♦ j C news SEE SPECIAL CHRISTMAS GIFT SUGGESTIONS IN THIS ISSUE! 95 «sälü*- — ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- C A P IT O L NEWS CAPITOL N EW S PAGE 3 D A V E DEXTER'S n e w s Published Monthly by CAPITOL PUBLICATIONS, INC. Herman Heading For Havana Sunset and Vine, Hollywood 28, Calif. Printed in U. S. A. ' SURFACE NOISE ^ W ill Use Only 6 EDITED BY DAVE DEXTER, JR. Thoughts While Unpacking a Suitcase Men in New Combo The census figures make no bones about it—N ew York, Chicago, When Woody Herman Philly, Los Angeles and other cities are larger than New Orleans, an d N a t Cole conclude But if you love music, and jazz in particular, the colorful little their current concert tour Louisiana metropolis has 'em all skunked. In Oklahoma City Dec. 4, Jazz got its start down there by the muddy Mississippi and even Woody will dismiss his today, as a new half-century begins, New Orleans offers more in musicians, hire six of them the w a y of creative, exciting, dynamic hot music than any other back and immediately fly Old-timer Ben Pollack is back city in the world. leading a band in Hollywood. to Havana for three weeks And it's a 6-piece Dixie combo The Roosevelt Hotel advertises big name orchestras but four at the Tropicana with his abbrevi­ which the vet drummer is pacing blocks away, in the ancient, decadent Vieux Carre section of the ated combo of Woodchoppers. at the Beverly Cavern with Matty city, you'll find more jazz bands within a six-block area than ever Bill Harris Sticks Matlock on clarinet, Walt Yoder existed on 52nd Street, or in the Loop, or on Sunset Boulevard. on bass and others. It won't be the end of the road Leon Prima, Phil Zito, old Papa Celestin with Alphonse Picou on for Herman's big band, for The Dixie fever is fast-spread­ clarinet, Joe Loyacano, Frank Federico, Armand Hug, Sharkey and ing. Ted Veseley's spirited two- W oody intends, in 1950, to re­ his Kings of Dixie and a dozen others work every night, all of beat gang moved into Sardi's organize a full-size orchestra with eight brass for occasional concert Monkey Room on Hollywood them blowing the happy, surging drop-beat stuff called Dixieland. tours. Boulevard in the wake of Pete Sharkey's little band is especially popular, having its own TV Daily. Pete took his gang of Chi­ "But we'll end 1949 and begin show, a Sunday concert, radio shots and two—that's two—nitery cagoans (see back cover photo) 1950," said Herman, "with a new to San Francisco. jobs. Twice every night Sharkey grabs his trumpet and his side- idea in music. Shelly Manne will Which leaves the entire west men and they rush in a cab from the Famous Door to the ornate be on drums, Bill Harris on trom­ coast with but one regularly- Roosevelt Blue Room—a frantic double. Then, too, they play bone and Neal Hefti on trumpet. employed bop brigade. "w elcom e" concerts down at the docks for the steamer passengers The new group also will feature Ralph Burns at the piano, Milt returning from cruises to Havana. Jackson on the vibes and Mert The old, legendary streets of New Orleans are still there and Oliver behind the bass. plainly marked, streets made famous the world over by the Olivers, W ill Record With New Group Mortons, Armstrongs, Bechets and scores of other jazzmen. Basin "Burns and Hefti have been Street, Iberville, Canal, Rampart, Bourbon, Decatur, Dauphine and writing new arrangements and ’r—we'll spell it, not try to say it—Tchoupitoulas Street. And from we have a lot of optimism about Canal you'll still see the riverboats plodding upstream, much as THERE'LL BE no white Christmas a new Woodchoppers group. It they did when jazz was young. this month for Gordon MacRae, will be an adaptable unit, just Ventura Combo who with Mrs. MacRae just re­ right for niteries and ideal for W alk down a street, any street, and you hear music. A new turned from a trek to New York. hotels. General Artists (booking ¡azz rag, "Bourbon Street Bounce," is on every jukebox and disc Gordie, with a virile voice and agency) is lining up January en­ jockey program. Music seems to mean more in the Crescent City. Rushing W est extraordinary acting ability, is gagements and the response is The poorest people buy records regularly for their old, hand- consistently becoming more and marvelous." Charlie Ventura, his tenor pipe cranked phonos. And the small, forsaken bars off on the dimly- more popular in films, on records The Tropicana date will be the and small combo are due in Los and via radio. He, his wife and first Herman has ever played in lighted sidestreets invariably feature at least a pianist. Angeles this month for a run at daughters (shown) now live in Cuba. None of his musicians has the Red Feather, nabe nitery on Mardi Gras doesn't begin until the Krewe of Carrollton next Southern California. ever been there, either. HOM E A G A IN in California the city's far south side. Feb. 12. And Christmas is still a few weeks away. But the visitor to after a concert tour and a run at Opening night is booked for The new Herman herd—smallest New Orleans senses, feels, smells and hears a festive spirit within the New York Paramount, Paul Dec. 7, with George Shearing, unit Woody has ever fronted— a 10-minute drive from the sprawling Moisant Airport. Hollywood Ziggy Swings Wand Weston and Jo Stafford find blind British pianist, set to follow also will record for Capitol. has its points, but returning to the Vine & Sunset office routines Frank Sinatra hired Ziggy there's no rest for the weary. Ventura on Jan. 7. Shearing has Elman to conduct on his night­ is like trying to tackle Emil Sitko. No Girl Singer . Yet Here they are recording for Capi­ never played in Southern Cali­ ly NBC airshow which is air­ Current conditions make it vir­ tol. And Jo has a raft of radio fornia. Ventura, slated to play ing from N ew York this month. Love that Creole Gumbo and Bourbon Street. Merry Christmas! tually impossible for a big band, guest shots booked for the new the Empire Room last winter, Elman takes over for Jeff with a payroll as hefty as Her- year. didn't play any nitery when the Alexander. Empire folded suddenly. (Over to Page 14) CAPITOL NEWS PAGE 4 CAPITOL NEWS PAGE 5 Gillespie, Katz Soon To W a x W IT H VIC DAMONE set doing four other hours of straight On Cap Label for an M GM film, those radio in addition. Services are ex­ pected to be conducted by Christ­ persistent rumors that Dizzy Gillespie affixed his sig­ mas eve. nature to a Capitol contract in Billy Eckstine and Lena late November and, in the fu­ Horne also will be teamed Kid Ory's Vine street nitery ture, will record with his new and in a feature flick are being folded fast, but it was no fault revamped orchestra exclusively heard again. Eckstine's handlers of Ory's. AFM Local 47 pulled his for the royal purple Cap label. have "officially" announced he band off the stand when the Still Leads 'Big' Combo was soon to face the Lion's cam­ union learned the spot was being One of the few musicians to eras at least 10 times in the last managed by Billy Berg, alleged SIGNS . Dizzy Gillespie and gain fame since Pearl Harbor, four years but the studio just as to be on the unfair list. Ory, who his revamped ork soon will be Dizzy's dizzy trumpeting and un­ determinedly denies each report. left a steady job at the Beverly heard on Capitol platters. The orthodox band style were credited The baritone, riding high these Cavern to move to Vine street, bop trumpeter has shifted the with introducing bebop. His cur­ days, has tested but the films ap ­ was trying to get the union and style of his band and it now is rent combo, however, although as parently never got out of the pro­ Berg straightened out so "his" said to be "melodic and dance- large as his previous orks, is of­ ducer's projection rooms. MGM club could reopen. The Cavern, able." Jim Conkling pacted him fering a radical change. The em­ also squelched reports that Lena meanwhile, hired Andy Blakeny's to the new contract. phasis is on melodic, danceable would star in a pic based on the band. Leader is a former Ory ensembles, a far cry from the trumpeter with a combo patterned career of Josephine Baker. Steve Gibson and the Red Caps erotic music Diz purveyed in the after Ory's style. open at Larry Potter's nitery in years following the end of World NEWEST TEAM to parlay their Al Jarvis, reputedly the first North Hollywood Dec. 1 for eight War II. talents on records finds Maggie disc jockey ever to face the tele­ John Anderson, trumpeter lead­ weeks. The deal for Gillespie to swing Whiting, just back from Tennes­ Nappy Out With vision cameras, now may be seen ing the band at the L. A. Oasis, over to Capitol was set by Diz see, making duets with Bing all afternoon, every afternoon, a hangout for USC students, fea­ M atty Matlock out, Rosy Me- and his manager, Willard Alex­ Crosby's uncle, Robert Hope, and frantically whirling discs and con­ tures Gerald Wiggins, piano; Britt Hargue in, to play clarinet with ander, with Jim Conkling, who the fun they're having revolves New Dixie Band ducting business over KLAC-TV in Woodman, trombone; Charlie Red Nichols' Pennies at the Holly­ bosses the waxwork's artists and around the shamrocked sweatshirt Los Angeles.