Ew Year Brings Crisis Lo Bands; Woody and Ithers Chop Payrolls HE N EW Year Has Brought Rad- Cal Changes in the Music Profes- Ion
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IE ULW HO ¥ R O M JA N U A R Y , 1947 ew Year Brings Crisis lo Bands; Woody and Ithers Chop Payrolls HE N EW year has brought rad- cal changes in the music profes- ion. Several of the nation’s most opular maestri have junked their ands; others have disbanded tem- orarily and are awaiting reorgan- :ations with less expensive side- len. Cutting Payrolls Popular Woody Herman, Les Brown and snny Goodman are now in Holly- Dod without bands, but all hope to organize shortly with payrolls cut >m around $5,000 to $3,000. Good in is using a studio group (see page for his radio show. Harry James hopes to reorganize in e January after two months without orchestra. Tommy Dorsey also is ing off. Ditto Benny Carter. Jerry aid just reorganized completely. Jack agarden dropped his ork and formed mall combo. There is talk that Jimmy rsey soon will break up his aggrega- Bandleaders Are Worried The new year finds bandleaders wor d. The trend, for the first time in ■^HAT L IL T IN ’ Tilton gal, Martha, is back home in California to stay awhile, e years, is toward smaller orchestras, and already she is being featured regularly on the NBC Sunday “ Meet Me at d sidemen who will work for $100 Parky’s’’ program emanating from Hollywood. Opie Cates, the Arkansas her than $200 and $250 a week, maestro who raises hogs at his California ranch, conducts the orchestra piness in ballrooms, hotels and night behind La Belle Tilton’s animated chirpings on the program. Martha’s newest ibs is at least 30 per cent under that a year ago. Capitol etching pairs “ Connecticut’’ with “ How Are Things in Clocca Morra,” the latter a hit tune from the new Broadway show, “ Finian’s Rainbow.’’ In Individual stories surrounding the nds will be found in this issue of the private life Martha is the wife of Leonard Vannerson, widely known artist’s Pitol News. manager. Benny Coodman boosted her along the road to success in 1937. *1 PACE 2 THE CAPITOL THE CAPITOL PACE 3 DAVE DEXTER’S THE Theaters, Then Coast for Kenton Published Monthly by surface noise CAPITOL PUBLICATIO NS, INC. Sunset and Vine, Hollywood 28, Calif. Big Payroll No EDITED BY DAVE DEXTER, JR. Enter 1947: The Gravy Train Slows Down Problem to Stan "¡"HE BU BBLE has burst, busted wide open, pricked and exploded. Stan Kenton’s high-flying aggre There will be vast changes in music this new year and for a long time gation moved from the Paramount Theater on New York’s Times to come. A lot of untalented, ill-equipped guys who have been lead Square to a long series of eastern ing third-rate bands and getting away with it have faded or soon one-nighters in late December, and Hotel Lincoln will exit from the picture; a legion of inferior musicians who cockily while other leaders were screaming and complaining about “ poor box-office New York City drew inflated paychecks, since Pearl Harbor, will be lucky to get everywhere” the SK band went right on Gentlemen: union scale for their efforts. Spring will be a little late this year. But racking up high grosses night after As one who travels extensively, and night. only for those who are overdue in receiving their comeuppance. whose ears are ever-alert to new music, Change in First Alto Chair new trends, on new records, it appears Toward the close of 1946 things became so bad— so unbal Eddie Myers, a highly regarded first significant that vast changes have re chair altoist who worked with Kenton anced— that a man like W oody Herman, who slaved and sacrificed cently been taking place within the once before, rejoined the reed section. recording industry. Perhaps my observa nine years to win success, found himself earning nothing while a Myers took over Al Anthony’s book. tions will prove interesting, even in half-dozen of his sidemen were cashing weekly paychecks of more Herb Jeffries was reported to be formative, to you and to your many joining Stan as vocalist. But the deal thousands of readers of the Capitol than $250 each. It didn’t make sense. Nor did it make sense to Good fell through after all the music mags News. man, Les Brown, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Carter, Harry James and announced it. Herb, who once sang with I am a layman, as the musicians say, Duke Ellington and who, in recent years, but I love music more than anything other popular leaders who fought their way into the charmed circle has been working as a single in Cali else I am aware of. I read that swing the hard way. SKITTISH SKITCH Henderson and “ Ceraldo,” noted British bandleader fornia, definitely will not join Kenton bands are disappearing, that “ sweet” ! who recently visited New York and Hollywood, are photoed together on a for the January theater tour which the music is coming back fast, that the It’s all a part of the adjustment that Americans in all walks of Bing Crosby-Philco rehearsal. Henderson’s solo piano is featured on the pro “ Artistry in Rhythm” outfit is now be ginning. record business is booming, that it is life are now making following the war years. It has happened before gram, and also on Capitol etchings. “ Ceraldo” actually is Cerald Bright. slumping, that swing is on the upbeat— and it will happen again, human beings being what we are. Things Few of Skitch’s American fans know that Skitch, too, was born in Creat Soon W ill Hire Vocal Croup it’s all confusing and not amusing. Britain. look bad right now. But they looked worse in 1921. Kenton, however, will hire a vocal But based on visits and discussions group shortly. He still is scheduled to in more than 500 record shops from Better times are coming, not only for those of the music profes return to California, with the band, in Los Angeles to Boston the past six sion, but for Americans engaged in all types of endeavors. Perhaps February. Whether the ork will play the months, I offer you the following ob the year 1947 will bring proof. Certainly the war years, and 1946, Jess Stacy, Other Vets Rejoin Los Angeles Avodon or the H ’wood servations for what they may be worth Palladium has not yet been determined, as the new year arrives: were anything but 365-day picnics. The better musicians, the better however. bands, the better singers and the better entertainers will enjoy their Stan’s weekly payroll now is “ more The small labels are fast disappear Goodman for NBC Program than $5,500 and still going up,” ac ing. Most record buyers, I believe, w el greatest harvests in the next 12 months. But the kolos, the dipsy cording 1o his pudgy manager, Carlos come this trend. I have more than 1 50 boys, the untalented— all those performers who cashed in and profited Benny Goodman returned to the west coast in December without Gastel. But so far the tall piano- labes in my collection; virtually all of by the personnel shortage— had better resume their lessons. The new >a band, but it didn’t take him long to get together a crack studio outfit pounder has announced no plan for them are notable for inferior balance, year holds little in store for them. From here on out American music for his Monday night NBC program in which he shares billing with whittling it down. bad surfaces, backing a shoddy tune lovers can expect— and demand— more for their money. They’re Victor Borge. with a good tune and— invariably— costing a dollar or more. They are over back in the driver’s seat again. The biggest news surrounding Goodman’s radio band is the return priced and under-quality. W e consumers of Jess Stacy to the piano chair. Short Shots From Here and There who thumped for Benny 12 years ago ‘Sleeper’ Pushing were forced to buy them a year ago Stacy, for several years one of the in New York. when production of established labels A NGELES songpluggers are peeved— and protesting— because L os top BC sidemen, junked his own George Hill selected the musicians and top artists was limited. Now we Price to Fame two or three major ballrooms have revoked their admish passes. orchestra recently and will remain in for Goodman. want no part of the hybrid output. “I Ain’t Mad at You—And You They feel they shouldn’t have to pay to enter inasmuch as it’s strictly Hollywood to play network shows. Red Benny, with his wife Alice and their A in’t Mad at Me.” As for styles, there isn’t any appreci Ballard and Lou McGarrity, trombones, “ business” . That Count Basie recording deal last month set a new two daughters, will now be able to That’s the inane lyric that is making able trend. Kenton, Herman, Good also are Goodman alumni who have re high for intrigue. Basie himself doesn’t quite know what happened. Boyd enjoy his home in Westwood. He pur Jesse Price, veteran drummer and blues man, James and a dozen other top- turned and Babe Russin, on tenor, is Raeburn’s backer, Stillman Pond, bought up every Down Beat he could find chased it three years ago and has spent singer, a national favorite as the new notch “ jump” bands still sell the most still another who— years ago— was in L. A. to insure Raeburn’s placing in the annual poll.