CBS inter-office memo

[jeffcrom]

I posted this yesterday, but it was lost in The Troubles:

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

I bet the response was neat

MG

[JSngry]

Forty-three years later, what strikes me as most remarkable isn't the content, but the format...a hard copy that had to be manually created, delivered, and, likely, responded to and filed away.

All that non-electronic trail-of-communication, How did anybody get anything done back then?

[papsrus]

I was always a bit curious about how albums were named. I figured the artist(s) had some input, but I assumed it was more of a marketing department thing -- more so for mainstream music certainly than, say, Brotzmann's latest release. Miles Davis falls somewhere in between, I guess.

Anyways, cool post Jeff.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Forty-three years later, what strikes me as most remarkable isn't the content, but the format...a hard copy that had to be manually created, delivered, and, likely, responded to and filed away.

All that non-electronic trail-of-communication, How did anybody get anything done back then?

Teo said to his secretary (you know, the one who didn't burn this stuff and the Louis Armstrong material Chris published a year or two back) 'Memo to John, Joe and Phyl, about the new Miles project, "Miles just called..."' And then he went on to the next jazzman to schmooze with. And the secretary, who wasn't like us computer people, but could type with all ten fingers and make up letters that were grammatical and easy to read, which Teo probably (well, maybe) couldn't, shoved it (and other things) under his nose just when he was going home, or out for a drink with Orrin Keepnews, and he signed it, just like that.

Now, instead of serried ranks of secretaries, who got things done, we have serried ranks of database engineers, system programmers, project controllers, webpage designers to make sure that, if anything NEARLY gets done, the system falls over at the exact time you need it NOT to fall over. And they get paid an awful lot more than secretaries, so everything costs a lot more, too. But there's still widespread unemployment. In part, caused by the manufacturers of labour saving devices like hoovers, dishwashers, washing machines, steam irons, etc, who have persuaded people to substitute themselves for workers, and who, consequently haven't got the time to enjoy life. What the western world needs is a new initiative - The Ironing Initiative - to create more work and more leisure time.

MG

[Dan Gould]

Forty-three years later, what strikes me as most remarkable isn't the content, but the format...a hard copy that had to be manually created, delivered, and, likely, responded to and filed away.

All that non-electronic trail-of-communication, How did anybody get anything done back then?

I believe that on balance, the same amount of work gets done today. The time we save with modern technology is wasted with all of modern technologies distractions.

Like say, a Dead Board Walking full of jazz friends.

[AllenLowe]

well, at least he didn't want to call it MY DING.

[JSngry]

[umum_cypher]

[Christiern]

Forty-three years later, what strikes me as most remarkable isn't the content, but the format...a hard copy that had to be manually created, delivered, and, likely, responded to and filed away.

All that non-electronic trail-of-communication, How did anybody get anything done back then?

Teo said to his secretary (you know, the one who didn't burn this stuff and the Louis Armstrong material Chris published a year or two back) 'Memo to John, Joe and Phyl, about the new Miles project, "Miles just called..."' And then he went on to the next jazzman to schmooze with. And the secretary, who wasn't like us computer people, but could type with all ten fingers and make up letters that were grammatical and easy to read, which Teo probably (well, maybe) couldn't, shoved it (and other things) under his nose just when he was going home, or out for a drink with Orrin Keepnews, and he signed it, just like that.

Now, instead of serried ranks of secretaries, who got things done, we have serried ranks of database engineers, system programmers, project controllers, webpage designers to make sure that, if anything NEARLY gets done, the system falls over at the exact time you need it NOT to fall over. And they get paid an awful lot more than secretaries, so everything costs a lot more, too. But there's still widespread unemployment. In part, caused by the manufacturers of labour saving devices like hoovers, dishwashers, washing machines, steam irons, etc, who have persuaded people to substitute themselves for workers, and who, consequently haven't got the time to enjoy life. What the western world needs is a new initiative - The Ironing Initiative - to create more work and more leisure time.

MG

The Armstrong papers were sent to me by Liz Gilbert, who was John Hammond's secretary and should have kept them on file. Teo's secretary, Corinne Chertok, was one office away. She, BTW was married to Dave Chertok, the film collector.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Forty-three years later, what strikes me as most remarkable isn't the content, but the format...a hard copy that had to be manually created, delivered, and, likely, responded to and filed away.

All that non-electronic trail-of-communication, How did anybody get anything done back then?

Teo said to his secretary (you know, the one who didn't burn this stuff and the Louis Armstrong material Chris published a year or two back) 'Memo to John, Joe and Phyl, about the new Miles project, "Miles just called..."' And then he went on to the next jazzman to schmooze with. And the secretary, who wasn't like us computer people, but could type with all ten fingers and make up letters that were grammatical and easy to read, which Teo probably (well, maybe) couldn't, shoved it (and other things) under his nose just when he was going home, or out for a drink with Orrin Keepnews, and he signed it, just like that.

Now, instead of serried ranks of secretaries, who got things done, we have serried ranks of database engineers, system programmers, project controllers, webpage designers to make sure that, if anything NEARLY gets done, the system falls over at the exact time you need it NOT to fall over. And they get paid an awful lot more than secretaries, so everything costs a lot more, too. But there's still widespread unemployment. In part, caused by the manufacturers of labour saving devices like hoovers, dishwashers, washing machines, steam irons, etc, who have persuaded people to substitute themselves for workers, and who, consequently haven't got the time to enjoy life. What the western world needs is a new initiative - The Ironing Initiative - to create more work and more leisure time.

MG

The Armstrong papers were sent to me by Liz Gilbert, who was John Hammond's secretary and should have kept them on file. Teo's secretary, Corinne Chertok, was one office away. She, BTW was married to Dave Chertok, the film collector.

I knew there'd be a connection

Those offices weren't anywhere near as big as offices get now.

MG

[Christiern]

They were fairly small: about 15 x 15 with a good-sized desk. Each office had a secretary's desk and file cabinets in the corridor, just outside the entrance. Each floor also had a large conference room. There was one office between John Hammond's and Teo's—it belonged to a black A&R man who mostly produced white pop. I can't recall his name, I think it was Billy something. I know it wasn't Tom Wilson, who had a very good ear and interesting ideas.