Variety (April 1925)

Wednes<la7, April 15, 1925 MUSIC ^>' <V,'>.- i LOSES TWO JOBS, BUT GAINS WIFE; WIDOW OF 63 Carver Fonrett, 25, Quits Work, Night and Day, After Marrjring P? Waahington, April 14. Another youthful Washington musician haa taken unto himself sn elderly bride. Carver Forrest, », etenog. by day In the Interior Department ^nd in an orchestra at the Stonelelgh Court, hotel apart- ment at night, was married last week to Mrs. Flora Ritter Oortner, (S, and a widow, who liveS at the botel-apartment where Forreist played. Mrs. Oortner-Forrest is the sister of a local retired millionaire lum- berman. Forrest resigned from the Interior Department April S and is also out of the orchestra at the apartment home of hi* bride. "NOT ME," SAYS HARRY "Maybe it was my brother, AI, but not me, kid," said Harry Von Tllzer. "If you don't know how the mu- sic business is and has been, ferret around a bit and you will And that none of the music publishers want to monkey around now backing shows. "Take me off that 'angel' list or ny creditors might hear about it." HVT broadcasting himself, re- ferring to a story in Variety last Week mentioning he was one of the backers of a new play called "Three Rooms." JACKIE TAYLOR OUT Forced Out of La Spagna by Union Technicalities '••• Chicago, April 14. Jackie Taylor and newly recruited orchestra lasted but one week at La Spagna, an exclusive north side cafe. The union would not permit Taylor to continue at the head of his organization, he being a travel- ing: member. The majority of the personnel in the Taylor orchestra were members of the local union and therefore the band could not come under the heading of a travel- ing organization. He wa« notified that he would have to go outside of Chicago for his talent and then •ome in as a traveling organization. It is intimated in musical circles that Benson, who at one tme con- trolled all the first class musicians In town, engineered his removal. Benson carries a strong vote In the local union through the number of local orgaizatlons under his man- agement. It Is also reported an- other orchestra had an exi>erlence ■Imllar to the one by Taylor, but ■when he signed up with Benson he was allowed to remain. WITT8TEIN ON WOT Eddie Wittstein's famous New Haven orchestra, which has played at more college and prep school so- cial functions than any contempor- aries, wiU be a feature April 17 from WOT, Schenectady, in relay with several other stations. UNLOOKED FOR TLUG" L. Wolfe Gilbbit. staff writer of Lieo Feist, Inc., got across a cork- ing national plug for one of Feist'a songs with the personal assistance of Mr. B. F. Albee, the Kelth-Albee chief executive. Qllbert wrote a special N. V. A. version of a Feist number, "Will You Remember Me?" (incidentally authored by others than Gilbert) for Lillian Morton's special use N. V. A. week. ^r. Albee heard of It and ordered copies of the lyrics multlgraphed and sent to every resident manager in the country, with instructions to have an act on the bill sing it at every show. While the idea was to plug the song title as a secondary matter, Mr. Albee's personal Interest car- ried it beyor ' expectations. SONG HITS DANCE HITS Everybody Is Playing Theso Are Your "Hong Kong Dream Girl" "Florida" "Sunset" "Look Who*. Here!" Publlihed hy Robbins-Ens^el, Inc. less Broadway, Mew York City If yon don't Advertise in Don't AdvertiM MUSIC WINNERS Rochester, N. T., April 14. Selection of the most meritorious orchestral selections from the 69 scores submitted in the Eastman School of Music's national competi- tion for American composers was completed last week. The winners, who will have their scores played by the Rochester Philharmonic Or- chestra, Howar4 Hanson conduct- ing. May 2, are: At^ron Copeland, New York George P. McKay, Lead, S. D.: William Quincy Porter, Cleveland; Bernard Rogers, New York; Mark Silver, New York, and Adolph Weiss, of Rochester. They will be given transportation ^o Rochester for the concert. Aaron Copeland won attention through his "Concerto for Organ and Orchestra," which Nadla Bou- langer played last season with the Boston Symphony and with the New York Symphony. George Mc- Kay is teaching music in South Dakota. William Quincy Porter is a teacher at th« Cleveland Institute of Music and a student ot Ernest Bloch. Bernard Rogers is probably the widest known of the group his "Prelude to the Faithful" having been performed last year by the State Symphony Orchestra of New York, Joseph Stransky conducting. Adolph Weiss is first bassoon for the Rochester Philharmonic and for- merly was first bassoon for the New York Symphony. BALLROOMUME HAS 21 WEEKS Nat'l Attractions Start- ing May 30 New People on Victor Grace Moore, soprano of the "Music Box Revue," makes her Vic- tor record debut May 1 with two selections from the production. Zez Confrey and his orchestra also return to the Victor lists the same week after a prolonged ab- sence. King Alfonso XIII. of Spain has also "canned" two addresses on the Victor for release at that time. One talk is his greetings to the Spanish- American Republics, and the other an addre: • to the Spanish nation. The retail price of this record la $1.50, which represents a 76 cents' surcharge for a Spanish soldiers' fund by imperial command. HONO^ DEAD MUSICIAN Watertown, N. Y., April 14. All band musicians in and about Waterto^^ massed to play at the funeral ot Vincent K. Irolll, veteran professional musician. Native of Italy, IrolU was educated at the Military Conservatory of Music at Naples. His professional career on this side included engagements with the Elgin Watch Factory Band, Goetz Concert Band, Dodge City Cowboy Band and with these the- atrical orchestras: Bijou^ Chicago; Grand, Bloomlngton, 111.; Jennings Opera House. Elgin, 111.; vaudeville, Chicago, and Orphoum, City Opera House end Olympic, all of Water- town. Irolll was a cousin of Congress- man La Guardla, of New York. His widow, Mrs. Genevieve Henry Irolll, and a son, Vincent, survive. NEW BRUNSWICK BAND A new Brunswick recording or- chestra to make its debut this month is the Rhythmodlc Dance Orchestra, said to be under Ray Miller's direction. The band has been organized for the exclusive purpose of playlntr the Rhythmodlc cla-ssics arranged by Frank Black and published by Forsier of Chi- cago. "Hungarla" and "Egyptian Echoes" are the first two transcrip- tions from classics by Black for Brunswick recordlr.g. Hallett's Georgians at Arcadls Mai Hallett's Georgians, a nine- piece Moss-Hallett unit, under the direction of Bill Drewe«, open at the Arcadia, New York, tonight (Wednewlay), succeeding the reg- ular Hallett combination. Dance orchestras are assured 21 weeks of employment over the "ballroom circuit" sponsorod by National Attractions of New York, Inc., which starts operating ac- tively May SO. The circuit as lined up assures that minimum with the following some of the more Im- portant spokes: Now York is rep- resented by the Arcadia ballroom. Clover Gardens and the Rosemont, Brooklyn; Danceland, Philadelphia; Granada Park, Detroit; Euclid SOth and Euclid Gardens (both L. O. Beck enterprises), Cleveland; Beck's £:ast Market Gardens, Akron; But- terfiy ballroom, Springfield, Mass. Beck \ ill have a n^w place In Cin- cinnati, now in construction, ready for the summer, and another new Beck ballroom, In Colur. 'jus, O , opens Labor Day. Mr. Beck Is president of National Attractions, Inc. Some of the bands which have been lined up for touring are Sam Lanin's Roseland combination; Meyer Davis' Le Paradls (Washing- ton, D. C), orchestra, Vincent Lopes, Jr., band. The Debutantes, Seymour Simons, Paul Whlteman's Leviathans, Austin Wylle (Cleve- land), Paul TMese, Oklahoma Cow- girls' Band, The Cadets, Madrid Spanish Orchestra, Royal North- west Mounted Band, Ray Stillwell, Duke Yfell.nan, Sammy Kahn. The average cost to a ballroom for a week's attraction will be $1,500. It will Include a band of 11 or 12 men and some "name" at- traction such as dance team, novelty act, etc., as the extra added fea- ture. The 21 weeks are of the "big time" category. A "small time" cir- cuit will be started after May 30 to Include lesser towns and t'ance halls with five to eight-piece bands as fhe traveling attractions so as to also afford th(#e lesser cities an opportunity to dance to new bany periodically. * A franchise system Is being worked on so that no one neigh- borhood will have a "big time" and "small time" franchise In direct opposition to each other. BAND BIZ BRISK German Musical Instrument Manu- facturing Good Washington, April 14. Business in the musical instru- ment industry in the Stuttgart dis- trict of Germany during the last quarter of 1924 la reported as being brisk In reports to the Department of Commerce. Piano factorlea were employing many additional workers, and this In ai>lte of the fact that no p>iano8 are exi>orted to the United States on account of the high pro- tective tariff. Germany, on the other hand, fears American competition In the foreign markets. The accordlan and mouth organ Industry at Trosslngen, Wurtem- berg, is said to be favorable with the declared shipments to the 4Jnlted States in the last three months of 1924 having reached a total value of |199,82ff. Increasing from $76,392 in the preceding three months. Accordlans exported were valued at $41,30t for the last quarter of 1924, against but|15.916 In the quarter preceding. Jack Horn and B. A. Rolfe Go With Ballroom Circuit Jack Horn has resigned as Vin- cent I.opez' business manager to devote himself exclusively to the National Attractions of New York, Inc.. which is sponsoring the new "ballroom circuit." Horn Is vice- president and general manager of the new enterprise. B. A. Rolfe, cornetlst with Lopez' band, also leaves that field the end of this week to exclusively align hlni.self wiih National Attractions as booklns mnnoger In charge of the bands. NAT. H. S. BAND CONTEST A riitldtial hipli Ft hodl l>nn<\ rontest, which will be held June 9 In Gary, Ind. DlfTt-rent states will hold confestK to determine their rf prpsetUatlves for the national contest. INSIDE STUFF On Music The false McKensU kidnapping clue which brought Mr. and Mrs. Ferdle V. Grofe into unwelcome limelight, has been dropped. The authorities have given the Grofes a clean bill of health, their adopted child not being the kidnapped McKenzle girL Grofe Is Paul Whiteman'a chief arranger and composer with Whlteman of "Wonderful One" and other song hits. The dallies appreciated the Grofes' innocence throughout by not stress- ing their theatrical connections and handling thetr end of it gracefully. Captain John H. Ayres, in charge of the Bureau of Mijising Persons at Police Headquarters, stated, "Both Mr. and Mrs. Grofe are as clean as hounds' teeth. We no longer consider the Orofo child seriously as Lillian McKenzle." The story was originally "steered" to the New York "Daily News" by an irresponsible and notorious character who had been thrown off the payroll of Hearst's "Evening Journal" (New York). To bring to W. R. Hearst's attention the kind of a "news man" he had finally kicked off the sheet, the Irresponsible framed the phoney and "The News" fell, as it is a Hearst competitor and "The News" thought it was "stealing" a "Hearst man." Losing the "Journal's" weekly check broke the heart of the Irresponsible. That the popular music business Is gradually reaching a higher piano is evidenced by odd little details which are sure-flro Indicators, however. The orchestra leaders as a whole are becoming generally more ap-> preclatlve of sincerity and side-stepping the "banana oil" that was formerly the chief stock In trade of a band and orchestra employe of a music publishing house. The band pluggers in turn are peddling leas of tho "oU" and are also making thepiselves scarce as much as possible Instead of infesting certain haunts nightly to the discomfort of the management, the orchestra leader and themselves. The intelligent musicians are adjusting themselves so that the now music, as it comes through the malls, is given Just aa careful attention as if personally brought down by some music house attaobo. There is a certain vain percentage of bandmen, however, who never open parcels of orchestrations and give nothing attention except if poraonally brought to their notice. For that portion, and It must be admitted some Import- ant orchestra leaders are included among them, the music publisher's employe naturally maintains his familiar "line." As a general thing, the orchestra leader Is being less hounded by orchestra pluggers. In the details of the grand bouncing that Count Ludwlg Salm von Iloogenstraten Is reported to have gotten from Lo Grand Due when he got into an argument in the Parisian cafe with Clarence P. Cummins, an American, the name "Brlcktop" Smith was mentioned. "Bricktop" Smith is a former New York colored girl, a dancer, who, since going to Paris, has become the manager of Lo Grand Due In the Montmartre. It is believed that the husky "bouncers" In tho cafe were instructed to preserve peace and quiet, notwithstanding that the Count was mar- ried to Milllcent Rogers, daughter of an American multimillionaire. Incidentally, foreign dispatches commented upon the admiration the Count and Cummins had toward an English glrli named Hilda Manners. The Liver and Bacon Club, formed by Rudy Le Blang, brother of Joe Le Blang, which meets in Le Blang's refitaurant. Times Square, has a song dedicated to It entitled "Liver and Bacon." Harold Lewis wrote the music and Joseph Garrlty, the lyflcs. (Luella) Kendall Lee, daughter of Mrs. Richard Kendall Lee, 1040 Park avenue. New York, who is engaged to marry Jules Glaenzer, vice-presi- dent of Cartler, Inc., Fifth avenue Jewelers, Is alsoea professional dancer. With Basil Durant she has danced at the Club MIrador, Club LMo and also In Palm Beach. Joseph Jordan, the orchestra leader at Loew's State, New York, has been making his novelty overtures a feature at the house and at the same time endearing himself to the music men. Jordan affords them an opportunity for a song plug with <;horus slides but enhances its appeal through novelty ideas in slides, comedy verses, etc., which he conceives In co-operation with the music publishers. Jordan's overtures are Justly programed outside of the house each week as an "act" along with tho rest of the bill. Not only rich fathers support their sons' Jazs bands like Otto Kahn with the Roger Wolfe Kahn orchestra at the Hotel Blltmore, New York, but another vaudeville band, headed by a songwriter, has also Interested an "angel," not a relative. He deems a Jazz orchestra a good financial investment for some reason or another and Is guaranteeing the personnel its regular salaries weekly, regardless. The Roger Wolfe Kahn band which has Just landed a Victor recording contract. Incidentally, Is attempting to make itself self-supporting. Kahn, pere. Is reported not particularly keen on continuing his original Idea and considerable reorganization of personnel to reduoo the weekly sal- ary Is now In process as It has been the past few weeks. With late reports stating that the Mound City Blue Blowers are "over" In London and with Lopez taking a harmonica player abroad with him, the question arises as to what is keeping the jug players in the south. According to the above information It should be a pushover for the southern crockery artists, if not In Now York, then In London. All of which leads on to Dr. Rockwell, vaudeville slnglo, who might Just as well throw his act away, take his tin whistle, migrate to foreign shores and clean up with his persona] tin opera. Not a bad time to pick, as summer approaches, to dojo up the "pad- locked" cabarets for 30 or 60 days as punishment (or having been caught selling. Some of the closures may decide to remain closed until the new season. .Several of the better class cafeo find business quite slack when their people start for summer homes. It's new stuff, "closing" as a fine and making a promise to never again. Who'll watch the waiters? The longer prohibition endures, the bigger gag It \u gelling. Musician and Bride Freed On Charge;^ Rearrested Des Moines, April 14. Five minutes after Leroy Fox, 28. musician, and his 17-year-old high school bride, were acquitted by :i jury In the district court on charges of obtaining money under false pre- tenses by tho Issuance of a number of bad checks, the couple were re- arrested on a second warrant charg- ing a similar offense. They were returned to the county Jail. The warrant was sworn out by P. L. Deschmldt, Humboldt. la., a stockman, and father of the girl. The girl, who was a student at lliimholdt high scliool, eloped with Fox, saxo])honist, In a traveling orchestra, following a brief acquain- tance during the time Fox played with an orchestra at Humboldt. The father said he would press action to have the marriage annulled. AND HIS CADET ORCHESTRA New. Novel and Entertaining Unsnimout Pr»i%e by Preti •rd Public At'l'MFS-S < \I»K VI.N<»>T I.OIf/' Iii-ii |<riM<l\>*) . ^>» >.rk