"Teddy's Dream" - Composition by Hank Jones' wife

[Daniel A]

Does anybody know the maiden name of Hank Jones' wife and the year they married? Well, I wouldn't think so, but I thought I could at least ask.

On the "Have You Met Hank Jones" Savoy LP, recorded in 1956, there is a composition called Teddy's Dream. On the original issue (MG-12084) it is credited to Von Steele. On the 1979 Arista reissue (SJL 1124) it is credited to T. Von Selle. The liner notes [EDIT: of the reissue] mention that it is composed by Hank's wife:

"Teddy's Dream" was composed by Hank's wife; and named in her honor. Not a professional musician by any means (she says she took lessons for about three or four months), the tune is nevertheless a beautiful, haunting ballad. "We had just gotten married", she remembers, "and I was sitting fiddling at the piano when Hank walked in and said "What's that - that sounds good!"

"Since then I've written a few things, but he never said anything, so I guess they weren't any good."

I suppose the "T" in "T. Von Selle" is for Theodosia, the name of Hank's wife. But what about Selle/Steele?

And one other thing that doesn't make sense is that several articles from the last years have referred to her as Hank Jones wife "for more than 40 years"; an article published in Detroit Free Press in 2006 (not available on their site, but reposted on JazzCorner here) said "his wife of 41 years". That means that they were married around 1965. But her composition, which she wrote when they had "just gotten married", was recorded already in 1956.

Unfortunately the Iwamoto Hank Jones discography does not indicate the name of composers.

Edited December 3, 2007 by Daniel A

[EKE BBB]

The BMI online database shows two entries for "Teddy's Dream": one by a Theodore Reig (who has quite a few more registered tunes) and one by a Teddy Von Seele (whose only listed tune is this "Teddy's Dream"). Both tune entries have consecutive BMI#Work numbers (BMI Work #1464485 & #1464486) and share publisher (SCREEN GEMS-EMI MUSIC INC).

[sidewinder]

"Teddy's Dream": one by a Theodore Reig (who has quite a few more registered tunes)

Would that be producer/mover-and-shaker Teddy Reig? (of Savoy, Roost and Roulette fame).

[Daniel A]

The BMI online database shows two entries for "Teddy's Dream": one by a Theodore Reig (who has quite a few more registered tunes) and one by a Teddy Von Seele (whose only listed tune is this "Teddy's Dream"). Both tune entries have consecutive BMI#Work numbers (BMI Work #1464485 & #1464486) and share publisher (SCREEN GEMS-EMI MUSIC INC).

Thanks for checking! I'm not at home now, so I can't check the publishing company, but it was the same as the two included compositions by Hank himself (not Screen Gems-EMI Music Inc). What would it mean that the BMI numbers are consecutive?

Edited December 4, 2007 by Daniel A

[Daniel A]

Publishing company - listed on the original Savoy cover only - for the Hank Jones compositions and 'Teddy's Dream' is Crossroads.