Variety (February 1951)

46 ORCHESTRAS-MUSIC Wednesday, February 7 , 1951 •By HERM SCHOENFELD. Guy Mitchell: “Sparrow In the Tree Top” - “Christopher Colum- bus” (Columbia). A couple of refreshing sides by Guy Mitchell who maintains the impact register- ed with “My Heart Cries For You” and “The Roving Kind.” Once again, both these sides get a tre- mendous lift from the instrumental and choral backgrounds under Mitch Millers’s imaginative baton. Mitchell colorfully bounces “Spar- row” a fine folk-type ballad with a big potential. Reverse is another standout number With a clever lyric. Both sides rate plenty of jock spins. Spike Jones City Slickers: “Peter Cottontail'-“Rhapsody From Hun- ' ger(y)” (Victor). Spike Jones comes up with a sparkling version of this Easter tune on a side that should make a big splash in the holiday market. Crew moderates its come- dy style with Marian Richman delivering a cute juve-tailored vocal. Sammy Kaye’s orch and Gene Autry also have neat cuts of “Cottontail,” both for Columbia. On the Victor reverse, Jones conies through with one of his cleverer cacophonous travesties, Helen Grayco and Freddy Morgan han- dling the comedy lyrics. Ella Fitzgerald: “The Beanbag Song”-“Lonesome Gal” (Decca). If “Beanbag” makes the grade, it’ll be on the basis of Miss Fitzgerald’S version. A superlative rhythm stylist, she gives this side the same swinging quality which made her “A Tisket A Tasket” a smash. On the reverse. Miss Fitzgerald scores with an okay blues item, the Sky- larks vocal group and Sy Oliver’s rhythm combo backing. Teresa Brewer’s solid version of “Lonesome Gal” for London also rates attention. Stuart Hamblen: “My Life With You”-“Old Glory” (Columbia), Hamblen, folk artist who cleffed “it’s No Secret,” comes up with another number with.-Strong pos- sibilities for the pop market. A lov^.bajlad^ .“Life. With. Yo.u” is assetted by its simple melody and sincere lyric. Flipover is another Hamblen tune oh a patriotic theme, Hamblen delivering the vocal with a pleasing prairie style. Hadda Brooks: “Vanity” - ‘.‘It Hadda Be Brooks” (London), Miss Brooks is one of the better blues stylists on wax and she Scores strongly with her treatment of “Vanity,” a fine torch item. Side rates plenty of jock and juke spins. On the reverse, pianist Jack Pleis dishes up a driving boogie-boogie solo with rhythm accompaniment. George Cates Orch: “There’s More Pretty Girls Than One”- “Down By the Old Zuyder Zee” (Coral). Cates comes up with a standout deck in “Pretty Girls,” an Ozark-flavored ballad with a catchy waltz beat; and lyric. Cates’ warm baritone is neatly backed by the Mellomen choral group. Re- verse is a bright folk-styled dance item, the Heartbeats choral group handling the yodelling vocal. Kitty kallen-Richiard Hayes: “Aba Daba Honeymoon”-“I Don’t Want To Love You” (Mercury), Miss Kallen and Hayes once again blend neatly 'on this change-of- pace coupling. ‘Honeymoon,” from the Metro pic, “Two Weeks With Love,” is socked across in snappy rhythm Style with the clever’lyric cutely framed by the duet,. George Siravo orch backing up. Flip, solid- ly rides on a slow tempo, Jimmy Carroll’s orch backing the duet. Jimmy Wakely - L es Baxter chorus; “Beautiful Brown: Eyes”- “At The Close of a Long Long Day” (Capitol). “Brown Eyes” is still another tune hailing from the backwoods but with- a potent pop commercial quality. Wakely vocals it straight • with Baxter’s orch and chorus lending color to this lilting item. Rosemary Clooney also has a likely version for Co- lumbia, the songstress handling a three-part harmony. On the Capitol flip, Wakely and Baxter’s chorus join in another pleasing produc- tion. Album Reviews Charlotte Greenwood - William Eythe-David Burns-George . Jonge- yans-William Redfield-Priscilla Gil- lette-Barbara Ashley; “Out of This World” (Columbia). Full score of Cole Porter’s current legit musical, “Out Of This World” has been at- tractively packaged by Columbia BET AIL SHEET BEST SELLEBS U&RIETY Survey of retail sheet music fates, based on reports obtained from leading stores in 12 cities and showing . comparative sales rating for this and last week . National ', Rating This Last wk. wk. Title and Publisher c o a 5 - 4" * 6 i u o x: & (9 U 6 ■ •jo w ft) a CO B 0) <u hi Ou 0) m M O Clf OJ «>. * cn o -J • dj 6 o 0 25 E - a t M >» , r—* 1 a ft • a m 6 • H w- I; CO •H 3 0 ■a- . ■ * in 01 . 9 3 J m. 01 o hi PQ a> C C V o a> Q i a Q 09 <u 7S CO P 4 ■ *4 4> *d <o At a o a> a, d & to H CO 3. « a> a 01 M 1 c I 43 I O O 0 •H 1 u c n 3 * m a S w 2 .S a> o > JP 1 T O T A L P 0 1 N T 14 10 “You’ve Chosen Me” (Laurel)... 10 10 8 .. 8 ITOBY JOE HDNTEB SINS! “I FOUND MY BABY” i AIN’T GOT NO GAL NO MORE” MGM 10899 K 10899 78 RPM 45 RPM “SORTfl NEED YOU” “YOU THRILL ME” in a 14-sided original cast album. Charlotte Greenwood, show’s star, registers nicely on a brace of num- bers, including “Nobody’s Chasing Me/’ although Miss Greenwood’s full comedy impact needs visualiza- tion. Other standout number of the show, “Use Your Imagination,” is handled in impressive fashion by Priscilla Gillette, who also scores on the big ballad, “I Am Loved.” Barbara Ashley’s rendition of “Where, O Where” is good in a musical comedy style as are the numbers delivered by George Jong- eyans, William Redfield and David Burns, It’s a good score with sev- eral standout tunes but not Por- ter’s best. Pembroke Davenport ba- tons the background orch. Dick Contiho - Dewey Bergman Orch (Victor). Dick Contino’s flashy accordionistics get a full showcas- ing. in the Victor three-disk set. Ranging from the pyrotechnics of the “Sabre Dance” to the dance tempo of “Tea For Two,” this set indicates „the dimensions of Con- tino’s virtuosity on his instrument. Solidly backed by .Dewey Bergman batoning an orch and chorus, Con- tino delivers “Roman Guitar,” “El Relicario,” “Peggy O’Neil,’.’ “Beer Barrel Polka.” On the Upbeat Continued from page 44 Pieper set for Melody Mill, Chi, March 14 ... . Don Ragon pencilled into Indiana Roof, Indianapolis, Feb. 23 . » . Don Reed 'band set for Roosevelt Hotql, New Orleans, May 3 with Martinique Ballroom likely roost in between . . . Eddie South back in operation after year- and-half layoff with location stand at Blue Note this week . . . George Stemey to Hollenden Hotel, Cleve- land, Feb. 22 for one month . . . Tiny Hill set for Orpheum theatre, Omaha, March 30, for one week , . . Billy Daniels tentative at Chez Paree, March 2 . . . Mutual Enter- tainment has pacted Ben Arden quartet, now in fifth month at Sky Club, Aurora . .... Big Three Trio set for Capitol Lounge, Chi, Feb. 8 ... Gene Autry etched “Sonny the Bunny,” penned by Macy vee- pee Tom J[ohnston, for Easter re- lease. Tune was cut here last week . . . Hugo Malan set for Deschler- Wallack, Columbus, Feb. 8 for one month ... Orchester Charlie Spi- vack hosted luncheon for local con- tactmen last week .</•,. Will Back goes to Flame, Duluth, Feb. 9 . ; . Les Brown planing • in from Coast for date at Drury College, Spring- field, Mo., March T6, following at Pla-Mor, Kansas City, March 17. MGM 10861 K 10861 78 RPM 45 RPM MGM RECORDS T h [ . t ! n a v | ($\ • IN • ’ f •• /. ; >, Hollywood TVVV^TT ^ ■ Muggsy Spanier inked for four frames, starting April 23, at the Hangover Club, San Francisco, at $1,750 per week ... Ralph Flana- | gap’s 5,000 payees on his first Sat- j urday night at the Palladium was j the terpery’s best non-holiday Sat- urday night crowd in three years Duke Ellington opens Feb. 15 at • the Thunderbird, Las Vegas . . . i UI arranging release of Frank De- Vol’s “Music of the Century” short so it can be used as advance pro- «^ '• '*'» 1 * .'i ■ ' ' . i i Songs on TY Week of Jan. 26-Feb. 1 (Alphabetically Listed) (Based on Copyrighted Au- dience Coverage Index and Audience Trend Index , pub- lished by Office of Research r Inc., Dr, John G. Peatman , director) If ........., y.•••• Shapiro-B Heart Cries for Y.ou... Massey Nevertheless Chappell Tennessee Waltz...... Acuff-R You’re Just in Love.. . .Berlin 5 Top Standards Caravan . ........ American How About You . .. BMI I’rii Chasing Rainbows Robbins Star Dust .. . ..... Mills Irish Eyes Smiling.. .Witmark motion for his scheduled 12-city summer theatre-terpery tour . . > Eva Mae Hopkins, exec secretary to the president of local 47 AFM for the last decade, resigned her post. Wirtgy Manone’s new six-piece crew current at Ciro’s Frisco; at $1,200 per week . . . Louis Arm- strong combo booked for a fort- night at the Tiffany Club here, starting April 6, at $4,000 weekly. Kansas City Billy Williams orch opened at the Kansas City Club Feb. 1, mov- ing over from Eddy’s Restaurant . . . Tony DiPardo moved in behind Williams at Eddy’s . . . Jimmy Tucker orch out of the Southern Mansion after more than a year on the job to take date at Broadmor hotel, Colorado Springs , . . Gor- don Dudero currently has a crew in the Southern Mansion . . . Joe Vera orch now in its second straight year in El Casbah of the Hotel Bellerive , . . Fisher and Marks, after their date at El Cas- bah, headed for the Triton hotel, Rochester, N. Y.y and follow that with stand at Charles Club, Balto. . . . Charley Chaney set for the Mapes hotel, .Reno, opening Feb. 16 for-a fortnight . . . Sbep Fields orch takes over ^in the Terrace J 1 ? 11 t. of Hotel MUehlebach, first 3M« # tier®t or Fields who replaces Gnff Williams crew . . . Stan Ken- s n oreh set for one-nighter in the Pla-Mor Ballroom Feb. 10. •. ..« . Pittsburgh .With addition of pianist Dodo Marinarosa, Ben Kibble's’ band at William Penri Hotel’s Terrace Room now has four Local 60 men, The others i-are Clyde Beilin on trumpet; A1 Cord on sax and Lou Blumer on drums. They all in- tend to travel with Ribble when he winds up his Pittsburgh engage- ment , . . Frank Vecely, Jr.,. drum- mer with; Artie Amell’s orch, is at the Deshon • Veterans Hospital in Butler, Pa., for treatment . . . France* Gilt subbing at organ iii Hotel Sheraton's Cocktail Louhge for Russell Haydn, who is con- valescing from a ‘ siege of virus pneumonia < . Billie Holiday booked into Capa for eight days beginning next Monday (-12)-.,.:. . bands of Maurice Spitalny and Joe Morrone played annual March of Dimes Ball here for tenth straight year . . . Skip Nelson, former Glenn Miller vocalist who lives in Pittsburgh, making a comeback via TV. Hfe’s been signed for two 10- minute shots a week on WDTV . ., Bill Green’s town’s No. 1 dancery* down to jiist week-end operation, until after Easter, Pee Wee Hunt and his band have been booked into the Plantation, Houston nite spot for Feb. 16 and 17. 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