April 2017 Volume 42, Number 4 THE AIN T NO HEAVEN SEVEN (PLUS TWO) ON TAP FOR APRIL 23RD! by George Swinford WHERE: Ballard Elks Lodge 6411 Seaview Ave. NW, Seattle WHEN: 1 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. April 23 ADMISSION: $12 PSTJS members $15 non-members. Pay only at door. FURTHER INFO: Carol Rippey 425-776-5072. Or - website: www.pstjs.org. Plenty of free parking; great view & dance floor, snacks, coffee, and other beverages available. The Ain t No Heaven Seven has been in existence since October of 1983. In their early years, many of us referred to the band simply as The Doctors, since six of the seven were medical professionals. The sole exception, marine engineer Al Rustad, got a waiver because of his tuba skills. Time has brought its inevitable changes to the band s roster. Cancer claimed the life of Doctor Ward Kennedy, the original trombonist, and that of Doctor Karl May, the banjoist. The original cornetist, Doctor John Gibson, has retired due to health issues. Drummer Doctor John Mazzarella is now leading the good life on Orcas island, where he is seriously involved with the local theater. As those original members left the band, Bert Bertram replaced the trombonist (and has in turn been replaced, at least for this concert.) Gene Silberberg took the banjo chair. Zane Smith joined up to play clarinets. Drummer Mike Daugherty was added in 2015. For our April 23 concert the Ain t No Heaven Seven has been augmented to number nine members, as follows: Terry Rogers leads the band, playing saxes. David Gilbert will be playing the Elks newly repaired and freshly tuned piano. Gene Silberberg will play banjo. Founding member Al Rustad continues on tuba. Tom Jacobus will take the trombone slot. Jim Armstrong joins us from Vancouver, BC, for the second month in a row, to play cornet. Zane Smith will play clarinet, and unusual in a trad band, bass clarinet. Mike Daugherty, hot percussion s Northwest distributor, will again be on drums. Ron Rustad, Al s brother, will take care of the vocals. As noted above, most of these musicians have been working together for some years. Although they are newcomers to this band, Jim Armstrong and Tom Jacobus can be counted on to fit in well with any trad ensemble they join. In combination, they all will bring us an enjoyable Sunday afternoon s listening and dancing. Join us on Sunday the 23rd at the Ballard Elks, and bring along a friend or two.
Page 2 Puget Sound Traditional Jazz Society 19031 Ocean Avenue Edmonds, WA 98020-2344 425-776-5072 www.pstjs.org UPCOMING EVENTS Elks Lodge, Ballard, 6411 Seaview Ave N.W., Seattle April 23 May 21 June 18 Ain t No Heaven Seven - (4th Sunday) holotradband Claire McKenna & Friends PRESIDENT Judy Levy jazzdancer2@msn.com 425-606-1254 VICE PRESIDENT Jack Temp 425-242-0683 SECRETARY Cilla Trush paultrush@yahoo.com 206-363-9174 TREASURER Gloria Kristovich gkristo@live.com 425-776-7816 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Keith Baker kacybaker@comcast.net Verna Eriks vernaeriks@gmail.com 206-363-6171 Joanne Hargrave shorejo1@comcast.net 206-550-4664 John Heinz latitude47.8@comcast.net 425-412-0590 Edmunde Lewin 360-297-6633 George Peterson ggpeters99@gmail.com 425-453-5218 Carol Rippey trianglejazz@comcast.net 425-776-5072 George Swinford grs-pms@comcast.net 425-869-2780 MEMBERSHIP COORDINATOR Carol Rippey trianglejazz@comcast.net 425-776-5072 EDITOR Anita LaFranchi jazzeditor@q.com 206-522-7691 WEBMASTER George Peterson ggpeters99@gmail.com 425-453-5218 Jazz Soundings Published monthly except July and August by the Puget Sound Traditional Jazz Society. Anita LaFranchi, Editor, jazzeditor@q.com Ads must be submitted in a jpeg or PDF format Payment in advance to: Gloria Kristovich, P.O. Box 373, Edmonds, WA 98020-0373 Advertising Rates: Full page $100. 7 1/2 wide by 9 1/2 tall Half Page $60. 7 1/2 wide by 4 1/4 tall Quarter Page $40. 3 5/8 wide by 4 1/4 tall Deadline is the 10th of the month for the next month s issue Gigs for Local Bands BELLINGHAM TRADITIONAL JAZZ SOCIETY 1st Saturday, 2-5 pm VFW Hall 625 N. State St., Bellingham, WA Apr. 1 May 6 Ray Skjelbred & the Yeti Chasers Market Street Dixieland Jazz Band DAVE HOLO TRIO Salty s on Alki 1936 Harbor Avenue. SW Seattle, WA 98126 206-937-1600 http://saltys.com/seattle April 7 5-8pm April 21 5-8pm GREATER OLYMPIA DIXIELAND JAZZ SOCIETY 2nd Sundays 1-4:30pm Elks Lodge. 1818 Fourth Ave E., Olympia, WA Apr. 9 Gary Smith Mardi Gras May 7 TBA June 11 Dukes of Swing PEARL DJANGO April 7 8pm North City BistroWe love this place! Reservations recommended. Tickets through Brown Paper Tickets Tickets And Reservations made directly through the Bistro will be required to guarantee seating. Call (206) 365-4447 Or email rbloom888@ gmail.com for reservations. 1520 NE 177th St; Shoreline, WA THE YETI CHASERS April 1 2-5pm Bellingham Traditional Jazz Society For more info visit: http://www.btjs.webs.com/ April 14 5-7:30pm The Royal Room 5000 Rainier Avenue South, 98118 April 22 7:30-9:30pm Third Place Commons (Lake Forrest Park, WA) For more info visit: http://thirdplacecommons.org/ UPTOWN LOWDOWN JAZZ BAND April 9 2-5pm White Rock Jazz - Canadian Legion, White Rock, B.C. On Your Dial... Saturday 7-12 pm Swing Years and Beyond KUOW 94.9 FM Sunday 3-6 pm Art of Jazz, Ken Wiley, KPLU 88.5 FM
Page 3 THE MILLS BROTHERS, BING & A LADY NAMED DINAH by Joe Urbancik Joe is President/Vice-President Program Chairman and Record Sales of the Illiana Club of Traditional Jazz. jurbancik033060@yahoo.com Thank you for sharing! Reprinted with permission of the Illiana Club of Traditional Jazz and Joe Urbancik Above: Bing Crosby Early on in my collecting odyssey, I was introduced to an LP entitled Four Boys and a Guitar: The Mills Brothers 1931-34. I had heard some of their later things by the (at that point) trio and of course liked them. But I had no idea what lie in store for me with the innovative sounds of the original quartet. It inspired me to find every early Mills Brother recording I could. This wasn t easy; in those days reissues were somewhat scant. Born in Piqua, Ohio, the original 4 Mills Brothers were John, Jr. (1910-36), who played guitar, Herbert (1912-89), Harry (1913-82) & Donald (1915-99). Known as Four Boys and a Guitar, they became famous for their singing style which included imitating musical instruments vocally, or what they called blowing through their noses. Indeed, labels on all of their early 78 s stated No musical instruments or mechanical devices were used on this recording other than one guitar. However, they did actually record with other all-star artists & bands. This brings me to one of my very favorite early Mills Brothers records. December 16, 1931 saw them record two takes of Dinah. A perennial favorite, Dinah was written in 1925 with music by Harry Akst & lyrics by Sam M. Lewis & Joe Young. The tune was introduced & also recorded by Ethel Waters. That day they were accompanied by the Brunswick Studio Orchestra including, among others, trumpeter Manny Klein, trombonist Tommy Dorsey, drummer Larry Gomar & the great Eddie Lang on guitar. Also in the studio that day (I think it was probably his recording date), on his own meteoric rise to fame, was Bing Crosby. An amazing array of talent by any standard! The record begins with a short instrumental intro followed by Bing singing the first chorus fairly straight. The Mills Brothers come in on the second chorus in double-time, demonstrating their unique style. The third chorus finds Bing scatting a half chorus backed by the brothers vocal riffs. Bing finishes the second half of the chorus with the orchestra. The final chorus begins with more Mills vocal riffs and enthusiastic interjections from Bing. Bing follows, showing what a premiere jazz vocalist he was, and jazzes the hell out of things! This is followed by 8 bars of the Mills blowing through their noses. The record ends with Bing, the Mills Brothers & the orchestra in a gloriously hot ride-out. Of course words alone cannot con- Below: The Mills Brothers singing Dinah vey the excitement of hearing the record itself. Fortunately it has been re-issued on both Mills Brothers & Bing compilations. And you can hear it on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jh1_pz8l8w. But this story of Dinah doesn t end here. The Mills Brothers celebrated their 50th anniversary in show business in 1976. They appeared on a program at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in L.A. And who was hosting the show? Why Bing, of course. At one point, Bing calls the boys onstage and they all do Dinah, based on their recording of 45 years earlier. Harry Mills was almost totally blind from diabetes but they all still had the chops. You can see the mutual admiration the artists had for each other. I distinctly remember seeing this broadcast on TV at the time. Even at the age of 16, I was aware of the history & significance of this reunion. Not only did it bring back the joy of hearing the original but what a kick that all of my idols were still swinging 45 years later! Again, how can one convey one s elation at discoveries like these? Fortunately this gem is also on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sy_ t y x M n v H U & f e a t u r e = y o u t u. b e. The resolution is not what it could be but it s the performance that counts! Editors Note: I checked the links originally stated in this article, and the first one is no longer working. I did some research and I think this is the link the author was referencing.
Page 4 Thank you For Your Support Lifetime Members: Wilma Bradley Jack Burgeson Barbara Chamberlain Jan Champlin Colin Dearing Verna Eriks Jerry & Eva Fader Carl Fielding Robin Gibbs Joanne Hargrave Daniel P. Harmon Lance & Laurie Haslund John A. Heinz Dave Holo Kathy Ilyin Jan James Robert Jordan Bill Julius Jeanne Keller Randolf Scott Keller Gloria Kristovich Nancy Langdon Andrew Larsen B.V. & Janette Lemme Judy Levy Gary Lydum Lifetime Members: Ian McKenna Bruce Moser Anita Nordstrom Lola Pedrini Janet Perrins Jim & Ginger Reid Carol Rippey Terry & Karin Rogers Ron & Janis Rustad Joel Searles Michael Shilley Edgar Steinitz C. Herbert Stephens Lee & Christine Stewart George & Pat Swinford Joe & Marian Thomason Karl Walterskirchen Jill Weber Pat Woods Alexander Yan Patron Members: Leroy Johnson Carol McFarlane Al & Joan Powers Notes From the Prez Some of you have been wondering about the band for September 2017. The Board discussed the possibility of bringing Bob Schulz and his band back again and finally faced reality and voted against it. The price of airline tickets, availability of lodging, flight timing to allow the Saturday gig, travel around town, etc. it all contributes to a weekend we cannot easily afford, even with your generous sponsorship donations. Therefore, Dave Loomis has put together a new band and will be featured at our Sunday Jazz in September. Dave is the consummate musician, leader and arranger and it will be a pleasure to listen to and enjoy his work. * I d like to mention the My Jazz Memories letters. They are such fun to read and those of us with years of jazz history love to remember back to how it used to be. So, even if you think you don t write well, please send us your thoughts and we ll put them in letter form and send them on to the printer. * We were fortunate to have the piano at the Elks tuned professionally just before our March gig. He did a bang up job however it will be an ongoing project to keep it in tune. The piano is not a new spring chicken. Some of you have offered to help defray the cost of the work done, as it is not a budget item for the society. Many thanks for that and if you are interested please send your small donation to The Piano Fund at 19031 Ocean Avenue, Edmonds, WA 98020. That s it for me, Keep on Jazzin, Cheers, Judy JUST A REMINDER The April concert is on the 4th Sunday this year.
Page 5 Puget Sound Traditional Jazz Society 19031 Ocean Ave., Edmonds, WA 98020-2344 Please (enroll) (renew) (me) (us) as a member or members Name Address City, State Zip Code Phone E-Mail Check when renewing if your address label is correct Dues for 12 months: Single $25 Couple $40 Lifetime single $200 Lifetime Couple $350 Patron $500 (One or two lifetime membership) Please enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope. The Puget Sound Traditional Jazz Society is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization dedicated to the performance and preservation of traditional jazz. Your membership and contributions are tax-deductible. Thank you. Member Letter to PSTJS Use it..or Lose it! We ve all heard that phrase many times throughout our lives. Particularly coming from our doctors, encouraging us to get up, exercise, and get moving, This statement also can be applied to our jazz society. There s every excuse in the world to use not to be there on a Sunday afternoon. It was too hot too cold too rainy too windy not my favorite band Just had to watch that football game the grandchildren were stopping by this afternoon just didn t want to venture out today the list goes on and on. Have you ever found yourself using one of those reasons to stay home? The society has a dedicated board, and a few faithful volunteers, that give their all on our scheduled monthly Sunday meetings. Not to mention the musicians that show up to perform. How disheartening it is for them to look out and see such a small number of members in attendance. The rent has been prepaid, the musicians will be paid, the fritters have been purchased and the coffee is on. Those members that show up for an afternoon of wonderful jazz always seem to really enjoy themselves. The question is: Where are you? If we want the society to continue, then we must see more of you in attendance each month. Remember If you don t support and use it you will lose it! A concerned member We re looking for new Members YOU can help with little effort and that s by bringing just one of your friends or family members into our club. If WE ALL do that, our membership will double. PLEASE SHARE YOUR FAVORITE JAZZ MEMORY WITH US! You may put your memories down on paper and mail to: P S T J S 19031 Ocean Ave, Edmonds, WA. 98020, or email your stories to: jazzdancer2@msn.com. Red X on your Jazz Soundings mailing address label with your name on it - means it s time to renew your membership. TWO red XX means last chance to Renew Now!
Puget Sound Traditional Jazz Society 19031 Ocean Ave. Edmonds, WA 98020-2344 Address service requested Non-profit Org U..S. Postage Paid Seattle, WA Permit 1375 BANDS, CONTACTS AIN T NO HEAVEN SEVEN Leader: Terry Rogers terryrrogers@comcast.net 206-465-6601 BOURBON STREET ALL STARS Leader: Jeff Winslow (360) 731 0322 drjwjazz@gmail.com COAL CREEK JAZZ BAND Leader: Judy Logen, 425-641-1692 Bookings: judy@coalcreekjazzband.com COMBO DE LUXE Bookings: Candace Brown www.combodeluxe.net jazzstrings@comcast.net 253-752-6525 CORNUCOPIA CONCERT BAND Leader: Allan Rustad www.comband.org 425-744-4575 DUKES OF DABOB Bookings: Mark Holman, 360-779-6357, seaclar7@embarqmail.com. DUWAMISH JAZZ BAND Bookings: Carol Johnston carolanjo@yahoo.com 206-932-7632 EVERGREEN CLASSIC JAZZ BAND Leader: Tom Jacobus email: t.jacobus@comcast.net ph: 253-852-6596 or cell 253-709-3013 FOGGY BOTTOM JAZZ BAND Leader: Bruce Cosacchi 360-638-2074 GRAND DOMINION JAZZ BAND Bookings: Bob Pelland bobpelland@gdjb.com 360-387-2500 holotradband Leader: Dave Holo email: dave@daveholo.com www.holotradband.com HOT CLUB SANDWICH Contact: James Schneider www.hotclubsandwich.com 206-561-1137 HUME STREET PRESERVATION JAZZ BAND Bookings: Karla West 406-862-3814 JAZZ UNLIMITED BAND Leader: Duane Wright duane.janw@frontier.com 206-930-9998 JAZZ STRINGS Bookings: Dave Brown jazzstrings@comcast.net 206-650-5501 LOUISIANA JOYMAKERS! Leader: Leigh Smith smithtunes@shaw.ca 604-294-9464 THE BARRELHOUSE JIVE CATS Leader: James Walls 206-280-1581 email:groovepowers@gmail.com www.barrelhousejivecats.com THE MARKET STREET DIXIELAND JASS BAND Ansgar Duemchen: 425-286-5703 Tim Sherman 206-547-1772 www.marketstreetjazz.com MIGHTY APHRODITE Co-leaders: Bria Skonberg, Claire McKenna mightyaphroditejazz@hotmail.com 405-613-0568 NEW ORLEANS QUINTET Jake Powel 206-725-3514 jake_powel@comcast.net RAINIER JAZZ BAND Manager: Randy Keller randolphscottkeller@gmail.com 206-437-1568 RAY SKJELBRED rayskjelbred@gmail.com 206-420-8535 RONNIE PIERCE JAZZ ENSEMBLE ronniepiercemusic@yahoo.com, 206-467-9365 UPTOWN LOWDOWN JAZZ BAND Leader: Bert Barr uljb@yahoo.com 425-898-4288 WILD CARDS JAZZ Leader: Randy Keller randolphscottkeller@gmail.com 206-437-1568 THE YETI CHASERS Leader: Ray Skjelbred Rayskjelbred@gmail.com 206-420-8535 For more information: http://www.rayskjelbred.com/calendar.html