Lester Young Genius Killed By Alcohol – 13 March 2021 Phantom Dancer

Lester Young, jazz tenor saxophonist called ‘The Prez’, is this week’s Phantom Dancer feature artist from live 1940s-50s broadcasts. Young was one of the most influential saxophonists, playing “a free-floating style, wheeling and diving like a gull, banking with low, funky riffs that pleased dancers and listeners alike”. Alcohol killed him.

The Phantom Dancer – your non-stop mix of swing and jazz from live 1920s-60s radio and TV hosted by me, Greg Poppleton.

Enjoy a whole library of Phantom Dancer mixes online now at https://2ser.com/phantom-dancer/.

This show will be online after 2pm AEST, Tuesday 6 April at https://2ser.com/phantom-dancer/

 

1920s-30s

Lester Young grew up in a musical family. His brother, Lee, was a drummer. (You’ll hear a broadcast by Lester and Lee on this week’s Phantom Dancer). His father lead the family band in which he played trumpet, alto sax, drums and violin.

Joining Walter Page’s Blue Devils Orchestra, Lester switched saxes from alto to tenor. He also doubled clarinet, until his clarinet was stolen at a gig in 1939. (He was given a replacement clarinet in 1957).

One of Young’s key influences was Frank Trumbauer, who was famous in the 1920s Paul Whiteman Orchestra and who played the C-melody saxophone (between the alto and tenor in pitch)

Young moved to Kansas City in 1933 to play in the Count Basie Orchestra. During the 1930s he also played in the bands of Andy Kirk and Fletcher Henderson. He also played in small groups that included pianist Teddy Wilson and singer Billie Holiday who gave him the nickname, Prez.

1940s

Young left the Basie band in late 1940. He played in small groups often with his brother, drummer Lee Young, including more studio sessions with Billie Holiday and Nat “King” Cole in June 1942. 

In December 1943 Young returned to the Basie Orchestra for a 10-month stint before he was drafted into the army during World War II.

PLASTIC REEDS

Lester Young was beginning to make much greater use of a plastic reed in the early 1940s. They gave his playing a heavier, breathier tone. He never abandoned the cane reed, but used the plastic reed a significant share of the time from 1943 until the end of his life. His tone also thickened from this time with a change in saxophone mouthpiece from a metal Otto Link to an ebonite Brilhart. In August 1944 Young appeared alongside drummer Jo Jones, trumpeter Harry “Sweets” Edison, and fellow tenor saxophonist Illinois Jacquet in Gjon Mili’s short film Jammin’ the Blues.

In 1946 Young joined Norman Granz’s Jazz at the Philharmonic (JATP), touring regularly with them over the next 12 years. He made many studio recordings under Granz’s supervision, including more trio recordings with Nat King Cole. Young also recorded extensively in the late 1940s for Aladdin Records (1946-7) and for Savoy (1944, ’49 and ’50), some sessions of which included Basie on piano.

 

KILLED BY PLONK

The quality and consistency of Lester Young’s playing ebbed gradually in the latter half of the 1940s.

And from 1951, his playing declined precipitously as his drinking increased. 

He began to rely on a small number of clichéd phrases and reduced creativity and originality, despite his claims that he did not want to be a “repeater pencil” (Young coined this phrase to describe the act of repeating one’s own past ideas. Young also coined the hipster words, ‘cool’ for good and ‘bread’ for money). 

In November 1955 he was admited to hospital a ‘nervous breakdown’.

On December 8, 1957, Young appeared with Billie Holiday, Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster, Roy Eldridge, and Gerry Mulligan in the CBS television special ‘The Sound of Jazz’, performing, ‘Fine and Mellow’. You’ll hear this reunion with Holiday, with whom he had lost contact over the years, on this week’s Phantom Dancer. Young’s solo was brilliant, acclaimed by some observers as an unparalleled marvel of economy, phrasing and extraordinarily moving emotion. Nat Hentoff, one of the show’s producers, later commented, “Lester got up, and he played the purest blues I have ever heard…in the control room we were all crying.”

Young made his final studio recordings and live performances in Paris in March 1959 with drummer Kenny Clarke at the tail end of an abbreviated European tour during which he ate almost nothing and drank heavily. On a flight to New York City, he suffered from internal bleeding due to alcoholism and died in the early morning hours of 15 March, 1959, only hours after arriving back in New York. He was only 49.

13 APRIL PLAY LIST

Play List – The Phantom Dancer 107.3 2SER-FM Sydney LISTEN ONLINE   Community Radio Network Show CRN #485
107.3 2SER Tuesday 13 April 2021 12:04 – 2:00pm (+10 hours GMT) and Saturdays 5 – 5:55pm National Program 5GTR Mt Gambier Monday 2:30 – 3:30am 3MBR Murrayville Monday 3 – 4am 4NAG Keppel FM Monday 3 – 4am 2SEA Eden Monday 3 – 4am 2MIA Griffith Monday 3 – 4am 2BAR Edge FM Bega Monday 3 – 4am 2BRW Braidwood Monday 3 – 4am 3VKV Alpine Radio Monday 6 – 7pm 7MID Oatlands Tuesday 8 – 9pm 1ART ArtsoundFM Canberra Friday 10 – 11am 2ARM Armidale Friday 12 – 1pm 5LCM Lofty FM Adelaide Friday 1 – 2pm 4RPH Brisbane Sunday 3 – 4am 7LTN Launceston Sunday 5 – 6am 3MGB Mallacoota Sunday 5 – 6am 6GME Radio Goolarri Broome Sunday 5 – 6am 3BBR West Gippsland Sunday 5 – 6pm
Set 1	ONS Swing Bands
Theme + Sunday	Charlie Spivak Orchestra	‘One Night Stand’ Palladium Ballroom Hollywood AFRS Re-broadcast Oct 1943
Every Time	Sonny Dunham Orchestra (voc) Mary Ann	‘One Night Stand’ Terrace Room Hotel New Yorker NYC AFRS Re-broadcast 16 Jul 1945
All Or Nothing At All + Close	Boyd Raeburn Orchestra (voc) Ted Travers	‘One Night Stand’ Roosevelt Hotel Washington DC AFRS Re-broadcast Apr 1944
Set 2	Jimmy Grier
Tired	Jimmy Grier Orchestra (voc) Loyce Whiteman	Cocoanut Grove Ambassador Hotel TRANSCO Radio Transcription 1932
Time Alone Will Tell	Jimmy Grier Orchestra (voc) Donald Novis	Cocoanut Grove Ambassador Hotel TRANSCO Radio Transcription 1932
What Did You Do With It? + Music in the Moonlight (theme)	Jimmy Grier Orchestra (voc) Margaret Lawrence	Cocoanut Grove Ambassador Hotel TRANSCO Radio Transcription 1932
Set 3	Glenn Miller Radio
Wham Re Bop Boom Bam	Glenn Miller Orchestra (voc) Marion Hutton	Cafe Rouge Hotel Pennsylvania WJZ NBC Blue NY 7 Jan 1940
The Man With The Mandolin	Glenn Miller Orchestra (voc) Marion Hutton	Meadowbrook Ballroom Cedar Grove NJ WJZ NBC Blue NY 5 Dec 1939
Tuxedo Junction	Glenn Miller Orchestra	Cafe Rouge Hotel Pennsylvania WJZ NBC Blue NY 5 Apr 1940
Set 4	Lester Young
Benny’s Bugle	Lester and Lee Young Orchestra	Club Capri KHJ Mutual-Don Lee Los Angeles 2 Dec 1941
These Foolish Things	Lester Young with Nat King Cole Trio and Buddy Rich	‘Jubilee’ AFRS Hollywood 20 Mar 1946
Be Bop Boogie	Lester Young	‘Symphony Sid Show’ Royal Roost WMCA NY 4 Dec 1948
Intro + Fine and Mellow	Lester Young (voc) Billie Holiday	‘Seven Lively Arts’ The Sound of Jazz CBS TV 1957
Set 5	Swing Band Radio Transcriptions
I’ve Had This Feeling Before	Harry James Orchestra (voc) Helen Ward	Radio Transcription 1943
I’m Gonna Lock My Heart and Throw Away the Key	Dick Jurgens Orchestra (voc) Ron Kemper	Radio Transcription 1938
Sentimental Jorney	Les Brown Orchestra (voc) Doris Day	Radio Transcription 1944
I’ll See You In My Dreams	Jan Garber Orchestra	Radio Transcription 1938
Set 6	Eddie Condon
Love Nest	Eddie Condon Group	‘Town Hall Jazz Concert’ WJZ Blue NY 9 Sep 1944
Yesterdays	Eddie Condon Group	‘Town Hall Jazz Concert’ WJZ Blue NY 21 Oct 1944
Keep Smiling at Trouble	Eddie Condon Group	‘Town Hall Jazz Concert’ WJZ Blue NY 30 Sep 1944
Sister Kate	Eddie Condon Group	‘Town Hall Jazz Concert’ WJZ Blue NY 10 Feb 1945
Set 7	Jubilee
Rockin’ in Rhythm	Charlie Barnet Orchestra	‘Jubilee’ AFRS Hollywood 1945
Mister Beebe	Erskine Hawkins Orchestra (voc) June Richmond	‘Jubilee’ AFRS Hollywood 1943
Save Your Sorrows	Eddie Heywood Orchestra	‘Jubilee’ AFRS Hollywood 1945
Blues in the Night	Larry Adler	‘Jubilee’ AFRS Hollywood 1943
Set 8	Charlie Parker
Wahoo	Charlie Parker	‘Symphony Sid Show’ Birdland WJZ ABC NY 30 Jun 1951
Groovin’ High	Charlie Parker	‘Symphony Sid Show’ Royal Roost WMCA NY 29 Jan 1949
Confirmation	Charlie Parker	‘Symphony Sid Show’ Royal Roost WMCA NY 12 Feb 1949
Fine and Dandy	Charlie Parker	‘Bands for Bonds’ WOR Mutual NY 13 Sep 1947

Harry Reser’s Volunteer Firemen – Phantom Dancer 28 April 2020

Harry Reser, virtuoso 1920s-30s banjo star and band leader, the first to record ‘Santa Claus is Coming to Town‘, is your feature artist on this week’s Greg Poppleton Phantom Dancer.

The Phantom Dancer, your non-stop 2 hour mix of swing and jazz from live 1920s-60s radio, is produced and presented by 1920s-30s singer and actor Greg Poppleton can be heard online from 12:04pm AEST Tuesday 28 April at https://2ser.com/phantom-dancer/

The last hour is all vinyl.

STAGGERING

Harry Reser’s recorded output is staggering and among the ensembles he was associated with included The Bostonians, the Campus Boys, Jimmy Johnston’s Rebels, the Four Minstrels, the Seven Rag Pickers, the Victorian Syncopators, Earl Oliver’s Jazz Babies, Bill Wirges’ Orchestra, Tom Stacks and his Minute Men and the celebrated Cliquot Club Eskimos, which were heard weekly on NBC Red, then Blue, then CBS radio network from 1925 until 1935.

Reser was one of the busiest and most prolific bandleaders and session men of the 1920s. His massive output of unfailingly cheerful and uplifting tunes, with vocals by Tom Stacks (who first sung the aforementioned Santa song) was released under more than 175 pseudonyms, including The Volunteer Firemen (who you’ll hear on this show), the Tickle Toe Ten, Jack’s Fast Steppin’ Bellhops, Si Higgins & His Sodbusters, and — most famously — the ginger ale-affiliated Clicquot Club Eskimos.

TAKING FLIGHT

Reser was a first cousin to Orville & Wilbur Wright, the Wright brothers, who first flew an airplane in 1903. His musical talents became apparent in toddlerhood, and when his parents realized they had a child prodigy, they had a special guitar made for him suited to his extremely small size. This was his first instrument.

Reser recalled, “Of course, being a kid, and playing for various minor concerts and recitals naturally gave me somewhat of a hero feeling, but I was never able to get the attitude of a great many people whom I often heard talking prodigies, juvenile wonders and any number of other equally mysterious things in connection with my playing. It never seemed in the least remarkable or extraordinary that I played at the age of eight.”

From ages 9 to 14 he studied music theory, piano, violin and cello.

DANCE BANDS

By the 1910s the banjo was making its presence felt more strongly with dance bands and Reser felt he should learn how to play it as quickly as possible. He practiced until he was able to play to a high enough standard to supplement his piano playing, thus increasing his chances of earning a reasonable living. In the summer of 1920 he played in a Dayton dance band under the leadership of Paul Goss. By this time he was playing the banjo regularly. He soon moved to Buffalo, New York to appear at the Hippodrome, playing primarily violin, though continuing to work on his banjo technique as well.

After Christmas of 1920 he moved to New York City. He sought out engagements and soon found himself in demand. Some of the early bands he was involved with included those of leading dance band leaders Ben Selvin, Benny Krueger, Sam Lanin, Nathan Glantz, and Mike Markel (for whom he played saxophone).

By 1922, he had recorded a half dozen pieces, including “Crazy Jo” and Zez Confrey’s “Kitten on the Keys”. In early autumn of the same year, he considered starting his own band. Soon a contract was drawn up with Okeh Records and his first band, the Okeh Syncopators, came into being during September or October 1922. Shortly after the start of this new endeavor he was approached by Paul Whiteman to sit in for Whiteman’s regular banjoist, Mike Pingitore, during a UK tour of the Paul Whiteman Orchestra.

Reser had three original compositions written for tenor banjo; The Cat and the Dog, Cracker Jack, and Lolly Pops.

In 1925, he found fame as the director for NBC’s Clicquot Club Eskimo Orchestra, continuing with that weekly half-hour until 1935. At the same time, he also led other bands using pseudonyms. “Harry Reser and His Six Jumping Jacks”, with vocals by Tom Stacks.

ENDORSED ARTIST

Throughout his career he was an endorsed artist, playing instruments from several well-known makers. During the 1920s he mainly played a variety of William L. Lange’s Paramount tenor and plectrum banjos, and Lange presented him with a Super Paramount Artists Supreme, as he also did to Mike Pingitore, another Paramount musician. Later Reser would play Gibson and Vegavox banjos.

Harry Reser played “Tiger Rag” and “You Hit the Spot” in the Vitaphone musical short Harry Reser and His Eskimos (1936) which is one of three Phantom Dancer Videos of the Week, below..

Reser remained active in music for the rest of his life, leading TV studio orchestras and playing with Broadway theatre orchestras. In 1960 he appeared with Bing Crosby, Peggy Lee, and Buster Keaton in “A 70th Birthday Salute to Paul Whiteman” on TV’s The Revlon Revue. He wrote several instructional books for the banjo, guitar, and ukulele.

In 1965 Reser died of a heart attack in the orchestra pit of Manhattan’s Imperial Theatre while warming up for a Broadway stage version of Fiddler on the Roof.

THREE VIDEOS OF THE WEEK

Your first Phantom Dancer Video of the Week is a Vitaphone short from 1929.

Harry Reser, Vitaphone, 1936, leading his Cliquot Eskimos with early electic organ and Reser playing amped slide guitar but no banjo!

Here’s a more complete version of the Vitaphone short, with the titles obliterated by the person who put the film up on YouTube, probably thinking that would solve any copyright issues.

Thirdly, be amazed by the drumming tricks of Freddie Crump on his 1920s drum kit which is so different from a modern jazz kit. Enjoy!

28 APRIL PLAY LIST

Play List – The Phantom Dancer 107.3 2SER-FM Sydney, Live Stream, Digital Radio Community Radio Network Show CRN #434
107.3 2SER Tuesday 28 April 2020 After the 2SER 12 noon news, 12:04 – 2:00pm (+10 hours GMT) and Saturdays 5 – 5:55pm National Program: 1ART ArtsoundFM Canberra Sunday 10 – 11pm 5GTR Mt Gambier Monday 2:30 – 3:30am 3MBR Murrayville Monday 3 – 4am 4NAG Keppel FM Monday 3 – 4am 2SEA Eden Monday 3 – 4am 2MIA Griffith Monday 3 – 4pm 2BAR Edge FM Bega Monday 3 – 4pm 3VKV Alpine Radio Monday 6 – 7pm 7MID Oatlands Tuesday 8 – 9pm 2MCE Bathurst / Orange / Central West NSW Wednesday 9 – 10am 2ARM Armidale Friday 12 – 1pm 7LTN Launceston Sunday 5 – 6am 3MGB Mallacoota Sunday 5 – 6am 6GME Radio Goolarri Broome Sunday 5 – 6am
Set 1	Jive on 1944 Radio
Theme + Three Little Words	Denny Beckner Orchestra	‘Spotlight Bands’ Norfolk Virginia Blue Network AFRS Re-broadcast 30 Mar 1944
Fifth Avenue Sax	Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra	‘One Night Stand’ Tune Town Ballroom St Louis Mo AFRS Re-broadcast 5 Apr 1944
On The Sunny Side Of The Street + Close	Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (voc) The Sentimentalists	‘Gi Jive’ AFRS Hollywood Sep 1944
Set 2	All-Star Parade of Bands from 1950s Radio
Open + The Man On The Beat	Ray Anthony Orchestra	‘All-Star Parade of Bands’ Palladium Ballroom KFI NBC Hollywood 23 Nov 1953
Take The A-Train (theme) + Caravan	Duke Ellington Orchestra	Basin Street WCBS CBS NY 16 Apr 1956
Rain	Les Brown and his Band of Renown	‘All-Star Parade of Bands’ Palladium Ballroom KFI NBC Hollywood 12 Oct 1953
Set 3	Some of the Earliest Recorded Jazz Radio
Tie Me To Your Apron Strings Again	The Volunteer Firemen directed by Harry Reser	Comm Rec New York City 27 Jan 1927
I Lost My Gal From Memphis / Here Comes Emily Brown	Red Nichols Orchestra (voc) Dick Robertson	‘Heat’ Radio Transcrition New York City 3 Aug 1930
Egyptian Ella	Philco Hour Orchestra	‘Philco Hour’ WABC CBS NY 1931
Set 4	Excursions in Modern Music on 1949 Radio
Open + Bop City	Charlie Barnet Orchestra	‘Excursions in Modern Music’ Rendevous Ballroom Balboa Ca 30 Jul 1949
Diz Does Everything	Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra (tp) Maynard Ferguson	‘One Night Stand’ Cafe Rouge Statler Hotel AFRS Re-broadcast 7 Apr 1949
Flying Home	Lionel Hampton Orchestra	‘One Night Stand’ Aquarium Restaurant NYC AFRS Re-brodcast 1949
Set 5	French Jazz on the Air 1949 – 1953
Dream of You	Django Reinhardt et la Quintette du Hot Club de France	Radio Geneva Switzerland 25 Oct 1949
Jam Session	Dizzy Gillespie (tp) avec Tony Proteau et son Orchestre	Rex Theatre RDF Paris Feb 1953
Night and Day	Django Reinhardt acc. par Paul Baron et son Grand Orchestre	‘This is Paris’ NBC 1950
Le Boogie de Paris	Jacques Helian et son Orchestre	Comm Rec Paris 1946
Set 6	Dance Bands on 1938 – 40 Radio
John Peel	Paul Whiteman Orchestra and Chorus with Jack Teagarden (tb)	‘Chesterfield Show’ WABC CBS NY 28 Dec 1938
Comes Love	Artie Shaw Orchestra (voc) Helen Forrest	Summer Terrace Ritz Carlton Hotel WNAC NBC Boston 19 Aug 1939
Sugar Blues	Ella Fitzgerald Orchestra (voc) Ella Fitzgerald	Savoy Ballroom WEAF NBC Red NY 26 Feb 1940
Hold Tight	Glenn Miller Orchestra (voc) Marion Hutton and Band	Meadowbrook Ballroom Cedar Grove NJ WJZ NBC Blue NY 18 Apr 1939
Set 7	Swinging on early 1940s Radio
Johnny Zero	George Trevare Orchestra (voc) Joan Blake	Comm Rec Sydney 1944
Shine	Jack Teagarden Orchestra	‘Spotlight Bands’ Joplin Mo Mutual Network 18 Mar 1946
The Skaters’ Waltz	Tommy Dorsey Orchestra	Meadowbrook Ballroom Cedar Grove NJ WABC CBS NY 11 Feb 1941
Moonglow + Swanee River	Lionel Hampton Orchestra	‘One Night Stand’ Trianon Ballroom Southgate Calif AFRS Re-broadcast 16 Jun 1944
Set 8	Band Singers With Their Own Radio Shows
Beg Your Pardon	Dinah Shore (voc) Harry James Orchestra	‘Call For Music’ KNX CBS LA 4 May 1948
Evalina	Mildred Bailey (voc) Paul Baron Orchestra	‘Music Till Midnight’ WABC CBS NY 1944
Somebody Loves Me	Peggy Lee (voc) Dave Barbour Orchestra	‘Rexall Show’ KNX CBS LA 1951
Day By Day + Put Your Dreams Away For Another Day (theme)	Frank Sinatra and Jimmy Durante	‘Songs by Sinatra’ AFRS Re-broadcast 27 Feb 1946

Live: Air Drum Solo on 1920s Dinah Song

Greg Poppleton sings the 1925 hit, Dinah. Watch out for the Air Drum solo.

With Dave Clayton double bass and Air Drums, Grahame Conlon banjo, Damon Poppleton soprano sax.

Filmed live, Sat 18 January 2020.

Visit the band website for more Music & Bookings: https://www.gregpoppletonmusic.com

Bix Beidebecke First Hand – Phantom Dancer 15 Oct 2019

BIX

The first live jazz band I saw, many members of which I was later to sing with in my own band, played in front of a banner ‘Bix Lives’. Bix Beidebecke was an American jazz cornetist, pianist and composer.

This week’s 2SER Subscriber Drive Phantom Dancer presented by Greg Poppleton features music by this enourmous figure in jazz history and a 1941 reminiscence about Bix by someone who knew him personally.

ONLINE

This week’s Phantom Dancer will be online right after the 15 October 107.3 2SER Sydney live mix at 2ser.com.
Hear the show live every Tuesday 12:04-2pm on 107.3 2SER Sydney.

SUBSCRIBE

Join thousands of others to keep community radio on air by subscribing to 2SER now.

BIX AND PAUL

The Bix musical selections you’ll hear on this week’s Phantom Dancer comes from recordings he made as part of the Paul Whiteman Orchestra.

The Paul Whiteman Orchestra was the most popular and highest paid dance band of the day. In spite of Whiteman’s appellation “The King of Jazz”, his band was not a jazz ensemble as such, but a popular music outfit that drew from both jazz and classical music repertoires.

Idiotic jazz critics have derided the Whiteman band for not recording solo after solo by Bix. However, colleagues of Bix have testified that, far from feeling bound or stifled by the Whiteman orchestra, Bix often felt a sense of exhilaration. It was like attending a music school, learning and broadening.

Beiderbecke is featured on a number of Whiteman recordings, including two we’ll hear today with Bing Crosby and the Rhythm Boys as vocalists. These are, ‘You Took Advantage Of Me’ and ‘Changes’.

IMPRO

These two songs are specially written arrangements that emphasize Beiderbecke’s improvisational skills. Bill Challis, an arranger who had also worked in this capacity for Jean Goldkette, was particularly sympathetic in writing scores with Beiderbecke in mind, sometimes arranging entire ensemble passages based on solos that Bix played.

HOTEL ROOM TRASHING 40 YEARS AHEAD OF HIS TIME

On November 30, 1928, whilst on tour in Cleveland, Beiderbecke suffered ‘a severe nervous crisis’. “He cracked up, that’s all”, trombonist Bill Rank said. “Just went to pieces; broke up a roomful of furniture in the hotel.”

LAST RECORD

On his last recording session, in New York, on September 15, 1930, Beiderbecke played on the original recording of Hoagy Carmichael’s new song, ‘Georgia on My Mind’ with Carmichael doing the vocals, Eddie Lang on guitar, Joe Venuti on violin, Jimmy Dorsey on clarinet and alto saxophone, Jack Teagarden on trombone, and Bud Freeman on tenor saxophone. The song would go on to become a jazz and popular music standard.

STARDUST

Beiderbecke’s playing had an influence on Carmichael as a composer. One of his compositions, ‘Stardust’, was inspired by Beiderbecke’s improvisations, with a cornet phrase reworked by Carmichael into the song’s central theme.

Bing Crosby, who sang with Whiteman, also cited Beiderbecke as an important influence. “Bix and all the rest would play and exchange ideas on the piano”, he said. “With all the noise [of a New York pub] going on, I don’t know how they heard themselves, but they did. I didn’t contribute anything, but I listened and learned […] I was now being influenced by these musicians, particularly horn men. I could hum and sing all of the jazz choruses from the recordings made by Bix, Phil Napoleon, and the rest.”

VIDEO

This week’s Phantom Dancer video of the week shows Bix Beidebecke playing with the Whiteman Orchestra in a 1928 newsreel. Beidebecke, a self-taught cornetist, plays with puffed cheeks.

15 OCTOBER PLAY LIST

Play List – The Phantom Dancer 107.3 2SER-FM Sydney, Live Stream, Digital Radio Community Radio Network Show CRN #409
107.3 2SER Tuesday 15 October 2019 After the 2SER 12 noon news, 12:04 – 2:00pm (+11 hours GMT) National Program: ArtsoundFM Canberra Sunday 10 – 11pm Edge FM Bega Monday 3 – 4pm 7MID Oatlands Tuesday 8 – 9pm 2ARM Armidale Friday 12 – 1pm 3MGB Mallacoota Sunday 5 – 6am and early morning on 23 other stations.
Set 1	One Night Stand
Open + Three Little Words	Tony Pastor Orchestra	‘One Night Stand’ Jaentzen Beach Portland OR AFRS Re-broadcast 15 May 1945
I Don’t Wanna Be Loved By Anyone Else But You + How Deep Is The Ocean?	Louis Prima Orchestra (voc) Lily Ann Polk	‘One Night Stand’ Meadowbrook Ballroom Cedar Grove NJ AFRS Re-broadcast 28 Sep 1945
Perdido + Close	Randy Brooks Orchestra	‘One Night Stand’ Roseland Ballroom NYC AFRS Re-broadcast 21 Sep 1944
Set 2	Orrin Tucker
Because of You	Orrin Tucker Orchestra (voc) Orrin Tucker	Trocadero Ballroon Elitch’s Gardens Mutual Denver CO Jun 1951
Drifting and Dreaming	Orrin Tucker Orchestra (voc) The Bodyguards	Comm Rec Los Angeles 15 Dec 1939
Goodnight My Love + Drifting and Dreaming (theme)	Orrin Tucker Orchestra (voc) Orrin Tucker	Boulevarde Room Stevens Hotel ABC Chicago 1951
Set 3	Eddie Condon
Oh, By Jingo!	Eddie Condon	‘Doctor Jazz’ Eddie Condon’s WNEW NY 10 Dec 1951
I Found A New Baby	Eddie Condon	‘Eddie Condon’s Jazz Concert’ WJZ Blue NY 3 Mar 1945
Bad Habits + Somebody Loves Me + Close	Eddie Condon (voc) Lee Wiley	‘Chesterfield Presents Eddie Condon’ Date and place unknown
Set 4	Bix Beidebecke
Changes	Paul Whiteman Orchestra (Bix solo) (voc) Rhythm Boys	Comm Rec NYC 23 Nov 1927
Bix Reminiscence	Ralph Burton	‘Chamber Music Society of Lower Basin Street’ WJZ Blue NY 6 Jan 1941
You Took Advantage of Me	Paul Whiteman Orchestra (Bix solo) (voc) Rhythm Boys	Comm Rec NYC 24 Apr 1928
Set 5	Swing Radio 1940-1941
Jug Music	Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra	Palladium Ballroom KFI NBC LA 20 Oct 1941
I’m Looking For A Guy Who Plays Alto And Baritone Doubles On A Clarinet And Wears A Size 37 Suit	Ozzie Nelson Orchestra (voc) Rose Ann Stevens	Blackhawk Restaurant WGN Mutual Chicago 30 Mar 1940
Oh So Good	Glenn Miller Orchestra	Cafe Rouge Hotel Pennsylvania WJZ NBC Blue 27 Dec 1941
Tuxedo Junction	Glenn Miller Orchestra (voc) Marion Hutton, Tex Beneke and the Modernaires	Cafe Rouge Hotel Pennsylvania WJZ NBC Blue 27 Dec 1941
Set 6	Anita O’Day
Kick It	Anita O’Day (voc) Gene Krupa Orchestra	Aircheck 7 Jun 1941
I’ll Do It All Over Again	Anita O’Day (voc) Gene Krupa Orchestra	Astor Roof Hotel Astor WOR Mutual NY 15 Aug 1945
Open + Amour	Anita O’Day (voc) Gene Krupa Orchestra	Aircheck 1 Oct 1941
Drum Boogie	Anita O’Day (voc) Gene Krupa Orchestra	Aircheck 1 Oct 1941
Set 7	1930s Dance Band Radio Transcriptions
I’ll Do Anything For You	Seger Ellis and his Choirs of Brass	Radio Transcription 1937
Ride, Tenderfoot, Ride	Dick Jurgens Orchestra (voc) Eddie Howard	Radio Transcription 1938
Snuff Stuff	Seger Ellis and his Choirs of Brass	Radio Transcription 1937
There’s Silver on the Sage Tonight	Dick Jurgens Orchestra (voc) Eddie Howard	Radio Transcription 1939
Set 8	Charlie Parker
Scrapple From The Apple	Charlie Parker	‘Symphony Sid Show’ Royal Roost WMCA NY 15 Jan 1949
Ad for Face Powder	Symphony Sid	‘Symphony Sid Show’ Royal Roost WMCA NY 19 Feb 1949
Oo-Bop-Sha-Bam	Charlie Parker (voc) Band	‘Symphony Sid Show’ Royal Roost WMCA NY 22 Jan 1949

Child Prodigy Jazz Pianist – Phantom Dancer 24 September 2019

A child prodigy on this week’s Phantom Dancer radio show with Greg Poppleton – Frank ‘Sugar Chile Robinson’. He played a White House dinner in 1946 aged 7, then played again at the White House in 2016 to a standing ovation aged 77.

The Phantom Dancer is your two hour non-stop mix of swing and jazz from live 1920s-60s radio and TV, presented by Greg Poppleton on Radio 2SER 107.3 Sydney since 1985. Hear the show online from 12:04pm Tuesday 24 September at 2ser.com

The last hour is all vinyl.

SUGAR CHILE

Fom Wiki,
Frank Isaac Robinson (born December 28, 1938), known in his early musical career as Sugar Chile Robinson, is an American jazz pianist and singer who became famous as a child prodigy.

PIANO

Robinson was born in Detroit, Michigan. At an early age he showed unusual gifts singing the blues and accompanying himself on the piano. According to contemporary newsreels, he was self-taught and managed to use techniques including slapping the keys with elbows and fists.

AGE 3

He won a talent show at the Paradise Theatre in Detroit at the age of three, and in 1945 played guest spots at the theatre with Lionel Hampton, who was prevented by child protection legislation from taking Robinson on tour with him. However, Robinson performed on radio with Hampton and Harry ‘The Hipster’ Gibson and also appeared as himself in the Hollywood film No Leave, No Love, starring Van Johnson and Keenan Wynn.

CATCH PHRASE

In 1946, he played for President Harry S. Truman at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, shouting out “How’m I Doin’, Mr. President?” – which became his catchphrase – during his performance of “Caldonia”. He was the first African American performer to appear at the annual WHCA dinner. He began touring major theaters, setting box office records in Detroit and California. In 1949 he was given special permission to join the American Federation of Musicians and record his first releases on Capitol Records, “Numbers Boogie” and “Caldonia”, both reaching the Billboard R&B chart. In 1950, he toured and appeared on television with Count Basie and in a short film ‘Sugar Chile’ Robinson, Billie Holiday, Count Basie and His Sextet. The following year, he toured the UK, appearing at the London Palladium. He stopped recording in 1952, later explaining,

“I wanted to go to school… I wanted some school background in me and I asked my Dad if I could stop, and I went to school because I honestly wanted my college diploma.”

UNI AND TV

Until 1956 he continued to make occasional appearances as a jazz musician, billed as Frank Robinson, and performed on one occasion with Gerry Mulligan, but then gave up his musical career entirely. Continuing his academic studies, he earned a degree in history from Olivet College and one in psychology from the Detroit Institute of Technology. In the 1960s, he worked for WGPR-TV, and also helped set up small record labels in Detroit and opened a recording studio.

LATELY

In the 21st Century he has made a comeback as a musician with the help of the American Music Research Foundation. In 2002, he appeared at a special concert celebrating Detroit music, and in 2007 he traveled to Britain to appear at a rock and roll weekend festival. In the last Dr Boogie show of 2013, Sugar Chile Robinson was the featured artist, with four of his classic hits showcasing amid biographical sketches of his early career. On April 30, 2016, he attended the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on the 70th anniversary of his appearance at the 1946 dinner. He met President Obama and was saluted during the dinner, receiving a standing ovation as the picture of him as a child appeared on the video screens. In 2016 he was inducted into the Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame.

Your Phantom Dancer Video of the Week is Sugar Chile Robinson! Enjoy…

Make sure you come back to this blog, Greg Poppleton’s Radio Lounge, every Tuesday, for the newest Phantom Dancer play list and Video of the Week!

Thank you.

Play List – The Phantom Dancer 107.3 2SER-FM Sydney, Live Stream, Digital Radio Community Radio Network Show CRN #406
107.3 2SER Tuesday 24 September 2019 After the 2SER 12 noon news, 12:04 – 2:00pm (+10 hours GMT)
Set 1	That Ace Drummer Man Gene Krupa on 1945-46 Radio
Whispering	Gene Krupa Orchestra	’Spotlight Bands’ MBS 1946
Bugle Call Rag	Gene Krupa Orchestra	Pacific Square San Diego MBS 2 Mar 1945
Yes, Yes, Honey	Gene Krupa Orchestra (voc) Carolyn Gray	’One Night Stand’ The Click, Phildelphia AFRS Re-broadcast 8 Jan 1945
Set 2	Rock’n’Roll Live on 1950s Radio
Theme + I Was Born To Rock	Smilin’ Smokey Lynn	’Midnite Matinee’ Olympic Auditorium KFVD Los Angeles 28 Sep 1951
Tender Trap	Count Basie Orchestra (voc) Joe Williams	’Rock’n’Roll Dance Party’ WCBS CBS NY 12 May 1956
Baby Please Don’t Go		’Sepia Swing Club’ WDIA Memphis 14 Dec 1951
Set 3	Progressive Jazz on 1948-62 Radio and TV
Theme + Move	Miles Davis Nonet	’Symphony Sid Show’ Royal Roost WMCA New York 4 Sep 1948
Strike Up the Band	Pete Brown	’All-Star Parade of Bands’ Birdland WRCA NBC NY 2 Sep 1952
Oleo + Theme	Phineas Newborn Jr	’Jazz Scene USA’ TV Series Los Angeles 15 Oct 1962
Set 4	Woody Herman on Live 1944-45 Radio
Flying Home	Woody Herman Orchestra	’Old Gold Show’ Rehearsal WABC CBS NY 2 Aug 1944
Goosey Gander	Woody Herman Orchestra	Cafe Rouge Hotel Pennsylvania WABC CBS NY 21 Jul 1945
Apple Honey + Blue Flame (theme)	Woody Herman Orchestra	’One Night Stand’ Cafe Rouge Hotel Pennsylvania NYC AFRS Re-broadcast 6 Aug 1945
Set 5	Raymond Scott Orchestra 1940
Pretty Little Petticoat (theme) + Huckleberry Duck	Raymond Scott Orchestra	Panther Room Hotel Sherman WMAQ NBC Chicago 1940
Creepy Weepy	Raymond Scott Orchestra	’Music Depreciation’ KHJ Mutual-Don Lees LA 1940
Blueberry Hill	Raymond Scott Orchestra (voc) Nan Wynn	Panther Room Hotel Sherman WMAQ NBC Chicago 1940
Caterpillar Creep	Raymond Scott Orchestra	’Music Depreciation’ KHJ Mutual-Don Lees LA 1940
Set 6	1930s Swing Bands on Radio
I Let a Song Go Out of my Heart	Charlie Barnet Orchestra	Radio Transcription Los Angeles 1938
The Chant	Artie Shaw Orchestra	Aircheck 28 May 1939
Satan Takes a Holiday	Benny Goodman Orchestra	’Camel Caravan’ KNX CBS LA 17 Aug 1937
Bugle Blues	Count Basie Orchestra	Savoy Ballroom Harlem NYC 30 June 1937
Set 7	Tommy Dorsey on 1945 Radip
I’m Getting Sentimental Over You (theme) + Instrumental	Tommy Dorsey Orchestra	‘One Night Stand’ 400 Restaurant AFRS Re-broadcast 30 Sep 1945
I’m Beginning To See The Light	Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (voc) Sentimentalists	Aircheck Meadowbrook Ballroom Cedar Grove NJ 3 Feb 1945
Song of India	Tommy Dorsey Orchestra	Aircheck Ocean Park Ca 19 Aug 1945
The Minor Goes Muggin’	Tommy Dorsey Orchestra	Aircheck Meadowbrook Ballroom Cedar Grove NJ 3 Feb 1945
Set 8	Pianists on 1940s-50s Radio
Caldonia Boogie	Sugar Chile Robinson with Lionel Hampton Orchestra	‘Jubilee’ AFRS Hollywood 1946
Theme + I’m In a Dancing Mood	Dave Brubeck	Basin Street WCBS CBS New York City Mar 1957
When Your Lover Has Gone	Erroll Garner	‘Storyville’ WHDH Boston Dec 1953

Back In Your Own Backyard – Free CD Offer

FREE CD OFFER

Free Offer – Enjoy these 4 tracks from the 12 track album ‘Back in Your Own Backyard’, then grab your AUTOGRAPHED COPY of the 12 track ‘Back in Your Own Backyard’ CD at Bandcamp FREE at –https://gregpoppleton.bandcamp.com/album/back-in-your-own-backyard-free-offer

Cover shipping and handling and I’ll send you the ‘Back in Your Own Backyard’ CD – FREE.

Budd Kopman at All About Jazz (US) said of this album, “It would take an extremely jaded heart not to smile and tap your feet, much less dance around the room, to Greg Poppleton.”

But what’s that $1 Bandcamp asks you to pay?

It’s Bandcamp’s lowest allowed list price. I can’t put the price at $0, so I’ve taken $1 off the shipping rates. That way you get the ‘Back in Your Own Backyard’ CD FREE.

I bought 200 CDs of ‘Back in Your Own Backyard’. I want to send you an autographed copy FREE.
Offer ends 31 July or when all CDs are sold.

1. 00:00 Cake Walkin’ Babies From Home
2. 02:33 Too Marvellous
3. They Didn’t Believe Me
4. 05:44 I’ll See You In My Dreams
5. 08:21 Egyptian Ella
6. Back In Your Own Backyard
7. When My Dreamboat Comes Home
8. Makin’ Whoopee!
9. Nobody’s Sweetheart
10. Honeysuckle Rose
11. The Lady Is A Tramp
12. Yes, We Have No Bananas!

Greg Poppleton – 1920s – 30s singer
Geoff Power – Sousaphone, Trumpet and Trombone
Paul Furniss – Alto Sax and Clarinet
Grahame Conlon – Spanish Guitar with steel strings
Lawrie Thompson – Drums and Washboard

GRAB YOUR FREE AUTOGRAPHED CD NOW https://gregpoppleton.bandcamp.com/album/back-in-your-own-backyard-free-offer

“Given the knowledge of the era and the authenticity of performance, Poppleton’s latest release, Back In Your Own Backyard is a real delight. It’s sure to surprise lovers of early jazz that such is happening Down Under, as well as win over “newbies” to the music … It would take an extremely jaded heart not to smile and tap your feet, much less dance around the room, to Greg Poppleton.”— Budd Kopman, All About Jazz (U.S)

Grab Your FREE, AUTOGRAPHED COPY of Back in Your Own Backyard CD

Cover shipping and handling and I’ll send you the ‘Back in Your Own Backyard’ CD FREE.

Budd Kopman at All About Jazz (US) said of this album of Tin Pan Alley tunes from the 1920s – 1930s,
“It would take an extremely jaded heart not to smile and tap your feet, much less dance around the room, to Greg Poppleton.”

Click pic to grab your free CD…

When you click the picture you’ll be sent to online music store Bandcamp where you can grab your free CD

But what’s that $1 you have to pay? It’s Bandcamp’s lowest allowed list price.

I can’t put the price at 0, so I’ve taken $1 off the shipping rates. That way you get the ‘Back in Your Own Backyard’ CD FREE.

I bought 200 CDs of ‘Back in Your Own Backyard’. I want to send you an autographed copy FREE. Offer ends 31 July or when all CDs are sold.

Includes unlimited streaming of Back In Your Own Backyard – Free Offer via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more. Ships out within 1 day

 

On the Sunny Side of the Street – Live with Swing Dancers

We’re back at Central this June Long Weekend for the Steam Trains Transport Heritage Expo

Back by popular demand, Greg Poppleton and band return for their third year at the Transport Heritage Expo, Country Concourse, Central Station.

Swing dancers welcome.

Facebook event https://www.facebook.com/events/742941442787063/

Greg Poppleton is Australia’s only authentic 1920s-30s singer.

“Boy, do they swing!” JazzReview.com (USA)

“FIVE STARS – Poppleton’s vocals capture the essence of the 1920s – 1930s with uncanny accuracy.” eJazzNews (USA)

Music free. Buy tickets for steam and diesel heritage train rides.

The NSW Rail Museum will be operating steam train rides through the city from Central this June long weekend as part of the annual Transport Heritage Expo. This event is set to be a fantastic nostalgic long weekend event for families and transport enthusiasts alike!
https://www.nswrailmuseum.com.au/

Please visit the band website: www.gregpoppletonmusic.com

Penrith Jazz Show Photos 30 March 2019

A fun afternoon at Penrith RSL.

Songs from the 1920s and 30s by Australia’s only authentic 1920s-30s singer.

Backed by a swinging trio of Grahame Conlon (guitar and banjo), Dave Clayton (double bass), and Bob Gillespie (drums)

We’ll be back at Penrith RSL, Saturday 27 July, 2-5pm. Free.

Here’s a trio of photos from today’s 30 March gig.

Greg Poppleton – authentic sounding 1920s and 1930s jazz swing singer

 

Greg Poppleton swing duo. Grahame Conon guitar, Dave Clayton double bass

 

Greg Poppleton jazz trio. Bob Gillespie drums, Dave Clayton double bass, Grahame Conlon guitar

Book Greg Poppleton for you event. Contact

Howard Rumsey Lighthouse – Phantom Dancer 19 February 2019

LIGHTHOUSE

Double bassist Harold Rumsey was a byword in jazz in the 1950s. Leaving the Stan Kenton Orchestra after an argument, he formed his Lighthouse All-Stars, creating a new jazz venue and introducing audiences to the newest champions of modern jazz all at the same time. He’s this week’s Phantom Dancer with Greg Poppleton feature artist.

PHANTOM DANCER

Hear this week’s Phantom Dancer (after 19 Feb) and past Phantom Dancers at 2ser.com.
Hear the show live every Tuesday 12:04-2pm on 107.3 2SER Sydney

RUMSEY

Howard Rumsey became a bassist after first playing piano and drums. He first played professionally in the bands of Vido Musso, Johnnie Davis and Stan Kenton.

You’ll hear a Rumsey solo with Stan Kenton on this week’s Phantom Dancer.

He then played bass for Barney Bigard and Charlie Barnet.

LIGHTHOUSE

After playing in big bands he formed the Lighthouse All-Stars. For most of the 1950s the All-Stars played Sundays at the Lighthouse Cafe in Hermosa Beach, California and were one of the main modern jazz bands on the U.S west coast.

Rumsey found the Lighthouse in early 1949 and sold the idea of having jazz in the venue to it’s new owners. Opening night, 29 May 1949, was a huge success with a band that included Los Angeles musicians Sonny Criss, Teddy Edwards, Hampton Hawes, Frank Patchen, Bobby White and Keith Williams.

SECOND

After a few years, Rumsey formed a second edition of the Lighthouse All-Stars with Jimmy Giuffre, Shorty Rogers and Shelly Manne.

THIRD

Rogers, Giuffre and Manne left together in 1953 for another job leading to a third edition includong Bud Shanks, Bob Cooper, Rolf Ericson and Max Roach.

This band took part in a historic recording on 13 September 1953, Roach’s first show with the group, that featured Chet Baker and Miles Davis, with Russ Freeman andLorraine Geller.

END

By the early 1960s, Los Angeles had lost interest in jazz. Rumsey moved on to own and operate ‘Concerts By The Sea’ in Redondo Beach, California between 1971 – 1985.

This week’s Phantom Dancer video of the week featires Rumsey’s Lighthouse Five on the early 1960s Los Angeles TV show ‘Frankly Jazz’. Happy viewing…

Play List – The Phantom Dancer 107.3 2SER-FM Sydney, Live Stream, Digital Radio Community Radio Network Show CRN#373 2SER Tuesday 19 Feb 2019 12:04 – 2:00pm (+11 hours GMT) Set 1 Should I? Eddie Condon Group ‘Eddie Condon’s Town Hall Jazz Concert’ Ritz Theatre WJZ Blue Network NY 10 Feb 1945 Smoke Gets In Your Eyes Buddy Morrow Orchestra ‘One Night Stand’ Blue Room Hotel Lincoln NY AFRS re-broadcast 27 May 1945 I Ain’t Got Nothin’ But The Blues + Blue Flame (theme) Woody Herman Orchestra Cafe Rouge Hotel Pennsylvania WABC CBS NY 21 Aug 1944 Set 2 A Setting In Motion Stan Kenton Orchestra (feat. Howard Rumsey) Radio Transcription Los Angeles 20 Oct 1941 Instrumental + Fab TV Ad (1955) Stan Kenton Orchestra (feat. Frank Russolino and Lee Konitz) ‘Concert in Miniature’ Rustic Cabin NJ WNBC NBC NY 1953 To Each His Own + Body and Soul + Mood Indigo Larry Green Orchestra Starlight Roof Hotel Chase KMOX CBS St Louis 1958 Set 3 Now You’ve Got Me Doing It Phil Harris Orchestra  (voc) PH Comm Rec New York 16 Sep 1935 I Can’t Give You Anything But Love Connie Boswell ‘Dodge Show’ Radio Transcription New York 13 Feb 1936 Break ‘Em Down + Let’s Get Together (theme) Ella Fitzgerald Orchestra Savoy Ballroom Harlem WEAF NBC Red NY 25 Jan 1940 Set 4 Open + You’re Driving Me Crazy + Easy Street Billy May Orchestra ‘Let’s Go To Town’ Radio Transcription Los Angeles 1954 Let’s Be Sweethearts Again Bob Crosby Orchestra (voc) BC and Margaret Whiting Club 15 KNX CBS LA 25 Nov 1949 Rock Island Flagstaff + Close Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra ‘Yank Swing Session’ AFRS Hollywood 1940s Set 5 Jealousy Les Brown Orchestra (voc) Billy Eckstine Radio Transcription Hollywood Sep 1949 Lazy River Louis Armstrong Orchestra (voc) LA ‘Spotlight Bands’ Dallas Tx Blue Network 17 Aug 1943 It’s Dawn Again Erskine Hawkins Orchestra ‘One Night Stand’ Blue Room Hotel Lincoln AFRS Re-broadcast 1 May 1946 Jenny Duke Ellington Orchestra Aquarium Restaurant WABC CBS NY 25 Oct 1946 Set 6 Starburst (theme) + Blue Moon Gene Krupa Orchestra ‘Spotlight Bands’ Newport, RI Blue Network 2 Oct 1944 Swanee River Lionel Hampton Orchestra ‘Jubilee’ AFRS Hollywood 3 Dec 1945 Come To Baby Do Charlie Barnet Orchestra (voc) Lena Horne ‘Jubilee’ AFRS Hollywood Oct 1945 That’s it! Tommy Dorsey Orchestra ‘Spotlight Bands’ ABC 5 Nov 1945 Set 7 Fraulein, kleines Fraulein (Cheek to Cheek) Die Goldene Sieben Comm Rec Berlin Feb 1936 Nightmare (theme) + Yesterdays Artie Shaw Orchestra Cafe Rouge Hotel Pennsylvania WEAF NBC Red NY 20 Oct 1939 Pennies From Heaven Mills Brothers ‘Norge Program’ New York 1937 When My Dream Boat Comes Home Count Basie Orchestra (voc) Jimmy Rushing Savoy Ballroom Harlem NY 30 Jun 1937 Set 8 Flat Foot Floogie Slim Gaillard ‘Symphony Sid Show’ WJZ ABC NY 26 May 1951 Walkin’ Miles Davis (tp) John Coltrane (ts) Cannonball Adderley (as) Red Garland (p) Paul Chanbers (b) Philly joe Jones (d) ‘Bandstand USA’ Birdland WOR Mutual NY 3 Jan 1959