AN ANNIVERSARY ROUNDUP
Part 2 Of Years 1934-1957 As Seen Through Down Beat s Pages
1946 1948 begin the study of medicine » . . Artie Shaw announced that he was through Charlie Parker finished fifth in the Stan Kenton told Mike Levin, “Jazz with the dance band business, in favor alto sax category in the 1945 Down will dominate and swallow up classical of a career in classical music . . . RCA Beat band poll . . . Drummer Shelly (music) as we know it at present in Victor decided to give Columbia’s 33'3 Manne joined the Stan Kenton band this country.” . . . Raymond Scott discs a battle and came out with the . . . Performances of Ebony Concerto termed Kenton’s band “a special species 45-rpm disc . . . Irving Fazola, 36, died and. Summer Sequence highlighted a of machine put together to produce . . . Warner Bros, began production on Woody Herman Carnegie hall concert building cement, a house, or something, the film, Young Man With a Horn ...... Sarah Vaughan joined the show at but certainly not music.” . . . The influx Red Ingle threatened to record with 25 Cafe Society Downtown in New York, of "exotic dancers” began to put jazz bongos and a flute . . . The Dave Gar- as a single . . . The Ted Heath band men out of work on New York’s 52nd roway show went on the NBC televi began to create comment in England St. . . . Eden Ahbez wrote Nature Boy sion network . . . John S. Wilson pro . . . Pianist Lennie Tristano appeared . . . Swedish clarinetist Stan Hassel- claimed the Lawrence Welk band "the at a Chicago ballroom jazz concert . . . gard joined the Benny Goodman sextet most improved mouse band of the year.” Tricky Sam Nanton died at the age of . . . In a Down Beat record review . . . Harry Belafonte, “one of the fresh 42 . . . Mike Levin called the Joe of her recording of Easter Parade, est voices to hit this jazz-desolate town Mooney quartet, “the most exciting mu Kate Smith was termed “the All- in a long time,” appeared at Chicago’s Peterson’s sical unit in the U. S.” . . . Ava Gard American mother-cook-adviser — the Blue Note . . . Max Roach said, “Stra g we find ner filed for divorce from Artie Shaw singer who personifies our good, clean, vinsky gasses me.” . . . “Most of the s it should . . . Down Beat’s D. Leon Wolff com 100 percent moral attributes.’ “Of musicians in night club house bands tray. New- mented on a Chicago Jazz at the Phil all the cruelties in the world, be-bop is ought to be selling washing machines,’’ tunt artist harmonic appearance with the words, the most phenomenal,” Fletcher Hen June Christy declared . . . Bunk John :ians, who, “Everything that is rotten in contem derson said . . . The Lawrence Welk son, 69, died in New Iberia, La. . . . ited by a porary jazz was to be found in this band played the Corn Palace festival In a contest to find a suitable word to tl pianistic musical catastrophe.” ... Jan August in Mitchell, S. D. . . . Eddie Condon substitute for jazz, Down Beat awarded recorded Misirlou . . . Norman Granz and associates began a regular televi $1,000 to a Hollywood, Calif., woman s area of said, “There is too much subjective sion series in New York ... A Down who came up with the prize-winning •nard Peif- stuff getting into print now, written Beat record review called Woody Her “crewcut.” array of by emotional, petty critics.” man’s Four Brothers “a fast, not-so- lything in brassy bopper that goes and goes . . . 1950 nard, too, sounds like tenor lead on top of an 1947 other tenor, baritone, and possibly a Louis Armstrong said that “bop is ation, but ruining music . . . and the kids that n those of Slim Gaillard said, “I am about to trombone.” . . . Duke Ellington’s band was named favorite in the Down Beat play bop are ruining themselves.” . . . complete my first symphony and noth Jazz on 52nd St. began to look thread have felt ing must distract me.” . . . Sonny Ber band poll . . . Dave Tough died at the age of 41 . . . Chano Pozo was fatally bare, while a New Orleans renaissance n of lineal man, 21-year-old trumpeter with Woody began . . . Victor decided to press 33*3- ■ used re- Herman’s band, died of a heart attack shot in a Harlem brawl . . . Bing Crosby made his television debut. rpm discs . . . Canadian jazz fans cularly in . . . When a “homecoming” concert re dubbed Oscar Peterson the pianist to ogressions. sulted in empty seats, Norman Granz 1949 watch . . . Jimmy Dorsey, assisted by any more said, "I’m through with Los Angeles Dixieland band-within-the-band, began sr pianists, forever. I’ll never play here again if Stan Kenton announced that he was the way back to top band status . . . is that are they beg me.” . . . Jimmie Lunceford, retiring from the music business to Dixieland was revitalized and commer ters. 45, died . . . Nils Jacob Jacobsen, of cialized, with Music, Music, Music e threshold Oslo, Sweden, announced plans to or leading the way . . . Stan Kenton con ,zz, but to ganize a World Jazz Union . . . Singer fessed, “I helped kill the dance busi like Hines, Johnnie Johnston and actress Kathryn ness.” . . . Guy Lombardo retorted with aring, and Grayson were married . . . Woody Her “Don’t educate. Entertain.' . . Louis adening of man rebuilt his band, including the ad Armstrong started to write his auto t maturing dition of Stan Getz, Zoot Sims, Herbie biography . . . Paul Weston lamented 1 a greater Steward, and Ernie Royal . . . Serge the state of the pop ballad . . . Dizzy Chaloff said that Al Cohn was “as great Gillespie blamed bop musicians for discloses a a horn man as Bird Parker. Really the leading bop to the end of its road, by shing a so- end.” . . . Clarinetist Albert Nicholas saying, “They think it would be a drag kle in the termed jazz historian Rudi Blesh "the if people were to think they like what arried the biggest, the wordiest, and the broadest they’re doing.” . . . Lennie Tristano to a point hunk of baloney ever to hit the music complained that cliques were destroying aspects no business.” . . . Don C. Haymes called jazz by pitting one faction against an that the Frankie Laine “the greatest showman other . . . Nat Cole said, “I’m in the n this im- singer since AI Jolson.” . . . Dizzy Gil music business for one purpose — to make money.” . . . Duke Ellington com- m clings to lespie, Charlie Parker, and Ella Fitz s any real gerald drew a sellout crowd to Carnegie g. Phineas hall . . . Stan Kenton said, "Bands 1951 ese defects with guts will play what they like . . . Mike Levin gave the Benny Good serious de- In two years no one will remember man Carnegie Hall LP a negative re at deal of what Home on the Range was like.” view . . . Ralph Flanagan defined gen rical styles . . . Bill Russo conducted an “Experi ius by saying, "Horace Heidt is my John Wil- ment in Jazz” concert in Chicago . . . idea of a genius. He owns apartment : key to the Glen Gray disbanded his Casa Loma buildings.” . . . Norman Granz lined new piano Harry Belafonte band. A Fresh Voice up a European JATP tour, but had to
July II. 1957 Down Beal