Variety (December 1950)

QBCnESTRAS-llflJSIC Wednegdayt December 20^ 1950 ,By HERM SCHOENFELD, Gordon Jenkins Orch - The Weavers: “So Long’* - “Lonesome Traveler’* (DeccaV. The same team that ran away from the field with '‘Goodnight Irene” has come up with another likely smash in “So Long,” also a folk number. The “The Bandwagon” (Columbia). These are two fine Columbia long- play disks scored from a pair of legit musical hits of the 1930's. On both, Mary Martin delivers the click tunes from each show with backing from a Vocal chorus and an orch under Lehman Engel’s baton. Excellently equipped for this assignment, Miss Martin Weavers and Gordon Jenkins orch and chorus combine to make this | neatly dishes up “You’re the Top,’’ A rrtlnrfiil . Instv-flflvnred . deck. ! ^ 9,^ “Blow, Gabriel, Blow ’ from Cole Porter’s “Anything Goes.” From the Iloward-Dietz-Arthur Schwartz I show, “The Bandwagon,” she reg- \To isters in Superlative style oh such o numbors as “It Better Be Good,” iflfi ‘.‘New Sun in the Sky” and “Danc- with ing in the Dark.” Ted Royal did a colorful, Tusty-flavored deck Reverse is ariother good, folk tune but the commercial values, are questionable. Jo Stafford: 'Tf”-“It Is Secret” (Columbia*. “If” ha definite potential; A fine ballad, it's ; sold by Miss. Stafford her customary tastefulness; Qh • the orchestrations. the re verse, she joins with a vocal quartet on a solid version of “Secret,” a religioso item that’s continuing to build in the pop market. Paul Westonr orch. back- grounds neaUy. Freddy Martin Orch: “Hullaba- lpo”-“Poetry” (Victor). This yer- sion of “Kullabaloo” has the .in- gredients for a big jock and juke ride. Martin’s orch gives this rous- Best British Sheet Sellers {Week ending Dec. 9) London^ D^c, 12. Rudolph Reindeer.. Chapjaell I Taw a Putty Tat.. Connelly Goodnight Irene . ..... Leeds Xmas in KlUarney ,. . Connelly Mona Lisa .....,. New World Sam’s Song..... ... Sterling Beloved Be Faithful.. Pickwick Have 1 Told You... ^ • Leeds Autumn Leaves..... .Maurice Orange Colored Sky. . Morris Ashes Of Roses . ..,. Connelly My Christmas Wish.... Reine Platter Pointers peorge Siravo prclv has added a : sharp-sounding . platter to Coltim-! bia-s “Dance Date” ipng'^play series .. Discovery has a couple of fine long-play di>ks by Paul Smith’s instrumental quartet and Mary Ann McCall, backed by Phil Moore’s orch . > . Frank Sinatra lias a fair cut of “You Don’t Re- Vera Lynn’s version of “Rainy Day Re- Second 12 Silver Po.llai' • > • • •, ^ • Pic If I Were Blackbird Box & Cox in English Garden V.. ..; Sun I Only Saw Him Once . . Unit If I Loved You .... Williamson Ferry Boitt Inn.... .Connelly All My Love . V. ....; . Maurice We’ll Keep a Welcome \ . Cox Bewitched . . Sterling Daddy's Little Qirl.. . . . . Yale Petite Waltz .... ., > Duchess Dream is a Wish. . ... . Disney MORRIS 250-POINT ASCAP HIKE E. H. Morris Music was granted a 250-point hike in its American Society of Composers, Authors and week. Morris three firms, E. H. Morris, Ing tiine ah energetic but smooth , ^ treatment with Mery Griffin han- ; dling the; vocal in effeoUve style, j ,7 __ Keverse is a. weak^ovelty.^ , _! dol.^ • ^ Benny JLee & Mai^^._ 1 Taut I okay on “Thinkihg of You” (King* ' Mayfair and Meirose Music, is now ®T J®®*- ;.. . . Jane Harvey's cut of the Stand-i about 3.300. A click in Eng' ard. ‘ All I Do Is Dream of You,” land, Puddy Tat is^ jnst ludi- jpjns , . Benny Strbne has crously infantile enough to attract a good cut of ‘ Dear Dear Dear" attention in the U. S; market, j foi- Capitol ... Fx^an Warren has Worse, but not much worse novel-. ^ good version of “Teardrops from ties have happened before. Benny ^y Eyes” (Victor) ; ... Teddy Wil- Lee & Mary ^^hver the lyric in i has fine sides in “Some- CLYDE McCOY ORCH (16) With'Chris Abbott Hotel MuehlebaCh, K, C. Clyde McCoy la an established favofite of long standing around K. C., and always a welcome book- ing in the Terrace Grill of the Muehlebach. This is his Second stand in the room during 1950, and his sixth in the hotel during his career. As lead-man is an exponent of the niusiC'^is-foi’-those-who-pay-the- “hecks-school, music put out by this crew is the mccoy. in that re- spect, but good. It’s rhythmic, full-blown and rounded but in a number of styles. It’s embellished with the leader’s own waa-waas trumpet work, vocals by Chris Ab- bott, and McCoy’s veteran show- manship. It sums up as music for the dancers and patrons, strphgJy in the standard popular vein. Instrumentally crew is one of the bigger outfits to hit town, carrying five, reeds, trid of trom- bones; trio of trumpets in addi- tion, to McCoy’s famed specialty I work, and a rhythm section of pi^ * aiio, string bass, guitar and drums, i Arranging favors the brass in muted style; but calls for good deal of feature work from all sec- w ,^'tions in sending but widely varied Publishers availability Voting last • rijyf]|niic; anrl mixing up standard Total availability for Buddy . songs with hits of the day, Latins ! Raise in MorrisV rating followed by a week availability raises for Pickwich, a Leeds subsid; AVords & Music, jointly Owned by Jack I Robbins and Cork O’Keefe, and ; Isham Jones Music, owned by hokey baby-talk style^^with suitable i thing I Dreamed Last Night” and i accompaniment by the Stargazers , -The Shiek of Araby” (MGM) . . . | . — and Nat Temple s orch.. Reverse : 351, pewey’s orch dishes up more is an okay number but without j sides in “Castles in the any unusual pegs to latch on, j Sand” and “I’m the One Who Tallulah Bankhead: “You, Go to Loves You,” Tommy . Furtado My Head”- T’ll Be Seeing You” vocalling (yictor>. . . Toni Arden’s (Columbia). Initial waxing stint; cut of “I’m Praying to St. ♦Chris- by Tallulah Bankhead has more itopher” is a good entry in the re- personality than musical interest.' ligioso cycle (Columbia) . . . Les Sultry-voiced with more than a; Brown orcli has a sharp version ' mentalists, leaves for Europe next j - ,/suggestion of Marlene Dietrich in of “Thirsty for Your Kisses” (Co- .^veek to line up concert dates for her style, Tallu recites rather than i lumbia) . . . Another good version , . a j ^ n i ‘ - = -jV-jy wm. Kir 1 his stablc. . Aiiderson Will sIso 0.0. Anderson to Europe To 0.0. for Concerts Ernie Anderson, personal man- ager for Joe Bushkin. Bobby Hack- ett and a flock of other jazz instru- aiid novelties On the vocal score McCoy is bringing along young Chris Ab- bott, as romantic baritone bal- ladeer. Young singer has been \Vith the cre\v a little over a year, and has come along in that time. McCoy connection is his first big-, league connection, aiid Abbott now j the shows accomplished Work, usually on the sweeter styled songs. \Vith McCoy's renowned thumpet spe- cialties. such as the timeless “Su- gar Blues,” band rates highly in the entertainment department. Crew w'orks in various midw^est ■ clubs and theatres before heading r for Florida late in the winter. Quin, JIMMY MePARTLAND (9) Jazz at 76 Warrenton, Boston Jimmy McPartland, long asso- ciated with jazz and exponent of the Bix school of corneting, is cur- rently breaking in a nifty six-piece combo at Steve Connolly’s newly Opened downtown jazz spot, Jazz at 76 Warrenton, with solid overall results. McPavtland, Whose sur- rounding all-star setup includes his wife, Marian Page, an 88-er who stacksS up with the best in the jazz idiom; trombonist Vic Dicken- son; clarinetist Buster Bailey, and ex-Keriton sideinen, bassist Max Wayne and druitimer Bob Varney, has Aveldod a formidable group whose individual styles comple- ment each other solidly. This in it- self is quite an accomplishment,, for the rhythm section tends to be on a modern kick while the front- line hews to the more traditional. While ensemble playing accents dixieland, McPartland wisely gives group plenty of solo Spots to show- case talents, with Dickenson pur- veying a solid sense of humor via tromboning “Blues in the Night,'• Bailey some topnotch technical manipulating of “Body and Soul,” w'ith Max Wayne getting in his licks with his own composition, “The Black Cat.” As for Miss Page, Versatile gal dishes out sock pionoing, whether soloing “Yester- day” in modern vein or backing soloists in accepted dixieland style. She has a terrific beat combined with taste and showmanship sav\v, . McPartland, plenty articulate m. c. with a casual, informal man- ner. succeeds in making each set a production, meanwhile sparking crew through such standards as “Squeeze Me” and “That’s a Plenty” with the solid corneting that has long been his trademark. Following group’s Hub date, Mc- Partland and rhythm section fill an engagement in Columbus, O., after which Dickenson and Bailey rejoin for booking in Toronto, with lineup remaining intact for future record and bistro dates. EUe. sings these standards with her usual disdain for such conven- tionas as flats and sharps. Her fans will approve. Joe Bushkin and string orch give polished backgrounds. Margaret Whiting: “Over and Over and Over”- “The Moon was Yellow” (Capitol). “Over” haunting-type ballad that Whiting renders in dramatic style, with a big assist from a striking orchestral background. On the flip. Miss Whiting delivers the standard in Effective style. Frank DeVol’s orch provides superb framework. Buddy Morrow Orch: ‘Rio Rita”-“ShadOvv Waltz”; “I’m Mov-1 ing On’’-“Little Grey Home in the West” (Victor). These latest sides by the new Buddy Morrow orch have a clean bounce style with Morrow’s standout trombone lead- ling the swinging instrumentation, sans the Tommy Dorsey style. Combo scores strongly on such standards as “Rio Rita,” delivered in smooth tempo, and “Moving On,” di.shed out on a rocking beat. Album Reviews Robert Alda-Yivian Blaine-Satn Levene: “Guys and Dolls” (Decca). Out of Frank Loesser’s Click legit musical, Decca has packaged the standout original cast showtune set of many seasons^ Loesser’s stature as an original and versa- tile lyricist and. composer,with frequent flashes of billiancy, is fully revealed on w'ax w-here tlie tunes have to stand up on their essential merit. The racy humor of the' show has been caught in this 12-inch long-play platter as well as the romantic interludes. Vivian Blaine’s delivery of “Ade- laide’s Lament” is great; equalled Humorous-Folk Songs In Kalmanoff-Baer Concert 50 Jazz-Swing Disks of “My Heart Cries for You” by ! ' In Col R6-Rcl6aS6 Evelyn' Knight and 'Red FolCy for booking situation fdi a numbei j Columbia Records, lii an effort Decca. j of Joe Glaser s attractions, such to further penetrate the rhythm! Composer Martin Kalmanoff pre- standout folk, jazz, | 'I® and blues market, is releasing some sented‘a group of his serious, hu- 50 couplings of its old jazz and imoroux ahd folk songs in a recital swing releases. Diskery Is taking |last Wednesday (13) at Times Hall, its best numbers and backing them N. Y. Kalmanoff, whose pop copy- for another European swing early next year. Anderson' Will hit Stockholm. Co- penhageii, Brussels, Paris and Lon- don, the main stopover; points for jazz concertizers. polka, religious, etc: Tampa Red, “Don’t Blame Shorty for That” (Victor) . , . Le Fevre Trio, “Swing _ Down, Chariot” (Bibletone) . . . is a! Kenny Roberts, “Cry Baby Blues” Miss I ^Coral) ... Sister Rosetta Tharpe, “Heaven Is Not My Home” (Decca) . . . Cecil Campbell’s Tennessee Ramblei-s, ';Steel Guitar Rag” (Vic- COEAI ADDS lYN MURRAY tor) . . Elton Bntt/ “Lost and i r. j t, jj j Found Blues” (VictorV , . . Bud / Records has added the iMessrier, “Skyliners Boogie” (Ab- Murray orch and choir to its jbey) . . . Dorothy Ann, “Sam. Don’t; talent roster. Deal calls for sev- I Slain the Door” (Abbey) .. . Mr. ' eral sides with options. I Goon Bones & Barney Lantz, ' The Decca subsid has also inked I “When You Wore a. Tulip” (Mer- ■ Nick Perito, accordionist, to a deal eury). ■ * also calling for a few sides. on now 78s for marketing rhythm and blues territories. Among the artists on the reissues are Billy Holliday, Jirnmy Lunce- ford. Lucky Millinder, Count Basie and Johnny. Hodges. Present Co- lumbia r&b setup has only about eight artists actively recording. Move is designed to expand the de- partment's coverage without adding artists. P^RIETY Week of Dec. 16 J 1. 2 . 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. by her duet with Sairi Levene on “Sue Me.” Isabel Bigley neatly works over “If I Were a Bell” 'in straight style and teams .with Robert Alda on a flpck of good ballads. Alda’s pipes are' okay enough for the job. Stubby Kayer Johiiiiy Silver and Fat Rooney, Sr., deliver flavorsomely on such tunes as .‘;The Oldest Established Crap Game,” “Guys and Dolls,” and “More I Cannot'Wish You.” Other standout items among the 16 num-. bers in this set are “Take. Back Your Mink,” . vocalled by Miss Blaine and a femme chorus, and “Luck Be t. Lady,” delivered ade- quately by Alda. Irving Actman is musical director with George i ^ Bassman and Ted Royal responsir ( ble for the orchestrations and; Herbert Greene for the ■vocal ar- j ^ ran,gcmtnls. Mary Martiii: “Anythiijg Goes”- TENNESSEE WALTZ (4) (Actiff-R) THE THING (4) (Hollis) ..... ALL MY LOVE (15) (Mills) .. . HARBOR LIGHTS (9) (Ci^ppell) . NEVERTHELESS (7) (Chappell) .. ORANGE colored SKY ( 8) (Frank) THINKING OF YOU (4) (Remick) . , CAN ANYONE explain '(16) (ValandoV rLL ALWAYS LOVE YOU (5) (Famous) I’LL NEVER BE FREE (1,2) (Valando) • « • • • • • « * • t * • 4 • « » . • * • • V • * • I • * » • • « « f « * « Pcitii Page .. Phil Harris.. Patti Page. , Sammy Kaye \ P,alph Flanagan ....... . I Mills Bros. ... ... . . King Colc-Stan Kenton. 'yDon Cherry ] Eddie Fisher. Ames Bws. Dean lyjdrti'-. . . Kay Starr Tenii. Ernie ., Mercury ... .Victor . . M creury .Columbia . , .^-Victor . . . Decca Capitol Decca .Victor . Coral Capitol Capitol Second Croup • ‘ I . t « *. f 4. MY HEART CRIES FOR YOU (Massey) A BUSHEL AND A peck (Mbrri^^^ , . TO THINK YOU’VE CHOSEN ME (Valandd) . OH BABE (Alamo) . ..... .Guy MiicheU-M., Miller Columbia \ Mag Whiting-Jim Wakety Capitol } Betiy Hutton Perry Comp . Victor THIRSTY FOR YOtIR KISSES (Mutual) MARSHMALLOW WORLD (Shapiro-B) : PATRICIA .(BVC): ■ THE ROVING KIND (Hollis) . CHRISTMAS IN KILLARNEY (Remick) LA VIE EN ROSE (13) (HarinsI ... f t. 4 • ' 4 • • 4 GOODNIGHT IRENE (i7) (SpCncer) MONA LISA (20) (Paramount) 4 4 4-4 4 • * Eddy Howard \ Aines Brost .-. I Louis Prime . \ Ames Bros. I MlUs Bros Vaughn Monroe Perry Cotrio Guy Mitchell . Percy Faith,. . Tony. Murtir : ... Mercury Coral ..Robin Flood Coral .Decca V* • •. Victor Victor Columbia Columbia Victor I. 4. » 4 « 4 4 4 • 4 4 • • 444-44 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 ,4 • 4 4 • • ••444 DREAM A LITTLE DREA.M (Words & Music) PETITE WALTZ (Diiehess) BE MY LOVE (Miller) . {Figures tn parentheses indicate numhe* oj in eks song has been tn the Top lOJ t» ♦ t ♦ ♦ ♦ » ♦ ♦♦♦♦4 ♦ 4 4 4 ! ♦ » ♦♦■4 ♦ 4 ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ f 4 • «,« 4 4 4 4 ] Gordon. Jenkims WeaveXs Disced f Frank Sinatr I .,;... .Columbia •«• >. 'Capitol . • • • •... ■ l^e.cca .Mercury .pecca .Victor in rights include the current “Just |sa_y I Love Her” and “At a Side- walk Penny Arcade,” has taken. numerous poems and set them to music, with varying result.s. Among the more melodic of his i works are A. E. Houseman’s “Wlien I Was One-and:Twenly,” “The Lord Is My Shepherd” and “Ou Ton Coeur Se Pose,” from a poem by Victor Hugo. Kalmanoff has also taken some humorous verse and set It to equally light and humorous mu.sic. The best are a song-cycle ; of poems written by Edwin Mar- tenet; “The Commuter’s Carol,” a poem by Atra Baer, who is Kal- manoff’s Wife, a journalist and daughter of Hearst humorist Ar- thur “Bugs” Baer; “Moo,” from a poem by Robert Hillyer, and “To J iMy (?) Cat,” by Miss Baer. About half the lyrics on the pro- gram were written by Miss Baer. Among the best are two folk songs, “Brandy Is My True Love’s Name” and “Adam’s Lament.” Lyrical but somewhat superficial is “Met- ropolitan Folk-Songs,” a song-cycle consisting of six parts; Lyrics are by Miss Baer and the work dedi- cated to her father. Closing por- tion of the program was excerpts from Kalmanoff’s and Miss Baer’s prize-winning opera, “Fit for' a King.”;-': Soloists were Nancy Kenyon, a soprano who a few years ago was ' Seen on Broadway as Magnolia in the revival of “Show Boat,” and James Beni, baritone. Miss Ken- yon, who, in addition to an excel- lent voice, knows how to hold an audience, treated her songs warmly and delicately, Beni, a little stiff at first, proved equally capable as the evening progressed. Kalman- off accompanied at the piano. Chan. V King C'tie Trio IVictoi Young FrankW Lain^ . Guy hombnrdc Mario Lanza • « 4 • 4 4 COLEMAlir JOINS CABLE Roger Coleman has joined the Frankie (^arle orch as vocalist. He formerly worked as a single in the midwest. , Band has been functioning in re- cent mofiths With just songstress Joan House, who’ll continue Coleman.