B do i be sound Down Beat March 30. 1961 Vol. 28. No. 7 in mid­ direct the supervisory field operations soon, no later than April." i filmed \H k MIDDLETON in all the recording centers of the This year the Grammy Awards will :ountry. SI ( MBS IO II I NESS in con- Velma Middleton, singer and dancer United States and Canada. be nationally televised once more and oulette. with Louis Armstrong since 1942, had Auld has had 31 years professional sponsored to boot “In addition,” Burke amplified, », viola, to be left behind last December in experience playing with the bands of 'ertising Freetown, Sierra Leone. Africa, when the late Bunny Berigan. Artie Shaw. Jan “we've been working hard to set up a scholarship foundation. It will provide Astoria. she collapsed during a show on the Savitt. and Benny Goodman, and the trumpeter's world tour. On Jan 16 she many hands under his own leadership. for 10 scholarships, five in the east suffered partial paralysis of her left Through the years he has been a prolific and five on the west coast, of $500 side. Miss Middleton died in a Free­ recording artist with albums of his own grants to deserving music scholars." town hospital Feb. 10. A native of on Capitol, Coral. United Artists, Mer­ The record business came of age with Holdensville. Okla., the rotund singer cury. and ABC-Paramount. the founding of the academy; now was raised in St Louis. Mo., where she After the announcement of his new NARAS itself is rapidly growing up. began writing lyrics ami singing in job Auld said. “I have put away my school plays. A few amateur triumphs saxophone to devote all of my time and I OR BRO A DM \¥ inspired her to try City. energy to correcting the multiple abuses Prominent New York theatrical pro­ She was featured as a solo act in whereby musicians are being exploited ducer Alexander H. Cohen has said night clubs and then worked with to the tune of hundreds ot thousands of that belongs on Broadway. His SON famed dancer Bill (Bojangles) Robin­ dollars by employer coercion.” reasons: (1) it is the only truly Ameri­ son until 1942, when she joined Louis can art form, (2) it has proven more on the Armstrong’s big band as a vocalist­ effective as an international builder of Kenny entertainer. GROWING I P good will than a boatload of diplo­ r Varro. When Armstrong formed a small Since its inception in 1956, the Na­ mats, and (3) it is an example of how . Pianist group in 1947. Miss Middleton was re­ tional Academy of Recording .Arts and integration should work. guitar; tained to work with the trumpeter in Sciences (NARAS) has had to weather Cohn, who is currently producing An iphomst vocal and comedy routines. The Arm­ annual squalls that invariably blew up Evening with Mike Nichols and Elaine a recent strong Middleton vocal duets on That’s in the region of classification for the May, is working with ailists’ manager musical My Desire and other tunes, plus Miss various music awards. Since then, most Monte Kay to bring to Broadway a .Middleton's antics as an extra-heavy of the confusion as to what records jazz concert with a theme. The title dancer, contributed considerably to the should be judged in the different cate­ of the projected show is Impulse, with popularity of the Armstrong All-Stars. gories has been dissipated, and the or­ the subtitle A New Wave in Jazz. ganization continues to grow. Co-producer and talent coordinator GEORG 11- kill) l<) Recently Sonny Burke, NARAS presi­ Kay said that the Nina Simone Trio. lRk(k DOWN FRACKING dent. revealed some plans for the future. Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, and the The American Federation of Musi­ Two new chapters, and Nash­ Nigerian drummer Olatunii, with his cians will stamp out “fast-buck ex­ ville, will shortly join the fold, he said, troupe of percussionists and dancers, ploitations” ol musicians by the record­ thus increasing NARAS membership by have been signed. Under consideration ing industry, according to AFM some 200 new faces in those cities Pres­ are the Gil Evans orchestra, singer Ab­ president Herman Kenin He announced ent membership, in the New York and bey Lincoln, and Oscar Brown Jr. Hollywood chapters, is over 800. SPIE last month, “We are determined to close Irish playwright Brendan Behan has the loopholes and proceed vigorously Burke said a national constitution is been asked to join the cast as an emcee, >w York to protect our musicians’ rightful now ui preparation and soon will be and the producers have received a cable iller was revenues in an already job-depressed submitted to the membership for rati­ of acceptance from Dublin. There may Some ot profession.” fication. be some conflicts regarding the Irish­ jd, N.J., Kenin will establish a universal polic­ In 1960 the absence of a ceremonial man's appearance. He has wired the seriously ing system. There already have been presentation of the Grammy—NARAS’ hungry i in San Francisco that he will to sign several instances ot disciplinary action Oscar—and the decision not to an­ be there, to sing Irish songs and to talk ly V iola against not only recording companies nounce awards for that year com­ about the British Empire's decline, at ring the that are signatories to AFM contracts pounded the confusion Some of the re­ the end of March He is also scheduled w York hut against leaders and sidemen mem­ cording industry claimed to see writing to open at New York's Blue Angel e Mann, bers ol the union involved in a practice on the studio wall that spelled finis for March 16, for two weeks. ill Evans known m the industry as tracking (DB, the organization Cohen and Kay have planned on :ed iazz Jan 5)—the recording of instrumental Burke sees no justification for such opening Impulse for a one-week tryout on Uni- accompaniment for which a subsequent pessimism. Nor does he understand the at the O'Keefe Theater in Toronto, dubbing of voice is planned. The vocal­ reason tor any contusion so far as the Canada, on March 20. The Broadway concerts ist is not present at the instrumental lack of an awards presentation is con­ opening is tentatively set tor March 29. t taping recording session cerned. “We had two,” he noted, “in at the Broadway theater, across the Shifrin’s In order to set up an active program 1959—one in May, the second in No­ street from Birdland. M-G-M. designed to protect the musicians’ in­ vember. Then we set up an award year If the show goes over, they plan to Big Bill terests, Kenin has appointed Georgie from January 1 to December 31. So the change periodically the jazz acts. This Aukl as an assistant in his office to I960 awards will be presented very will make for variety and. the produc- March 30, 1961 • 13