[Dixielandjazz] Stolen changes

[Harry Callaghan]

Al:

Thank you for answering the question I didn't ask but always wondered about
(guess that's something like 'the road not taken")

To me, one of the greatest arrangements of all time was the one that Nelson
Riddle did for Sinatra on his "Songs For Swingin' Lovers" album recorded in
1956 (Capitol W653; thought I'd throw in a little Bill Haeslar touch here)

They re-did it when Frank went to Reprise and since that time, I know I
have,in one format or another, audio or visual, him doing it with Count
Basie, Buddy Rich, Woody Herman and whoever backed him on that dreadful duet
he did with Bono (of U2, not Sonny).

Oh yeah, I can't leave out seeing him perform it at Carnegie Hall in '61,
backed by Sy Oliver's Orch.  I won't count seeing him doing it with Red
Norvo at Atlantic City's Club 500 in '59 because Red's quintet was hardly
capable of even attempting to duplicate the Riddle arrangement.

I believe that Keely Smith and Steve Lawrence have also used it on CDs that
were a tribute to Frank and most recently Michael Buble used it on one of
his albums.

So, in essence, as you reported to us, Nelson didn't get anything beyond
whatever payment he received in '56.  It appears to me as something that
might be interpreted as an injustice.but you said you did your part in
trying to rectify the matter.

Back in about '86, when David Lee Roth recorded 'Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got
Nobody" a local deejay in Houston named Ronnie Renfrow would play the
original Louis Prima version on his Sunday night big band show.every single
week.  Ronnie would comment each time that Roth had ripped off what had been
Sam Butera's '55 arrangement and Sam never saw a nickel for it.

In and around the same period, however, Sam performed it on Dave Letterman's
show.  When Dave asked him how he felt about what Roth did and him not
benefitting from it, Sam said that he was just happy that it aroused
interest in the kind of music that he was still playing 30 years later......

I have to suspect though that Sam might have just been trying to be  polite

When Sam was in between engagements in Las Vegas and Atlantic City, for a
coupla years, he would appear at Paul Berlin's Club in Houston.  Paul was a
veteran deejay on the same station as Ronnie and had gotten his broadcasting
start in Memphis.

I caught his act at Berlin's and having a drink with him at the bar in
between sets, he told me that the greatest time of his entire life was the
23-year period that he spent backing Louis and Keely

Tides,
HC..


On 2/24/10, alevy at alevy.com <alevy at alevy.com> wrote:
>
> The most famous case I know was "Moody's Mood For Love."
> King Pleasure put lyrics to James Moody's solo of
> "I'm In The Mood For Love" by Jimmy McHugh.
> The judge couldn't hear chord changes and the case was thrown out.
> To the best of my knowledge all of Charlie Parker's songs were
> based on chords of other tunes. Ornithology = How High The Moon. etc.
> I stole "Honeysuckle Rose" but reharmonized it/ changed the tune a bit
> and called it "Fat Rose." My wife didn't like the name so it was renamed
> Suzie Q and sold to CBS, Flat Fee. Hey! in 1958 $400.00 for a song.
>
> original changes
> Gm7 C7 / Gm7 C7 / Gm7 C7 / etc -> F
> my changes
> Am7 Ab7 / Gm7 C7 / repeat 2 bars / Am7 D7b9 / Gm7 C7b9 / ......
> no lyrics.
> on the release I used Fat's chords but changed the melody to
> descending scales in 8th notes instead of ascending in quarters.
>
> Funny thing but that same year I "wrote" in protest to R&R the stupidest,
> dumbest most idiotic piece of music. I copied Tequila but inverted the
> melody. No intention of selling it. Actually Tequilla was nothing but what
> we called the C7 Mambo. Used for ad lib Montunos, choruses, whatever.
> Useful for weddings and the like. Good variation was GG F GG G FFF.
> Meanhile an agent took my song, got a few high school kids to record it.
> Bob Thiele produced, Steve Allen backed it and we made number 13 on
> the charts. With 5c per air play (50 a day in just about every market in
> the
> U.S. - for two solid months) + $25.00 PER STATION when televised +
> 3c for each record sold. The kids were on American Band Stand, Alan Freed,
> Ed Sullivan, Steve Allen  + + + +... The song went to No.13 on the charts.
>
> It didn't send my kids to college but it did provide a little extra coffee
> money.
> All for 30 seconds work. No complaints. A great lesson though. I put the
> sheet music (publihed by Southern Music) and the 45 in a frame and hung
> it on my wall in the office as a reminder. It isn't always how good your
> work
> is but who is out there selling it. Music is also a business.
>
> Another irony. Morey Amsterdam lost the case as
> composer of "Rum And Coca Cola" based on one diminished chord.
>
> As a member of ASMA the American Society of Music Arrangers
> I was one of the members the copyright committee. We went to Washington
> and presented a case for arrangers being treated as co-composers.
> Never happened. Arrangers, orchestraters to the best of my knowledge
> still get a flat fee for writing. No royalties. I always got Fat Fees from
> ad
> agengies that had clients such as Coca Cola, General Motors, Sylvania
> but never residuals.
>
> a gig is a gig is a gig is a gig
> Cheers,
> Al
> Pianist, Composer, Arranger, Conductor, Teacher and Music Prep.
> Please visit me at
> http://alevy.com
> _______________________________________________
> To unsubscribe or change your e-mail preferences for the Dixieland Jazz
> Mailing list, or to find the online archives, please visit:
>
> http://ml.islandnet.com/mailman/listinfo/dixielandjazz
>
>
>
> Dixielandjazz mailing list
> Dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
>



-- 
Music you grew up listening to
Or when we're done you'll wish
you grew up listening to.

Callaghan's Corner
on okom.com
7a & 7p Eastern Sat & Sun