jazzbo

An interview from 1999. Note some of his students! http://www.jazzprofessional.com/interviews/Russ%20Garcia.htm Possibly you think of Russ Garcia solely as a superb jazz arranger. In Hollywood, he is equally acclaimed as a film composer and a symphony man. Russ, and his young wife, have spent the last few years just travelling the world in their sailboat. They are now domiciled on a New Zealand isle. Notwithstanding, Russ is still extremely musically active and in great demand world- wide. Russ was born in Oakland, California, on 12th April 1916. He attended San Francisco State College and then studied with the famed Tedesco (and others). In high school he was a trumpet/arranger leading to local bands and then to Horace Heidt and Al Donahue. Garcia jazz arrangements have been prominent for Buddy de Franco, Anita O’Day, Oscar Peterson, and Sam Most (among so many others). His dramatic film scores are features at Universal, Disney, Warner’s and NBC. Humorously and modestly, Russ laughs at his first films, which he did with Dick Hazard. Titles were ‘Radio Secret Service’ and ‘Operation Haylift’ (dropping food from the air to cattle). “You can imagine what kind of films they were,” Russ admitted. He went on: “I’ve had some weird jobs in this business. Once they flew me to Las Vegas to film with Jayne Mansfield. She did a striptease to Night Train. Purposely she bumped off the beat because she wanted to do it again and again. Zaza Cabor, Bette Davis; I have hundreds of such stories!” Russ’ first really major job was in radio. He scored a drama every seven days. The network also had a show every week with a name act—like Dinah Shore, The Mills Brothers, Frances Langford. The conductor got sick and Russ was called in. “I must have done a good job,” he said, “because they called me for next season. Then they had me write two arrangements, which they liked, and I became staff arranger at NBC.” Later the NBC music chief (“a mad Italian”) told the network heads “not to send him any more stupid directives.” The whole orchestra was fired, including Russ, of course. Russ took a job at the then famous (long defunct) Westlake School of Music, in Hollywood. There he taught a daily, three hour arranging course. His students included “most of Les Brown’s band, Stan Kenton’s brass section, Bill Holman, Bob Graettinger and Gene Puerling.” He recalled: “A very good thing came out of this. I wrote an outline (on arranging) with musical examples. This became my book ‘The Professional Arranger.’ And that silly thing has been selling about 40 years. It’s all over the world in five languages.” Following Westlake, Russ became the busiest ever with arrangements for all the top bands and singers. Then came a long stint as staff arranger at Universal Pictures (“Benny Carter and Pete Rugolo were also there”). After I5 years working “flat out” at Universal, Russ and his wife took off in their little boat. Starting in Florida they sailed across the Pacific via the Caribbean. “It was a wonderful trip, via the Florida Keys, Bahamas, Jamaica,” Russ informed. Russ talked enthusiastically of his very early beginnings in music. Every Sunday morning he would be fascinated to listen to the Oakland Philharmonic, on radio. His brother bought him a comet. He learned to play it and formed a band at his high school. He remembered: “I said I must do an arrangement. So I bought a piano copy and had to put everything in the chart. Then I looked analytically at stock arrangements. When I was 10 or so years old I wrote an arrangement for the Oakland Symphony. I still have it. There are some good ideas in it. But, like every first arrangement, I put everything in it.” How did Russ get into pictures—his start at Universal? Well, you will remember when Henry Mancini was doing ‘The Glenn Miller Story,’ at Universal. They asked Hank: “Who can take down the Miller records, note for note.” Hank replied: “Send for Russ Garcia.” So that’s how Russ commenced in movies. Russ pointed out that many good composers find that film writing is a very different art. “I took Quincy Jones through his first two films. Quincy gave me ASCAP (performance fees) for any cues that I wrote that he didn’t give me a sketch for.” Universal gave singer Bobby Darin the composing for one film. Darin gave Garcia just eight bars of melody and Russ scored the whole film. Darin told Russ: “I didn’t recognise my theme.” Russ told him: “Sometimes we turn the theme around for film.” Later, in a TV talk show, about the movie, Darin said to the interviewer: “Sometimes I turn the theme around for a film.” Russ mused: “Those were the bad old days. Now I’ve got a lovely wife, much younger than I. I’ve got my beautiful Bahia faith which keeps me on which is logical, keeps me on track. At my age I’m still working, all over the world. I do work for television in Prague. I try to wear two hats—my big band hat and my symphonic hat. “I do a few concerts in New Zealand (now my home). They don’t pay much but I love it there. I used to write music for money. Now (with Bahai faith) I want to do good in the world. We use our talents for the good of others. We teach life skills. We teach 100 kids trustworthiness, honesty, self–esteem. We teach them sneakily, with music.” This article was first published in Crescendo & Jazz music, December, 1999

From, appropriately "Space Age Pop" the website: Like Pete Rugolo, Garcia attended San Francisco State University and then studied composition (with Castelnuovo-Tedesco in Garcia's case) before going to work as a professional arranger and composer. He worked with Horace Heidt and Al Donahue before settling in LA to work with a theatre orchestra. He then moved to studio work, first for NBC radio and later with Warner Brothers, Disney, and others. He freelanced around labels, working with singers such as Anita O'Day and Frances Faye as well as several mainstream jazz artists. He also wrote scores for films such as "The Time Machine," "Atlantis," and "The Pad and How to Use It" and contributed music to the television series "Rawhide" and "The Virginian." In the mid-1960s, he wrote several original works for Stan Kenton's "Neophonic" orchestra. He also published a book on arranging and orchestration that's still considered a primary text. An avid sailor, he and his wife Gina, a former big band singer, sailed around the Pacific in his trimaran in the late 1960s. They moved to New Zealand soon after and live in a small cottage on the Keri Keri Inlet on the North Island. Garcia's Fantastica is one of the choice pieces of space music, although critic Ralph Gleason dismissed it as "More like the soundtrack of a horror movie than anything else." "There is a wide range of sound," Gleason wrote, "and a sort of ominous overtone throughout.". Sounds in the Night, which features Marni Nixon's soprano on wordless vocal effects and a power-packed swinging chorus is one of the best vocal group albums ever. Recordings * Sounds in the Night, AAMCO Records ALPS-76 (also released as Bethlehem BCP-5006) * The Johnny EverGreens, ABC-Paramount ABC-147 * Modern Jazz Gallery, Kapp * Listen to the Music of Russ Garcia, Kapp KL-1050 * Jazz Music for the Birds and the Hep Cats, Bethlehem 6039 * Rocky Road, Bethlehem 6040 * I'll Never Forget What's Her Name, Bethlehem 6044 * Four Horns and a Lush Life, Bethlehem BCP-46 * Sleepy Lagoon (featuring Si Zentner), Liberty LRP-3055 * Hi-Fi Music for Children, Liberty LRP 3065 * With Muzzy Marcellino, Birds of a Feather, Liberty LRP-3075 * Fantastica!, Liberty LST 7005 * The Torch is Burning, Liberty LST 7086 * Half-Time: University Brass Band, Liberty LST 7115 * Variations for Flugelhorn, Strings, Bass, and Drums, Trend 522 http://www.spaceagepop.com/garcia.htm That "Four Horns and a Lush Life" has some really good moments.

Oh yeah, he's on that box, the Eldridge box, he was quite busy, he was arranger for MANY sessions. I just dig those Louis ones a lot!

I have him mostly as an arranger of material for other artists. I really like the work he has done on some of these; a standout for me are the Louis Armstrong orchestrations/arrangements done for Granz and Verve.

I was going to ask about that. . . what companion cd? I've got the original edition of the book. . . I have the Ruby interviews in the final volume of the Columbia Bessies. . . . Man what a talent that woman was!

I think you're way overestimating; there are lots of moviegoers who have read the comic book as a kid. In fact of all the people I personally know who have gone to see the show, they read the comic books as kids and only vaguely remember the tv show. It isn't Adam West they are expecting to see!

Mike, yeah I think the youngest comic book readers really want to see the cool costumed heroes kick superbaddie butt. Then they get a little older, and they want to see that, and they want to see some continuity from month to month and some character consistency. And some well drawn women. Then they get even older and they want to see that, and some character development because heck they're getting older and they want substance, something solid in their reading. AND the well drawn women, for sure. Then they get even older and they flip through the book quickly at first looking for the well drawn women and then settle down to read the charcter development, history and think about what motivates the hero and why he doesn't get to date as many well drawn women as one might think a hero would. So. . . see there's a distinct need for character history and development in the movies. The fans need to see it.

I agree with you on Jerry's playing. I'm a fan of Weir's singing though. . . always have been. . . it was Jerry's singing I had to warm up to, and did, and love it now. Pigpen is Pigpen and when he was on he was the bluesman from hell. . . . When I'm in the mood he's great to listen to.

Now, if I could flip the pages and look at the pictures and cartoons while waiting for my wife to decide what earrings she's going to wear before we can leave . . .

I agree . . . though the best stuff of Danny's I find was not commercially relesaed! (That's just my subjective opinion.)

From another board (AAJ) I became interested again in Elaine Anderson, who is credited to being the dancer in the brown (or black, both colors are mentioned) dress at Newport 1956 during the Ellington Orchestra performance. Found this obituary. . . sadly she died this April at age 80. (They have the lp cover detail wrong, her picture was one of several on the BACK of the lp, they don't really mention that correctly). Interesting information from http://www.boston.com/news/globe/ob..._dancer?mode=PF Elaine Anderson, 80; activist, ex-dancer By Andrea Levene, Globe Correspondent | April 21, 2004 Before Elaine (Zeitz) Anderson became an influential activist in Boston's Back Bay, she made her mark in jazz by dancing near the stage as Duke Ellington's band performed at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1956. A photograph from this event would later become the cover of one of Ellington's most popular albums. Mrs. Anderson, who died Thursday of pancreatic cancer at age 80, may be best known locally for dedicating 12 years of her life to directing the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay. But she always remembered her flirtation with jazz fondly. "It was an experience that opened new doors for her and encouraged her to branch out," Richard Anderson said of his mother. Born in New Bedford, Mrs. Anderson had a passion for movies, music, and dancing as a child. The daughter of a movie theater owner, she graduated from Newton's Mount Ida College in 1943. A year later she got a small role in the movie "Seven Days Ashore," a musical comedy, without ever auditioning. Mrs. Anderson had always wanted to become a dancer, studying ballet and modern techniques as a child and idolizing Isadora Duncan. However, instead of pursuing a career in entertainment, Mrs. Anderson met her husband, Lawrence, a clothing retailer, in 1941 and moved to Fall River. "She never really got a chance to pursue her own interests, especially the dancing that she wanted to do," Richard Anderson said of his mother. "She got caught up in a conventional life." By the time she was 26, Mrs. Anderson was raising three children. But Mrs. Anderson's life changed when she attended Ellington's performance at the Newport Jazz Festival. She started dancing with someone in the crowd and then she danced in front of the band on her own. "It was like nothing I had ever seen," said George Avakian, who was a producer at Columbia Records at the time. "Photographers started crowding around her. The energy rose. The band played like they had never played before." After the concert, Avakain tried to find Mrs. Anderson, but was unsuccessful and did not meet her until the jazz festival the following year after Columbia Records already had used the photographs on the cover of Ellington's album from the concert. "She found me and wanted to know why we didn't use a better picture of her," he said. "I told her that my lawyers said that she might sue the company. She replied, `Sue? I would have been thrilled.' " After Mrs. Anderson and her husband divorced in 1963 she moved to Marblehead and remarried several years later. In 1975, after her third husband passed away, Mrs. Anderson moved back to Boston and began to make her mark in the Back Bay. "She wanted a new start," said Richard. "She wanted to come back to an area that she was familiar with." In Boston, Mrs. Anderson was closer to her sons and was able to be a part of the culture. She was a fan of opera and attended shows whenever she could. In 1992 she started working at the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay as the head administrator. The nonprofit organization aims to preserve the architecture and community, through fund-raisers and committees. "She was an important part of the organization. She cooked for the board of directors once a month and she was responsible for the company's website. Even at 69 years old, she introduced a computer and a website to the company," Richard said. "She was a woman who had a lot of talent and always put it toward whatever she was doing." Mrs. Anderson worked at the neighborhood association until retiring last year. In addition to her son Richard in New York, Mrs. Anderson leaves another son, Frederick Anderson of South Orange, N.J., and six grandchildren. A memorial service will be scheduled during the Newport Jazz Festival's 50th Anniversity this August. No date has been set yet. Also, here is a bit of information she sent herself about herself: Elaine Anderson writes! from: http://www.depanorama.net/dems/02dems2b.htm Dance to the Duke 02/2 DEMS 9 In 3 or 4 years on the Duke-Lym list, and having read several biographies of Duke, the girl dancing has been mentioned often re the Newport event, but usually as someone reacting to the music i.e., she was one more sign that the audience became very excited with Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue. What I've seen in the past couple of days, though, is a metamorphosis of the young lady into almost being the primary reason the performance was performed. I don't buy it. It seems to be somewhat revisionist history, unless all previous commentary is flawed. David Palmquist (27Jun2001) David Palmquist hit it right when he pointed out that the young lady dancing was not the reason for Gonsalves' solo continuing or for the band's continuing. I was there. The young lady, with her male escort, got up from their aisle seat and began dancing in the aisle. Others also started to do the same thing in other aisles close to the stage. The driving rhythm was so infectious that those couple only represented in motion what everyone was feeling the sheer joy of the moment. The crowd began rising from their seats at about the same time. We were about in the middle, and we stood just to see the band as the music continued. We couldn't dance, but we could grin and sway, which we did. This was not any kind of riot situation. Everyone was smiling, grinning, happy, joyous. It was one hell of an experience. Frankly, the jazz rating of the solo was of no concern, at least to me, at the time. The primary thing was the swinging rhythm, just the right tempo, and Gonsalves rode it beautifully. It was joy through music, which is one of the great gifts of jazz. Jack Heaney I have some more information concerning Jack Heaney's posting re: "Gonsalves' Solo at Newport," in the form of a reply to some questions I put to Mrs. Elaine Anderson, the lady who danced while Paul played. I will intersperse my own comments as appropriate, with reference to what Jack and I observed as well as Elaine: Dear George [Avakian]: . . . . . to answer your questions and to let the internet group of Ellington collectors and scholars know the truth and the facts of that momentous evening, let me recall to the best of my ability (after all it was a long time ago) what really happened: HERE GOES: My husband, Larry Anderson (Anderson, Little Co.), Ted LeSavoy and Ed Capuano (Newport Finishing Co.) bought the box for the entire festival as we always had from the inception of the very first festival in the Newport Casino. After the Chico Hamilton group finished playing, the Ellington band took the stage at which time it was getting quite late and a lot of the audience was leaving and they played "The Newport Jazz Festival Suite" not too inspiring at this juncture. G. A. interrupts: Elaine is right. As Duke had anticipated, the band would disappoint him and themselves because of lack of preparation. He told them just before they went on-stage, "I know we haven't had time to prepare the Suite properly, but don't worry if it doesn't come off well, because I've asked George to reserve the studio Monday Strayhorn will mark the score as we play, and he and George and I will check the tape against it Monday morning, and I'll call you at the hotel to come in the afternoon and we'll fix anything that needs fixing. So after the Suite, let's relax and have a good time let's play Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue . ." E. A. resumes: Ellington then called for Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue the audience was very cold and at about the fourth or fifth chorus Jo Jones, who had played drums that night with Teddy Wilson and who was sitting on the steps at the edge of the platform, started thumping a rolled up newspaper in the palm of his hands and called out "Let's get this thing going " at which point Teddy LeSavoy got up and pulled me from my seat and pushed me in front of the bandstand and said, "Go Elaine" (I was infamous for my dancing) then Paul Gonsalves started his solo and the more he wailed, the more I danced ALONE. No one danced with me and I was never aware of any other dancers in the crowd. G. A. again: I am sure what Jack Heaney saw was Teddy getting Elaine started. I was on the stage at stage left; she was directly in front of the stage, slightly toward my right. The stage was less than four feet high. If she had taken five steps forward and I had taken three, I could have reached down and shaken her hand, but I did not see her begin because I was concentrating on the performance, and of course the moment I saw Paul blow into the wrong mike, eyes screwed tight, and Duke jumped up from his chair to yell at Paul "The other mike! The other mike!" which Paul never heard, of course I had no interest in the commotion taking place just below me. But as I ran down the steps to where our engineers had set up their equipment, I was aware that a platinum blonde was dancing alone, by then. Halfway down I nearly collided with my assistant, Cal Lampley (Irving Townsend did not participate in any of the recording, then or later) who was racing up to ask me "What's going on? We're not getting enough of Paul!" By the time I went back on-stage, other couples had started to emulate Elaine, who of course remained oblivious to everything but the music. E. A. resumes: Who caused the moment? It's how you look at it the glass was half filled? I did. Or the glass was half empty? Gonsalves did. Take your choice. They tell me I saved the night for the Ellington Band and that I was the cause of an historic event in Jazz history. In later years, I attended a concert in Grace Cathedral at the invitation of Duke Ellington and he admitted that I was the force that put his band back on the Jazz Map at that time. Best regards, Elaine Anderson Coda by G. A.: Yes, Elaine got a lot of publicity, but never by name. That was the last set of the 1956 Festival, and nobody ever found out who she was until she introduced herself to me the following year. Nothing like going to the primary source! George Avakian Thank you, Mr. Avakian, for telling us the story of the lady who started the dancing at Duke's 1956 Newport concert. It sure fits in with my memories of that evening. As I said, I was seated near the middle; when she began dancing, it was something I saw, but it was not my main attention. I was watching and listening to Gonsalves. But as the mood swelled like a wave through the crowd, sweeping up from the stage, the crowd began to stand, and we did too to see the stage. It was impossible to see how many were dancing in the aisles, but it was happening. It seemed nothing remarkable, but just another expression of the joy the music created. Jack Heaney

Although not something I really aspire to own, that seems like an amazing amount of material for the price!

Or better yet, the Skrulls. . .and Namor. Invasion from above and below!

I was definitely sleeping at the switch regarding that Ian Hammer Sextet two cd set. Found out about it last week and ordered it from caiman this weekend. . . will be fun to hear new (to me) Tubby!

Thanks for the information about the test drive. I am pretty sure I would qualify as a grandpa driver when I resume driving. My days of enjoying the heck out of roaring around in my '64 Alfa Spyder 1600 are long gone. . . . I would want a comfy car for long road trips, and the 300 looks great in that aspect. But I sure can't afford one!

I have not heard anything that would indicate the vinyl project has been abandoned. In your shoes I'd contact Mosaic via their webpages and ask. . . bet you get a reply. Me. . . I'm gonna buy a cd, not the vinyl.

R, that is technically true with the "Audio" recording blanks used in standalone copiers by Philips, HHB and other manufacturers. The price does include a sort of tariff that goes to the record companies, or to the RIAA or some such. Whether any of these dollars trickle down to artists is a mystery (and if I could guess. . . .). . . .

I'll buy it whatever cover they put on it. Wouldn't it be great if there were a photo or two of the performance? How likely is it that there may be one out there that could be unearthed and used?

Yeah, it's been around a few years in this body style (and before that it was UGLY). . . . What I think I like about it most is the top is a bit cropped. . . that solidifies the look for me.

Yeah, I had actually been told in April that it was going to come out on Blue Note but was sworn to secrecy by my source, who had it from the Monk family. I can't wait!

I like these cars too. Look sharp and classic. Course it's been nearly a decade since I had a car on the road, and may be another one before I do have one!

I'd lke to see the Skrulls next.

Yes, Garcia amazes me with his extensive love and knowledge of so much music, of so many styles. AND I feel he was a wonderful guitarist doing much more than running scales. . . . He's missed these days. Can you imagine if we still had him?

Okay, I have heard the cd today, dug it out from my hundreds of Ellington cds. . . It's Django with Duke Ellington Orchestra, Chicago November 10, 1946. The material appears on the excellent two cd set The Great Chicago Concerts, on Music Masters. Track 11 on this J Bird cd is "Ride Red Ride" on the Great Chicago Concerts cd one, and track 12 is "Honeysuckle Rose" on the same Chicago Concerts cd. (Also on the Chicago Concerts cd as mentioned above is "A Blues Riff" and "Improvisation #2". . . .) As far as I can tell even though he had appeared with the Orchestra in Cleveland before this and Stl Louis and possibly other cities after this, this Chicago show is the sole known recording of Django with Ellington.