[Dixielandjazz] [ ]Limehouse Blues

[alevy at alevy.com]

Thanks to all who went out of their way to help.
Believe it or not I really appreciate the response.
My query was tongue in cheek.
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Paragraph 4 should have given me away.
"I think whom ever edited or typeset this song was STANDING when 
he should have been sitting down!"
a reference to the topic I was "changing"
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It was truly a criticism of the monster called "Hal Leonard."
>From  January 1949 through August 1955 I worked in the Brill Building. 
That's 1619 Broadway, if my memory is right. I knew just about every
publisher going. There were some in Radio City and many in what we
called the "Irving Berlin" building, 1650 Broadway.

To make a long story longer;

In the year 1993 or there about's I called "Famous Music", the publishing
company belonging to Paramount Pictures. The voice on the other end
answered the phone with "Good Afternoon, Hal Leonard."

What!, oh well, I took a shot and asked for a person I knew. He was still
working there and we reminisced for a while. I asked for a copy of a
Four Freshman tune that have never been published. They had a
hand written lead sheet. My buddy was very generous and
faxed the tune to me. I in turn created a real Piano / vocal score 
with Finale and mailed it to him, with a "Famous Music" copyright notice.

I took it upon myself to call about 50 other publishers, mostly small companies
who had small catalogs, primarily jazz. Holy Mackerel, every company I called
responded with "Hello, Hal Leonard". They bought up the entire industry, well
almost all. Frank Loesser "Frank Music" managed to hang on.

My current anger was created by a book called "Nostalgia Songs", given to
me by a friend a few years ago. I didn't crack it open until last month.
The songs are all Public Domain but have a Hal Leonard copyright.
It is easy enough, for me, to know which tunes are Hal Leonard sheets,
and which sheets are from the original sheet music.

"Limehouse" was a H.L. piano sheet. Many obvious mistakes. 
I am enjoying the book for two reasons. Many of the tunes are
not found in any fake book (I have 30 different) so I am putting
them on line. I am also getting a great "feel" for Americana at
the turn of the century. 1900 - 1930.

There are tunes by George M. Cohan, Irving Berlin, Jerome kern
George Gershwin, and others that are great fun to analyze, 
learn the lyrics and play.Many are suprising and have quite a bit of humor.

"I Have Bells On My Fingers" - I never knew that was about an
Irishman cast away on an African  Island.

"If I Knock The "L" Out Of Kelly". sounds like a fight. Not so,
it is more wonderful Irish humor.

Having lived through "Women's Lib", "Gay Lib." "Black Lib.",
the tunes in this book are helping me to hear "Irish Lib" which
I never even heard about. George M. Cohan obviously was
determined to gain respect for his heritage! "Harrigan, That's Me!"

The book is fun except for the pitiful arrangements created by the
Hal Leonard staff. And they have the Chutzpa (nerve) to copyright
songs like "The Banana Boat Song" - calypso folk tune,
"Casey Jones" - American Folk Tune and destroy standards with
really bad sheets.

Just for the record: My last editing "job" was at M.T.I., the company 
formed by Frank Loesser, Don Walker and somebody else, I forgot who.
,,, senior moment (Music Theater International)

I had to edit the London score of "Les Miserables" down to size, both in
time and number of instruments, for high school and local theater groups.
One of the logistic problems: cut x number of measures but keep the 
measure numbers the same as the original score.
I know this is not trad but music publishing effects all of us, standing
or sitting.

'nuff said,
Al
Please visit me at
http://alevy.com
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