#1904 Music Hall

[whencyclopedia]

Reinhard Heydrich

Reinhard Heydrich (1904-1942) was a lieutenant-general in the Nazi SS organisation, Gestapo chief, and head of Reich security. A favourite of Adolf Hitler (1889-1945), Heydrich controlled all police activity in the Third Reich and was instrumental in carrying out the widespread persecution, detention, and murder of Jewish people, communists, political rivals, and others considered enemies of the Nazi state.

Heydrich was the leading Nazi in German-occupied Czechoslovakia where his brutal regime earned him the nickname the 'Butcher of Prague'. Heydrich was assassinated by the Czech resistance in May 1942. Had he lived, it is certain that Heydrich would have been hanged at the Nuremberg trials of 1945 for his systematic crimes against humanity, particularly his direct role in the Holocaust and murder of six million Jewish people.

Early Career

Reinhard Heydrich was born in Halle in Eastern Germany on 7 May 1904. His father, Bruno Heydrich, was a distinguished musician, composer, and music teacher from Dresden. Heydrich's mother was Elizabeth Maria Anna Amalie Krantz, whose own mother was Jewish. Elizabeth was a humble actress, but it was her Jewish connections that plagued Heydrich's confidence throughout his career as a virulent anti-Semitic Nazi.

Heydrich joined the German Navy in 1922. He impressed his superiors and rose up the ranks, working primarily in communications and intelligence. In his free time, he "was a first-class fencer, excellent horseman, skilled pilot, and a talented violinist" (Boatner, 214). In April 1931, Heydrich was obliged to leave the navy following a scandalous relationship with the daughter of a shipyard director. The girl became pregnant, but Heydrich refused to marry her. Heydrich already had a long-term attachment going on with Lina von Osten (1911-1985), whom he married at the end of 1931.

Reinhard Heydrich, 1942

Bundesarchiv, Bild 152-50-10 / Friedrich Franz Bauer (CC BY-SA)

It was also in 1931 that Heydrich joined the fascist National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP) or Nazi Party for short. Lina was a member of the Nazi Party before Heydrich and as anti-Semitic as her husband. Heydrich also joined the Nazi paramilitary group the SS (Schutzstaffel) where he received a series of rapid promotions. Heydrich reached the rank of Obergruppenführer or lieutenant-general in July 1934. Heydrich was a perfect fit for the Nazis:

The very picture of blond Aryan handsomeness…His blue-eyed good looks, athletic prowess, arrogant mien, and musical talent hid a neurotic personality which was deeply divided, uncertain, and treacherous.

(Dear 416)

According to Albert Speer (1905-1981), the Nazi armaments minister, Heydrich was "always neatly dressed, and well bred…capable of unexpected decisions at any moment, and once he had arrived at them he would carry them through with a rare obstinacy" (Speer, 503-4)

Heydrich, who had gained experience working in the department of military intelligence when in the navy, was directed to create an equivalent branch within the SS. The SD or Sicherheitsdienst was founded in 1934. Heydrich was the rising star of Nazism, and in the same year, he was appointed the leader of the Prussian Gestapo, the Nazi secret police. Heydrich's career progressed thanks to him being an "organizer with a genius for intrigue and a greed for power" (Boatner, 215). Heydrich had proven his worth with his organisational contribution to the Night of the Long Knives in June 1934, when the Nazi paramilitary group the Sturmabteilung (SA) was, on Hitler's orders since it was becoming too powerful, ruthlessly purged and its top commanders executed.

The Rise of Nazi Germany, 1919 - 1939

Simeon Netchev (CC BY-NC-ND)

In 1936, Heydrich became the head of a new Nazi organization within the Ministry of Interior, the security police, known as Sipo or Sicherheitspolizei. This effectively meant that Heydrich controlled both the Gestapo and the criminal police or Kriminalpolizei (aka Kripo) and made him deputy to the feared SS leader Heinrich Himmler (1900-1945). The historian H. Thomas describes Heydrich as Himmler's "assiduously brutal yet servile second in command" (40). The Himmler-Heydrich working team operated well together, but Heydrich despised Himmler in private, once telling his wife he imagined him "in his underpants then everything was all right" (Cimino, 54).

Heydrich used his powers ruthlessly to imprison, torture, and execute anyone he considered a threat to the state or his own position in the Nazi Party. Heydrich was not bothered by such conventions as first gathering evidence against the accused, rather, he preferred preventive measures, that is, arresting people who might become enemies of the state before they could do any harm. He pursued a relentless persecution of anyone considered an enemy of Nazi Germany such as Jewish people, communists, freemasons, homosexuals, habitual criminals, and church figures. Heydrich kept thousands of dossiers and index cards on suspects, all carefully colour-coded to indicate which particular offence against Nazism they were guilty of. Responsibility for the Kristallnacht ('Night of Broken Glass') pogrom against German Jews (loosely defined by the 1935 Nuremberg Laws) of November 1938 is sometimes laid at Heydrich's door, but he had long urged Hitler for a more systematic and legally-based persecution of Jews than mere odd nights of terror.

Vandalised Jewish Shop, Berlin

Unknown Photographer (Public Domain)

When Hitler was looking for an excuse to attack Poland, it was Heydrich who organised a false flag mission on the Gleiwitz radio station. In the mission, disguised SS members left machine-gunned bodies to make it appear as if Poles had attacked the German station. Hitler then gave the green light for the invasion of Poland in 1939. In September 1939, Heydrich was duly rewarded with his appointment as head of the Reich Security Main Office or RSHA (Reichssicherheitshauptamt), a new organisation, which meant Heydrich now controlled the Gestapo, Sipo, Kripo, and the SD. The RSHA had three main roles: policing and repressing enemies of Nazism, gathering intelligence, and eliminating those people identified by the Nazis as being racially inferior. In none of these roles was the RSHA limited by any legal restrictions. Heydrich's ultimate objective was to have what he described as "total and permanent police supervision of everyone" (Stone, 164).

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[ifelllikeastar]

William ‘Count’ Basie was born to Lillian and Harvey Lee Basie in Red Bank, New Jersey. His father worked as a coachman and caretaker for a wealthy judge. After automobiles replaced horses, his father became a groundskeeper and handyman for several wealthy families in the area. Both of his parents had some type of musical background. His father played the mellophone, and his mother played the piano; in fact, she gave Basie his first piano lessons. She took in laundry and baked cakes for sale for a living. She paid 25 cents a lesson for Basie's piano instruction.

The best student in school, Basie dreamed of a traveling life, inspired by touring carnivals which came to town. He finished junior high school but spent much of his time at the Palace Theater in Red Bank, where doing occasional chores gained him free admission to performances. He quickly learned to improvise music appropriate to the acts and the silent movies. Though a natural at the piano, Basie preferred drums. Discouraged by the obvious talents of Sonny Greer, who also lived in Red Bank and became Duke Ellington's drummer in 1919, Basie switched to piano exclusively at age 15.

Basie played the vaudevillian circuit for a time until he got stuck in Kansas City, Missouri in the mid-1920s after his performance group disbanded. He went on to join Walter Page's Blue Devils in 1928, which he would see as a pivotal moment in his career, being introduced to the big-band sound for the first time. He later worked for a few years with a band led by Bennie Moten, who died in 1935. Basie then formed the Barons of Rhythm with some of his bandmates from Moten's group.

During a radio broadcast of the band's performance, the announcer wanted to give Basie's name some pizazz, keeping in mind the existence of other bandleaders like Duke Ellington and Earl Hines. So he called the pianist "Count," with Basie not realizing just how much the name would catch on as a form of recognition and respect in the music world.

Over a sixty-plus year career, William “Count” Basie helped to establish jazz as a serious art form played not just in clubs but in theaters and concert halls. He established swing as one of jazz’s predominant styles, and solidified the link between jazz and the blues.

Born William James Basie on August 21, 1904 in Red Bank, New Jersey and died on April 26, 1984 in Hollywood, Florida at the age of 79.

[scotianostra]

On 29th February 1904 the Pavilion Theatre, Glasgow, opened.

Designed by Bertie Crewe for Thomas Barrasford, the Pavilion Theatre opened at the corner of Renfield Street and Renfrew Street, Glasgow on the 29 February, 1904. It was regarded as luxurious for its time with its decor being described by the owners as “pure Louis XV”. An electrically operated sliding roof ensured good ventilation.

Performances in the early days were mainly variety, melodrama and pantomime. Many of the leading music hall artistes of the period appeared at the Pavilion, including Marie Lloyd, Little Tich, Harry Lauder, Florrie Forde, Will Fyffe, Sarah Bernhardt and a then unknown Charlie Chaplin.

Since the 1930s, the Pavilion began to host pantomimes with top name stars of the Scottish variety scene, such as Harry Gordon and Dave Willis. In more recent times it has produced plays, such as ‘The Sash’ and ‘The Steamie’.

The Pavilion Theatre is now the only privately run theatre in Scotland and one of a few unsubsidised independent theatres left in Britain.

“Defying all the odds, Glasgow’s Pavilion regularly purveys variety to this day. All the more remarkable as it is completely unsubsidised and receives no funding from the Scottish Arts Council and kindred bodies whose thoughts and cash are directed at higher cultural activities. It remains the last stronghold of a long music hall tradition in Europe’s City of Culture owing everything to a dedicated staff and patrons and nothing to the public purse.

With its imposing terra cotta facade, the Pavilion Theatre of Varieties was designed by Bertie Crewe in the grand manner for Thomas Barrasford. The domed ceiling was surmounted by an electrically controlled sliding roof for ventilation. Fine Rococo plasterwork on the circle, balcony and box fronts; decoration executed in pure Louis XV; handsome mahogany woodwork and the marble mosaic floor all lent the 1800 seat theatre an aura of splendour.

No less amusing than the dentist advertising in the Pavilion programme “painless extractions with nitrous oxide for 4/- (20p) or cocaine for 1/- (5p)”, were the press observations on the “fashionable company” which attended the Pavilion’s first house on 29th February,1904. We learn that “among the elite there was quite a preponderance of ladies and gentlemen of quality in evening dress”. Alas, class consciousness and respectability were all in Edwardian Britain!

The ‘forties and ‘fifties saw pantomime runs of sixteen weeks, the happy and hilarious summer seasons were emulated during the 1960s and early 1970s by Lex McLean. Another regular crowd puller to Renfield Street was Jack Milroy.

Lulu from Dennistoun (real name Marie Lawrie) broke box office records in 1975, Billy Connolly, Hector Nicol Andy Cameron portrayed their own distinctive brands of humour while Scottish songstresses Lena Zavaroni, , Sheena Easton, Lena Martell and Barbara Dickson also scored heavily with Pavilion audiences.

It was anything but plain sailing for the Pavilion and there was gloomy speculation of closure after incurring heavy financial losses in 1981. Spared the fate which befell the Queens, Metropole, Empire, Alhambra and Empress Theatres, the 80 years old Pavilion was rescued by James Glasgow and transformed into a modest profit maker. Smash-hit shows with Sydney Devine; spells from hypnotist Robert Halpern; pantomime with Denny Willis, and one night gigs from the foremost modern television entertainers have kept the cash tills registering.

The Pavilion also played a major role in the annual Mayfest – Glasgow’s International Festival of popular theatre, music, the arts and community programmes.

Little altered and virtually unspoilt since its inception, the seating capacity of 1449 is made up of 677 stalls, 341 circle, 413 balcony and 18 box seats. While the stiff shirts in chauffeur-driven cabs have given way to coach parties from the rural areas of Strathclyde and beyond, a policy of providing the best in live entertainment has been pursued consistently. The portents look good for the vibrant Pavilion Theatre of Varieties.”

The Pavillion is, in my view a survivor, even over the past few years tragedy has struck the area with a series of fires.

[posttexasstressdisorder]

'Evenin', everyone...Mr. Baggins back with you, with a set to soothe your achin' nerves and help ease us all into a good night. We start this evening off with Lenny and the NY in their classic 1967 complete recording of Borodin's "Polovstian Dances" from Prince Igor, the ballet music from Gounod's "Faust", Dance of the Hours from Ponchieli's "La Giocanda", the Dance of the Tumblers (!) from Rimsky Korsakov's "The Snow Maiden", the Bachanalle from Saint-Saens' "Samson et Dalila", the dances from Verdi's "Aida", and finallyj, the waltz from Tchaikovsky's "Eugene Onegin".

I thought it might be interesting to hear the VERY FIRST recording of Gershwin's "Rhapsody In Blue", with Gershwin at the piano, recorded in Aeolian Hall, June 10, 2024: This is a 100-year-old recording! You will notice right off that the delivery is MUCH DIFFERENT, much much JAZZIER than the way it is played today! There was much more of a yawning/laughing/growling "HOT JAZZ" kind of phrasing to the horn lines and to everything else that is just not there in modern performances, which attempt a very "European Classical" feel...it's really quite eye-opening!

Since we're back here in the 1920s, let's take in Sir Edward Elgar's first recording of his "Enigma Variations", recorded in Royal Albert Hall, with Elgar himself conducting, in April and August 1926.

Next we turn to the music of a teen-aged Chopin, his Variations in B-flat on "Là ci darem la mano" from Mozart's "Don Giovanni" for piano and orchestra, Op. 2. The London Philharmonic Orchestra is conducted by Eliahu Inbal, and our pianist is the great Claudio Arrau.

Here's another little treat from the world of opera, we hear Bruno Walter conducting The Columbia Symphony Orchestra in a studio recording made in Hollywood in 1961, in several Mozart opera overtures. We hear the overtures to Der Schauspieldirektor K.486, Così fan tutte K.588, Le nozze di Figaro K.492, and Die Zauberflöte K.620. Sit back and listen to A Master conduct Mozart!

Next we hear the Paris Wind Ensemble in music of Haydn, his Divertimento in B-flat for Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Horn and Bassoon. Taken from a rare 1958 recording released on Epic, which we know as more of a pop/rock/soul label.

Staying with Haydn for moment, we hear another historic recording, this one by The London Baroque Ensemble, directed by conductor Karl Haas, in this 1954 recording of Haydn's Scherzando in F major. This is another "classical" recording made on a mostly pop label, this time Westminster.

We're going back to 1926-38 for this next little while, as we hear legendary violinist Fritz Kreisler playing his favorite encore pieces, with pianists Carl Lamson and Franz Rupp. Fritz Kreisler is another performer whose style of playing is no longer considered "fashionable" or "correct". I love his tone, myself...it's like honey!

And we wind up this evening's program with the delightful Wind Sextet, Op. 201 of Carl Reinecke, written in 1904. It is performed for us here by Soni Ventorum Wind Quintet, recorded live, 16 February 1980, Meany Theatre.

And that's all the time we have for this evening's program, I do hope you've enjoyed the selections and possibly heard something new to your ear. This is Mr. Baggins signing off for tonight, I'll return at 8am Pacific with our Morning Coffee Music.

Until then, dream sweet dreams, babies, dream sweet dreams.

Baggins out.

[lboogie1906]

Valaida Snow (June 2, 1904 – May 30, 1956) was a jazz musician and entertainer who performed internationally. She was known as “Little Louis” and “Queen of the Trumpet,” a nickname given to her by W. C. Handy.

She was born in Chattanooga. Her mother, Etta, was a Howard University-educated music teacher and her father, John, was a minister who was the leader of the Pickaninny Troubadours. Raised on the road in a show-business family, she began performing with her father’s group. By the time she was 15, she learned to play cello, bass, banjo, violin, mandolin, harp, accordion, clarinet, trumpet, and saxophone. She sang and danced.

She had 3 sisters all of who were professional singers. She had a brother. She married Ananias Berry (1934) who was a member of the Berry Brothers. She married Earle Edwards (1943) who became her manager.

Many recordings of her performances still exist, including audio recordings and audiovisual recordings of her on stage or in films. There are no commercial recordings of her as trumpeter made in the US, all were recorded in Europe. Before her obituary was published, The New York Times wrote about her only once in a paragraph-long review about a 1949 Song Recital at New York’s Town Hall. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[opera-ghosts]

Happy Birthday, Mme. Johanna Gadski. (Picture of her as Isolde).

Johanna Gadski studied singing at the Stettin High School with Anna Schröder-Chaloupka and when still very young was engaged by the Kroll Opera in Berlin, making her stage debut there in 1889. This was followed by engagements in Stettin, Mainz and Bremen as well as Berlin; her repertoire during this period included Agathe / Der Freischütz, Marguerite / Faust, Pamina / Die Zauberflöte, Berthe / Le Prophète, Donna Elvira / Don Giovanni and parts in the comic operas of Marschner and Lortzing. She also took the role of Bedura in d’Albert’s first opera, Der Rubin, which she sang with the composer conducting. Having married Hans Tauscher, a lieutenant in the German army, in 1892, Gadski had built up enough experience by 1894 to begin to appear internationally, which she did with a concert tour of Holland that year.

She was then invited to tour the USA with the Damrosch Opera Company during 1895 and 1896, making her debut in New York as Elsa / Lohengrin (1895) and creating the role of Hester Prynne in Damrosch’s opera The Scarlet Letter (1896). Other roles included Micaëla / Carmen and Marzellina / Fidelio. She toured again with the Damrosch Company during 1898 and 1899 before appearing for the first time at the Royal Opera House, London as Elisabeth / Tannhauser in 1899. This was followed by her successful debut at the Bayreuth Festival as Eva / Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg.

In December 1899 Gadski made her debut with the Metropolitan Opera, substituting as Elisabeth in Philadelphia. Two weeks later, at the beginning of 1900, she first appeared in New York with the company as Senta / Der fliegende Holländer. She quickly became a key member of the Metropolitan Opera, singing Sieglinde / Die Walküre, Brünnhilde / Der Ring des Nibelungen, Elsa and Eva, together with more varied roles including the title part in Aida, Amelia / Un ballo in maschera, Santuzza / Cavalleria rusticana, Valentine / Les Huguenots, the Countess / Le nozze di Figaro, Micaëla, Donna Elvira and Pamina, as well as Röschen in the first performance of Dame Ethel Smyth’s Der Wald (1903).

Having left the Met in 1904 following a dispute over her salary, Gadski undertook extensive concert tours of the USA during 1905 and 1906. In Europe she studied Isolde / Tristan und Isolde with Lilli Lehmann, as well as singing at the Salzburg Festival in 1906 as Donna Elvira opposite Lehmann’s Donna Anna and in 1910 as Pamina opposite Lehmann’s First Lady. Financial matters resolved, she returned to the Met as Isolde in February 1907 and remained a valued member of the company until 1917, singing broadly the same parts as before, as well as Eurydice / Orfeo ed Eurydice (under Toscanini, 1909), Agathe and Leonora / Il trovatore.

In 1917, following America’s entry into World War I, a ban was placed upon German music and musicians in the US. Nonetheless Gadski remained in that country, but did not sing again until 1921 when she gave a rapturously received recital at Carnegie Hall, followed by a coast to coast concert tour which also took in Canada. She became an American citizen in 1925, returning to the operatic stage in 1928 with Die Walküre in Washington. From 1929 onwards Gadski toured America annually with various companies performing German opera, singing Brünnhilde, Isolde and Senta. She intended to continue such touring, but was killed in a motor accident in Berlin.

[atlantaartisticweddings]

Atlanta Wedding Photographer Shares Map of Atlanta's Best Wedding Venues

In downtown Atlanta there are a plethora of wonderful venues that make it so interesting for an Atlanta wedding photographer. They each have their own personality and are so much fun!  

The first one that comes to mind is Ventanas which screams Atlanta! It has the best view of the skyline of Atlanta. They have a wraparound terrace where you can have your ceremony or cocktail hour for your guests. In the interior there are two stories of floor to ceiling windows that overlook Olympic Park, Mercedes Benz stadium, the Ferris Wheel, and Georgia Aquarium. The crown jewel of the venue is the helicopter landing pad on the roof. It gives you a 360 panoramic view of the city that is unobscured. As well as a dramatic backdrop to memorable wedding photos. 

  One of the grandest of all venues downtown is the Biltmore Ballrooms. It was built in 1924 as part of the Biltmore hotel and was the premier hotel at the time, billed as the “the South’s supreme Hotel.”  The hotel was restored to its original glory in 1999 with the renovation of the Georgian and Imperial Ballrooms and it is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  The large columns and terrace are just the beginning of the grand historic details.  Inside the ballrooms are tall painted ceilings reminiscent of the great European palaces.  

  My favorite venue by far is the Fox Theatre.  It is an Atlanta landmark known throughout the south. It is famous for concerts and the mosque style architecture of the middle east. The ornate designed interior has gold leaf details and sumptuous handmade fabric. There is even exquisite trompe l’oeil art (an art technique that uses realistic imagery to create optical illusions) inside. There are two reception rooms and an outside terrace.  The biggest room is the Egyptian Ballroom where there are large columns accenting the room and in the back there is a large balcony to overlook the festivities.  The staff at the Fox are some of the better out there. 

The Fox Theatre is one of Atlanta’s premiere venues for live entertainment, and the photographers at Atlanta Artistic Weddings have been honored to shoot at this venue multiple times. This venue has an extraordinarily rich history in Atlanta, starting when it was bought by William Fox, who opened this “movie palace” on Christmas Day in 1925 with the premiere of Disney’s popular cartoon Steamboat Willie. The Fox quickly became a favorite venue of the Atlanta community and expanded over time to include performances by acclaimed opera and theatre companies, concerts from pop music legends, and community dances at the peak of Swing and Big Band music. 

  Rhodes Hall is a high-profile historic house in the heart of downtown known as the “Castle on Peachtree.”   Built in 1904, Rhodes Hall has been an Atlanta landmark for generations. While it was originally the residence of Rhodes Furniture founder Amos Rhodes, today it is a house museum and one of the most unique venues in Atlanta for social and corporate events. The upper floors of the “Castle on Peachtree” are also headquarters for The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation. Rhodes Hall is a wonderful place to host your wedding. There is a wraparound porch for your guests at cocktail hour.  For the bride there is a large bridal suite for changing.   In the main room there is a grand staircase and wood paneling that makes a statement. 

999 Peachtree Street Center is the home of the Peachtree Club. The Peachtree Club is located on the 28th floor.  The club's high-rise terrace is the primary feature of the venue.  It is a large open terrace 28 floors up and has one of the best views of the city.  You are level with the top of some of Atlanta's landmark buildings.  Maggie is a wedding planner there and she is a consummate professional. 

The next venue worth putting on your radar is Terminus 330 located in the heart of downtown. The upstairs of the venue is the epitome of industrial chic with an impressive wrought iron entrance that welcomes guests into a large open space with original hardwoods, exposed brick, vaulted ceiling, and warm natural light. The downstairs is a 1920’s inspired space that reminds me of the prohibition days, with original stonework and vintage lighting. There is even a rooftop terrace where you get a panoramic view of the Atlanta skyline. 

Ventana’s

Georgian Terrace Hotel

Fox Theatere

The Peachtree Club

Rhodes Hall

[jpbjazz]

LÉGENDES DU JAZZ

PETE JOHNSON, ROI DU BOOGIE WOOGIE

"Johnson shared with the other members of the 'Boogie Woogie Trio' the technical virtuosity and melodic fertility that can make this the most exciting of all piano music styles, but he was more comfortable than Meade Lux Lewis in a band setting; and as an accompanist, unlike Lewis or Albert Ammons, he could sparkle but not outshine his singing partner". 

- Tony Russell

Né le 25 mars 1904 à Kansas City, au Missouri, Kermit H. ‘’Pete’’ Johnson a été élevé par sa mère après son père ait abandonné sa famille. Sa mère éprouvant des difficultés financières, Johnson avait été placé dans un orphelinat à l’âge de trois ans. Mais Johnson s’ennuyait de sa famille et n’avait pas tardé à s’enfuir et à retourner chez lui. À partir de l’âge de douze ans, Johnson avait occupé différents petits emplois afin de contribuer à la subsistance de sa famille: dans une usine, une imprimerie et même comme cireur de chaussures. Johnson avait d’ailleurs abandonné l’école en cinquième année afin de gagner un peu d’argent.

DÉBUTS DE CARRIÈRE

Johnson, qui avait amorcé sa carrière musicale en 1922 comme batteur à Kansas City, avait commencé à jouer du piano à la même époque où il avait appris à jouer de la batterie. Johnson travaillait comme ‘’water boy’’ pour une compagnie de construction lorsqu’il avait commencé à jouer du piano.

De 1926 à 1938, Johnson avait obtenu ses premiers contrats comme pianiste, souvent aux côtés du légendaire Big Joe Turner, le futur chanteur de l’orchestre de Count Basie. Après avoir été remarqué par le producteur John Hammond en 1936, Johnson avait décroché un contrat au club Famous Door de New York. Johnson avait obtenu une des plus grandes chances de sa carrière lorsqu’il avait participé avec Turner au concert From Spirituals to Swing à Carnegie Hall les Le 23 et 24 décembre 1938. Outre Johnson et Turner, le concert mettait également en vedette Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Helen Humes, Meade Lux Lewis, Albert Ammons, les Mitchell's Christian Singers, the Golden Gate Quartet, James P. Johnson, Big Bill Broonzy et Sonny Terry. Organisé par Hammond, le concert n’avait pas été facile à financer, car il était composé entièrement de musiciens de couleur et était destiné à un auditoire multiracial. Le concert avait finalement été commandité par The New Masses, le journal du Parti communiste américain. On lisait dans les notes de pochette de l’album:  

"[i]n 1938... {Hammond} conceived a concert at Carnegie Hall in New York City to showcase African-American music from its raw beginnings to the most current jazz. Hammond... was one of the most influential talent scouts and record producers in history, having 'discovered' artists from Billie Holiday and Count Basie to [much later - Varlet] Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. The concert, which would be titled 'From Spirituals To Swing', would depict the common themes that existed in Black music from its origins in Africa, through gospel and blues, dixieland and eventually to swing."

Tentant de capitaliser sur la nouvelle popularité du boogie woogie après le concert, Johnson avait travaillé et voyagé en tournée avec Turner, Meade Lux Lewis et Albert Ammons. Avec Ammons, Johnson avait également participé au tournage du court-métrage Boogie-Woogie Dream en 1913. La chanson de 1938 "Roll 'Em Pete" composée par Johnson et Turner est aujourd’hui considérée comme une des premières pièces de rock n’ roll jamais enregistrée. La chanson mettait en vedette Johnson au piano et Turner au chant. Un autre titre qui se passait de présentation était  "Johnson and Turner Blues." En 1949, Johnson avait également écrit et enregistré la pièce "Rocket 88 Boogie", qui avait plus tard servi d’inspiration à Ike Turner pour son succès de 1951 "Rocket 88".

Dans le cadre de trois sessions tenues en janvier 1946, Johnson avait enregistré un des premiers albums-concept de l’histoire. Intitulé Housewarmin’, l’album débutait avec Johnson seul au piano, avant d’être rejoint par d’autres musiciens de Kansas City comme J. C. Higginbotham et J. C. Heard. L’album mettait également à contribution de grands noms du jazz comme Albert Nicholas, Oran ‘’Hot Lips'' Page, Clyde Bernhardt, Budd Johnson et une jeune chanteuse alors peu connue, Etta Jones. Tous ces musiciens exécutaient chacun un solo avant de participer à une jam session avec le groupe. Sur l’album, Johnson avait démontré sa remarquable maîtrise du piano stride ainsi que son habileté à travailler avec un groupe. L’album avait été réédité plus tard sous le titre de Pete's Blues. 

DERNIÈRES ANNÉES

Après avoir connu différents problèmes financiers et de santé, Johnson s’était installé à Buffalo en 1950. Après avoir perdu l’usage d’un de ses doigts dans un accident, Johnson avait été victime d’une attaque qui l’avait laissé partiellement paralysé, ce qui ne l’avait pas empêché de continuer d’enregistrer et de voyager en tournée avec des musiciens comme Turner et Jimmy Rushing et de participer aux tournées de Jazz at the Philharmonic. 

Mais les plus beaux jours de la carrière de Johnson étaient désormais derrière lui. Parvenant de plus en plus difficilement à se trouver du travail, Johnson avait été employé de janvier à octobre 1953 par une compagnie de crème glacée comme laveur de camions. Comme complément de revenus, Johnson se produisait durant les weekends avec un trio qui se produisait au club Bamboo Room de Buffalo. L’année suivante, Johnson avait nettoyé des corbillards pour une entreprise de pompes funèbres au salaire de 25$ par semaine. En juillet de la même année, Johnson avait finalement obtenu un contrat de six mois pour jouer comme pianiste-résident au Circus Snack Bar du St. Louis Forest Park Hotel. Certains concerts de Johnson avaient éventuellement été restransmis le samedi après-midi dans le cadre d’une émission de radio appelée Saturday at the Chase. Deux concerts privés de Johnson avaient également été enregistrés à la résidence de son ami Bill Atkinson.

La carrière de Johnson avait été plutôt calme au cours des quatre années suivantes, à l’exception de trois apparitions en 1955 à la Berkshire Music Barn de Lenox, au Massachusetts. Malgré tout, Johnson avait continué d’enregistrer. Il avait même fait une tournée en Europe en 1958 avec le Jazz at the Philharmonic, et ce, en dépit de sa mauvaise santé. Durant son séjour en Europe, Johnson avait reçu une invitation pour se produire au Festival de jazz de Newport, ce qui lui avait permis de se jouer aux côtés de Big Joe Turner, Chuck Berry et Big Maybelle.

Lors d’un examen médical en août, on avait diagnostiqué à Johnson des problèmes cardiaques ainsi qu’une forme de diabète. Après avoir été victime de plusieurs attaques, Johnson avait éventuellement été paralysé des deux mains. Toujours paralysé quatre ans plus tard, Johnson avait même commencé à perdre la vue. Le magazine Jazz Report avait d’ailleurs lancé une série de campagnes de souscription afin de venir en aide financièrement à Johnson. En 1964, un ami de longue date de Johnson appelé Hans Maurer avait publié The Pete Johnson Story. Les sommes résultant de la vente du livre avaient été entièrement versées à Johnson. La même année, un article paru dans le magazine Blues Unlimited ayant exposé les difficultés éprouvées par Johnson concernant le paiement de ses ‘’royalties’’ auprès de certaines compagnies de disques autres que Blue Note et Victor, il avait été admis comme membre de l’American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) ce qui avait lui permis de recevoir ses droits d’auteur sur une base régulière.

Sa paralysie ayant grandement altéré ses capacités de jouer du piano, Johnson avait livré sa dernière performance dans le cadre d’une apparition au festival de jazz de Newport en janvier 1967. Lors du concert, l’alter ego de Johnson, l’incontournable Joe Turner, l’avait qualifié de meilleur pianiste de boogie woogie de tous les temps. Turner avait enchaîné en interprétant pour son vieil ami la chanson  “Roll ‘Em Pete” qu’il avait composée conjointement avec lui en 1938.

Dans son compte rendu du concert, le critique Dan Morgenstern du magazine Down Beat écrivait:

"Then for the concert's most moving moment, Lieberson (the MC) escorted Pete Johnson on stage and introduced him as one of the participants in the original Spirituals to Swing and the greatest boogie-woogie pianist. Johnson had suffered a series of paralytic strokes and had not played piano for many years. His old buddy, Turner, took him by the hand, and for a moment the two middle-aged men looked touchingly like little boys. Turner dedicated 'Roll 'Em Pete' to his old friend, as Lieberson and Johnson were about to leave the stage. Instead, they stopped and the pianist seated himself next to [Ray] Bryant at the piano and began to play the treble part of his old showpiece, Bryant handling the bass. Johnson was a bit shaky but game, gaining in confidence as the number built in intensity."

Pete Johnson est mort le 23 mars 1967 au Meyer Hospital de Buffalo dans l’État de New York, deux jours avant son 63e anniversaire de naissance. Principal représentant du  "Kansas City boogie woogie style", Johnson, contrairement à ses collègues du Boogie Woogie Trio, Albert Ammons et Meade Lux Lewis, qui étaient originaires de Chicago et étaient principalement influencés par le jeu de  Jimmy Yancey, Pinetop Smith, Hersal Thomas, Clarence Lofton et Jimmy Blythe, avait toujours eu un style très distinctif. Contrairement à Ammons qui utilisait un système harmonique et rythmique qui lui était propre, et à Lewis qui avait une sonorité puissante très inspirée de Fats Waller, Johnson avait une connaissance approfondie des harmonies, des structures, du rythme et du swing.

Tony Russell avait écrit au sujet de Johnson dans son ouvrage The Blues – From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray publié en 1998: "Johnson shared with the other members of the 'Boogie Woogie Trio' the technical virtuosity and melodic fertility that can make this the most exciting of all piano music styles, but he was more comfortable than Meade Lux Lewis in a band setting; and as an accompanist, unlike Lewis or Albert Ammons, he could sparkle but not outshine his singing partner". 

©-2024, tous droits réservés, Les Productions de l’Imaginaire historique

SOURCES:

‘’Pete Johnson.’’ Wikipedia, 2023.

‘’Pete Johnson.’’ All About Jazz, 2023.

[almoststardust]

Tavi Gevinson, Fan Fiction: A Satire

We are so trained in the act of holding on. Not just to the slights, the conflicts, the Easter eggs. But to the moment. “I love writing songs because I love preserving memories,” Swift once wrote, “like putting a picture frame around a memory you once had.”

In his essay about Joseph Cornell’s dreamy, diorama-like boxes, Michael Chabon observed that their true content is never the objects inside. “The important thing, in a Cornell box, is the box.” And the important thing in a Taylor Swift song is the frame; that is, the moment of writing; the words: I remember.

Swift’s early music did not just reflect my feelings; it scripted them. She laminated my high school hallways with marks to hit, gazes to hold, pauses to read into. Did a glance linger a hair too long? Did a backpack brush my shoulder on purpose? Obviously there was no way to know; the point was to wonder. I journaled about such encounters with a level of detail so precise that it was almost clinical, even when the sense of potential was infinite. This was the best part, being suspended in mid-air; I wanted any crush to last as long as possible before much interaction could take place; life was not allowed to happen faster than I could write it down.

She embodies the adolescent as defined by psychologist G. Stanley Hall, back in 1904. The first to identify adolescence as a developmental stage, he described it as a state caught between the realms of childhood and adulthood, always looking either back or forward, “haunted by automatic presentations that take the reins from the will and lead us far away in a rapt state, now reminiscent, now anticipatory, into a world of dreams or ghosts.” Or, as Swift sang on her debut, I’m takin’ pictures in my mind so I can save ‘em for a rainy day.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 5.5 (before 1940)

553 – The Second Council of Constantinople begins. 1215 – Rebel barons renounce their allegiance to King John of England — part of a chain of events leading to the signing of the Magna Carta. 1260 – Kublai Khan becomes ruler of the Mongol Empire. 1494 – On his second voyage to the New World, Christopher Columbus sights Jamaica, landing at Discovery Bay and declares Jamaica the property of the Spanish crown. 1609 – Daimyō (Lord) Shimazu Tadatsune of the Satsuma Domain in southern Kyūshū, Japan, completes his successful invasion of the Ryūkyū Kingdom in Okinawa. 1640 – King Charles I of England dissolves the Short Parliament. 1654 – Cromwell's Act of Grace, aimed at reconciliation with the Scots, proclaimed in Edinburgh. 1762 – Russia and Prussia sign the Treaty of St. Petersburg. 1789 – In France, the Estates-General convenes for the first time since 1614. 1809 – Mary Kies becomes the first woman awarded a U.S. patent, for a technique of weaving straw with silk and thread. 1821 – Emperor Napoleon dies in exile on the island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean. 1821 – The first edition of The Manchester Guardian, now The Guardian, is published. 1835 – The first railway in continental Europe opens between Brussels and Mechelen. 1862 – Cinco de Mayo: Troops led by Ignacio Zaragoza halt a French invasion in the Battle of Puebla in Mexico. 1864 – American Civil War: The Battle of the Wilderness begins in Spotsylvania County. 1865 – American Civil War: The Confederate government was declared dissolved at Washington, Georgia. 1866 – Memorial Day first celebrated in United States at Waterloo, New York. 1877 – American Indian Wars: Sitting Bull leads his band of Lakota into Canada to avoid harassment by the United States Army under Colonel Nelson Miles. 1886 – Workers marching for the Eight-hour day in Milwaukee, Wisconsin were shot at by Wisconsin National Guardsmen in what became known as the Bay View Massacre. 1887 – The Peruvian Academy of Language is founded. 1891 – The Music Hall in New York City (later known as Carnegie Hall) has its grand opening and first public performance, with Tchaikovsky as the guest conductor. 1904 – Pitching against the Philadelphia Athletics at the Huntington Avenue Grounds, Cy Young of the Boston Americans throws the first perfect game in the modern era of baseball. 1905 – The trial in the Stratton Brothers case begins in London, England; it marks the first time that fingerprint evidence is used to gain a conviction for murder. 1912 – The first issue of the Bolshevik newspaper Pravda was published. 1920 – Authorities arrest Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti for alleged robbery and murder. 1930 – The 1930 Bago earthquake, the former of two major earthquakes in southern Burma kills as many as 7,000 in Yangon and Bago. 1936 – Italian troops occupy Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

[taruntravell]

Exploring Casa Batlló: A Comprehensive Guide to Ticket Options

Casa Batlló tours is one of the most famous modernist architectural landmarks in Barcelona, Spain, designed by the renowned architect Antoni Gaudí. If you're planning to visit Casa Batlló, it's important to understand the various ticket options available, as well as some practical information about the site. Here's a comprehensive guide to help you make the most of your visit:

1. Basic Information about Casa Batlló:

Location: Casa Batlló is located at Passeig de Gràcia, 43, 08007 Barcelona, Spain.

Architect: Antoni Gaudí

Style: Modernisme (Catalan Art Nouveau)

Year of Construction: 1904-1906

Architectural Features: The building is known for its unique and innovative architectural design, with colorful mosaics, organic shapes, and an interior that resembles an underwater world.

2. Ticket Options:

There are several ticket options available for visitors to Casa Batlló tickets. Here's an overview:

Standard Ticket: This ticket grants you access to the main areas of Casa Batlló, including the Noble Floor, Loft, Rooftop Terrace, and the Gaudí Exhibition Hall. You can purchase this ticket online or on-site.

Fast Pass Ticket: This ticket allows you to skip the regular lines and offers faster access to the site. It provides the same access as the standard ticket but with reduced waiting times.

Magic Nights: During the summer months, Casa Batlló offers "Magic Nights" where you can visit in the evening and enjoy live music on the rooftop terrace. This special ticket includes a glass of cava (Catalan sparkling wine) and offers a unique, romantic atmosphere.

Private Visit: For a more exclusive experience, you can book a private visit that allows you to explore Casa Batlló with a dedicated guide. This option is ideal for those who want a personalized tour and more in-depth information.

Online vs. On-Site Tickets: It's advisable to purchase your tickets online in advance to secure your preferred time slot and avoid long queues, especially during the peak tourist season.

3. Practical Tips:

Opening Hours: Casa Batlló is typically open year-round. Opening hours may vary, so it's a good idea to check the official website for the most up-to-date information.

Audio Guides: Many ticket options include audio guides in various languages, which provide detailed information about the history and architecture of Casa Batlló.

Photography: Photography is usually allowed inside the building, but flash photography and tripods may not be permitted. Be respectful of other visitors and the artwork.

Accessibility: Casa Batlló is accessible to people with reduced mobility, with ramps and elevators to facilitate access.

Gift Shop: There's a gift shop on-site where you can purchase souvenirs related to Casa Batlló and Gaudí's work.

Combo Tickets: Some attractions in Barcelona offer combo tickets that include multiple sites, allowing you to save on admission fees. Check if there are any combo options that include Casa Batlló during your visit.

Remember to check the official Casa Batlló website for the most current information on ticket prices, opening hours, and any special events. Enjoy your visit to this iconic architectural masterpiece!

[metalshockfinland]

US Alt-Rock Outfit DAKAR Talking about Debut Full-Length "Say It Again" in New Video Interview

Just recently, US Alt-rockers DAKAR‘s frontman David Benfield was interviewed by Metalheads Forever’s Keith Clement, talking about the band’s debut full-length “Say It Again”, about the band itself and the future plans + many cool news to be revealed soon. Watch the video here: Read the whole article at this location. DAKAR’s upcoming shows: June 29th – 1904 Music Hall – tickets at…

[xtruss]

A boy and girl give presents to their mother on Mother's Day in the 1950s. Although now we celebrate with gifts and flowers, Mother's Day started out as a quieter affair—a day of reflection and bonding between mothers and their children. Photograph Via Lambert/Getty Images

How Mother’s Day Became Its Founder’s Worst Nightmare

Here’s why we honor our moms on the second Sunday in May—and how the holiday turned into a retail juggernaut.

— By Brian Handwerk | May 11, 2023

Mother’s Day is one of the year’s biggest greeting card occasions, but it definitely didn’t start out as a Hallmark holiday. The Mother’s Day we celebrate on the second Sunday in May exists largely due to the incessant efforts—some might say maniacal single-mindedness—of a woman named Anna Jarvis. But Jarvis wasn’t the first American to promote the idea.

Early attempts to get the holiday going focused on bigger social issues, such as promoting peace and improving schools. But the version of the day that finally did catch on became its founder’s worst nightmare.

Early Mother’s Day Celebrations

A portrait of Julia Ward Howe, who fought tirelessly for women's suffrage and the abolition of slavery. Her poem, "Battle Hymn of the Republic" was set to music and became a rallying cry for abolition. Photograph Via Corbis/Getty Images

Mother’s Day was initially launched by antiwar activists in 1872. Julia Ward Howe, better remembered for writing "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," advocated a Mothers’ Peace Day on which pacifist women would gather in churches, social halls, and homes to listen to sermons or essays, sing, and pray for peace.

American cities like Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago held annual Mother’s Day services, centered on pacifism, every June 2 until about 1913. But these faded away, as did the mothers’ pleas for peace when the world entered World War I.

Another early Mother's Day effort was led by teacher and principal Mary Towles Sasseen, of Henderson, Kentucky. Her idea, launched in 1887, focused on schools: Sasseen wrote a guide, Mother’s Day Celebrations, with the hope that school systems around the country would observe Mother’s Day receptions to strengthen ties between students, parents, and teachers. But by the time she died in 1924, Sasseen’s Mother’s Day never made it far beyond Kentucky.

Who Really Founded Mother’s Day?

In February 1904, Frank Hering, a University of Notre Dame faculty member, football coach, and national president of the Fraternal Order of Eagles, delivered a speech entitled “Our Mothers and Their Importance in Our Lives.” It was the first public call to set aside a national day to honor mothers.

Although that organization still bills Hering and itself as the “true founders of Mother's Day,” his role in proposing the holiday was soon eclipsed by the tireless efforts of Jarvis to publicize and promote the holiday—and herself as the founder.

Jarvis’s labors, which made Mother’s Day a reality, began with a wish to honor her own mother—who had attended Julia Ward Howe’s gatherings and prayed, quite literally, for such a day to exist. In 1908, when Jarvis organized the first official Mother’s Day celebrations in Grafton, West Virginia, and Philadelphia, she chose the second Sunday in May because it honored the anniversary of her mother’s death.

Anna Jarvis, founder of the modern version of Mother's Day, fought against the the commercialization of the holiday, working to protect it from "the hordes of money schemers." Photograph By Bettmann, Corbis. (It's Not What It Used To Be: An activist worked for decades on a dream of a quiet, reflective day for mothers and their children. Anna Jarvis achieved a Mother's Day holiday—but it wasn't what she wanted. “To have Mother’s Day the burdensome, wasteful, expensive gift day that Christmas and other special days have become, is not our pleasure," she wrote in the 1920s.)

As Jarvis’s campaigning rapidly expanded Mother’s Day observations across the country, she rejected the idea that Hering’s earlier suggestion had anything to do with it. An undated 1920s statement entitled “Kidnapping Mother’s Day: Will You Be an Accomplice?” explained her attitude towards Hering: “Do me the justice of refraining from furthering the selfish interests of this claimant, who is making a desperate effort to snatch from me the rightful title of originator and founder of Mother’s Day, established by me after decades of untold labor, time, and expense.”

Jarvis, who never had children, acted partly out of ego, says Katharine Antolini, an historian at West Virginia Wesleyan College and author of Memorializing Motherhood: Anna Jarvis and the Struggle for Control of Mother's Day. “Everything she signed was Anna Jarvis, Founder of Mother's Day. It was who she was."

How Mother’s Day Became a National Holiday

Jarvis had a point; she’s clearly the primary person responsible for launching the holiday as a national celebration. Founding Mother’s Day, and aggressively protecting her ownership of the holiday, became her life’s work. In her mission to win the holiday national recognition, Jarvis petitioned the press, politicians, churches, organizations, and individuals of influence including, notably, the wealthy Philadelphia department store magnate John Wanamaker.

Wanamaker embraced Jarvis’s idea, and promoted a May 10, 1908, gathering at his department store, which Jarvis herself addressed. The Philadelphia event drew a reported 15,000 people and each one received a free carnation—at least while they lasted. Mother’s Day was off and running.

Under relentless lobbying from Jarvis, state after state began to observe Mother’s Day and, in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson finally signed a bill designating the second Sunday in May as a legal holiday, Mother’s Day. It was dedicated “to the best mother in the world, your mother.”

The idea of honoring mothers was appealing. General John “Black Jack” Pershing, commander of the American Expeditionary Forces, highlighted the value of the holiday in a general order he issued on May 8, 1918, asking officers and soldiers to write letters home on Mother’s Day. He wrote, “This is a little thing for each one to do, but these letters will carry back our courage and affection to the patriotic women whose love and prayers inspire us and cheer us on to victory."

In 1934 President Franklin Delano Roosevelt got into the act; the avid stamp collector sketched a design for a Commemorative Mother’s Day Stamp based on the famous “Whistler’s Mother” portrait. Unfortunately for FDR Anna Jarvis didn’t approve. She found the design ugly and made clear her intention that the words “Mother’s Day” not adorn the stamp—they never did.

Mother’s Day and Commercialization

Business owners like John Wanamaker and Philadelphia's florists likely saw Mother’s Day’s commercial potential from that very first Sunday in 1908.

But Jarvis had many strong opinions about how the holiday should, and should not, be celebrated. Foremost among them was her hatred of profiteering, even by charitable institutions. Just a few years after that first Philadelphia Mother’s Day, one story goes, Jarvis ordered a “Mother’s Day Salad” at Wanamaker’s Tea Room—and dumped it on the floor.

Jarvis meant the holiday to be one of quiet reflection and personal relations between mothers and children. “To have Mother’s Day the burdensome, wasteful, expensive gift day that Christmas and other special days have become, is not our pleasure," she wrote in the 1920s. “If the American people are not willing to protect Mother’s Day from the hordes of money schemers that would overwhelm it with their schemes, then we shall cease having a Mother’s Day—and we know how.”

A cupcake display on Mother's Day. Founder Anna Jarvis may not have wanted Mother's Day to become a retail juggernaut but that hasn't stopped children from buying gifts, flowers, and sweets to honor their mothers. Photograph By Bo Zaunders, Corbis

If Jarvis really did have some plan to stop people from profiting off of Mother’s Day, that plan amounted to exactly nothing. In 1948 Jarvis died in a Pennsylvania sanitarium, aged 84, penniless after spending her fortune fighting to maintain control over Mother’s Day.

Today, Mother’s Day isn’t just commercialized, it’s a retail juggernaut. In fact, only Back-to-School and winter holidays inspire Americans to spend more money per person than Mother’s Day, according to the National Retail Federation. The haul is over 30 billion dollars in all.

Hallmark profits handsomely from that spending; it’s the third biggest card-giving day of the year. And, to the delight of florists, about three out of four people faithfully send mom flowers. More than half of all celebrators also plan special outings for their mothers, gifting tickets to concerts and sporting events—or a day at the spa.

And Mother’s Day is also the busiest day of the year for restaurants, according to annual research surveys from the National Restaurant Association. More than one in four people go out for a meal with mom each year, and many more at least order takeout so that no one has to spend the special day in the kitchen.

If the holiday has become a runaway moneymaker Jarvis would have loathed, at least gathering around a table for those Mother’s Day meals offers children a chance to personally honor their moms in the way she always intended.

[from1837to1945]

(circa 1895~1900)

Errol was intended by his father for the medical profession, and at the age of 14 was placed in a sort of medical apprenticeship, which continued through his school and college days in Sydney.

에롤은 아버지의 뜻에 따라 14살 때 의사 견습을 시작했다.

Naturally, the flair for the comic began to show itself long before the medical course was completed, and there are indications that the younger Errol was frequently a source of not a little unhappiness on the part of Errol père. In the words of Errol, he was constantly 'clowning about.' His acquaintance with the stage was formed gradually, and at first without the knowledge of his parents.

In his sophomore year in college young Errol, in addition to his academic and medical labors, found time to write, stage, and act in a variety of amateur musical mélanges, which were given by the collegians at 'smoke concerts,' the principal diversion of Sydney clubmen.

대학교 2학년 때는 학교 공부랑 의사 견습, 학교 연급 클럽이 무대에 올릴 공연 제작, 이렇게 셋을 한꺼번에 하기 시작했다.

Most of his ability at this sort of thing seems to have been instinctive, for, as a boy, he never saw the inside of a theatre. His first makeup as a comedian was patterned after a performer whom he saw represented on a three-sheet outside a Sydney music hall. In those days all low comedians—particularly English low comedians—were "red-nosed comics," with neckties as red as their noses, baggy pants, and big shoes.

It was at a college operetta of his own composition that Errol first appeared as a red-nosed comic, and on this occasion, too, that he first appeared in the character of an inebriate. The operetta was successful and the comedian even more so—so much so, in fact, that the news speedily reached the Errol household. The family came to see for itself, and the result was the summoning of young Errol to his father's office.

리옹은 시드니 대학 오페레타(college operetta)에서 술 취한 사람 연기를 하고 그 소식을 전해 들은 리옹네 가족 전부 그 오페레타를 보러 간다. 리옹은 아버지의 사무실에 불려간다.

There he was flatly charged with disgracing the family and informed by his father that his mother had wept at his performance.

아버지는 리옹이 가족들의 명예를 더럽히고 어머니는 리옹이 술 취한 사람 흉내내는 걸 보고 울었다고 말한다.

He went home contrite, prepared to give up all thought of a stage career, only to discover, when he reached home, that his mother had wept tears of laughter, not of sorrow.

하지만 어머니는 재밌어서 울었던 것.

The result was that he made immediate preparations to take his show on tour; his father decided that further attempts to educate him would be futile, and young Errol became a professional performer.

리옹의 아버지는 아들에게 계속 의학공부를 시켜봤자 헛일이 될 거라는 걸 깨달았다.

(circa 1904)

Errol came to America upon the whim of the moment. He was at home in Sydney after a tour—his father had long since forgiven him—when an American boat in the Harbor arrested his eye. When he arrived in San Francisco he was hooted in the streets, for the cut of his clothes, his stick, his spats, were not such as to gain for him the kind regard of a city full of Americans. His Australian accent, also, was so marked that for many weeks he was not only unable to obtain work, but found it almost impossible to make himself understood in conversation.

에롤은 계획 세워놓고 미국에 간 게 아니라 순간적인 충동으로 미국에 왔다. 리옹의 아버지가 오래 전 리옹을 용서했단 말도 나온다. "투어 후에 리옹이 시드니의 집에 있을 때, 시드니하버에 있던 미국 배가 에롤의 시선을 사로잡았다." 그래서 에롤은 그냥 미국에 간 거다. 그러나 에롤의 강력한 호주 억양 때문에 미국인들과 말이 통하지 않았다는 내용이 써 있다. 결국 호주 억양보다 강한 프랑스 억양, 네덜란드 억양, 히브리어 억양 등을 공부하면서 자신의 호주 억양을 덮으려 했다는 내용이 써 있다.

"1905년, '에롤의 벌레스크'에서 아버클을 감독했던 얘기, 그리고 댄스파트너 스텔라를 어떻게 만났는지 등 중요한 얘긴 다 빠져있고, 저자는 갑자기 연도를 1911년으로 뛰어넘긴다."

-23/4/24

(1911: The year that his future screen wife was born in)

Errol made his real Broadway début in the Ziegfeld production of "The Winsome Widow" at the New York Theatre. Mr. Ziegfeld put him next in the 1911 "Follies," and Errol then played in the next four "Follies" as well, establishing himself a bit more securely with each season, and with each production having a little more to do with the directing end.

1911년~15년 사이 "지그펠트 폴리즈"에서 공연했다는 내용.

From the beginning there has been no break of fortune nor great genius to assist him; his steady rise to recognized position has been because of considerable talent, but even more hard work.

처음부터 행운 또는 천재성 따위는 없었다. 리옹의 재능과 노력이 결국 리옹을 지금의 위치에 오도록 만들었던 것.

(1918)

Since leaving the "Follies" in 1915, Errol has been connected with one Century show "The Country Girl," which he partly staged—and the two shows of the "Hitchy-Koo" series, It remains only to be added, by way of rounding out this tale, that the parents of Errol have long since quit Australia for the more intimate delights of Long Island.

1918년, 현재는 히치쿠 레뷰에 올릴 쇼 중 2개의 쇼를 제작 중이라는 내용. 에롤의 부모님은 오래 전에 이미 호주를 떠나 롱아일랜드에 와서 intimate delights를 느끼고 있단 내용으로 기사가 끝난다.

-"The Story of Leon Errol", 1918

"My father was in government service at Sydney as inspector and auditor of accounts. He served as city officer, too.

My whole family came over to America in time for the opening of the Follies," said the dancer in describing how he felt when he scored so heavily.

"It was the first time they had seen me since I left Sydney fifteen years ago. Father and mother watched us at the first-night performance, and when the audience began cheering so enthusiastically after our dance they just sat and cried—they were so happy with our success.

It was wonderful to realize I had become something of a favorite, but it was better still to know they were here to share it with me."

-Frederick J. Smith, Broadway Favorites, 1913

"리옹은 시드니를 떠난지 15년 후, 가족들 전부를 '지그펠트 폴리즈' 레뷰에 초대했고, 그 후로 리옹의 가족 전부가 미국에서 눌러살게 되었다는 걸 알 수 있다. 리옹의 부모님이 아름다운 시드니항을 버리고 떠나서 미국에 눌러살게 되어 더 좋아했다고 해석하지 말고, 리옹과 아버지가 화해했단 뜻으로 받아들이면 좋겠다. 리옹의 부모님 역시 대영제국 이민자였기 때문에 이런 부모님한테서 태어난 리옹 역시 방랑벽이 있고, 태어난 곳에 대한 애착이 없었던 것 같다."

-23/4/24

[concerthopperblog]

Review: Sexbruise? Debuts New Single & Music Video for “Ford Taurus”

Sexbruise? has just presented to the world their latest single AND music video for their hit single, “Ford Taurus”! Like Sexbruise? says, “When I pull up to the club in my Ford Taurus, all the ladies want some.” Per the band’s bio, Sexbruise “is a satirical pop quartet” that hails from Charleston, S.C., and is most notable for their unique blend of improv, pop ladened (and very catchy) hooks, energetic live shows, electronica, and even a dash of funk for good measures. Sexbruise? consists of Julie Slonecki, Stratton Moore, John Pope, and Will Evans.

Think Cherub meets Chromeo meets Little Stranger, and you can maybe then describe the awesomeness that is “Ford Taurus”. Once I started this video, I noticed actor Tony Cavalero (best known for his portrayal of Keefe Chambers on HBO’s The Righteous Gemstones) and I instantly knew that this was going to be a fun ride. Plus, add some funky saxophone with some provocative lyrics to the mix… well then it is definitely dancing time. Just like their live shows, this song is energizing and funky from start to finish. If you aren’t bopping your head after listening to this track, check your pulse. The hook is very memorable and blends well with Julie’s soulful intro and John’s rhyme time surprise. This has to be a real treat to witness live at one of their shows!

When asked about the inspiration for “Ford Taurus”, John Pope (drums/lyrical wordsmith) said “When I was in college I drove a Hyundai Sonata. The car in the song was inspired by this car and my roommate’s Ford Taurus, which was also pretty shitty. I found ‘Ford Taurus’ to flow much more smoothly off the tongue than ‘Hyundai Sonata”.

Stream “Ford Taurus” 

Apple Music 

Spotify

YouTube 

You can follow Sexbruise? on the old socials by checking out these handy links: Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, & Bandcamp!  You can also catch Sexbruise? on tour on the following dates in 2023:

Thu, APR 20

420 Charleston

Charleston, SC

RSVP

TICKETS

Sat, APR 29

Visulite Theatre

Charlotte, NC

RSVP

TICKETS

Sat, MAY 20

1904 Music Hall

Jacksonville, FL

RSVP

NOTIFY ME

May. 26 - 28, 2023

Summer Camp Music Festival 2023

Chillicothe, IL

RSVP

TICKETS

Jun. 1 - 3, 2023

Mountain Music Festival 2023

East Oak Hill, WV

RSVP

TICKETS

Fri, JUN 2

Asheville Music Hall

Asheville, NC

RSVP

TICKETS

 Curious about Concerthopper? You can find more music related articles, interviews, various photo galleries, indie music reviews, our very own ‘Bars & Bites’ section, our exclusive “She Said, She Said” column, or become a Concerthopper at www.concerthopper.com. Sign up for our monthly newsletter by following this link: The Setlist! Please ‘Like’ our page on Facebook and follow us on Instagram to stay up to date in 2022, on all music-related events/festivals such as: 40 Years of Acid Tour: Morbid Angel w/ Revocation, Crypta, & Vitriol Live at The Masquerade, Relix Presents Yonder Mountain String Band, Railroad Earth, and Keller Williams and The Keels: Live at The Eastern, The Parallax II Tour: Between The Buried and Me Live @ The Masquerade,  20th Anniversary Tour: August Burns Red (Rapids Theatre), Spring Tour (2023): BongZilla with Wizard Rifle @ Grantski Records, Beartooth & Trivium: Live at Buffalo Riverworks, AmericanaFest (2023), Ghost RE-Imperatour U.S.A. with Amon Amarth: Ascend Amphitheater, Beartooth and Trivium: Live at Buffalo Riverworks, So Much For (Tour) Dust: Fall Out Boy/Bring Me the Horizon @ Darien Lake Amphitheater, Withered, Bathe, and Omenkiller: Live at Grantski Records, The 5th Annual PorchFest, 12th Annual Papa Joe’s Banjo-B-Que Music Festival, Souls of Mischief: 93’ til Infinity 30th Anniversary Tour @ City Winery (Atlanta), The Dark Horizon Tour: In This Moment, Motionless in White, Fit For a King, & From Ashes to New – Live at Buffalo Riverworks, and Yob and Pallbearer: Live at the Masquerade by following us on all social media formats: Concerthopper on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.  Also, you can follow my concert hopping on Facebook and Instagram for even more photos not available on Concerthopper.com.

[jhamazamnews-blog]

Glasgow's historic Pavilion Theatre sold to Trafalgar Entertainment for undisclosed sum | UK News

A Glasgow theatre which has played host to stars including Harry Lauder, Charlie Chaplin and Sir Billy Connolly has been taken over by new owners. London-based Trafalgar Entertainment (TE) has snapped up The Pavilion Theatre for an undisclosed sum. The 1,449-capacity Renfield Street venue opened in 1904 and has welcomed a number of household names over the years, including music hall singer Marie…