[Dixielandjazz] Simultaneous Gigs - Historical take

[Don Ingle]

The house band tended to change. Several of the Goldkette units were booked
there. Chuck Wolcott had it at one time, as did Owen Bartlett and Russ
Morgan. Morgan by the way was an orchestrator of great talent and wrote
arrangements for the Detroit Symphony, both the main and pops orchestra.
A sad note is that the "harpies" are -- as I write -- in the Book-Cadillac
picking the bones of this once great hotel that is now a shell.
I do have an ornamental wall tile that came from the ladies room of the
Graystone Ballroom -- where Tram would hold sax section rehearsals for the
Victor band because he liked the acoustics. A friend in Detroit asked me if
a wanted a memento of the Graystone while is was being razed, and I said,
yeah, wall tile from the Ladies adies room. He sent one.My sole treasure of
that time, except the photo of Bix and dad (seen in Evans book on Bix). Dad
had saved the negative, which I now have.
The old Book-Cadillac in its heyday was the equal to the Ritz, the Waldorf,
or the Palmer House. Sad to see how it decayed. Used to have a wonderful Tea
dance combo -- played from 4 to 5:30. Jack Roseveer, a pianist friend of
dad's, like him originally from Toledo, led it... and tea time at the BE-CO
was always "THE" spot to be at 4.
Don Ingle
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ron L'Herault" <lherault at bu.edu>
To: "DJML" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Friday, July 11, 2003 4:26 PM
Subject: RE: [Dixielandjazz] Simultaneous Gigs - Historical take


> What can you tell us of the Book Cadillac band?
>
> Ron L
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: dixielandjazz-bounces at ml.islandnet.com
> [mailto:dixielandjazz-bounces at ml.islandnet.com]On Behalf Of Don Ingle
> Sent: Friday, July 11, 2003 4:14 PM
> To: barbonestreet at earthlink.net; Dixieland Jazz Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Simultaneous Gigs - Historical take
>
>
> The Gene Goldkette office in Detroit was, like Lanin in New York or his
> brother Sam in San Francisco (who had Red Nichols and Phil Harris at
times),
> suppliers of bands. The main, famed Goldkette band of Bix and Tram was the
> Victor Recording Orchestra. But he also had some other units of pretty
good
> personnel.
> They included:
> *  Henry Biagini and the Orange Blossoms - this became the Casa Loma band.
> *  Chuck Wolcott and his Society orchestra- Wolcott later became musical
> director on most Mickey Mouse and other Disney Cartoons.
> * The Vagabonds, led by pianist Fred Bergin who was also the Detroit
office
> manager for Goldkette.
> * The Owen Bartlett Orchestra, which featured Jimmy Dorsey for a short
time.
> * The Detroit Athletic Club Orchestra, led at times by Tommy Dorsey or
Russ
> Morgan
> * The Bob Lo Island Pavilion orchestra; led by different leaders week to
> week -- my dad was one, and Walter Hunt (Pee Wee) another.
> In all there were as many as 16 Goldkette Groups playing under the GG
> banner.
> In 1929, Goldkette and his partner Charlie Horvak opened the Play-Mor
> ballroom in Kansas City under violinist/leader Harold Stokes. To get it
> started off, he filled the band with some of his Detroit stable which
> included at that time my dad, Red Ingle, and also Andy Secrest, the Bix
> sound-alike who eventually took over for Bix with Whiteman; and on piano
for
> a short stay was Hoagy Carmichael. (The famous story about some of the
guys
> tossing Hoagy's cornet (which he wanted to play in the worst way and that
> was how it sounded) down the air shaft in the building they stayed in was,
> according to my dad, true. Eventually, the Detroit guys were replaced by
> locals who joined the KC band, and most returned to Detroit, with my dad
> soon to leave for Chicago later than year to work with Maury Sherman's
Orch.
> (pianist Ray Sherman's dad) and then with Ted Weems from 1931 to 1941.
> But in all cases, each Goldkette office band had a unique name and was not
> in the sense of being many bands under the same name but a band of its own
> under the Goldkette banner, a mark of the quality of the music provided.
> The Victor Band,with Bix and Tram, was the flagship, and soon after it
broke
> up, the fortunes of the Goldkette office began a decline that the
Depression
> finished by early '30's.
> Just a bit of history as handed down from one who lived through it all, my
> father. Gather 'round the fire, children, while the legends are told for
> another generation to hear.
> Don Ingle
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Stephen Barbone" <barbonestreet at earthlink.net>
> To: "Dixieland Jazz Mailing List" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
> Sent: Friday, July 11, 2003 1:09 PM
> Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Simultaneous Gigs - Redux
>
>
> > Chatting off list with Charlie Hull, he reminded me of Lester Lanin.
> >
> > Lester was the premier "Society" Band in the World. For example, he sent
> > units to play at Princess Di's wedding, Duchess Sarah's Wedding (In the
> > UK) and Princess Grace's Wedding in Monaco, All US Presidential
> > Inaugurations, etc., etc.,., etc.
> >
> > He also booked other gigs during these periods, in fact, booked many
> > simultaneous gigs over his life time, as did his brother Howard.
> >
> > Clients wanted a "Lanin" band because of the quality of the music and
> > because of snob appeal.
> > Lester personally appeared where the most money was, or the most snob
> > factor was. So, if Diana wanted Lester, she paid an extra $10 or $20
> > thousand for him personally. While lesser lights got a band under his
> > name. He employed hundreds of musicians to cover all these gigs.
> >
> > Music is a BUSINESS folks. You are supposed to make money at it. Having
> > worked for Lester and Howard Lanin a few times in my life (never in his
> > A Band, I can assure you),  I never heard anyone complain that they
> > didn't get their money's worth. Even when I was there instead of Davern
> > or Peplowski.
> >
> > And I have subbed for Orange Kellin and Dan Levinson in Independence
> > Hall on occasion. Once when leader Doug Finke could not make the gig
> > either. No one complained. By the same token, Doug Finke has, at times,
> > subbed for Glenn Dodson, and earlier Pete Pepke in Barbone Street. No
> > one complained then either.
> >
> > Fraud? Of course not. Such substitutions go on all the time. And there
> > are just a very few of us who can tell the difference. Not to argue that
> > point, but we few who can, are not the audience, just a very minute part
> > of it, and not very important in the totality of the music's viability.
> >
> > Music is a business. Play it, satisfy the audience, not the exceptions,
> > make money at it and don't sweat the small stuff..
> >
> > Cheers,
> > Steve Barbone
> >
> >
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>
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