[Dixielandjazz] Source for picture of Louis Armstrong'sOriginalAll Stars

[Fred Spencer]

Dear Stan,
The status of big, and small band jazz is described in Laurence Bergman's 
"Louis Armstrong. An Extragavant Life" (Broadway Books, 1997), and in the 
liiner note you mention by John S. Wilson (Time Life "Giants of Jazz" 
series,1987). However, to confuse things, Wilson's liner note has the 
heading "Pennies from Heaven. Louis Armstrong and His All Stars", recorded 
with Peanuts Hucko et al.on May 17,1947 at the Town Hall Concert. The 
question now becomes"when does a band become a band--with or without a name, 
or with or without a recording?
Incidentally, John S Wilson , who reviewed jazz for the New York Times and 
High Fidelity Magazine, wrote "The Collectors Jazz. Traditional and Swing" 
(1958,), and "The Collectors Jazz. Modern" (1959), both published by J. B 
Lippincott. In the former, he says under Louis Armstrong--"A concert held at 
Town Hall in New York launched, in effect if not in actual fact, the small 
group with which he has been travelling throughout the world ever since..." 
Does this answer the question or had he changed his mind in the 20 years 
between the book and the liner note, become careless, better informed, more 
opinionated, or older? The pros and cons of these questions could be 
discussed ad infinitum.Who knows. I don't! Cheers
Fred


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Stan Brager" <sbrager at socal.rr.come a band, when it first plays 
(perhaps ) or when it first recordss.>
To: "Fred Spencer" <drjz at bealenet.com>
Cc: <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Thursday, July 14, 2005 2:08 PM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Source for picture of Louis
Armstrong'sOriginalAll Stars


> Fred;
>
> To set the stage for the coming of the all star concept, let's remember
> that
> by 1946, the stature and the financial rewards of the big bands had fallen
> dramatically. Louis Armstrong was no exception to this phenomenon. Satchmo
> had appeared with small groups on V-Discs, Esquire concerts, Carnegie Hall
> and Town Hall. These engagements were merely one time shots and did not
> represent themselves as Louis Armstrong organizations in any way. Louis'
> organization consisted of an 16 piece big band.
>
> While the Town Hall concert featured many of the players who would later
> become part of Armstrong's All-Stars, this was a concert with Louis with a
> group of jazz stars but without his regular band at the time. Furthermore,
> the Town Hall concert was produced by Ernie Anderson who hired the
> players.
> It wasn't until the concert was shown to be a financial success that Joe
> Glasser (Louis' manager) decided to drop the band in favor of the All-Star
> concept. The rest is well-known.
>
> By the way, there were 2 drummers at Town Hall - Big Sid played the first
> half and George Wettling the second half.
>
> This information comes from Dan Morgenstern's liner notes to the RCA CD
> "Pops: The 1940's Small-Band Sides", The Time-Life Giants Of Jazz - Louis
> Armstrong with "Notes on the music" by John S. Wilson, and the French RCA
> CD
> "Louis Armstrong At Town Hall" with notes by Daniel Nevers and Iraskli De
> Davrichewi.
>
> Stan
> Stan Brager
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Fred Spencer" <drjz at bealenet.com>
> To: "Stan Brager" <sbrager at socal.rr.com>
> Cc: <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
> Sent: Thursday, July 14, 2005 8:10 AM
> Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Source for picture of Louis
> Armstrong'sOriginalAll Stars
>
>
>> Dear Stan,
>> Yes, Dick Cary was first. Michael Meckina in "The Louis Armstrong
>> Encyclopedia" ( Greenwood Press, 2004), says that the  All Stars first
>> performed in a May 7,1947 Town Hall concert. However, although Louis had
>> assembled the band, he had a "stomach ulcer flair-up [sic]"  and Bobby
>> Hackett was the leader. Meckina adds that the original (I assume at the
> Town
>> Hall) personnel was Jack Teagarden, Peanuts Hucko, Dick Cary, Bob
>> Haggart,
>> and Big Sid Catlett, but with no attribution of the source. All this
>> seems
>> somewhat dubious but...?
>> There is a picture of the originals with Dick Cary and Velma Middleton,
> "in
>> concert in Boston, 1947", in "Louis Armstrong. A Cultural Legacy" (
>> Queens
>> Museum of Art and University of Washington Press,1994). I should be most
>> gratreful if you could send me the origin of your more believable
>> information. All the best.
>> Fred
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "Stan Brager" <sbrager at socal.rr.com>
>> To: <FOThree at aol.com>; <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
>> Sent: Wednesday, July 13, 2005 3:29 PM
>> Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Source for picture of Louis
>> Armstrong'sOriginalAll Stars
>>
>>
>> > The original All Star line-up included Dick Cary on piano in lieu of
> Earl
>> > Hines. Their debut came on August 13, 1947 at Billy Berg's night club
>> > in
>> > Los
>> > Angeles. The All Stars made their recording debut on October 16, 1947
> and
>> > cut 4 sides for RCA Victor:
>> >
>> > A Song Was Born
>> > Please Stop Playing Those Blues, Boy
>> > Before Long
>> > Lovely Weather We're Having
>> >
>> > Soon after these recordings were made, Earl Hines replaced Dick Cary.
>> >
>> > Sorry I don't have the picture you requested.
>> >
>> > Stan
>> > Stan Brager
>> > ----- Original Message ----- 
>> > From: <FOThree at aol.com>
>> > To: <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
>> > Sent: Tuesday, July 12, 2005 3:04 PM
>> > Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Source for picture of Louis Armstrong's
>> > OriginalAll
>> > Stars
>> >
>> >
>> >> Gentelmen:
>> >> Can anyone refer me to a book that would have a picture of Louis and
> his
>> >> original all stars - Jack T., Barney, Earl Hines, Big Sid, and Arvel
>> > Shaw -  with
>> >> or without Velma?
>> >> Fred Ollison
>> >>
>> >>
>> >
>> >
>> > _______________________________________________
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>> > Dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
>> > http://ml.islandnet.com/mailman/listinfo/dixielandjazz
>> >
>>
>>
>>
>
>