Oct. 30, 2025

Make Believe Ballroom - 10/31/25 Edition

Show Notes
Transcript

The Make Believe Ballroom with Jeff Bressler brings you Classic Big Band Hits from the 30s and 40s.

On this week's program: An introduction to King Garcia, an obscure band with some world-class musicians, the most recorded bandleader of all time, plus many more great records and stories to cherish and enjoy on this week's broadcast.

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Time.

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It's make Believe ballroom time. Put all your cares away.

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All the bands are here to bring good cheer your way.

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It's make Believe ballroom time and free to everyone. It's

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no time to friend your Dalis.

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Said Bob yours.

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Close your eyes and visualize in your solitude your favorite

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bands are on this dance and mister Miller, what you're

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in the mood.

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It's make Believe ballroom time.

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We are a sweet romance as you make it, Bob,

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Come on, John Last Das.

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Last, Hello World.

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I'm Jeff Presler, turning on the lights of the Make

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Believe Ballroom and welcoming you into my Crystal studio for

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another program of classic big band hits from the nineteen

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thirties and forties. Please get ready as I play for

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you some amazing big band jazz, swing, blues, and boogie

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woogie favorites. Folks, you're listening to the Make Believe Ballroom,

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broadcasting almost continuously since nineteen thirty five. Hi, folks, once again,

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thanks for joining me today in the Crystal Studio. How

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about I start today's program with a little history lesson.

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In Louiiana. Purchase I'll tell you what it means it means,

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I'd like to sell you New Orleans. Common Comana. You

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all can go to Hinde way down in New Orleans.

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Louiseaiana salesman with nothing in his genes, That's why I'd

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like to sell.

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You New Orleans.

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Come on, come on and do all the things there

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are to do in New Orleans.

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Where does that he come from? That rhythmic bed come from?

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And that read me.

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Come from New Orleans? Yes, sir, Louiseasiena perts, Yes.

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I told you what it means.

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So won't you let me sell you New Orleans? Come on,

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come on, and you all can go to town way

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down in New Orleans. Louisiana Purchase. I told you what

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it means, so won't you let me sell you New All?

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That was the Irving Berlin penned title song from his

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Broadway musical of the same name, Louisiana Purchase Here performed

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by Ray Noble and his orchestra, vocal by Don Bonnie,

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recorded in New York City, made the twenty first nineteen forty.

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The eighteen three Louisiana Purchase, which in essence just about

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doubled the size of the United States. Since we are

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on the topic of history. Why don't I continue this

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makeshift history lesson with this one about a historic ocean

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faring figure.

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Mister Christopher Columber sailor see without the Coming When he

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men began.

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A rubber.

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Osbald Christopher Columber. Mister Christopher Columba, he used rhythm as

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his comfort music ended all the lumber wise old Christopher.

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Columbia recorded in New York City on February the twenty eighth,

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nineteen thirty six for Regal Zonophone Records. Louis King Garcia

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and his swing band with their full rendition of Christopher

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Columbus and an amazing band Louis King Garcia put together.

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He was playing the trumpet, Maurice Samuel on the trombone,

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the legendary Joe Marsala playing the clarinet, herbiehemer Tenor Sachs

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Adrian Rolini the master on the piano, the guitar standout

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Carmen Mastron, Sid Weiss string bass played for Benny Goodman,

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and did Dan Darcy on the drums and providing the vocal.

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Now.

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Louis Garcia, if you don't know much about him, was

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a Puerto Rican born trumpet player. He had a stellar resume.

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He moved to the US from Puerto Rico early in

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the nineteen twenties, where he Louis Garcia played with the

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original Dixieland Jazz Band. In the thirties, he worked mostly

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as a sideman in recording studios, where he played frequently

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for both Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey. He also played with

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Vic Burton, Richard Himber, Richard Himber we covered on the

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program Not Too Long Ago, Net brand Wine, and Louis Prima.

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Now Louis Garcia occasionally put together a small band, and

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he cut some records like Christopher Columbus, Let me play

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one More by King Garcia.

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Swing mister Charlie, Full swing, mister Charlie. I don't care

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what you just make it a hot to lay bar

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or two of a theme les Tho. Every note you

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hit is hotter than anything I've heard since the swing began.

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All swing, mister Charlie, All swing, mister Charlie. No bum

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can't swing it like I can't get enough of the

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swingable stuff. Wall Swing to Charlie, Just winging.

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On Bluebird Records from nineteen thirty six, King Louis Garcia

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and his Orchestra with swing mister Charlie vocal by Dan Darcy.

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I'm not Charlie, but rather Jeff Bresler and friends. You're

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listening to the one, the only, the original Make Believe Ballroom,

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where it was just my pleasure to introduce you to

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King Garcia, whose music I don't think I ever played

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on the Make Believe Ballroom, and I don't think I

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ever played music by this quote unquote little known group.

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The record might be a little scratchy, but the music

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ain't from Decca Records. Three Little Words by the Chicagoans,

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recorded in Chicago, Illinois, November the nineteenth, nineteen thirty five.

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Oh I neglected to mention one thing. The full name

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of the group was actually Gene Crooper and his Chicagoans.

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Now you might be saying, wait a minute, Jeff wasn't

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Crouper playing drums for Benny Goodman in nineteen thirty five.

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And the answer to that question is yes. You might

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follow that one up with, well, wait a minute, Jeff,

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the piano player on that record sounded like Jess Stacey,

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who also played for Benny Goodman. Excellent observation, and the

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answer to that question is also yes. And a final

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question you may be asking is wait a minute, Jeff,

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that clarinet has sounded unmistakably just like Benny Goodman. Well,

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good reason to believe that, because it was indeed Benny Goodman. Now,

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while Benny was under contract to Victor Records at the time,

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for whatever reason, and if you know, please email me

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at Jeff at make Bully Ballroom Radio die. For whatever reason,

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he asked Croupa to front this group, Jin Croupa and

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the Chicagoans. My best guess is that it was well

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it was.

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It was pretty.

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Common for musicians in the nineteen thirties to record for

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different labels under alternate group names. They did this to

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get around exclusive contract restrictions, sometimes to make a little

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extra money. Now, at the time, Croupa was also under

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an exclusive contract with Benny Goodman's band for Victor Records.

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So whether it was that loophole or not, or maybe

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Benny wanted to actually let Crouper reconstruct the group he

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belonged to early in his career, which was Eddie Condon

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and his Chicagoans, or maybe Benny perhaps was just giddy

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he was recording in his hometown of Chicago at the time.

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I don't know, but they played some wonderful music together.

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So let's hear one more from Gene Krupa and his

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Chicagoans from that Decca record four song session. The last

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round up by Jeane Krupa and his Chicagoans from that

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one time only November nineteenth, nineteen thirty five Decca session.

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Fortunately I'm not here one time, but each and every

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week on this radio station as I bring to you

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the Make Believe Ballroom from my Crystal Studio. Now, Benny

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Goodman as well as many other band leaders recorded using

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pseudonyms from time to time, and as I mentioned, most

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musicians like Goodman, big musicians were signed to exclusive deals

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with the record label, say Columbia, RCAA, Victor or Decca.

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Now that meant they legally could only record under their

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own name for that company. But many musicians and band

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leaders wanted some extra income as I just mentioned, or

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even the labels themselves, The Columbias, the RCAA, Victors, and

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Decca's wanted to churn out more records, so they'd cut

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sides for smaller labels under fake names. I'm talking about

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Crown Records, Banner Records, what's another one, Harmony Records, so

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many of them now. While the major labels like Victor,

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Columbia and Deca sold their records for around seventy five cents.

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Their lesser labels could sell for a quarter or even

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a dime. As a matter of fact, many of these

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budget labels were called dime store records. Now, in the

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Annals of band and band leader pseudonyms, the use of

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other names for the purposes I just described, there was

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one band leader who was the king of the pseudonym,

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a serial band leader who had more names than I

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could even count, And I'm going to tell you about

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him in just a few minutes. Let me play a

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record d where actually everyone who said they were indeed.

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Were Goness line, No pay Pa, don't be so fine,

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goness frettional line, say man, did you finally arrive?

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He nothing to do with what the soul and soul

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knock me, something goes ready to go. He'd nothing to

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do with if the brands don't blow knock me, something

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goes ready to go.

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Rip up megastic, majustic joy, knock me some of that

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good fine heart, rip up gigs kjastic jar You don't

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dunt dun't what you jump with joy Jo.

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That's really mellow alamos, not me. Something goes whey you

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go becassic got got to me job, not me, something goes,

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ready to go.

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Let's god, Juto go dojo.

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He ain't a lot to do it not the door

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and so let's go Jojo.

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Not me nothing cause I'm ready to go. He Ju,

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you ain't nothing doing it the brass don't blow.

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I think it's too ju.

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Do hand me something if you ain't. No, no, no, Rember.

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Megusting meaning me bye, you knocks me so and come

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on Rember magunty dunkle joy, Oh you don't joy chol

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not the mighty grooves on the albumo lest God do

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not me nothing cause I'm.

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Ready do go.

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Migasics, MiG thaks, magot any far nothing, nothing because I'm

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ready to go.

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Recorded in Los Angeles, California, on July the twenty seventh,

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nineteen forty two, for OK Records, which was a subsidiary

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of Columbia Records. We just heard Cab Callaway and his

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orchestra with Let's go Joe, and now let's go to

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the King of the alias the King of the Pseudonym.

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Here are two records. Let me just look at the

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dates here. One is from nineteen thirty other from thirty one.

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But you're going to get more of that twenties flavor

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from these two records than the dawn of swing sound

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that was starting to develop in the early thirties. But nevertheless,

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two very pleasant to listen to records.

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At Love, Free and Easy, Smell the floor with wax,

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Let yourself free, lax, loose enough, you're a bax.

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Free and easy.

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Start out freezy, let your elbow say, let your tipsy

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drag like your hat up jag pret and easy play men,

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brave men one putting the grave me and grabs off apartment.

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Now, oh that's show girls.

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Low girls.

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Never had a poor girls.

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Here's your only chance?

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And how tall?

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And if you pleasy while the music lays you can

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dance the days to the lazy gray and.

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Easy then other things.

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To think.

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Anything the.

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Song was written. It's kind of historic for Buster Keaton,

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the Great comedian, in his movie Talkie's debut from Columbia Records,

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The Free and Easy, performed by the Columbia Photo Player's Orchestra,

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vocal by Eddie Walters, recorded in New York City March

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the thirteenth, nineteen thirty one. More Then I'm going to

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reveal the gentleman who was referred to by many as

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the Dean of recorded music.

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What is it?

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What is it that makes me want you away that

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I do?

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What is it?

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Please tell me?

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What is it that gives me a.

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Thrill like nothing else?

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Well? What is it?

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You're not as good looking as some of the.

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Rest, for you've got that something that I like the best?

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What is it?

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What is it?

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I'm dying to know why I love your soul?

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What is It?

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Ale from the budget label Harmony. This record, as a

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matter of fact, was also issued on the Clarion and

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Velvet Tone budget labels. Song titled what is It? By

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Lloyd Keating and his Music vocal by Paul Small, recorded

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in New York City, August twenty fifth, nineteen thirty one.

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So who was behind the Columbia Photo Players Orchestra and

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Lloyd Keating and his music, as well as Earl Marlow

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and his orchestra, the Knickerbockers, Ray Seely and his orchestra,

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the Gotham Troubadours, and literally dozens of others. Well, it

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was actually one Ben Selvin, a violinist and bandleader who

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on his own with his Ben Salvin orchestra led his

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own popular band in the nineteen twenties into the early forties,

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but through a series of aliases, Ben Salvin became one

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of the most prolific band leaders of the late twenties

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into the early forties, where he recorded under dozens of

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alias's many that I just mentioned. Now this practice was

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especially rampant on the dime store labels, which I discussed

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earlier in regard to Gene Krupa and the Chicagoans. Now,

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Ben was, without a doubt, through his aliases, the most

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recorded band leader in history. It is said through the

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twenties into the early forties, Ben Selvin Get this, ladies

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and gentlemen, made over thirteen thousand recordings. That's in the

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Guinness Book of World Records. Ben Selvin, the serial alias bandleader.

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I'm Jeff Bresler and this is the Make Believe Ballroom

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coming to you today from the Crystal Studio. Now here's

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a record a World War Two morale that was recorded

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as a V disc.

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What is a V disc? Well, I'll tell you in

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a moment, they're.

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Gonna be when under regin to slay will be getting the.

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Time and when we list the job.

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Any black.

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Pe where the man can probably dance, will be dancing

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the dry.

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And we will dance, dance, dance.

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The victory bocal Don joined the heavy.

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Ring sing sing the victory.

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Pocon recall.

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When there a group will be dancing the bay.

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Bob, you just heard Victory Polka Kate Kaiser and his

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Orchestra recorded on V disc in nineteen forty four. So

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what exactly was a V disc? During World War Two

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when new commercial records were scarce, and I'm going to

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explain that in a minute, the United States War Department, well,

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they decided to create something special for the troops and

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that was the V disc, which is short for Victory disc.

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Between nineteen forty three and forty nine, the government teamed

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up with the Musicians Union to make exclusive records for

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soldiers overseas. Now, prior to the V discs, big band

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records that were recorded by the major record labels were

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shipped all over the European and Pacific theaters of war

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for the troops to enjoy in a variety of spots,

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ranging from all the way up in officers clubs to

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barracks really in many instances, right out close to the

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battlefield itself, wherever they could produce a record and a

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record player. So while World War two was raging back home,

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the devastating musician strike of nineteen forty two began. The

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American Federation of Musicians. They began to strike, and we've

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discussed it many times here on the ballroom. They began

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to strike against the major American record companies because of

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disagreements over royalty payments. So beginning on July thirty first,

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nineteen forty two, no Union musician could make commercial recordings

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for any commercial record company, and that meant that a

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Union musician would allowed to participate only on radio programs

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and other kinds of musical entertainment, but not in a

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recording session. And that horrible strike lasted until nineteen forty four.

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Many people say that was the major reason for the

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downfall of the big band era. But going back to

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the v discs, as I mentioned, due to the huge

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morale benefit of playing music to the troops during the war,

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the War Department worked out their arrangement with the Union

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to continue to provide music to the troops, and that

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resulted in record discs V discs carrying the biggest names

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of the era. Glenn Millar Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Frank Sinatra,

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Elip Fitzgerald, Ardi Shaw, all the giants, the Dorseys, all

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a giants of the time, all performing fresh version of

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their hits, often with a few personal words to quote

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unquote you know the boys overseas. Now, the deal that

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the government worked out with the musicians' union was quite simple.

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No money changed hands, there were no sales. They just

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provided the records for morale. And when the war ended,

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the discs by the Department of War were ordered destroyed,

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but obviously many survived in collectors' hands. We just heard

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one a few moments ago, and I would assume that

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many soldiers brought V discs back home to the States

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as souvenirs.

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So let's play a few more. Let me choose this one.

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Here's Duke Ellington and his orchestra on V disc just

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for the troops, with a song titled are You Stick It?

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By Evening.

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King A.

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Duke Ellington v desk. Let me play another one. Why

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don't we go for something a little different.

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Let me play this one.

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I'm always doing something something, All the boys, they are

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always doing something or ana.

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To their joy.

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So don't tell me it's a wrong thing if I'm

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out with them nicely two three part always doing something

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for the boys, or they're doing something for me. Hey,

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good looking, say what's cooking? Do you see you like

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cooking someone?

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Then?

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Hey, hey, hey, hey looking, if you're not already talking,

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could you meet me soon in the moon. Why don't

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we to go roman thro the gloaming while the stars

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are calling the skies of bar Hey, good looking, give

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in and wield again cooking that delicious little dish cord line.

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So don't tell me.

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It's a wrong thing.

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If I am with them two three.

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Always doing something for the.

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Always doing something for me.

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I was Red Norvo and his orchestra with a Carol

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Bruce vocal and a song titled Something for the Boys,

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recorded on V disc in nineteen forty three.

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Let's see here.

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You know, I'd like to play a few more, but

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I'm checking the clock, and I have another order of

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business to attend to on the program. So I think

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over several weeks, several weeks to come, we can sprinkle

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in a few more V discs. And some of the

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concert V discs that all so went out to the

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troops in theater that were recorded at military bases in

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the US. So I received an email from a listener

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with a request that I must honor on this program.

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And I'm going to read that email.

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To you now.

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It says, Jeff, I'm an avid listener to the Make

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Believe Ballroom. I first heard the show back in the

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early nineteen seventies when I worked during the summer for

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my grandfather, Ernest Kemper, who owned a travel agency on

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Fifth Avenue in New York City. I booked tickets with

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the airlines for his customers in the back office as

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a summer job. My grandfather Ernie always had the radio

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set in the back office to WNW, where the Make

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Believe Ballroom came from. Next week, Well this is it's

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actually this email is meaning this week. Next week will

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commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of his death. Can you play

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a Glenn Miller song in his memory? He loved Glenn Miller.

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He had an extensive collection of his records, but he

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also loved the songs played on the Ballroom in the

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nineteen seventies, from Sinatra Tourmee, Steve Venedi, to Tony Bennett

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and many more. Thanks in advance for giving me the

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chance to commemorate his passing on a program he so

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much enjoyed, and that is signed Lenny Lewis. Not only

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can I play a Miller's song for you, Lenny, in

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honor of your grandfather, but one that is specific, believe

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it or not, to Fifth Avenue where he ran his business.

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Hop a buns, take a car, hail a cabin. There

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you are on this avenue. Every Joe, every jane walks

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along the dreamer's lane on Fifth Avenue.

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Where they stop.

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Windows shot and their hopes are so high.

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Pricing range pretty things.

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That they can afford to buy, but they smile, they

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don't care.

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Everyone's a millionaires when they're.

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Strolling on Fifth Avebun, Hello, their ticks of the old

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count hands.

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But you want shopping on Fifth Avenue?

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Man, Why I'm shopping for shafts. Sunday bear got mushed.

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I tried to bust the Bronco, but the bronc wouldn't bust.

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Do you ride that wild bony at the rodeo?

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No? I ride that wild tender in the Wild West show.

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We got a cowboy band that comes on you love it?

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Welcome on, man, Let me here a little love It.

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Recorded on August the fourteenth, nineteen forty in New York City,

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Fifth Avenue, Glenn Miller and his orchestra, vocal by Marion Hutton,

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