Gene Lees Ad Iibitum Jazzletter PO Box 240, Ojai CA 93024~O240 Ma] 2002 . g Vol 21N@. 5 Mel flared slightly. He said, “I’ve heard that before, and ’Scuse Me While I Disappear ' it’s not true. Ifanything, I was influenced by Matt Dennis.” David Raksin, whose song with Johnny Mercer’s lyrics, Intact, it is difficulttoestimatethe reachofthe influence Laura, is one ofthegreat classics, said, “I write all kinds of of a career in the arts. Obviously I was influenced by all the music, including concert music. I think that our country’s great songwriters, but certainly Matt Dennis and Tom greatest rrmsical gilt to the world is not concert music, and not togetherwereapowerful forceinmybecomingasongwriter. jazz — and I love jazz. Our greatest contribution is the One ofthefactorsingreatsongwritingisanappropriate American popular song.” David was talking aboutwhat is match of a melodic interval with what would be the natural nowseenasagoldenera,roughlyfi'om l920totheendofthe inflection ifyou were speaking the lyric. La Rosa points out 1950s. He said, “It is the most incredible flowering ‘ever of that TheNight We CalledItaDay is a superb example ofthe that kind ofmusic.” _ A A O rmtchingupofintervals. Andthe octave leap ontheopening One ofthe greatest practitioners ofthe songwriter’s art in phrase, ‘Therewasamoon (out in space)" sortofmakes you thattimewasMattDennis,whomwehadthemisfortuneto lookup, lendingavisualdimensiontothesong. Infact,that lose recently. The body ofhis work was not large, compared is averyvisualsong.Itisalsoaveryliterateone. Itwasin with that of, say, Cole Porter or Jerome Kern, in part because that songthatlfirstencoimteredthe phrase “the songofthe he was not a creature ofthe Broadway musical theater or part spheres.” I first heard the song among the four “sides” Frank of that group, like Harry Warren and Johnny Mercer, who Sinatra recorded for RCA V1ctor’s Bluebird subsidiary with wrote mostlyfor films. But what he did write is unfailingly aements by Axel Stordahl: The Night We Called It a exquisite: Let's GetAwayfiom ItAll, Will You Still Be Mine, Day, The Lamplighter ‘s Serenade, The Song Is You, and EverythingHappens toMe, Violetsfor YourFurs, The Night Night and Day. I became an instant fan ofFrank Sinatra, We Called It a Day, Junior andJulie, We Belong Together, MattDennis, andTomAdair. Thathasneverchanged. all written with lyricist Tom Adair, and Angel Eyes, with Matt recalled to Ed Shanaphy, the editor ofSheet Music lyrics by Earl K. Brent. It was written for the movie Jennifer, Magazine (goodmusicgroup.com), “I will never forget when with Ida Lupino and Howard Dufi‘. Some of Matt’s songs I first played and sang The Night We Called It a Day for have lyrics by his wife, singer Ginny Maxey. Tommy Dorsey, backstage at the old Paramount in NYC. One of my close friends, and one of the best singers to TommywasseatednexttoHarryJames andliggy Elman. As emerge in the generation influenced by Frank Sinatra, is Iran the song over, I noticed Tommy looking at Harry and Julius La Rosa. He said, “Matt Dermis had an ability towrite Ziggy and nodding their heads in approval. the most beautiful and sophisticated melodies, and yet they “When Tommy decided he like my tune, I were never hard to sing. He was also a gentle, lovely man.” reanangedmyownchartforFrankand‘fi PiedPipers. What Sometimes when La Rosa and I are talking on the phone, he was not expected, however, was Frank fid Tommy were not (orI)willsinganopening phrase ofa Matt Dennis song, and gettingalongtoowell. Frankwasreaching apopular level and continue through the whole thing, in unison, laughing. So wanted to leave the band and go on his own.” steeped were we in Matt Dennis songs in our high-school Sinatra’s departure from Dorsey, who had a firm contract years. » with him, is by now one ofthe legends of show business. Back around 1960," when I was editor ofDown Beat, Mel Matt said, “So I decided to re-arrange it again to fit Jo Tormé was playing Chicago, where the magazine’s head Stafford as the soloist. As fate turned out, later in 1944 TD’s oflice was located. Mel asked me to go along with him on a recording came out of The Night with Jo Stafibrd and a good discjockey The disc jockey said, “Don’t you think cut, too. Frank did record the song on his own and fortunately the singing ofMatt Dennis was influenced by yours?” it became a collector’s item. F.S. recorded and certainly — - 2 performed it over and over during all the ensuing years, Matt’s association with Jo went back to the days with her keeping the tune very much alive.” sisters. Matt told Ed Shanaphy in a letter: “I used to accom- Matt had an impact on Jo Stafford’s career as well. Jo’s pany (the Staifords) — fine singers of the blues, and good entire interest was group singing, and she became a star half pop songs. Then Jo organized the group of singers that by accident because of Matt’s song Little Man with a Candy Tonuny Dorsey hired for his summer radio series in the East, Cigar, with lyrics by Frank Kildulf. She heard it, went to naming them the Pied Pipers. Dorsey and said, “Tommy, this is the first time I’ve ever done “Prior to that I continued playing piano for the group in this, and it’ll probably be the last, but I want a favor ofyou. appearances in and around L.A. during which I seriously I want to do the record of Little Man with a Candy Cigar started writing songs. Jo heard my songs and set up an solo.” He said, “You’ve got it.” From then on he assigned her audition for me with Tommy Dorsey at the Palladium to solos, and of course she became a major artist, all of it Ballroom, which led me to a contract with Dorsey, writing starting with Matt’s song. songs which he wanted to publish, and did most successfully A few years ago, Jo told me she had been driving and — glad to say. Jo, the Pied Pipers, and Sinatra all started heard one of those Sinatra Bluebird tracks on the car radio, singing and recording my current songs, Let ’s Get Awayfrom and impulsively said to herself, “My God, could he sing.” It All, Everything Happens to Me, Will You Still Be ll/line, Indeed. And so could she. The Night We Called It a Day, and others.” Knowing how much I admired Tom Adair, Matt at one Everything Happens to Me and Let ’s Get Awayfrom It All point offered to introduce us, but I moved too slowly, and were recorded Febniary 7, 1941. In fact Dorsey recorded 14 Tom Adair died. I hope he knew how much I loved his work. of Matt’s works in that one year, including a little-remem- Maybe Matt told him; I would like to think so. bered patriotic song called Free For All, recorded on June 27, Tom Adair was bom in Newton, Kansas, on June 15, and Violetsjbr Your Furs, recorded on September 26. Sinatra I913, and went to Los Angeles Junior College in 1932 and would retain a taste for and powerful loyalty to the Matt ’33. He wrote scripts for television and movies, as well as Dennis times throughout his career. He would re-record night-club material. He was a sitcom writer on My Three Violetsfor Your Furs, Angel Eyes, and Let ‘s Get Awayfrom Sons, The Munsters, My Favorite Martian, and other shows. It All, for example, during his period with Capitol Records, For Matt’s tunes, he wrote lyrics for Let ’s Get Awayfrom It it when he had become the biggest superstar in the history of All, Everything Happens to Me, Vl0l€lS for Your Furs, The American show business. Night We Called It a Day, and Will You Still Be A/Iine, as With the U.S. entry into World War II, Matt served in the well as There s No You (with Harold S. Hopper) and In the U.S. Army Air Force, with the Radio Production Unit and the Blue ofEvening (with Alfred D’Artega). Glemi Miller USAAF orchestra. He spent three and a half Matt was bom into a vaudeville family in Seattle, Wash- years in the Air Force. When the war ended, he settled in New ington, on Febniary ll, 1914, and went to San Rafael High York City and became an arranger and sometime performer School in California. His father was a singer and his mother on a number of network radio shows. And when his friend a violinist. Matt made his professional debut in the family act, Dick Haymes got his own radio show, Matt became its music called the Five Musical Lovelands. In 1933, in San Francisco, director. Matt joined the Horace Heidt band on piano. Later he and In 1955, Matt starred in his own NBC-TV series, doing Dick Haymes had a band, with Haymes in front and Matt as some ofthe very first coast-to-coast color shows. “I replaced its organizer. Then he became knovm as an arranger and Eddie Fisher that year. I had Monday, Wednesday, Friday, accompanist for singers, and sometimes as a vocal coach. He and Vaughn Monroe had Tuesday and Thursday,” Matt said. hcld all three roles with Martha Tilton. “Then in December I joined the new Ernie Kovacs five- In the late 1930s and early 1940s, there were a number of mornings-a-week show with Ernie, Edie Adams, and myself.” sister vocal groups, including the Boswell, Andrews, DeMar- Matt was a very fine pianist, and a sympathetic teacher co, Clark, Dinning, and King Sisters. Jo Staflbrd and her who wrote a piano method, available from Mel Bay.