ONOFFON

[onoffon]

Apr 16, 2009, 9:15pm, crystallions wrote:This is so cool!!! I am glad your brother saw the auction and won it.Congratulations on the interviews for the book too. That is really exciting. I assume they will send you a copy?~ LydiaThanks Lydia! I was really happy my brother bought the photo. I can't tell you how many items I've purchased off ebay putting together my father's discography. I'm currently trying to win another auction - it's a live recording from 1952 that I've never heard. My father used to host a jam session at a club called the Tradewinds and I have two live recordings in the 'series' already - one is Chet Baker's first ever recording in his career and the second is with Charlie Parker. This latest one features Art Pepper and Jack Sheldon. I hope I don't have to spend too much to get it but it would be extremely cool to have in the archives...I'm hoping to get a couple of copies of 'The Thing' book. I want autographed first editions... Cheers!

[onoffon]

Apr 16, 2009, 9:36pm, onoffon wrote:I'm currently trying to win another auction - it's a live recording from 1952 that I've never heard. This latest one features Art Pepper and Jack Sheldon.Alas, I lost this auction. It sold for more than $200.00!!!Funny, if my father's recordings sold for $200.00 each when he was still alive, he wouldn't have died virtually penniless in Pacoima...

[onoffon]

This week, I've been focusing on some serious research on a couple of events in my father's career that would enhance the documentary. Since he offered his assistance, I decided to call Denny Tedesco, son of guitarist Tommy Tedesco and producer of the documentary, The Wrecking Crew. In our conversation, he thought it would be a good idea to put me in touch with a music historian who helped him in his research, so Denny sent him an email to introduce me to see if this gentleman would be amenable to having me contact him. He often helps the AFM with locating information for re-use payments to musicians on songs used in movies, commercials, etc. This was his response to Denny -"Den,Excellent timing. I was about to email you that I'd be in LA for a week starting May 2nd. Harry Babasin was a first call bassist on a lot of jazz dates during the 50's. I think he also had his own record company, Nocturne after that. I'd be very interested in talking to his son.See you soon,Russ"Since this response, I've directly contacted Russ and he will be calling me when he's in town to set up a time we could meet. He may even be a person I might consider interviewing for the movie...I like that "first call bassist"...

[onoffon]

I happened to be channel surfing the other night and I landed on a PBS channel. They were airing a documentary about the jazz/pop singer, Louis Prima. It seemed interesting enough so I continued watching.There came a reference to a song Mr. Prima wrote that became very famous during its day called "Sing, Sing, Sing". The narrator mentioned that the song really gained notoriety when it was done by Benny Goodman. When the narrator said "Benny Goodman" they cut to about five to ten seconds of a film clip of Benny Goodman, ending a song, and directly behind him were drummer, Louis Bellson, and my dad on bass!!!!I had never seen this clip before and now I'm doing intense research to find out what, where, and when this film was made and how I can license it for my documentary.Of course, I'll be using a bit more than these filmmakers did and it will be a great lead-in to the clips of A Song Is Born that I will be using.It just keeps getting better and better...

[davewalton]

May 11, 2009, 3:27pm, onoffon wrote:I happened to be channel surfing the other night and I landed on a PBS channel. They were airing a documentary about the jazz/pop singer, Louis Prima. It seemed interesting enough so I continued watching.There came a reference to a song Mr. Prima wrote that became very famous during its day called "Sing, Sing, Sing". The narrator mentioned that the song really gained notoriety when it was done by Benny Goodman. When the narrator said "Benny Goodman" they cut to about five to ten seconds of a film clip of Benny Goodman, ending a song, and directly behind him were drummer, Louis Bellson, and my dad on bass!!!!I had never seen this clip before and now I'm doing intense research to find out what, where, and when this film was made and how I can license it for my documentary.Of course, I'll be using a bit more than these filmmakers did and it will be a great lead-in to the clips of A Song Is Born that I will be using.It just keeps getting better and better... What's the chances in just a "random coincidence" situation? Surely it was meant to be that you found that new clip. Good luck with the continued venture/adventure... it's been wonderful following all this.

[onoffon]

May 11, 2009, 3:35pm, davewalton wrote:What's the chances in just a "random coincidence" situation? Surely it was meant to be that you found that new clip. Good luck with the continued venture/adventure... it's been wonderful following all this. Well, thanks so much, Dave. I do indeed believe there is some 'divine intervention' taking place, leading me to many of the pieces I've come across in my journey through all of this.I have now found the company who owns that particular clip - since the Louis Prima film only used about five seconds, with no sound, I'm really interested to find out how long the original source film is. Plus, the gentleman at the company invited me to send him a list of all the "name" bands my father played with, and the years he played with them, just in case they may have some other historic film clips in their archives. From the Gene Krupa Orchestra to the Charlie Barnet Orchestra to Woody Herman's Second Herd to the Frank DeVol Orchestra - there could be some amazing pieces out there.It just keeps getting better all the time...

[onoffon]

I just picked up a few more recordings with Harry on them.It's funny how, I can say my father played with Benny Goodman and Charlie Parker, and people will say that's nice and not really give it another thought - until it hits a little closer to home. For instance, my father-in-law recently bought a CD of one of his boyhood favorites, June Christy. She was a jazz pop singer who gained notoriety singing with the Stan Kenton Orchestra in the late 40's and Capitol Records gave her a shot at a contract in 1953. She then recorded with the Pete Rugolo Orchestra. Well, when my father-in-law was listening to the CD, he was scanning through the liner notes and was blown away to see Harry's name on a couple of his favorite tracks. Well, he was SO impressed by this, he called me immediately to tell me and he insisted on buying a copy of the CD for me. Very nice of him, really... Then, I got another couple of ebay items - the first ever career recording by Chet Baker with my father in 1952 - and a recording of a concert in 1975, live at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, of a tribute to Charlie Parker featuring Art Pepper and Sahib Shihab, on alto and bari saxes, respectively; Joe Albany on piano; Roy Porter on drums; and Harry on bass.All great stuff - I can't possibly use every recording my father played on in the film but it's fun to have as much of his discography as possible...

[onoffon]

There's been so much talk about ReverbNation around here that I thought I might as well invest the time and build a page over there -http://www.reverbnation.com/onoffonWell, we haven't set the world on fire or anything, but in a week, we have already climbed to #33 on the 'local' jazz charts. That doesn't sound all that great but 'local' for us is California, and being at #33 puts us in some pretty cool clientele.For instance, at #35 is Marcus Miller, at #44 is Ronnie Laws, and #45 is Gerald Albright. I have to say, that's a pretty flattering group of musicians to be on the same chart with... IMHO...

[onoffon]

Apr 16, 2009, 9:36pm, onoffon wrote:My father used to host a jam session at a club called the Tradewinds and I have two live recordings in the 'series' already - one is Chet Baker's first ever recording in his career and the second is with Charlie Parker.Well, will wonders never cease... yet another live recording just surfaced on eBay in the series of my father's jam sessions. I've already won the auction and I'm waiting to get it in the mail. This one features Chet Baker, Jack Sheldon, and Al Haig with Harry in another 'Inglewood Jam 1952' recording.This will be the third recording I'll have in the series and all three have Chet Baker on them. My dad used to tell me that 'Chety' used to hang out at the club in hopes that Harry would let him sit in. He was a local Inglewood boy. These recordings verify that story...Now, I have a press release in a 1952 Downbeat announcing my father leading those jam sessions, pictures from the nightclub they took place at, and recordings of the actual jam sessions. Not only definitive west coast jazz history but chronicling one of only two visits Charlie Parker made to the west coast in his life and the birth of Chet Baker's career - all centered around Harry...I don't know - it all sounds pretty significant to me...

[onoffon]

I have to say, I'm slightly disappointed with my last ebay purchase. As it turns out, the last live CD I won at auction actually turned out to be more of the same night as the last one I bought, August 18, 1952. They're different tracks and, in true jam session form, feature different personnel. One CD has my dad playing with Art Pepper and Jack Sheldon, and the other has Harry with Al Haig and Chet Baker. So, that only leaves me with three different recordings in the series instead of four...As I said, I'm only 'slightly' disappointed...