ;■ •; Fran. \Varraii : •..; \ Red Foley ; I Vic Danwne . ... S"mmy / Kaye .;.. Hugo Win ter halter '•A Frankie . La hie.; V ic- Da n t one .. .. Perry Conu Dean Marti:i Doris Day. ., Jo Stafford . j KaUcmHaycs l Rcjd Foley v,. Jenkins-Shcw ...Mercury.' .Victor . Victor : Music Biz • • • • ♦ < ft • 0 4 f Decca I’M FOREVER BLOWING BUBBLES (Remick) [Figures in,parentheses indicate number of weeks sono has b>'cv. w the Top 10 ) C<mt } nuta from page 41 no'd’s “Love Bug Itch," both of w’liich are hitting the' .'best. Vict-or es mark in about five months. new promotion newspaper ad campaign 1 ;, for its 45 rprn line. (;•; p- h ; is also getting i;s pop d q partment into shape to cnsh in on'.Ihh season’s boom. Fastest mov- ing Col disk currently is “Jlarbor Lights." waxed b.\ Sammy Kaye as his first assignmen.i..•'■since swijehing from Vidor, Dinah Shore S 1 11 Always Love You;" Doris Day s “Orange Colored Sky" and Mitch Miller’s “Au Re voir Again" are also br ing lifted up in the general, trade revival.