Lena, Charlie Boost Take at San Francisco
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13 Chicago, June 3, 1949 NEWS-FEATURES DOWN BEAT March, 1941, his I and was at the New Yorker and J.D. was working SWINGIN’ THE GOLDEN GATE Herb Haymer the Pennsylvania. Haymer took him up and started a one-year tenure with Woody’« blues band. At the end of a year with Her man, the band landed on the west (Jumped from Page 1) 1' Lena, Charlie Boost Take coast and Haymei found one of enhanced the effect of his work. his old sidekicks in the Dorsey As a person, Herbie Haymer fold, Roc Hillman (guitar), firm was the preoccupied, shy type, ly set with the Kay Kyser organi who sometimes failed to re zation. California and the movie At make San Francisco Niteries hearsals and jobs on time, but studio work Kyser was doing suit By RALPH J. GLEASON .never missed an opportunity to ed Herbie fine, and he became a iiarticipate in a jam session He । Kyserite. By this time he had a San Francisca^ After the Lenten doldrums. th« night club oved Debussy, Ravel, Duke Elling family and was ready to settle buaineM suddenly sprang to life here, with Lena Horne ring ton, and the New York Giants. On down. ing to SRO crowds night after night at the Fairmont hotel tenor sax he ardently admired Herbie Havmer One year of Kyser’;« College of and Charlie Ventura bringing his “bop for the people’* to as Coleman Hawkins. Musical Knowledge was apparent ( Herb was born in 1915 in Jer Eldridge’s hand after the regular ly enough for Haymer In July, many of ihem a» could crowd into sey City, N. J., and spent the first job was over. Haymer’s perform 1943, he pulled up the California Dut«*h Niemiin’« Geary street bistro, thinking they had a contract, only 15 years of his life without music. ance was singled out for praise at stakes to head to New York and Ciro's. (to find it hadn’t been signed, they It suddenly dawned on him in a concert given by the Chicago the Benny Goodman band. He was Lena, who was greeted by rave were more than willing to cut out. 1930 that he loved the stuff, so he Rhythm club, featuring the entire in the band when the famous mentions from disc jockies, colum Aside from Milt Bernhart, Art ’ bought an alto sax, looked up a Norvo band Goodman “ray” became so intense nists, night club Pepper, and Bob Cooper, the group teacher, and went to work seri After some two years in Red’s it wrecked the organization com editors, and had Jimmy Pratt (ex-Norvot ously. Five years later he switched band, Herbie ran into Jimmy Dor pletely. His attempt to play noth sports writers drums; Larry Bangham (a f.o.s to tenor sax nnd found himself sey again. This time, the two ing but jazz again was foiled and (Honest! There Angeles lad) piano, and Don Prill, playing with The Carl Sears band» did adjacent one-nite h«« returned to the west coast. was a plug bass. Betty Bennett (ex-Thornhill, Johnny Watson orchestra at stands at Coney Island, Cincin- Checking over the annual Down for her in Art Alvino Rey) did the vocals. natti. JD approached Herbie on Yoeng’s restaurant in New York Beat polls, one finds that Haymer Rosenbaum’s They’ve got a nice group with joining his band and he accepted. city. consistently w*as mentioned in the sports column), a good sound, and if Kenton The change took place in Febru first third nf those whose votes The summer of 1935 he went on was greeted by doesn’t return to the band business ary, 1938, and the star altoist qualified a listing. The fact he was a job at Bar Harbor, Maine, which cash from the this fall and snag them all back finally had the star tenor under in orchestras where his virtuosity turned out to be a panic. The band customers. Lena and if they get Safranski and his wing Unfortunately, this was was not featured to its fullest pos never opened. This put him back broke her own Christy, they might make a pretty about the time the Dorsey band sibilities accounts for his not plac in Gotham without too much to do, previous record good deal out of it all. They are and he just jammed around until went on a st,ong commerc ial binge ing higher. ok musically, but need a little more under Bill Burton’s guiding hand. Upon his return to California at the Fair Red Norvo heard him. About this mont, doing showmanship. The name of Christy time he made his first record with They made a lot of money but after Goodman, he really settled Ralph would also help them out a lot. nothing noteworthy musically. down. Being a fine musician, he sensational bus- Frank Froeba Herb Jeffries, with the Edgar Haymer got his kicks playing first had very little difficulty in getting iness. She is a veritable goldmine, That fall, Norvo took his famed Hayes band, and Ella Fitzgerald base on the Dorsey softball ’-am more work than he could handle especially in these days of unpre Swing sextet into the Hickory were slated to complete the liueup Three years went by, and Hay He was a consistent sideman on dictable night club business. House on 52nd Street. Herb’s of singers playing Ciro’s in May. tenor was included with Red’s mer began to get tired of not be radio shows such as Chesterfield There hasn’t been any one Vernon Alley, xylophone, Stewie Pletcher’s trum ing allowed to blow. These were Supper Club and the Hit Parade, around here in years who caused BAY AREA FOG— pet, Dave Barbour’s guitar, Pete the «lays “The World’s Greatest w’orked movie dates, and was everyone to fall out, but she did. fresh from a lecture in bop at Peterson’s bass, Don McCook’s Saxophoni it” (Burton’s tag for almost a house man at Capitol With he>, was her fine little trio: the California School of Fine Arts clarinet, and Eddie Sauter’s ar Dorsey) did Flight of the Bumble records. His last leaders were Luther Henderson, piano; Forrest and a week with Al Nicholas’ rangements. This group made Bee on his alto sax enough times .....men ......... like „„„Axel _Stordah), ____ „ .Paul Wes--—-j Hamilton, drums, and Charles Dixieland band, took a swing quar some fine records for Decca (see to furnish a pint of honey to all ton, and Ray Noble. When he was' Drayton, bass. Latter, incidentally, tet into the Say When, just to Haymer discography) until the residents of Brooklyn. not busy at the various studios he was about to leave at press time prove he can do anything and do bigwigs nixed “anymore swing Woody Herman offered Herb a would job with Dave Hudkins’ and a bassist from New York was it well, and upped the slipping stuff” and decided to use Rial’s chance to play more, when in small band. slated to take over. business in the spot. Johnny rombo in a new commercial style Wittwer may take a trio into Ventura. Too the Drake’s Pt rsian room to alter Norvo took his group over to Ventura, who followed Sarah Brunswick. nate with the Jack Sheedy group. Vaughan into Ciro’s, did well from JD Hear«, Latter, incidentally, gets in the his opening night. Nieman looked columns here almost as much as While still at Hickory House, Herbie Haymer On Wax | like a happy man again as the the mayor. Haymer was heard by Jimmy Dor- (This Herbie Haymer dlseography Hata the bands and label* on which hia werk can cash registers started tingling. tor, Bey» who filed his name in the back be found. In addition, a selected list of hia best solo* it included.) Charie’s version of bop for the Blast Vs. 20% • - of his mind for future reference. SELECTED SOLOS BY HERBIE HAYMER f —--------------------------------------------------- people went over in San Francisco Tommy Harris folded his House After the above engagement, Herb 1936 1910 with a bang. Guys who put every of Harris in April but didn’t quiet Red Norvo Swing Octet remained with Norvo when the lat Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra other bopster down, went around ly slip away. Instead, he ended ter organized a big band to go into De. 670—Polly Wolly Doodle/Wedding of Jaek and Jill De. 2961^^}herokee muttering “Now that I ran under with a blast against the 20 per the Commodore hotel in New De. 691—Grammerey Square/Decca Stomp De. 2980—Major and Minor Stomp stand. If that’s bop, I like it.” cent tax and an ad announcing York Red Norvo Swing Sextet 1941 Ed Shaughnessy, the two-bass his closing with a crack at the ta< In May, 1936, Norvo’s swingtet, De. 779—1 Got Rhythm /Lady Be Good Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra drum drummer, came in for loads included . Pat Patterson’s band with Haymer, was featured at the De. 3647—Turn Left/Turn Right from the House of Blue Lights has famous Swing concert at the Im 1937 of local praise from musicians Red Norvo Swing Sextet and public alike. So did the rest a KYA wire now. perial theater. George Frazier Br 7868—Liaa Woody Herman Orchestra of the band and vocalist Jackie Two Beaux and a Peep at the wrote in Down Beat, “For me, Hr 7896—Jiving the Jeep De. 3738 Interme«»o Cain.