Make Believe Ballroom - 10/16/26 Edition

0:12 It's make-believe ballroom time Put all your cares away All the bands are here To bring good cheer your way It's make-believe ballroom time And free to everyone It's no time to fret, your dial is set for fun. Just close your eyes. And visualize in your solitude. Your favorite bands are on the stands and Mr. Miller puts you in the mood. It's make-believe ballroom time. We are of sweet romance. Here's your make-believe ballroom.

1:01 Come on, children, let's dance, let's dance. Hello, world. I'm Jeff Bressler, turning on the lights of the make-believe ballroom and welcoming you into my crystal studio for another jam-packed program of classic big band music from the 1930s and 40s. Please get ready. I've got an amazing lineup of jazz, swing, blues, and boogie-woogie favorites coming your way. You're listening to the Make-Believe Ballroom, broadcasting almost continuously since 1935, and proud to be America's third-longest-running musical radio program. And a big warm welcome, welcome, welcome into the Crystal Studio at the J1 Studios. right here in sunny Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for today's show. And what a show it is going to be. Quick peek. I have a rare Louis Armstrong release with an incredible backstory that's been sitting dormant since 1957. I'm also going to cover a couple of monumental events jaw-dropping band leader feuds and with that let's get to the real reason we're here each and every week to spend some wonderful big band jazz swing blues and boogie woogie music starting off with

2:34 classic 78 rpm records 78 rpms like this one so.

3:16 Swing it high and swing it low Swing it everywhere you go Oh, swing it Yeah, man, swing it. Now, swing it fast and swing it right. Swing it morning, noon, and night. Oh, swing it. Yeah, swing it. Now, harmonies and melodies, let them swing. Don't you know that if you don't swing it, it don't mean a thing?

3:58 Swing it up and swing it down. Swing it all around the town. Oh, swing it. Yeah, swing it.

4:42 So so.

5:50 That was Benny Carter and his orchestra with Swing It, recorded for Columbia Records on March the 14th, 1933. And folks, I always love to play this record because while Benny Carter was widely celebrated as a multi-instrumental genius, Benny was a master of the alto sax, the trumpet, and clarinet. In addition, he was also, I guess you'd have to call him also a master composer and arranger, but his vocal appearances on record were quite rare. So stepping up to the microphone for tracks like his March 14th 1933 recording of Swing It that we just heard was a very special, occasional treat rather than a primary role, as his orchestra typically relied on featured vocalists or instrumental arrangements.

6:59 So the not-oft-heard vocalist persona of Benny Carter to get things underway here today on the Make Believe Ballroom. All right, now, folks, well, before we ring the bell for round one, let's listen to one more great record, because right after this next spin, we're stepping into the ring for our very first bout, or should I say the first band leader feud exposed on this week's Make Believe Ballroom. And trust me, these cats didn't just trade musical solos. They traded some serious backstage drama. So hang on to your hats because the sparks are about to fly. But first, let's keep those toes of yours tapping with another Dynamite 78. Take a listen to this.

7:55 ¶ ¶.

9:08 You mistreated me, baby, drove me from your door. You mistreated me, baby, drove. Me from your door. By your action, you sure you don't. Want me no more. Baby, what am I to do? Baby, what am I to do? Nice as we've been together, now.

9:57 You say we're through. Lots of luck, darling, if that's the way you feel. I'll always love you, darling, no matter how you feel. You mistreated me, baby, and drove me from your door. I just can't understand why you don't want me no more. Now I know how it feels to be left alone Now I know how it feels to be left alone When the one you love says I'm sorry lover but.

10:38 I'm gone. That was Harlan Leonard and his Rockets with Mistreated, recorded in Chicago on November the 13th, 1940 for the Bluebird record label. Harlan Leonard, if you're not familiar, was one of the premier record labels Kansas City band leaders of the late 30s and early 40s, he played the clarinet and sax and launched his rockets back in 1937. The band quickly became a Midwest powerhouse, but they ended up parting their ways during World War II when a few of the guys got drafted. And, um, Well, here's a great piece of trivia for you. I've told you this in the past about Harlan, but always worth repeating. When the band disbanded, Harlan decided to hang up his horn for good, and he spent the rest of his working

12:10 career as an agent, not in the music business, not of a band leader, but an agent for the Internal Revenue Service. Talk about going from hot jazz to, well, going to cold, cruel taxes. I'm Jeff Bressler, and this is the weekly edition of the Make-Believe Ballroom, broadcasting across the U.S. and the U.K. on public community and university radio stations, as well as via your favorite podcast provider. And each week we turn back the clock and Turn up the heat with the greatest big band swing blues and boogie-woogie tracks ever recorded on classic 78 RPM records and radio remotes. And now, as promised, it's time for our very first Battle of the Bandleaders for this edition of the Make-Believe Ballroom. And friends in the corner to my left, weighing in with pure charisma, unstoppable energy, And a sharp zoot suit, the one, the only, hidey-ho man himself, Cab Calloway. And in the corner to my right, wearing the crown from modern jazz with his signature bent horn and ballooning cheeks, the legendary king of bebop, Dizzy Gillespie. Now,

13:41 these two titans had one wild backstage bout between them, but before we step into that main event and lay out all the fiery details, let's hear some of their music. Dropping the needle first on the zoot-suited master of swing, here is Cab Calloway. ¶ ¶ Thank you. What's this coming off here? This one like one of.

14:38 Them good old revival days here. A camp meeting. Yowza, yowza. There's a dear brother got happy on that clarinet. Look at it. Great day. Tell me all about it, brother. Tell me all about it now. That's it, son. Get ready for this scat sermon I'm going to give you here. Look out now. Look out now. Whoa, whoa, whoa.

16:00 Come on, brother, get happy there. Get happy. Uh-huh. Shout it out there, shout it out there. Yowza. Uh-huh. Get happy, get happy, all you sinners, and get happy here. Ah, swing them, sisters, swing them. This is the kind of camp beats me have in Harlem. Yeah, man. Beat it out, Brother Payne. Beat it out there, son. Swing them gals.

16:53 Yeah, man. Easy now, easy now. Look out, brother. Tell me all about it, brother. Is you ready? Is you ready? So help me, you is. Yeah, man. That was Harlem Camp Meeting, recorded by Cab Calloway and his Cotton Club Orchestra in New York City on November the 2nd, 1933 for the Victor label. And now, stepping up to the microphone is a young hothead who would soon give the king of hidey-ho a run for his money.

17:33 He joined Cab's trumpet section in 1939, talking about Dizzy Gillespie, bringing a new sound that Cab famously dismissed as quote-unquote Chinese music. which was a 1930s band slang referring to, what's the best way? Well, referring to how emerging sounds sounded completely foreign, chaotic, and impossible to decipher or make sense of within the boundaries of traditional swing. And maybe Cab was a little too much of a traditionalist. as we listen to Dizzy Gillespie with one of his classics.

18:31 Dizzy Gillespie © BF-WATCH TV 2021. So peanuts, so peanuts.

19:11 So peanuts, so peanuts. So peanuts, so peanuts. So peanuts, so peanuts. So peanuts, so peanuts. © transcript Emily. Beynon That was the iconic Salt Peanuts, recorded by Dizzy

21:45 Gillespie and his all-stars in New York City on May the 11th, 1945, for the Guild label, featured on the record we just heard, or the legendary Charlie Parker on alto sax and Big Sid Catlett playing the drums. But now, folks, it's time for the main event. So let's start this feud, the feud between Dizzy Gillespie and Cab Calloway, which was, as you will hear as I tell the story, in a lot of ways, it was a very immature encounter that ended bad. Now, Dizzy had joined Cab's orchestra right around 1939. He was, Dizzy was, a musical revolutionary, even in 39, already starting to cook up the complex, lightning-fast harmonies that would soon birth bebop, and that we heard in the recording of Salt Peanuts. Cab, on the other hand, liked his arrangements slick, hot, and strictly by the book.

23:02 In fact, Cab wasn't shy about his feelings about Dizzy's increasingly modern improvisations. Add in the fact that Cab was a strict, no-nonsense band leader, and Gillespie was a legendary practical joker who couldn't stop pulling stunts, and between the two of their styles, you had a collision course waiting to happen. Well, the boiling point came backstage during a performance in late 1941. Out of nowhere, a stray spitball came flying through the air and landed right near the stage.

23:52 So it's reported that Cab already at his wit's end with Dizzy's antics pointed a finger and blew his top accusing Dizzy dead to rights. Now, Dizzy swore up and down to Calloway that he didn't do it, but ultimately, tempers flared, words were exchanged, and the argument spilled backstage. Cab swung a punch, and Dizzy, startled, reacted on pure impulse and pulled out a small pocket knife from his pocket, pocket.

24:33 He flashed it, nicking Cab slightly on the leg and wrist before the rest of the band dove in to pull him apart. And Cab, as you can imagine, fired him, Dizzy Gillespie, right then and there on the spot. So for years, the story I just told you went down in jazz lore as Dizzy Gillespie's fiery Rebellion against the great Cab Calloway. But there's more to the story, and here's the real kicker and the kind of jazz age secret, I guess, that time finally uncovers. Decades later, fellow band members, including bassist Milt Hinton and trumpeter Jonah Jones... Well, they finally confessed the truth. Dizzy didn't throw the spitball. It was Jonah Jones all along. But you want to know something?

25:42 Time has a funny way of smoothing out the rough edges. Years later, at a Carnegie Hall reunion, it is said, and I have read, that Dizzy grabbed the microphone, looking right at Cab, and publicly reenacted the whole wild story for the crowd. And by this time, the two old friends shared a massive laugh over a feud that had nearly cost them both, proving that even the sharpest notes in jazz history always... Well, always resolve back into harmony.

26:27 I have another feud main event coming your way a little later on in the program. © transcript Emily Beynon so so so so You just

28:52 heard Rex Stewart and his orchestra with the Fat Stuffed Serenade recorded for. Vocalion Records on March the 20th, 1939 in New York City. Rex, Rex Stewart, on that record was leading an offshoot of the Duke Ellington Band, showcasing that brilliant half-valve coronet work that made him a cornerstone of the Ellington brass section throughout the 1930s and 40s. Rex Stewart and his orchestra.

29:54 I want to just take a quick moment to say thank you for answering the call and helping revitalize the Make Believe Ballroom Radio Facebook page, which I haven't, and I apologize, worked on very much over the last few years. It had lost many of its subscribers because I just haven't worked on it in my, well, my copious free time. But since our last show, over 300 of you have subscribed, and I so appreciate that. I'm adding new content every day, as well as a Wednesday six-minute program where you can see my ugly mug, which I call Leftover Wednesday, playing a great song that didn't make it on the air during the main radio program, complete with a little story behind it. So let's keep those numbers climbing as I continue adding some great content. Head over and join us at Make Believe Ballroom Radio on Facebook. And coming up, a new Louis Armstrong release. Yes, brand new. And then after that, our next battle in band leader feuds. Stay tuned.

31:21 Now I'm going to take a quick break. so stations along the line can identify themselves. You're listening to the Make-Believe Ballroom. ¶ ¶ ¶ ¶. Friends, I'm Jeff Bressler, and you're listening to the one, the only, the original Make-Believe Ballroom on the air almost continuously. Well, actually, minus one short respite. On the air since 1935, making this program the third longest-running radio musical show behind Grand Old.

32:15 Opry, and. Strangely enough, the real Opry, the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, when the opera is in season. But now, folks, as promised, talk about a recording with an incredible story. I have news of a brand-new, previously unreleased Louis Armstrong recording that's going to be coming to us courtesy of Verve Records, an album that's titled One Night in Highland Park. Now, here's the story behind this lost gem. Back in March of 1957, Louis Armstrong and his All-Stars coming off a highly successful two-show run at the Chicago Opera House. Well, they rolled into a Chicago suburb before leaving Illinois for a special fundraising concert at Highland Park High School. Now, the fundraiser was not for the school, but for a local temple, local synagogue. A high school student named Joel Goldstein, who happened to be the stage manager that night, well, he set up a tape recorder, and he captured the entire performance right from the auditorium. Now, that tape, those tapes,

33:48 for whatever reason, and I have not found out as of this broadcast, they sat dormant for nearly seven decades, well, until now. Verve has transferred and remastered those original tapes, which were recorded by young, well, young at the time, Joel Goldstein. into what some folks I have talked to are actually calling one of Satchmo's classic performances. Now, there's one tune from that album that Verve has floated around, and let's dive straight into the lead track from this historic night, a tune that W.C. Handy penned, that Louis had been blowing on his horn since he was a teenager on the streets of New Orleans. So brace yourself, folks, for pure live magic. Here is Louis Armstrong and his all-stars with Ole Miss from Highland Park High School at a synagogue fundraiser back in March of 1957.

35:06 Thank you, folks. We're going to jump into one of the tunes from the WC Handy album for you. It's one of them Robin numbers called Ole Miss. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Bye.

40:12 Amazing, amazing, amazing Ole Miss. Louis Armstrong and his All-Stars that featured Trumi Young, trombone Edmund Hall clarinet, Billy Kyle the piano, Squire Gersh bass, and Barrett Deems the drums. I'm not on the drums, but the microphone announcing to you that this is the Make-Believe Ballroom. I don't think we're going to have any time left on the program to read any emails on the show. But if you'd like to reach me, I'm Jeff at makebelieveballroomradio.com. That's Jeff at makebelieveballroomradio.com. And before I forget, you could go over to Verve Records and find out about when that album will be on sale, the Louis Armstrong album. Probably going to be released, I would assume, as a downloadable MP3.

41:10 But check out Verve Records. And now, on to our next big band leader bout. This one pitting two legends. On the clarinet, Artie Shaw. And on the drums, Buddy Rich. Let's hear first from Artie, then Buddy, and then The Feud. And now here's a real treat for all you Artie Shaw fans. During the past few months, requests have been piling up for Artie to play one of his most famous arrangements. Well, it's on tap for right now. Here's Artie, his clarinet and the orchestra, and a number that's guaranteed not only to send you, but to bring you back.

41:51 It's the chant.

46:56 I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

48:00 Oh, my God.

48:42 That was Artie Shaw and his orchestra with the sensational, I mean truly sensational, live radio program where Artie was playing the chant at the CBS radio studios in Manhattan for the Melody and Madness program, March the 12th, 1939. And if you were listening to that drive, it was spearheaded by a 21-year-old Buddy Rich setting the pace on drums, but not for much longer. Why? Well, a feud started, hence that relationship. You may ask how. Well, the answer is coming after we hear from Buddy.

49:42 I'm sorry. © BF-WATCH TV 2021.

52:28 Folks, that is how you blow the roof off the crystal studio. That was Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra with Well Get It, recorded for the Victor label in Hollywood back on March the 9th, 1942, featuring a then 24-year-old Buddy Rich on drums. True swing classic from the spring of 1942 and True Battle, a few years prior to that, erupted between Buddy Rich and Artie Shaw. So, of course, Artie was leading one of the biggest bands in America in the late 1930s, and behind the drum kit sat, as we discussed, Buddy Rich. But offstage, tension was boiling over between the two of them. Buddy and Artie, both with volatile personalities, argued constantly over one.

53:29 Well, one fundamental question, and you want to know something, it's an interesting philosophical orchestra question at that. Who did the band actually belong to? In big band jazz, a drummer, as we know, sets the tempo, the volume, and the overall feel. At least that's the way I see it. A drummer who plays as loudly and as fast as he likes takes the entire orchestra with him, whether the band leader wants to go or not. So tired of battling for control of his own stage, Artie Shaw finally confronted Buddy Rich directly with this question, Who are you playing for?

54:17 Me? Yourself? Who? So Buddy gave him the plain truth. He said he played for himself and for the audience. Artie, not happy with the answer, told Buddy, Tommy Dorsey made you an offer. You ought to take it. And he did. Buddy Rich joined Tommy Dorsey's orchestra in 1939 and stayed with the outfit until he left to serve in the Marines, which I think was back in 1942. Now, Dorsey's band was also where Buddy crossed paths with a young singer named Frank Sinatra. That igniting another famous volatile relationship where those two stars fought bitterly. Another feud. But I digress. Like so many jazz legends, the exchange between Shaw and Rich comes down to a second hand. Yet it remains the single clearest statement of how Buddy Rich saw his job in a band and something he repeated many times in interviews over the years. But ultimately, Buddy Rich spent the rest of his long career leading his own band, where the question of who anyone was playing for really never came up again. Listen to the Buddy Rich tapes sometime.

55:51 And you'll know who the band was playing for. Just saying. And I'm also just saying that we are totally out of time. Thanks so much for joining me today as we go out with Harry James and Avalon. To reach me, I'm Jeff at makebelieveballroomradio.com. That's Jeff at makebelieveballroomradio.com. For past shows or recorded requests, go to makebelieveballroom.com. That's makebelieveballroom.com. And don't forget to visit us on Facebook at Make Believe Ballroom Radio. I want to thank our syndicators and distributors who offer the Make Believe Ballroom cost-free to commercial-free public community and university radio stations like They are the Public Radio Exchange, PRX, the Pacifica Network, and Global Community Radio.

56:49 The program's flagship affiliate is Jazz 90.1, WGMC in Rochester. New York. The Ballroom is also heard on your favorite podcast provider. So until next week, this has been Jeff Bressler.