[Dixielandjazz] Fw: JazzNotes Weekly: Swinging on V-Disc: Jazz in WW II

Thu Jan 22 14:21:36 PST 2009

Riverwalk Jazz   Hi Listmates, 

 Any of you who don't get the JazzNotes Weekly directly from the Jim Cullum--Riverwalk organization are missing the greatest ongoing Jazz listening and educational benefit that I know of.  This week's program is particularly good.  Any of you who have been around long enough to remember the V-Discs from World War II or have subsequently found these recorded treasures will be especially pleased with this week's program.  This marvelously produced program tells the story of how musical recording was opened to 12" vinyl discs, live-recorded sessions, great combinations of Jazz Stars and features current recordings of the 40's classics featuring 9 of the greatest jazz stars of the current era, lead by Dick Hyman, with the Jim Cullum Jazz Band.  Don't miss this.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Jim Cullum 
To: wthadmc at whidbey.com 
Sent: 01/22/2009 11:00 AM
Subject: JazzNotes Weekly: Swinging on V-Disc: Jazz in WW II

                              January 22, 2009 - Swinging on a V-Disc: Jazz in WW II

                               LISTEN NOW To Program Sample [Real Audio] 
                               LISTEN NOW To Entire Broadcast on the JazzNotes web page 

                        By 1942, the United States found itself ramping up to fight a war that stretched from North Africa and Europe to the South Pacific. Morale among allied soldiers would be a major issue. But the 'five-foot-three-inch tall' Army Lieutenant, G. Robert Vincent, thought he had the answer. He decided that music-and lots of it-would make a difference. As he put it, his V-Discs would be like sending a "slice of America to the boys overseas."

                        The Army's V-Disc project provided a monthly 'care' package of music specially recorded for troops overseas. Soldiers fighting a far-flung war welcomed these musical snapshots of life back home. 

                         Vincent and his team recorded a wide array of musical genres for the troops. The monthly disc shipments featured selections from patriotic marches, symphonic and chamber works, Grand Ol' Opry stars, black gospel groups, pop songsters like Bing Crosby and Dinah Shore, and plenty of hot jazz by-Fats Waller, Lionel Hampton, Nat Cole, Louis Armstrong, Muggsy Spanier, Bob Crosby, Gene Krupa, Benny Goodman, the Dorsey Brothers, Hot Lips Page, Teddy Wilson, Jimmie Lunceford, Artie Shaw, Jack Teagarden, Bobby Hackett, Duke Ellington and Count Basie.

                        The V-Disc project was, from its inception, intended to be not-for-profit. Celebrities lined up to do their bit in the recording studio. And no one, no matter how big a star, received any compensation. Songwriters signed on to the same deal. In return, the Army promised that 'no commercial use' would ever be made of V-Discs. 

                         The body of work Vincent and his team captured on V-Discs created a treasury of jazz. By special arrangement with the American Federation of Musicians (which was at the time on strike, effectively halting production of new commercial discs), there were no contractual restraints from record labels. V-Disc sessions often brought together top artists, who would normally not record together, in high-energy jam sessions.

                        New technology developed by the Army meant that individual tracks on the 12-inch 78 RPM discs could be as long as 6 minutes instead of the usual 3. Musicians could stretch out and take longer solos. In general, V-Discs projected a more informal, relaxed party atmosphere. 

                        V-Discs were sent out to the four corners of the Earth-and were an instant hit. They were broadcast over PA systems on battleships at sea and in Quonset-hut 'day rooms' where enlisted men, waiting for orders, played cards and wrote letters home. Soldiers passing the time in barracks, or lining up in mess halls listened to V-Discs on camp radio stations. In all, between 1943-49, some eight million V-Discs were shipped overseas. 

                         For G. Robert Vincent, feedback from the troops was always very important:

                          "I enclosed a personal message into each V-Disc kit, I said 'Let us know what you want in the line of music, let us know your criticism of this month's release, let's hear from you.' And soon replies kept pouring in...We wanted to diversify things as much as possible because every GI had different taste." 

                        It took four enlisted women working full-time to tabulate the thousands of song requests that came back from the front. Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" topped the list, but "Star Dust" was a close runner-up-and V-Disc producers gave the troops half a dozen recordings to choose from. There were performances by Artie Shaw, Glenn Miller and the composer himself-Hoagy Carmichael. 

                         At the end of the war, the master recording discs were destroyed. But copies of most of the V-Discs survived, and bootleg copies have circled the globe for decades. Many are available today on CD re-issues.

                        Visit our Forums and tell us about your V-Disc story. Do you have any of the original discs? Did a family member share stories of listening to V-Discs overseas? Join the conversation here.

                              Guest Profiles
                              Vernel Bagneris
                              Dick Hyman
                              Bucky Pizzarelli
                              John Pizzarelli
                              Bob Barnard
                              Clark Terry
                              Allan Vaché 
                              Harry Allen 
                              Harry 'Sweets' Edison 

                          a.. Listening RoomCDs 

                        Dick Hyman
                        Bucky Pizzarelli
                        John Pizzarelli
                        Bob Barnard
                        Clark Terry
                        Allan Vaché 
                        Harry Allen 

                        The Songs That Went to War: V-Disc WW II 50th Anniversary Collector's Edition, Various Artists 

                        Books

                        V-Discs: A History and Discography, Richard S. Sears 

                        On the Web

                        Sites

                        A History of V-Discs

                        Wikipedia V-Discs Article

                        Streaming Video

                        "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," Andrews Sisters' V-Disc recording session

                        Streaming Audio 
                        "If I Had You," Martha Tilton and Her V-Disc Play-Fellows 

                        Text based on Riverwalk Jazz script by Margaret Moos Pick ©2009  

                        Photos 

                        Top: WWII GIs.
                        Photo courtesy www.todaysseniorsnetwork.com

                        G. Robert Vincent
                        Photo courtesy Michigan State University-Vincent Voice Library 2 

                        GIs in a foxhole
                        Photo courtesy www.bluemountaingunworks.com 

                        V-Disc Swing Release
                        Image courtesy www.lionelhampton.nl 

                        "Ac-cent-tchu-ate the Positive" Sheet Music
                        Image courtesy www.skylighters.org 

                        WWII Mail Delivery 1940
                        Photo courtesy Alexander Turnbull Library 

                          a.. Support the Club  

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