1938 Randall's Island: Count Basie And Lester Young

from jerry jazz musician

For a taste of the Count Basie Orchestra in 1938, go here. What was this event at New York's Randall's Island? In a 2005 interview at JerryJazzMusician, Dan Morgenstern, director of the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University, sheds some light:
"One event that would have been fascinating to attend was the Carnival of Swing on Randall's Island in 1938. This was really the first big outdoor jazz festival, although it wasn't called that then. It is an event that is not sufficiently remembered. It was sponsored by the Daily News and by Martin Block, who was basically the first important radio personality – you could say he was the first disc jockey. I believe there were twenty-four different groups, including the Count Basie band at its peak with Lester Young, and there was Duke Ellington playing Crescendo and Dimunedo in Blue, with the people dancing in the aisles to the point the cops had to calm them down. There was Stuff Smith, and there was John Kirby, and there was Hot Lips Page, and there was Roy Eldridge. This event led to a whole new way of presenting jazz, and it would have been something to see."

NY TIMES, SWING BANDS PUT 23,400 IN FRENZY; Jitterbugs Cavort at Randalls Island as 25 Orchestras Blare in Carnival Trek Begins at 8 A. M. Excitement Only Starts, May 30, 1938, Monday
For a full five hours and fortyfive minutes, 23,400 assorted jitterbugs and alligators-more conservatively known as swing music enthusiasts - cavorted yesterday at Randalls Island Stadium to the musical gymnastics of twenty-five swing bands, vainly bucking the lines of police and park officers who were sworn to protect the swing maestros from destruction by adulation.

The Oldest Established Floating Crap Game In New York 2

Nathan, you must concentrate on the game. the town is up to here with high players. the Greek's in Town. Brandy Bottle Bates, Scranton Slim.
Nathan: I know, I know, I could make a fortune, but to make a fortune, I need a fortune. a thousand
Bucks, where do I get it?

The biltmore garage wants a grand, but we ain't got a grand on hand.
And they now got a lock on the door to the gym at public school 84.
There's a stock room behind mcklosky's bar, but mrs. mcklosky ain't a good scout.
And things being how they are, the back of the police station is out!
So the biltmore garage is the spot, but the one thousand bucks we ain't got.

Why, it's good old reliable nathan, nathan, nathan, nathan detroit,
If you're looking for action, he'll turn it to spot,
Even when the heat is on, it's never too hot.
But for the good old reliable nathan, oh it's only just a short walk,
To the oldest established permanent floating crap game in new yawk.
There are well-heeled shooters everywhere, everywhere,
There are well-heeled shooters everywhere,
And awful lot of lettuce for the fella who can get us to play.
If we only had a lousy little crap, we could be a millionaire.
Oh the good old reliable nathan, nathan, nathan, nathan detroit,
If the size of your bundle you want to increase,
I'll arrange that you go broke in quiet and peace,
In a hideout provided by nathan, where there are no neighbors to squawk,
It's the oldest established permanent floating crap game in new yawk.
Where's the action? where's the game?
Gotta have the game or we'll die from shame.
It's the oldest established permanent floating crap game in new york.

The Oldest Established Floating Crap Game In New York

Originally aired: September 16, 1965 on NBC
Director: Greg Garrison
Show Stars: Dean Martin (Himself (host)), Ken Lane (Regular Performer (1965-1974)), Les Brown (Regular Performer)
Recurring Role: Bob Newhart (Himself), Joey Heatherton (Herself)
Guest Stars: Frank Sinatra (Himself) , Diahann Carroll (Herself) , Danny Thomas (Cameo) , Steve Allen (Cameo) , Jan and Dean (Themselves)
Premiere Episode of The Dean Martin Show.
Music:
--Frank Sinatra sings "Is It Love" and "September Song"
--Dean Martin - "Houston"
--Jan & Dean - "Little Old Lady From Pasadena"
Also appearing:
--Bob Newhart
--Danny Thomas
--Diahann Carroll
--Steve Allen
--Frankie Avalon
--Joey Heatherton.
The Sid and Marty Krofft Puppets – "Everything's Coming Up Roses"
Diahann Carroll – "I'll Never Go There Again", "Blues In The Night (My Mama Done Told Me", "Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home"
Joey Heatherton – "I've Got Your Number"
Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra – "(Oldest Established) Permanent Floating Crap Game In New York"
Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and Diahann Carroll – "Witchcraft"

Carnival Of Joba 2007: #11

The Red Sox game. Too Close For Comfort for Youk

Be wise, be smart, behave, my heart
Don't give up your cart when he's so close
Be soft, be sweet, but be discreet
Don't go off your feet, He's too close for comfort
Too close, too close for comfort, not again
Too close, too close to know just when to say when
Be firm, be fair, be sure, beware
On your guard, take care, while there's such temptation
One thing leads to another
Too late to run for cover
He's much too close for comfort now
Be wise, be smart, behave, my heart
Don't give up your cart when he's so close
Be soft, be sweet, but be discreet
Dont go off your feet, He's so close to comfort
Please not again
Just when do I say when?
Be firm, be fair, be sure, beware
On your guard, take care, while there's such temptation
One thing leads to another
Too late to run for cover
He's much too close for comfort now
Oh
Too close, please not again
Too close to know just when to say when
Be firm, be fair, be sure, beware
On your guard, take care, while there's such temptation
One thing leads to another
Too late to run for cover
He's much too close for comfort now
Oh
One thing leads to another
Too late to run for cover
He's much too close for comfort now
Too close for comfort now

Carnival Of Joba 2007: #8

A highlight compilation featuring Joba's politically incorrect favorite song by Tug McGraw, "Indian Outlaw"

I'm an Indian outlaw
Half Cherokee and Choctaw
My baby shes a Chippewa
She's one of a kind
All my friends call me bear claw
The village chieftin is my paw-paw
He gets his orders from my maw-maw
She makes him walk the line
You can find me in my wigwam
I'll be beatin on my tom-tom
Pull out the pipe and smoke you some
Hey and pass it around
cause I'm an Indian outlaw
Half Cherokee and Choctaw
My baby shes a Chippewa
She's one of a kind
I ain't lookin for trouble
We can ride my pony double
Make your little heart bubble
Lord like a glass of wine
I remember the medicine man
He caught runnin water in my hands
Drug me around by my headband
Said I wasn't her kind
cause I'm an Indian outlaw
Half Cherokee and Choctaw
My baby shes a Chippewa
She's one of a kind
I can kill a deer or buffalo
With just my arrow and my hickory bow
From a hundred yards don't you know
I do it all the time
They all gather round my teepee
Late at night tryin to catch a peek at me
In nothin but my buffalo briefs
I got em standin in line
cause I'm an Indian outlaw
Half Cherokee and Choctaw
My baby shes a Chippewa
She's one of a kind
Cherokee people
Cherokee tribe
So proud to live
So proud to die

Carnival Of Joba 2007: #6

More of the night in Kansas City that Joba pitched with his dad in the stands
Lyrics by Waylon Jennings

My father had so much to tell me
Things he said I had to know
Don't make my mistakes
There are rules you can't break.
But I had to find out on my own
Now when I look at my own son
I know what my father went through
There's only so much you can do.
You're proud when they walk
Scared when they run
That's how it always has been
Between fathers and sons.
It's a bridge you can't cross
It's a cross you can't bear
It's the words you can't say
The things you can't change
No matter how much you care.
So you do all you can
but then you gotta let go
You're just part of the flow
Of the river that runs
Between fathers and sons.
Your mother will try to protect you
Hold you as long as she can
But the higher you climb
The more you can see.
That's something I understand
One day you'll look at your own son
There'll be so much that you want to say
He'll have to find his own way.
On the road he must take
The course he must run
That's how it always has been
Between fathers and sons.
It's a bridge you can't cross
It's a cross you can't bear
It's the words you can't say
The things you can't change
No matter how much you care.
So you do all you can
but then you gotta let go
You're just part of the flow
Of the river that runs
Between fathers and sons.

Carnival Of Joba 2007: #5

Look Into My Father's Eyes and It's A Family Affair. This is the game where Joba's father saw his son pitch in the major's for the first time. It was in Kansas City against the Royals
by Eric Clapton

Sailing down behind the sun,
Waiting for my prince to come.
Praying for the healing rain
To restore my soul again.
Just a toerag on the run.
How did I get here?
What have I done?
When will all my hopes arise?
How will I know him?
When I look in my father's eyes.
My father's eyes.
When I look in my father's eyes.
My father's eyes.
Then the light begins to shine
And I hear those ancient lullabies.
And as I watch this seedling grow,
Feel my heart start to overflow.
Where do I find the words to say?
How do I teach him?
What do we play?
Bit by bit, I've realized
That's when I need them,
That's when I need my father's eyes.
My father's eyes.
That's when I need my father's eyes.
My father's eyes.
Then the jagged edge appears
Through the distant clouds of tears.
I'm like a bridge that was washed away;
My foundations were made of clay.
As my soul slides down to die.
How could I lose him?
What did I try?
Bit by bit, I've realized
That he was here with me;
I looked into my father's eyes.
My father's eyes.
I looked into my father's eyes.
My father's eyes.
My father's eyes.
My father's eyes.
I looked into my father's eyes.
My father's eyes.

by Sly and The Family Stone

It's a family affair, it's a family affair
It's a family affair, it's a family affair
One child grows up to be
Somebody that just loves to learn
And another child grows up to be
Somebody you'd just love to burn
Mom loves the both of them
You see it's in the blood
Both kids are good to Mom
'Blood's thicker than mud'
It's a family affair, it's a family affair
Newlywed a year ago
But you're still checking each other out
Nobody wants to blow
Nobody wants to be left out
You can't leave, 'cause your heart is there
But you can't stay, 'cause you been somewhere else!
You can't cry, 'cause you'll look broke down
But you're cryin' anyway 'cause you're all broke down!
It's a family affair
It's a family affair

Carnival Of Joba 2007: #4

As Warner Wolf would say, "Let's go to the source." Eli's Coming by Laura Nyro

Eli's Coming
Eli's coming, Eli's coming
Girl, you'd better hide your heart
Your lovin' heart
Eli's coming and the cards say...
Broken heart, oh broken heart, oh broken heart
Eli's coming, hide your heart girl
Eli's coming, hide your heart girl
Girl, Eli's coming you'd better hide
Girl, Eli's coming you'd better hide
You'd better hide your heart, your heart
Eli's coming, hide your heart
You'd better better hide your heart
Eli's coming, better walk
Walk, but you'll never get away
No you'll never get away from the burn and the heartache
I walk to Apollo by the bay
Everywhere I go
Eli's coming (she walked but she never got away)
Eli's coming (she walked but she never got away)
Eli's coming and he's coming to get you mama
I'm down on my knees

New York Songs

one of the episodes from this series on New York Voices
Produced in association with the Daily News, Big Town Groove is a one-hour documentary look at how musical genres from jazz to hip-hop were transformed by New York City. From Duke Ellington in Harlem to Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground at Andy Warhol's Factory, the city seeped into the music. Woody Guthrie wrote "This Land is Your Land" on 44th street, while Dylan reinvented himself in the nightclubs of Greenwich Village. Doo wop found its echo in the subway stations of the Bronx, and the grit of the Bowery and CBGB's gave punk its New York accent.

Catherine Street Eel Market

From the Big Apple Comic Collection by Patrick Reynolds. There was once an active eel market on Catherine Slip in the 1800's. Black citizens engaged in a form of minstrelsy to earn a living and perhaps a free meal. The slide show is padded with an excerpt from an 1889 nytimes article about the area:
A Rodgers and Hart work:

Hawks and crows do lots of things,
but the canary only sings.
She is a courtesan on wings-
So I've heard.
Eagles and storks are twice as strong.
All the canary knows is song.
But the canary gets along-
Guilded bird!

REFRAIN

Sing for your supper,
And you'll get breakfast.
Songbirds always eat
If their song is sweet to hear.
Sing for your luncheon,
And you'll get dinner.
Dine with wine of choice,
If romance is in your voice.
I heard from a wise canary
Trilling makes a fellow willing,
So, little swallow, swallow now.
Now is the time to
Sing for your supper,
And you'll get breakfast.
Songbirds are not dumb,
They don't buy a crumb
Of bread,
It's said.
So sing and you'll be fed.

WNEW, 1130 In New York: From 7/16/06

Writing about Louis Nye and Steve Allen along with working on the knickerbocker village site brought back memories of listening to the radio in the 50's and 60's. Michael Meeropol (Rosenberg) also talked about listening to the Lone Ranger when they came to arrest his parents back in July of 1950 (see the clip of Witness to Execution here) Anyway I wrote this in July of 2006. Now I have the option of putting the movie I made here (above) instead of just linking to it.
"The WNEW post jostled my memory. I started to remember (and I can picture) the radio situated in the kitchen, above the refrigerator, of 14 Monroe Street. It played WNEW all the time-Klavan and Finch, William B., Williams, Ted Brown and later Julius LaRosa. There was the Make Believe Ballroom and the Milkman Matinee and Ted Brown and the Redhead. That was one thing my mother and father agreed upon, the music of that era. Maybe that's why I listened faithfully to that old fashioned style, while the whole world around me went to rock and roll, folk and later the Beatles. Uncle Hy had his radio, same station, situated in the back of his store, Hi-Mart Pants And Tailors, near his sewing machines. When life was simple and I had time to do non-sensical things (now I have time, but life isn't simple). I once wrote a letter to WNEW management giving them advice on how to save the station. "Stop playing schlock like Jerry Vale and Frankie Laine, Instead mix Ella and Frank with classic jazz like Lester Young, Oscar Peterson, etc." I still think that would make for a great station. Jonathan Schwartz does it to some degree on WNYC , but then you have to suffer his bloated ego." Here's a WNEW slide show complete with theme music.

Look At That Face

An email from a friend in Brussels sings the praise of the incredible facades of the buildings. Nothing like the schlock that developers are putting up here in the city.
Brussels? At the rate the exchange rate is going, I'll never afford it. I thought "Look At That Face" would be a good match. I was looking for Carmen McRae's version. I had to settle for Brooklyn's Barbra.
Look at that face just look at it!
Look at that fabulous face of yours,
I knew first look I took at it,
This was the face that the world adores,
Look at those eyes,
As wise and as deep as the sea,
Look at that nose,
It shows what a nose should be!
As for your smile, it's lyrical
Friendly and warm as a summer day,
Your face is just a miracle,
Where could I ever find words to say
The way that it makes me happy,
Whatever the time or place,
I will find in no book,
What I find when I look at that face!

Pardon Me Boys

If you should happen to see Armstrong and Andres in the vicinity of the Minneapolis Airport men's room, just go about your business and say, "Pardon Me Boys"
Pardon me, boy
Is that the Chattanooga choo choo?
Track twenty-nine
Boy, you can gimme a shine
I can afford
To board a Chattanooga choo choo
I've got my fare
And just a trifle to spare

You leave the Pennsylvania Station 'bout a quarter to four
Read a magazine and then you're in Baltimore
Dinner in the diner
Nothing could be finer
Than to have your ham an' eggs in Carolina

When you hear the whistle blowin' eight to the bar
Then you know that Tennessee is not very far
Shovel all the coal in
Gotta keep it rollin'
Woo, woo, Chattanooga there you are

There's gonna be
A certain party at the station
Satin and lace
I used to call "funny face"
She's gonna cry
Until I tell her that I'll never roam
So Chattanooga choo choo
Won't you choo-choo me home?
Chattanooga choo choo
Won't you choo-choo me home?

The Greatest White Tap Dance Segment, Jonathan Papelbon's Next Routine With Kevin Youkilis

From the Broadway Melody of 1940, Begin The Beguine, Words and Music, Cole Porter
When they begin the beguine
it brings back the sound of music so tender
it brings back a night of tropical splendor
it brings back a memory of green
I'm with you once more under the stars
and down by the shore an orchestras playing
and even the palms seem to be swaying
when they begin the beguine
to live it again is past all endeavor
except when that tune clutches my heart
and there we are swearing to love forever
and promising never never to part
a moment divine what rapture serene
two clouds came along to disperse the joys we had tasted
and now when I hear people curse the chance that was wasted
I know but too well what they mean
so don't let them begin the beguine
let the love that was once a fire remain an ember
let it sleep like the dead desire I only remember
when they begin the beguine
oh yes let them begin the beguine
make them play til the stars that were there before
return above you
till you whisper to me once more darling I love you
and we suddenly know what heaven we're in
when they begin the beguine

The Greatest Movie Musical Sequence Ever Seen.

As we transition from one of the greatest Yankee teams to the greatest dance segment
So says Fred Astaire about this routine from Stormy Weather."In that famous routine, the Nicholas Brothers fearlessly and exuberantly dance on drums and leap across music stands in an orchestra. In the finale, they leap-frog down a sweeping staircase, pictured above. One of their signature moves was a "no-hands" splits, where they went into the splits and returned to their feet without using their hands.Gregory Hines declared that if their biography was ever filmed, their dance numbers would have to be computer generated because no one could duplicate them.'

Boy?
Whatcha gonna say there, gate?
Oh, boy!
Whatcha gonna say there, gate?
Palomar, shalomar, Swanee shore,
Let me dig that jive once more,
Boy!
Lay it right on down to the gator.
Oh, boy!
Lay it flat as a gator.
Now, can't you hear those hepcats call,
Yeah!
Come on, boys, let's have a ball!
The jim, jam, jump on the jumpin' jive
Makes you dig your jive on the mellow side,
Hep-hep!
Hep-hep!
The jim, jam, jump is the solid jive
Makes you nine foot tall when you're four foot five,
Hep-hep!
Hep-hep!
Now, don't you be that ickeroo,
Get hep, come on and follow through,
Then you get your steady foo,
You make the joint jump like the gators do,
The jim, jam, jump on the jumpin' jive
Makes you like your eggs on the Jersey side,
Hep-hep!
De-boodle-de-ack, de-boodle-de-ackasaki!
Hep-hep!
Oh, rang-tang, te-dah-dah,
Hep-hep!
Gonna tell you 'bout the jumpin' jive,
Hep-hep!
Jim, jam, jump, the jumpin' jive;
Hep-hep!
Cats gonna beat out this mellow jive;
Hep-hep!
Beat it out on the mellow side.

Bats Not Associated With Halloween

Bat Masterson was a Western television series which showed a fictionalized account of the life of real-life marshal/gambler/dandy Bat Masterson. The title character was played by Gene Barry and the half-hour black and white shows ran on NBC from 1958 to 1961. It was produced by Ziv Television Productions,the compamy responsible for such hit series as Sea Hunt, and Highway Patrol
The show took a tongue-in-cheek outlook, with Barry's Masterson dressed in expensive Eastern clothing and preferring to use his cane rather than a gun to get himself out of trouble (also the case with the real Masterson), hence the nickname "Bat." Masterson was also portrayed as a ladies' man who traveled the West looking for women and adventure. The black derby, fancy vest, black jacket, and elegant cane were his trademarks (and were widely marketed in miniature to child viewers as tie-in products during the run of the show).

Gene Barry (born Eugene Klass in Manhattan June 14, 1919)
was to become a Brooklyn boy who lived at 1939 53rd Street, 11204

Back when the west was very young,
There lived a man named Masterson.
He wore a cane and derby hat,
They called him Bat, Bat Masterson.

A man of steel the stories say
And women's eyes all cast his way
A gambler's game he always won
His name was Bat, Bat Masterson

The trail that he blazed is still there.
No one has come since, to replace his name.
And those with too ready a trigger,
Forgot to figure on his lightening cane.

Now in the legend of the west,
One name stands out of all the rest.
The man who had the fastest gun,
His name was Bat, Bat Masterson.

59 Years Ago

And now to go into a completely opposite direction, this commercial featuring one of my favorite singers, Mel Torme. This guy, Ira Gallen has an unbelievable collection of old television clips on youtube

Lives In The Balance

The Hollywood Ten Story can't help but put one in the political mood. I somehow wandered onto this great song while searching for vids on Zero Mostel
The great Jackson Browne lyrics:
Ive been waiting for something to happen
For a week or a month or a year
With the blood in the ink of the headlines
And the sound of the crowd in my ear
You might ask what it takes to remember
When you know that youve seen it before
Where a government lies to a people
And a country is drifting to war

And theres a shadow on the faces
Of the men who send the guns
To the wars that are fought in places
Where their business interest runs

On the radio talk shows and the t.v.
You hear one thing again and again
How the u.s.a. stands for freedom
And we come to the aid of a friend
But who are the ones that we call our friends--
These governments killing their own?
Or the people who finally cant take any more
And they pick up a gun or a brick or a stone
There are lives in the balance
There are people under fire
There are children at the cannons
And there is blood on the wire

Theres a shadow on the faces
Of the men who fan the flames
Of the wars that are fought in places
Where we cant even say the names

They sell us the president the same way
They sell us our clothes and our cars
They sell us every thing from youth to religion
The same time they sell us our wars
I want to know who the men in the shadows are
I want to hear somebody asking them why
They can be counted on to tell us who our enemies are
But they're never the ones to fight or to die
And there are lives in the balance
There are people under fire
There are children at the cannons
And there is blood on the wire

Jimmie Rodgers, Honeycomb

He wasn't Jewish and he wasn't separated at birth by anyone who was, but I sure liked him in 1958. Go figure?
(Honeycomb)
(Honeycomb)

Well it's a darn good life
And it's kinda funny
How the Lord made the bee
And the bee made the honey
And the honeybee lookin' for a home
And they called it honeycomb
And they roamed the world and they gathered all
Of the honeycomb into one sweet ball
And the honeycomb from a million trips
Made my baby's lips

Oh, Honeycomb, won't you be my baby
Well, Honeycomb, be my own
Got a hank o' hair and a piece o' bone
And made a walkin' talkin' Honeycomb
Well, Honeycomb, won't you be my baby
Well, Honeycomb, be my own
What a darn good life
When you got a wife like Honeycomb

(Honeycomb)

And the Lord said now that I made a bee
I'm gonna look all around for a green, green tree
And He made a little tree and I guess you heard
What then, well, he made a little bird
And they waited all around till the end of Spring
Gettin' every note that the birdie'd sing
And they put 'em all into one sweet tome
For my Honeycomb

Oh, Honeycomb, won't you be my baby
Well, Honeycomb, be my own
Got a hank o' hair and a piece o' bone
And made a walkin' talkin' Honeycomb
Well, Honeycomb, won't you be my baby
Well, Honeycomb, be my own
What a darn good life
When you got a wife like Honeycomb

(Honeycomb)

And the Lord says now that I made a bird
I'm gonna look all round for a little ol' word
That sounds about sweet like "turtledove"
And I guess I'm gonna call it "love"
And He roamed the world lookin' everywhere
Gettin' love from here, love from there
And He put it all in a little ol' part
Of my baby's heart

Oh, Honeycomb, won't you be my baby
Well, Honeycomb, be my own
Got a hank o' hair and a piece o' bone
And made a walkin' talkin' Honeycomb
Well, Honeycomb, won't you be my baby
Well, Honeycomb, be my own
What a darn good life
When you got a wife like Honeycomb
(Honeycomb)

Istanbul, Not Constantinople

Turkey was in the air because of the Congressional vote to condemn as a result of the Armenian Genocide and also because a fellow Greek told me of his family's Constantinople heritage. I then kept hearing this typically mindless, but catchy 50's song (Ames' Brothers) in my head and remembered it was a half finished slide show movie somewhere in a remote hard drive. I then obsessively had to finish it and upload into my "fav" google video format.
Istanbul was Constantinople
Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople
Been a long time gone, oh Constantinople
Still it's Turkish delight on a moonlit night
Every gal in Constantinople
Lives in Istanbul, not Constantinople
So if you've a date in Constantinople
She'll be waiting in Istanbul
Even old New York was once New Amsterdam
Why they changed it I can't say
People just liked it better that way
So take me back to Constantinople
No, you can't go back to Constantinople
Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople
Why did Constantinople get the works
That's nobody's business but the Turks
Istanbul (Istanbul)
Istanbul (Istanbul)
Even old New York was once New Amsterdam
Why they changed it I can't say
People just liked it better that way
Istanbul was Constantinople
Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Why did Constantinople get the works
That's nobody's business but the Turks
So take me back to Constantinople
No, you can't go back to Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Why did Constantinople get the works
That's nobody's business but the Turks
Istanbul