Variety (March 1922)

Fri<iay» March 3, 1922 VAUDEVILLE REVIEWS OF RECORDING DISCS iV rifti/ rf«'pff''»'^"^ ^'' critical reviews of the current phonooraith rer-orih) POPULAR RECORDS -,-ALiNG {fox Trot)—Joseph C. Smith and Orchestra I WANT MY MAMMY—MANDY 'N ME—Same—Victor, No. 18845 Joe Smith can always be depended upon for good danco musif. lie "L ies8 of the hoke than possibly any other accepted dance musician, ht somehow has a following that swears by his sturi". Simply play,;(l. he exacts considerable charm from any selection by enrit lung it with tl:o tringa above any other instrument, allowing the brasses and reeds to • ^„ jit just the right spots. When Smith was at the Hotel I'luxa, N w York, the afternoon tea flappers and lizards rav^nl about his "dronmy" music. Ill "Stealing' (Dan Sullivan) Sniilli delivo.-s a steaxly rhythmic 4anoe. Tbe "Mammy" (Breau) and "Mandy" (Coiirad-Motzan) medley is on the june steady order. The "Stealing" selection as a composition is like the fat of th.it muchly overdone sustained note genera, altliough as Smith Performs it. none the less well done even unto the "slop time" efCecl. GYPSY BLUES (Fox Trot)—Paul Whiteman Orchestra WHEN BUDDHA SMILES—Same—Victor, No. 18839 "Gyp-'-y liluof," with its slow, hailing tempo, is said to be the nearest approach to orthodox African rhythm in American fox Irots. The iruth thereof is negligible compaied to its mu^icianly rendering. Tlu- lliome does hint of some Negro spiritual as claimed, but as strictly a d:incc comporitioM it is superb, its being the feeling that it grows on on.-. It is by Sisble and Blake from the all-colored shov.-. "Shuffle Along." * The "IJuddha" number (Brown) introduces "Drifting Alon? with lh«- Tide" ((Jershwin), from t»ne of fleorge Wlule's "Scandals," IJoth are «ooth:nf; melodies of tVie "dreamy" order. JUST A LITTLE LOVE SONG (Fox Trot)—Paul Whiteman's Orchestra TY-TEE—Same—Victor, No. 18842 Th'^ lirst is the current melody danc<> >;urprise of the season. It has caught on as a popular dar.ce tune surprisingly well in a shoi I space of time merely on the strength of its charming melody. The "pig sliile" whisilp which "W'hlteman made a nece.'-.'-ary and i)0!nilar adjunct to the trap drummer's outfit featurtjs melodiourly here. "Ty-Toi>" (Bibo) is a barbaric South Sea Island strain to whieh Cilda Grey has liuln-hula'd along Broadway. The piano and traps curry tht- wlerd tioies with tinkling saxo interludes ever and anon. BY THE PYRAMIDS (Fox Trot)—Gene Rodemich'e Orchestra RIGHT OR WRONG—Same—Brunswick, No. 2183 Rodemich's saxo wailing features both the.e flowing fox trots with ■ome xylo hammer work standing out in th" arrangement. The lirst, ;i:j the tlt'c suggests, is an Oriental theme. "Right or Wrong" (Sizeinore-Biese>. comp.jsi'd as it is by two standard orcheytra men, shows the hand (or hxmls) of its originators to best ad- vanta^esi. Intended primarily for dance, it ha^ power and rhythm as rendered by Rodemich'a orche.sLra. I'VE GOT MY HABITS ON (Fox Trot)—Bennie Krueger's Orchestra 8GH00L HOUSE BLUES—Same—Brunswick. No. 2181 The 'Habits" (Durante) selection makes for a sprightly rag in whieh the sax and strings are given some chance for display. Having exhausted hit tunes from Irving lU-rlin's Musii* Box Revue. Krueger's musicians are recording a secondary number (.f the show. "School House Dlues." It's not in the class with "iOverybody Step" as a blues, but the banjo picking and the moaning sax elevate il into a very danceable fox trot. EVERYBODY STEP (Fox Trot)-Vincent Lopez' Penn. Orchestra WABASH BLUES (Fox Trot)-Rudy Wiedoffs Californians—Pathe, No. 20656 Somebody ought to grab Lopez aiul his j.i/./. arli.sts (ihat's no misnomer either) and make a real feaiuro of "em. Tha. boy knows how to put tricks into his stuff that Ivave a kick like a mub-. ' kvtrybody Step" ("Music Box Revuo") has established itsoif as a dance tune beyond criticism, yet Lopez has done some wicked stunts with it. Wiedoffs Callfornians blue the "Wabash Bhu's" (Ringle-Mernken) to their and the dancers' content, mixing il up with a snateh of the immor- tal "Banks of the Wabash." 8N0WFLAKE—Ernest Hare (Vocal) DONT BE CROSS WITH ME—Charles Hart afnd Elliott Shaw (Vocal) — Pathe, No. 20659 "Snowflako" (Ander.son-Pwanstrom-:Morgan) is from the 1021 "G. V. Follies." Ernest Hare baritones this average tunt; slerlingly. which, oouplod wiih the beautiful orchestral accompaniment, makos it a truly tnjoyablf recording. Charles Hart and Klllott Shaw, tenor and !>aritone, duot "Dt.n't P.e Cross" (Gillespie-Van Alslyne), soloing a lit lie for th<' intorlude with "I Wandt'r Tonight O'er the Hills. Mag^if." A Iovcms* plea number, H.irt *nd Shaw g»H considerable out of it. tune. Despite this metallic baseboard s(uind, Lange maiui-^e.j s.-vtral dif- licult runs interestingly. In "Klllon on the Keys." which V.u- composer, Zea Conlrev, fir.-t Intro- . duced on the Brunswick disks. Lan.-*- iK-rforms a rial piano novelty. ^^ ( has nu'lody as wi-ll as nov.ii_\ ar.d dist ini-tion, imprev^in- tho vmI. st ■ layman with its difllculty. MARIE (Fox Trot)—Ted Lewis ar:J 3and DOWN THE OLD CHURCH AISLE—Same—Columbia. No. ASOCS Ttd I.owis' current contiihut ion (.ti tlM> Columbia iceords aro a pair o' melodious fox irois. paying stri.ti r attention to the .straight nu'Icdy ti».i:- liu« Jazzique. "-Marie" (Motzan-Santly) i^ made an int.'rnaiional daa! alliance, with the Intertwining of Un- Italian "Oh Maria!" in contrasi ; the spirited Krenchy theme. The •t'hurch Aisk-' number from the la<t edition of lh<» "Gre.-nwicli Village Follios** is introduied b> tbe iiu'vltalile Mendels.sohn wcthllng glide, including a mock marriage. Lewis ofllciatlng as the preacher, and the trombone and cornet answering tiu' ac.iuie.-olng "I do." all the while! the brasse.s and the sax maintaining a perfect tlanee rhythm. \'aud"\ille or dance hall jazz, bands cou'.d pieU up a few points after li.nenin.j to tbi.; record. WHICH HAZEL—Al Herman (Vocal) YOU'RE OUT O' LUCK—Same—Columbia, No. A-35:6 Al Herman ha;; succumbed to llu- larc (»f the phonograj.h and is now periorming exclusively for Columbia. In "Which Harul" (Silver* b^ shows little else than wh;it so many vaudevi'.lians have slu»v. n in the v>ay of delivery with this extremely i)opul;ir "nut" dltly. "Veure Out o* Luck" (I?roekmau-Wells) is not .no well known, and Ib-r- man makes considerable of It witti bis inimitable delivery, ii\"lu(linK some verbal <larUy patter. The Colunib a bis bad no nove'.ty male vocalist of Mr. Herman's type for some tinu-, and he ^hol.ld build up a }i»ecial held on that angle. WABASH BLUES—Dolly Kay (Vocal) COT TO HAVE MY DADDY BLUEC—Came—Columbia. No. A-3534 Dolly Kay came to the fore in vaudeville as a ••blue;s" coon song : houter. Her "bloole" delivery has earned her an exelu.slve contract with (^olumbia a.s a recording artiiit. ]>oth .^cngs are enjoying u current vogue on the vaudeville stage. As one n.asic publisher suggested, vaudeville artists playing through the vas* west and south, and who are romc dis- tande away from a professional otlitc. could secure an excellent demon- stration of either of th^se "blues" renditions from Miss Kay. Posribly these record reviews, including every type of vocal and Instrumental per- formance. <'an prove helpful to lb* vaudeville a^ti^t as a song-demt»a- Ktrating medium if nothing else. DAPPER DAN (Fox Trot)-Kniclc^rbockcr Orchestra I WANT YOU MORNING, NOON AND NIGHT—Same—Columbia, No. A3533 Tho Knickerbocker Orchestra, undei l-^Jdie Rlkins* direetif»n. is more or less of a straight recording aggregat on. Us n^usie I performe<l simply, mel'diously ana along standard orchestration lines, but minus any ilis- tinctive njark. "Dapper Dan" (Al \'on Tilzer) is rallK-r time-frayed and I)asse as a popular dance selecti(»u. "Morning. Noon and Night" is a r" ic oC (Jus Kdward/i' ill-fated revue of last season, introducing "Li'.ile I'arlner," another number f om the same show (later reduced to a vaudeville tab). The second selection Is distinguished by a saxo duet with a corne: interlude for the wind-up. DELIA—Frank Crumit (Vocal) IN MY HEART, ON MY MIND, ALL DAY LONG—Sm.c—Colomb a, No. A-3530 " Frank C'rumit's tenor 5(unehow alaays clicks, whetln i- in the (ui;':lnal Or "canned." with or without the uke. "Delia" ((Joit'er) is waltz-sung by Crumit. It's an Irish theme 1ist:n.vuisbed in iiM!t,«]y ^•y a .)unch-line bri . which consists of an accele.atcfl tempo. "In My Heart." etc. (Kalnuu-Ilubv » is primaiilv a "lines" rendition, although Crumit does it more decorously as a !<•;. and girl partin.*:;: number. SMILIN' (Fox Trot)—Selvin's Orchestra GOOD-BYE, PRETTY BUTTERFLIES—Same—OrunswicU, No. 2182 "Smilin*," introducing "Have Vou I'orgotten," is a s:.\-ply cf»m|>ositi(.M. three writers authoring each. All are Callfornians and tnuslcians- and California has made its mark as ibe birthplace of many catchy melody songs, not forgetting "Whispering." Tbe saxes swltcli to tlu- brasses for th3 melody theme and later to the banjo picking. The "Butterflies" (Cook-Olman) is cr.'dited to Chicago for its birthplace and is introduced by a becoming "Madame lUitlerfly" -amp. f)ne wishes that the Puccini strain were employed a little more tlian it Is, so well does it chime witluthe rest of the dance. The sax pipes forth forte later on and goes through its throaty stunts. •■|>KMAM) TIIK OKUilN.il.* BETTY— ^PHILIP MARTIN and MOORE "r.e a good fellow"—but in ordef to be a good felbiw you don't have to ilrink liquor thootch). There in no argument in favor of alcohol an a beverage. Hootch and work do nol mix well. BOOKED SOLID Direction LEW GOLDER TALK No. II HOME FAVORITE PINE POISON TO TOMATO CHO-PIANO—Henry Lange (Instrumental) KITTEN ON THE KEYS—Same—Pathe Actuclle, No. 20671 Vaudeville pianists could vary thtir stuff somewhat by taking pains to Jten to Henry I.ange's two piano renditions of tbe current loathe disks. he overdone pop or musical comedy number inedb y so dear to ihe jjiano -:kler.s' lingers could be extrcised to possii)ly bell<r advantage^ if a de ire were present. Lange (who is pianist with Whiteman's orchestra) >''^s arranged some of Chopin's best tun^s Ju clever style, although, like tost piano recordings, it is lumdic.ipped by an occasional "tinny" over- lie The tickl sire h.if most ,/ / ^■, .1, ^ I'-^/XjLK, ::'.>v:i^C^(;i«^^ -rirts:;^j^^^ "7) { ITALIAN AIRS—Mario Perry (Instrumental) GLORIA WALTZ—Mario Perry and Joseph Peppino—Brunswick, No. 2178 One need not be of Roman desiNiil to appreciate Perry's accordeon ar- rangement of this Italian medley. It is good music withal, and now that "O Sole Mio" has been ragged and lifted for the theme of American i>op jongs, it is not unlikely the songsmiths will g<'t considerable Inspiration from Some of the other tunes. As "',unned \audevllle" it Is considerably .'•there." The wall/. sele<Mion is an original composition by Perry and duetted with I epprfio. H is a sprightly concert and dante rendition. Abel. f STANDARD OLD CAR'LINA —Amelita Galli-Curci (Vocal)— Victor, No. 66014 C.alli-CiMci sings James Francis Cooke's l>ixi«' S(»ng in staid fashion, llei* M»'llifluous soj>rano undulates cbarniin».;ly wilb tiii- melodious num- ber, taking the lew high notes inajeslicall>. WHERE MY DEAR LADY SLEEPS— Reinald Wcrrenrath (Vocal) — Victor, No. 66018 Werrenrath singing a serenade rcMuiic; no furfber mmment. His b, ritone exact'; full to'l'from the sebction, taking Ibe high an<l low reg- isters with fluent ease, \ b'cutninL; baij* ae.omr>aiiimenf s« t.n off tbe .elod>. LITTLE TOWN IN THE OULD COUNTY DOWN—Tbeo Karle (Vocal) LASSIE O' MINE—Same—Bruncwick, No. 130v3 Tbt'o K.ule's .(.ntribulion on tbe < unctit Prunswicl. di.dxs is an inter- national affair, incbuling an Irish atid S'otch lhem<'. K.irles tenor is veil adapted |..r l.\ ric interpptalion. The ••C«>unty Down" (Pascoe-Carlo- J'.nd»'rs» number was lirst lntro«lu< e.| in concert by .lohn McrCormack. "he •La.'-'je' song (Hon le.>.-W'a'f) furnish^'S the heailier coloring !n , itrasl to ;i.' liirnioeU. K.-nle's i,b-,'»r r-naneiai ifin inlerine \\. ; tbe 1\:ic si..inkiii'-il.\ . DABY DREAMS— Elsie BaUcr (Vocal> l'*LL BY THE SEA—Same—Victor. No. 45264 lOlsie I'.aKer".'' (oritralio ».• ki^''- .mi. pie oppordci.t \ f«.r displ.»\ \,iib tb'se two selection^. The ptst, tror«i Arthur Hamn.< rslein's "Jmnnie" (llarbai'b-Hanimcrsiein-Stothart« s|.e;iKs for itself in title. A beautiful .'eelUi accompaniment stands r.i't Tho "Mill by til*' Sf'U" (I'Ufbrr V-'irVi • is a b. •• die.irn iki ni»< r oj tb«. b<ltrr c'a^y .H»')f. I And When the Referee Wears Rouqc and Eye Lashes, Why Call It a Sport? Holyoko, Mass., March 1. Dear Chick: — 1 am shootin you the low down on a liglit we staged here last night between Tomato and a local side wheeler named Kid Truby and I am writin you quick so that you wont believe the newspaper reports about our being rowdies and wantin to (lUit. Tomato got the rawest deal In this burg that I think was ever handed a tighter since they put the bare knuckles In camphor and used to pull each other's mustaches in the clinches. We cum up here to fight this egg without knowin a thing about him btit solely because the promoter bere iJddie Devlin was once .a pretty .«^ood friend of mine and a .''(luaro shooter. I dont know what haf)- pened to him since he used to play ball with me in the bushes but some one must have f)pened h'm ii|) and pouu'd about two gallons of larceny into his anatomy. Th ) first shock I get is uhen Truby climb.H into the ring. A\'e were late and when we arrived at the club they told us that Truby had already weighed in front of on^ of the Commis.sions men and tint he made y,\'i at 8 P. Al. whieh was tbe greed scale tip. When this gink climbs through the ropea in his corner I nearly fell dead. Ho was as big h rniddle-weighl as Harry Greb. I started to beef but there \*asn't a chance and I knew they would cop my one grand ap- pearance forfeit if we refused lo go through with the match. That was shock number one but it was only a small time opener compared to my feelings when I pij)ed the referee. He was rouged ur» like one of the end broads at tiie Olympic, hail his eyebrows pen- ciled, lashes beaded and was wrapped up in a pair of Jlan.v I pants and a white silk shirt that wouhl have drawn a crowd <»n u Palm Ileach veranda. A sheet a id .scratch guy that was workln on on«. of the local papes tipped me to watch this mug as h*- bml bet hen\y jack on Truby. Well they got away with Tornaro under heavy instructions not to bid and to stiy awiy from tbi.w bird as long as he could. I lig- uied it was our only chiince to tnak«j il a tight as Truby was big euouRli to knocic down an ice wagon. The ref. was in as I sron after the first clinch when he let Truby Lay all over Tomato who nearly sii.U to the n i(»r und«r this sapi v«ii;bt, Truby kept tryin to nail Tom.ito with a right cross but tb»> kid kept slippin away sidu steppiu <.r lollni his head with the puncl/es .irul s(. it. went l(»r the lirst four round.-*. Trub.s was one of them n.itur.i! tat birds with a slight roll of fiesh around his belt lino and I n"Ver seen one of them tint w.isnt short winded that's why I told Tf.mafo to keep aw.'iy frum bim. All through lli'^ b^'bt lh«? ref. l«.t Trtii.y d<. ((J(Mitinu«d on i>age \'l)