Nate Dorward Posted March 27, 2005 Report Share Posted March 27, 2005 March 23rd was Dave Frishberg's 72nd birthday. Suffice it to say that his discs rarely are too far away from the CD changer here. As it happens, there was some discussion on the (private) SABR discussion list of his classic song "Van Lingle Mungo" (a list song that virtuosically fits countless odd-sounding old-time baseball players' names into a catchy bossa tune). Dave himself weighed in on the list, & I asked his permission to repost his comments (which he kindly granted). I've pasted them in below. --N * I noticed that my song "Van Lingle Mungo" came up in a message regarding the recent death of Danny Gardella. For SABR Mungologists who might be keeping track, now that Gardella has passed on, there are five survivors left from the list of names in the Mungo song, which I wrote in 1969. I confirmed the dates of demise on a website called The Baseball Almanac, wherein biographical and statistical data claims to be updated as of March 1, 2005. Of the original thirty-eight names, the surviving Mungolians are: Joost, Brecheen, Sain, Pesky, and Basinski. I'm positive Eddie Basinski is still alive and well, because he lives here in Portland and enjoys considerable celebrity and adulation as a Portland Beaver immortal. I had occasion to meet him once, and I excitedly told him how I used to watch him with the St Paul Saints in 1946. Then I told him, "You're in my song, you know. " "Your song?" "Yes, have you ever heard my song 'Van Lingle Mungo'?" Basinski stepped back, stared at me as if I were from Mars, excused himself, and walked off to chat with someone else. The only other guy from the song I ever met was Mungo himself, who arrived from Pageland, South Carolina, to be on the Dick Cavett show and listen to me sing the song. This was 1969, when Cavett had a nightly show in New York. Backstage, Mungo asked me when he would see some remuneration for the song. When he heard my explanation about how there was unlikely to be any remuneration for anyone connected with the song, least of all him, he was genuinely downcast. "But it's my name," he said. I told him, "The only way you can get even is to go home and write a song called 'Dave Frishberg'. " He laughed, and when we said goodbye he said , "I'm gonna do it! I'm gonna do it!" If he did it, The Baseball Almanac doesn't mention it. Dave Frishberg ***** to Richard Zitrin and others on SABR-L I notice that you joined in the recent Mungo flurry on the SABR-L. The guy who started the thread, Doug Lyons, wrote me off-list and I thought you might be interested in my reply. ************************************************************ Dear Dave Frishberg: .... I had the recent posting on SABR-L about my late pal, Danny Gardella. (I met him once or twice, so I am using "pal" liberally.) I love Van Lingle Mungo, and Danny sang a few bars for me. I will never forget it. ...I have a reference to the song in my second book, CURVE BALLS AND SCREWBALLS. The question is, Who is the only non-player mentioned in the song? Art Pasarella, no? Doug Lyons ******************************************** To Doug Lyons-- Yes. But to complicate matters, one must consider that umpire Art Pasarella was not included in the original (1969) recording of V L Mungo. I edited the lyrics in subsequent years and, in my opinion, improved the song. I took out certain names from the original lyric, which was written in a hurry, and replaced them with names from an earlier (wartime) era so that the nostalgic focus would be sharper. The version with the revised lyric (on the Concord CD "Dave Frishberg Classics") is now the one which is most often heard and referred to. The replacement of Roy Campanella's conveniently rhyming name was necessary because he was too recent. So I changed it to Art Pasarella, and that seemed to do the job: Gardella, Pasarella, and Estalella. Kucks and his rhymemate Trucks had to go, too, and were replaced by Boudreau and Passeau. Imagine my dismay when I subsequently learned that Estalella's name didn't rhyme in the first place, because it was pronounced as in Spanish: Esta- leya. So you see, the whole rhyme scheme should have been scrapped, starting with " Danny Gardella", and now I stand facing humiliation in Baseball Songland. What did I know? I never heard his name uttered, only saw it in print. Same goes for Johnny Gee, whose name I mangled with a soft "g". There may be other names I'm mispronouncing, but at this stage further corrections would only confuse me. In the search for names that scanned, John Antonelli was an unfortunate choice, and it's annoying that he's in the song, because there turned out to be two John Antonellis whose major league careers nearly overlapped. I was thinking of the third baseman Antonelli who was up briefly with the Cardinals and Braves during the war. I had seen him with Columbus. I wasn't even aware of the more famous Johnny Antonelli--the left hander for the Giants. By the time Antonelli #2 came along I had traded Duke Snider for Duke Ellington. By the way, I had written two complete sets of lyrics for that melody before the baseball idea came to me. Titles were "Don't Look Behind You", and "Dear Mister Nixon." I was reading the McMillan Baseball Encyclopedia when Mungo's name jumped off the page. Dave Frishberg **** Lastly here's a bit from the email Frishberg sent me--I'd said "I was actually unaware that there were two versions of the song--the only version I know is the later one, on Concord (I think it's a doubled-up reissue of a couple LPs from a different label)." Frishberg's reponse was: Nat[e], you're the second message I've received today concerning this. I better listen to the Concord version of VLM.... OK, I listened to that track just now, and you're right-- There's Campanella's name. How embarrassing. Well, the only answer I have is that apparently I had not finished tinkering with the lyric. This makes me wonder if I have ever really recorded an accurate version (the Pasarella version) of the song. I just checked my discography, and I have recorded VLM twice -- once in 1969 for CTI with a small band, and then in 1981 for Omnisound with a trio. Both of those records went quickly out of print. Much of the Omnisound material was re-released in 1991 on Concord, including VLM. That CD, called "Classics", is still in print. The song is published in sheet music form by Hal Leonard in a collection of my songs called "Listen Here." And that print version represents the song as I finally intended it to be. How confusing. And you wonder why I wake up screaming in the night. .... Best regards, Dave Frishberg Talk about "dedication to one's craft"! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted March 27, 2005 Report Share Posted March 27, 2005 My first time going to the Blue Note to see the Ray Brown Trio, Frishberg opened for them. I'd never heard of him and didn't know what to expect, but I enjoyed myself quite a bit, particularly "My Attorney Bernie" and "Can't Take You Nowhere" and went out and bought the album of the same name. Never went any deeper into his catalog, although I think I have a couple of swing CDs where he's in the rhythm section, but I do have fond memories of that evening. Happy birthday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate Dorward Posted March 27, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2005 I only have two discs of his under his own name, Classics (a condensed version of his two Omnisound discs) & Live at Vine Street. Both are terrific (fans of "Van Lingle Mungo" should check out "The Sports Page" & "The Dear Departed Past" on Vine Street, too). The most recent ones I've heard on the radio have been just fine but not quite as fresh as the earlier discs (& of course his voice is a bit frailer now). He's also on a Rebecca Kilgore album I recall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazz Kat Posted March 27, 2005 Report Share Posted March 27, 2005 He used to be in the TJB with Herb Alpert in the mid seventies, but from what jazz I have heard from him, (which is little mind you) it sounded so corny. I believe it was "You're A Lucky Guy." But I'm aware of his talents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted March 27, 2005 Report Share Posted March 27, 2005 Him and Bob Dorough had an live album together on Blue Note fairly recently. Fans of either (or both) should enjoy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllenLowe Posted March 27, 2005 Report Share Posted March 27, 2005 I love Frishberg's piano playing as well - a very personal interpretation of Earl Hines, as I see it - he's also on one of my favorite albums, which came up recently, Jimmy Rushing's The You and me That Used to Be - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate Dorward Posted March 27, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2005 He used to be in the TJB with Herb Alpert in the mid seventies, but from what jazz I have heard from him, (which is little mind you) it sounded so corny. I believe it was "You're A Lucky Guy." But I'm aware of his talents. Nothing corny about Frishberg! (Cue "I'm Hip"......) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzmoose Posted March 27, 2005 Report Share Posted March 27, 2005 Him and Bob Dorough had an live album together on Blue Note fairly recently. Fans of either (or both) should enjoy it. Yeah, it's a fun one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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