[Dixielandjazz] Sigurd Rasher - was Nazi Band Rules
Larry Walton Entertainment - St. Louis
larrys.bands at charter.net
Thu Jan 21 09:31:33 PST 2010
> When Eugene Ormandy conducted the Philadelphia, he forbade Glenn and
>> other orchestra members from recording jazz on pain of dismissal. He
You hit a nerve with this one. When I was in college my instructors almost
to a man disapproved of me playing sax. My major was the Oboe. I played in
all the clubs on the East side of the river at Cape Girardeau, MO along with
many others over a 5 state area. I was married with a baby. I had to work
wherever there was a gig,
There was a lot of pressure put on me to mend my evil ways and stop playing
in the dives and clubs. I almost lost my scholarship several times over it
and I am sure I received lower grades because of it.
They made no bones about it. If I expected to graduate I would quit playing
jazz in the clubs. It didn't happen but the threat was there. My piano
player did flunk out but came back a year later and finished his degree.
I'm not sure if my drummer ever finished school.
Many years later I retired as a teacher and since I worked for the state
they gave me the opportunity to see all my records and remove anything I
wanted. I came across the packet of recommendations that the college
placement bureau sent to my employer.
I have to tell you I was shocked. I would not hire the guy they were
describing. The recommendations ranged from luke warm to bad. To this day
I still can't believe I ever got a job teaching. Those guys stabbed me in
the back. I think that it was because I played sax in the clubs and this
was the way they could get back at me.
When they started a big jazz band I was barred from participating. While
this all happened almost 50 years ago it still bothers me some.
Larry
StL
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jack Mitchell" <fjmitch at westnet.com.au>
To: "Larry Walton" <larrys.bands at charter.net>
Cc: "DJML" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 11:28 PM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Sigurd Rasher - was Nazi Band Rules
> Steve Barbone wrote>
>
>
> When Eugene Ormandy conducted the Philadelphia, he forbade Glenn and
>> other orchestra members from recording jazz on pain of dismissal. He
>> actually had a record label cease production of a jazz record with Glenn
>> on it.
>
> Fortunately not all symphony conductors had that attitude. In March, 1948
> guitarist Ray Price tried to book the hall at the Sydney Conservatorium of
> Music for a concert by the Port Jackson Jazz Band. The staff hummed and
> hawed a bit, so Ray went to Sir Eugene Goosens, conductor of the Sydney
> Symphony Orch. who said "Of course, go ahead".
>
> A few years later Ray was playing bass violin with the SSO, but was sacked
> from it after a couple of year,s allegedly for playing jazz (with the
> PJJB) in his spare time. Actually the establishment was annoyed because
> Ray, a natural PR man, was getting more publicity in the press for the
> PJJB than the SSO did. Also they weren't all that enchanted with Ray's
> habit of passing out leaflets advertising the PJJB during interval at the
> Town Hall concerts by the SSO.
>
> About six months after leaving the SSO Ray got a job (four nights and
> Saturday arvo) for a trio (Bob Barnard on trumpet) at the Macquarie Hotel,
> an unsalubrubrious waterfront venue. Ray burned his bridges re returning
> to the Symphony by reporting (in the press of course) that he preferred
> the Macquarie - he met nicer people there than at the Town Hall.
>
> Best wishes
> Jack Mitchell
>
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