Oct. 2, 2024

Make Believe Ballroom - 9/27/24 Edition

Show Notes
Transcript

Join us for this week’s MAKE BELIEVE BALLROOM, broadcast over member supported Jazz 90.1 WGMC-FM in Rochester, NY and other fine affiliates across the US as well as in the United Kingdom -- A little about Bon Bon, not the candy but the vocalist: What was a transcription disc? The story behind Rent Party’s: A tune played in reference to a listener's email - plus many, many more of the greatest hits of the big band era are played for your musical enjoyment during this episode.

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It's make Believe Ballom time.

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Put all your cares away. All the bands are here

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to bring.

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Good cheer your way.

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

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It's no time to friend your Dalis said bombs.

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Close your eyes and as you lie in your solitude.

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Your favorite bands are on this dance and.

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Mister Miller, but you're in the wood.

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Its make Believe Ballom Time.

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We are of sweet romances you make live.

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Come on, Joe.

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Last dat lets.

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Hi, folks, I'm Jeff Presler, turning on the lights of

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the Make Believe Ballroom and welcoming you into my Crystal

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studio for another hour of the greatest swing, jazz and

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big band hits of the nineteen thirties and nineteen forties.

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I'm hosting the show to keep the music in traditions

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of past hosts Martin block Al Jarvis, William B. Williams,

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and the legendary Steve Allen alive. Whether you're one of

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my longtime listeners, or maybe you're tuning in for the

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first time today, I invite you to join me for

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some of the greatest jazz and swing hits from the

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big band era. Hello world, and will Welcome, Welcome, Welcome,

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one and all into the Make Believe Ballroom, coming to

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you coast to coast and across the Atlantic Ocean on

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stations like Members Supported Jazz ninety point one WGMC in Rochester,

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New York, and on other fine affiliates across the US

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and in the UK to get things started today. Well,

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I'd certainly put a nickel in the jukebox for this one.

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Old baby, I don't want you to do sting mellow.

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Let me want you in a fan. Bring me a

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swing song and let me dance. Old baby, I don't

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want anything right and yellow. You can have your sweet

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rom man. Bring me a swing song and let me dance.

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Mister Trumble mays com I ain't caring one nose, mister

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Trumpits grab your hon brother, give me hard nose. Old baby,

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I don't want anything on a shallow gives the rhythm,

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Then a chance, Bring me a swing song and let

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me down.

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Benny Goodman and his orchestra with the Helen Ward vocal

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sing me a swing song recorded on Victor in nineteen

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thirty six. Let's see here. Let me play one more

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than an email regarding a vocalist. We listened to last week.

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You can take the moon, gather up the stars and

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the robins that sing merrily, pour them in the box.

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Tie with the ribbon from and the deep blue sy.

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You can take the flowers down in Lover's Lane and

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that sentimental poetry.

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Pull them in the box tie with the ribbon prum

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in the deep blue sy, not farming all that star,

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the dreams that ruin your sleeve, not bummy heaven Ah.

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Love is one thing you can keep.

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You can take the plans and the wedding bells and

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whoever sings or promise me.

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Pull them in the box tie with the ribbon proum

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and the blue sea.

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Because love and I.

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We got be.

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Handsomes through the park, kisses in the dark, all the

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promises made faithfully.

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Where them in the box time with the ribbon from

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and the deep Blussy.

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And you won't go wrong if you take a song

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sung by Frankie Boy or mister c.

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Put them in the box tie with the ribbon Roum

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in the deep blue sea. Not formy all that's die,

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not formy, heven live.

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You know what to do with good old teeth for

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two and the girl for you.

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The boy for me.

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Pull them in the box, tie with the ribbon Roum

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in the de Blue Sea. Because loving I we die.

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Put him in a box and tie him with a ribbon.

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Darris Day vocal on Columbia Records, recorded in nineteen forty seven. Friends,

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I want to share, as I mentioned before, Darris Day's vocal,

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an email I received last week and it pertains to

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the last record we played on the program last week

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seven twenty in the books from Jan Savat with a

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Bonbond vocal. The email is from Charlie Pendergast, who lives

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in Surprise, Arizona. I haven't heard from Charlie for a while,

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so hope all is well with you, Charlie. His email says, Jeff,

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I enjoyed your show last week. As I have written

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to you in the past, I remind you that my

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late uncle Ed used to work in sales for w

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New Radio and sol time for the Make Believe ball

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Room in the nineteen sixth Last week you played a

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Savag band song that I had never heard, and likewise

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for the singer you named Bonbon, can you tell me

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more about him and perhaps another song from him? And

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that's signed Charlie and Charlie is always thanks for taking

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the time to write to the program an answer to

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your question. Bon Bon was born George Tunnel and best

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remembered for his work with Jan Sabat's orchestra, Jance Savat

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and his Top hatters. Bon Bon was truly a groundbreaker.

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He was among the first black singers to tour with

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a white band. But Bonbon he had a tough run

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due to one of the certainly uglier aspects of the

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big band era of the thirties and forties, that being

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the racism suffered by touring bands with African American members.

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He started, Bonbon did with a group called The Three

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Keys out of Philadelphia. He then joined Savat's radio orchestra

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and he became very popular as its featured vocalist. When

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the band, who was playing for a Philadelphia radio station,

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was gaining radio prominence, they decided to go out on

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their own. Jan Savat did in early nineteen thirty eight,

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and as I mentioned, discrimination plagued his time with Jan

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and was so upsetting to him that he eventually returned

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to his native Philadelphia as a black performer in an

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otherwise all white band. Bonbond faced extra humiliating discrimination on

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the road and explain that black performers in black bands

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sort of under They understood that they had to stay

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even though it wasn't right in different hotels. It was

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just the way it was. They had to stay in

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different hotels and as a group had to eat non

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white restaurants. But Bonbon wanted to be part of Savage's

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orchestra as a full member, and to that end, he

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often pretended on the road to be the band's manager's

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valet in order to stay in the same hotel as

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his friends and fellow band members. During a performance in Kentucky,

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he was refused service at the ballroom's soda stand. After that,

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he decided to boycott the entire show. He only appeared

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on stage to sing during the thirty minutes of Jay

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Savat's national radio broadcast from that ballroom. With all that hardship, though,

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we still quickly became one of the most well known

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and popular vocalists in the nation. He placed fifth in

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Billboard magazine's nineteen forty college poll for most popular male

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band Singers and six in nineteen forty one. Bonbon also

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earned third place and Downbeat magazine's poll for best banned

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vocalist in both nineteen thirty nine and nineteen forty, So

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a little about an unfortunately little remember today vocalist Won

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George Tunnell aka Bonbon.

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Good morning, good morning. We've danced the whole night through.

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Good morning, Good morning do you? Good morning, good morning.

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It's great to stay up late. Good morning, good morning.

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Do you.

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When the band began to play, Stars was shining bray.

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Now the milkman's honest way, it's too late to say

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good night, so good morning, good morning. Sunbeams will soon

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smile through. Good morning, good morning, do you.

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On Decca Records. Good Morning by Jan Savat and his Orchestra,

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vocal by Bonbon, recorded October fourth, nineteen thirty nine. Charlie

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Charlie Pendergast, let me play one more from a savag

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Bonbon tune, and I thank you Charlie for asking about

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more information concerning the vocalist bon Bon. So let me

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take a look here and we will play this one.

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Underneath threading chestnut tree.

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I loved her and she loved me.

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There she used to set upon my knee leaf spreading

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chestnut tree. There beneath the bowels we used to meet.

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All her kisses were so sweet, All the little birds

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went twet tweet leath spreading chestnut tree.

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I said I loved you.

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There really ain't no if somebody. Then she said I

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love you, and the black clip shouted chestnut underneath spreading

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chestnut tree.

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There she said she'd married me. Now you are to

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see our.

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Knit spreading chestnut tree.

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That was on Thesaurus RCA, a track from a sixteen

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inch thirty three and third electrical transcription disc that contains

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music recordings created specifically for radio station use, but not

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issued for sale at the time on commercial seventy eight

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RPM discs. The song was the Chestnut Jan Saved and

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his orchestra vocal by Bonbon recorded in New York City,

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made the first nineteen thirty nine and friends. During the

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next record, I want to check some past notes, which

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I am starting to do right now, if you would

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indulge me, because I'm pretty sure you never heard of

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Thesaurus RCA, And as is my solemnly sworn duty, well,

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I didn't actually take an oath, but to keep you

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informed of all that was popular music in the thirties

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and forties. An explanation of what Thesaurus was.

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Jackson, what in the world are you doing?

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Just getting ready, Frank just getting ready.

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Tell me one thing, Jackson, what are you getting ready for?

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Just getting ready? Frank just getting ready? I okay. Bro likes

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my music when I meet him way up there. If

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I way too sweet, I'll turn on the woop. Hero

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likes my music when I meet him way up there.

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Always rooted into I use my muvie when I comma

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dud mean start as he swinging game, I won't be lettle.

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I hope Gabriel likes my music. Man, I mean, I'm

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way up there. It's too much more. I'll take my

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toe ever played in sharp while trying my up. He

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said no, I'll go be little. I hope Gabriel likes

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my music. The sec.

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Frankie Trumbauer and his orchestra with a Jack T. Garden vocal.

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I hope Gabriel likes my music. Recorded on Brunswick Records

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in nineteen thirty six. I'm Jeff Bresler, and you're listening

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

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broadcast almost continuously since February of nineteen thirty five. I

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can be reached at Jeff at Make Believe Ballroomradio dot com.

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That's Jeff at.

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Make Believe Ballroomradio dot com. And that's how Charlie Pendergast

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in touch with me. I told you a moment ago

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that I was going to talk for a few seconds

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about Thesaurus, which was a radio transcription service that was

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part of RCA and distributed four NBC affiliated stations now

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in major markets during the Big band era, stations had

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their own in house orchestras or bands, much like Jan

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Savat did for that Philadelphia radio station. However, smaller stations

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across the country and less well financed stations might have

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picked up in this case NBC syndicated programming, but there

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remained a large amount of airtime when those shows were

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not available. NBC nationally did not broadcast twelve hours a

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day or more more than that, so Thesaurus, as well

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as other radio transcription services, they were able to provide

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these smaller stations and less finance stations with record like

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discs of programming. So Thesaurus was able to provide stations

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through a weekly subscription in essence, nationally known talent like

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Jan Sabatt at a low cost. These stations, through their

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own announcers, were able to create their own programs wrapped

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around that music and sell their own local advertising, sort

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of what DJs did, like Martin Block, the first host

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of The Make Believe Ballroom, but without having to make

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the investment into a full blown record library at the station.

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Martin Block on WNEW Radio in New York when he

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started to Make Believe Ballroom in thirty five, had milk

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carton after milk Carton just filled with the records, and

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there were record pickers that Block would call upon to

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go to those milk cartons and pick certain records he

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wanted to hear. But again, smaller stations were not able

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to make that time type of an investment. But anyway,

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by June of nineteen thirty six, the Saurus had one

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hundred and forty radio stations as a subscribers, offering seventeen

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and a quarter hours of programming each week. I have

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found one more the Saurus transcribed bantoon to play for you,

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and that is the George Hall Orchestra with You Couldn't

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Be Cuter, recorded in nineteen thirty eight.

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Looking.

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Him both.

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Friends.

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Last week on the show, I played the Boswell Sisters

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singing Alexander's Ragtime Band, and it brought to mind the

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duet that Bing Crosby did, not with the Sisters, but

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with Connie Boswell. You know, Crosby, although regarded as the

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greatest crooner of the era, really enjoyed in addition to

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his solo career, he loved singing duets with a number

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of well known vocalists. So I had this tune floating

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around in my mind since last week when I played

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the Boswells, and I transmit it now from my brain

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into the microphone and a US the airwaves of the

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US and the UK, just for you.

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I was talking to.

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The whipper will. He says, you've got a corny trill.

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Why why I'm gonna swing too night?

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I was talking to the mocking bird.

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He says, you are the worst he's heard.

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Bob, What I'm gonna swing too? Night?

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Even the owl tells me your follow singing nose?

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Lolla, final, Well, he's a bring down.

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He never could swing down. He ain't got my high nose.

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There's a lot of talk about you, Bob.

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They're saying you're off the car.

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Why that's heresy, I'll sue.

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Beg it missed up?

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Be take it? Follow me? Why what we're gonna break it?

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Up to night.

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Now here's a wire from the Whipper.

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Will you have got a mellow drill?

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B one?

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We're in the green tonight?

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Now here's another from the Moultchamber.

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What does he have to say that you're the best

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he's heard?

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Two episode? What we really saw? The night.

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Evani owl through in a towel after you thinks to

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cut too.

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And the Flamingo hollered ba jingle.

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What the opinions?

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The consensus is that you're.

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A solid wh oh yes is saying, Oh.

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Mister b I'm going to swing all merrily?

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Whoa?

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Why we really.

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Broke it up to night? Bob?

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On Deck of Records, Bob White, What You're Gonna Swing Tonight?

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By Bing Crosby and Connie Boswell Orchestra, conducted by John

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Scott Trotter, recorded in Los Angeles, September the twenty fifth,

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nineteen thirty seven. I just played on Decca Records The Shout,

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recorded in nineteen thirty four and performed by whom many

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consider to be the greatest jazz pianist of all time.

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I am talking about the one, the only, mister Art Tatum.

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And there's a great story, one of those legendary stories

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involving Art Tatum and Fats Waller. Speaking of transmitting things

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from my brain, let me attempt to reoil my brain

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to see if I can present this story in a

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coherent manner as I recall it. As the story goes,

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Ar Tatum one evening, after a recording session in New

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York City, walked into a club where Fats Waller was playing.

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Fats out of respect, got up from his piano seat

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and then stepped aside for Art to play a few tunes,

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and Fats proclaimed, I'm only a piano player, but tonight

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God is in the house. So if our Tatum was God,

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perhaps an angel was the aforementioned Fats Waller here on

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the make Believe fall Room with one of his most

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famous tunes.

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They have a new expression along old hollow way that

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tells you when a body is ten times more than

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gay to say the things are jumping leaves, not a

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single time that everything is in for swing. When you

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hear somewhat shouting it is the charge is jumping. It's

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really jumping, coming cats and check your hats. I mean

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this chart is jumping the pianos, dumping, the dancers, up upping.

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This is Smotty's more than hot. In fact, that jarn

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is jumping. Check your weapons at the door. If be

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sure to pay your photo, burn your letter on the floor,

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grab anybody's daughter.

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The roof is rocking. The neighbor's knocking all bumps when

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the wagon comes. I'm meeting Shohn's jumping. Let it see Yah.

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That's the third.

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Boy, Yes, ah my.

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Yeah, don't you hit that ship. That's why, Brad, Why

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did you get that? Stop out? Why I knock you

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to your knees? What what this got.

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Out of here? Get rid of that pestal? Get rid

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of that pistal? Yeah, her over the yain.

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That's why I'm sp by I oh man, Matty ready, No,

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maybe not now I can't come over that right now.

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Yes, where Johnny's jumping, it's really jumping. Every mo Son

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has told us. I mean that Johnny is jumping. No

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time for talking. This place is walking again. Get the jumping.

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Cut the ruck, I said to Johnny.

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Jumping Letten, get your pig feet pench in there many

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in the kitchen.

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Who is't that that just came in? Just look at

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the way he's switching off man, nobody I'm in. I

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got then if we go to jail, I met Jonny jumping,

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don't give your right name.

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No, no No.

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On Bluebird Records, recorded in nineteen thirty seven, the great

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Fats Waller standard this joint is jumping, and that song

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This Joint is Jumping is an ode to Harlem rent parties,

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and if you were listening closely to Fat's lyrics, they

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certainly do reflect a a frantic, somewhat disasterous evening at

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a rent party. What are rent parties, you might ask, Well,

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rent parties began in the nineteen twenties and they continued

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running into I guess the mid nineteen thirties. They were

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social occasions where tenants and buildings, mostly in Harlem, would

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hire a musician or band to play, and then they'd

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passed the hat around to raise money to pay their rent.

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Now these were held sometimes in individual apartments, but in

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most instances a number of tenants got together, hired a

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band and provided some food and held these rent parties

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in the courtyard of apartment buildings. And the rent parties

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were a means for black tenants to eat, dance and

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get away from life's hardships and certainly discrimination. As we

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just discussed with bonbon. The rent party played a major

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role in the development of jazz and blues music, alongside

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forms of swing dancing, many of which were first introduced

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at rent parties. These rent parties were predominantly advertised through

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rent party tickets. These were printed as business cards and

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leaflets in order for them to be easily distributed. The

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cost of admission for a rent party usually was around

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twenty five cents. Parties were typically held on Saturdays, which

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was when many of the laborers were paid, or on Thursdays,

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which was when most domestic workers were Hosts often provided

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a variety of Southern comfort food such as fried chicken

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and collared greens. A big draw was the presence of

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bootleg alcohol, illegal at the time due to prohibition. In

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the nineteen twenties, live music and dancing was also As

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we discussed the popular feature. Piano players and jazz bands

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were invited to provide live music for dancing. Dancing certainly

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was a big part of the scene, often accompanied with

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contests and newly invented dance moves. So a little about

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rent parties and what the fats. While they're standard, this

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joint is jumping is based on.

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The name it.

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Favor.

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That was Maria, my Own by Artie Shaw and his orchestra,

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broadcast October the twenty fifth, nineteen thirty nine, live from

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the Cafe Rouge in the Hotel Pennsylvania in New York City.

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You know I mentioned earlier that at rent parties in

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Harlem they passed the hat around to collect rent money.

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I certainly don't need to pass the hat, because the

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Make Believe Ballroom comes to you at no cost whatsoever

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via our wonderful affiliate networks across the as well as

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in the United Kingdom. And I'm talking about stations like

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the Great nineteen forties UK Radio, the outstanding community station

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in Great Britain, where my friend Sean Moncaster does such

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an outstanding job keeping the music of the era alive.

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And we are lucky in today's age that so many

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folks get to listen to the Ballroom each week via

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various electronic means, from live to recorded radio, to Internet

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00:46:35.920 --> 00:46:40.480
streams to podcasts of this program. Folks, I just want

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to take a moment to read an email from Daniel

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who wrote to us this past week, and it says, Hi, Jeff,

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just to let you know that I try to listen

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to your program as much as I can at the

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nineteen forties UK radio station. It's a fantast stick program.

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I live near Barcelona at Catalonia. Your program is on

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air from one pm to two pm ce T have

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a great day and thanks a lot for this great hour.

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Cheers Daniel, and thank you Daniel, because your kind words

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