New Britain herald., 1927-11-10
RADIO CAVALIERS IN CONCERT HERE
With Miss Dragonette Appear Under B.&P.W. Club Auspices

Classic and popular music com peted for favor on a program given by the National Cavaliers and Jessica Dragonette. lyric soprano, at the T. A. B. hall last night, where the WEAF broadcastinly luminaries were sponsored in concert by the Business and Professional Women's club.
 The competition lasted for only one and a quarter hours, when the concert was overcome of the short est ever heard hereabouts.
 During that period the broad casting troupe had projected II popular pieces, seven classicals, and four semi-classicals. the latter in- cluding Negro spirituals and folk songs.
 The score: Two of the classicals got more applause than any others and tho other classicals got as much applause as the best of the popu- lars.
 The classicals would have landed even more applause than they got If the singers had possessed better voices. Miss Dragonette was far re- moved from a Rosa Ponselle, while the four men making up the Caval- iers quartet had anything but in- dividual voices. But when the boys sang their jazz 1t was with the sang froid. hair-trigger attacks, and certainty of high-tension harmony associated with good jazz or chestra. The popular pieces were delivered with such dance band technic. in fact. that one could near ly imagine the saxophones doing their stuff
 When the singers tried to function as soloists, however. their lack of individual attainment was very evil dent Yet 1t was a bass solo, Oar rell Woodyard's singing of Schu- mann's The Two Grenadiers," which commanded the most pro- nounced salvos of applause. An en- core was demanded for the length of a minute. but the singer shook his head to signify he had no other ready. Probably he could have sat- isfled everyone by repeating the Grenadiers song. The applause. of course, was largely for. the power of the song rather than the artistry of the singer.
 Another song that brought out latent enthusiasm was the Non So Put" by Mozart, sung by Miss Drag onette. She was dressed in a man. nish costume of ye olden time. short l trousers, fluffery and a wig. She l emulated operatic motions. or pos sibly acting, and did this piece of Mozart in a most excellent manner. 1.
 The tenor, Robert Stevens, was worrying along in an unnamed solo | of semi-classical nature and showed |, his lack of confidence in every meas ure. The accompanist also showed l traces of worry for the tenor. Fin l ally the singer cracked on a high note, but recovered after that and by a superhuman effort to retrieve his ill-fortune, improved wonder fully, so that the latter part of the piece was twice as we'll given as the | first half Which is just an instance | of the little troubles singers are ! eternally being subject to: small wonder. perhaps. that they get tenn off-stage.
 The accompanist was the best part of the show. although his name was not even mentioned on the pro- gram or the NEG posters. The gentleman was equally at home in spanking symphonic jazz" out of the piano, or in etching the subtle ties of the classics. A rara avis. so to speak.
 It was easy to determine that this NBC troupe owed all of its success to it's coach. whoever he may be, and to the musical directors etc., who have drilled them into such sterling ensemble artistry. They never filled he hall with sonorous sound-they simply lacked the vocal power to do so-but they had their places { learned" to the last saxophone-like establishment.
 The size of the audience was not lp to cxpectations-not by half a nall. The concert was a valuable , laboratory experiment. so to speak; ( whether the public was eagerly in- ( ,lined 10 visit a concert hall where ( ,adio-like entertainment was i'll { progress. where popular tunes were t mixed with the classics, so as to appeal to all tastes" the fetish ( with which the broadcasters are af- , ,licted. The B. & r. w. has gained he experience that the plan won't i work; that numbers of the so-called I musical people" don't want their ,ood music mixed with jazz, and :, hat the jazz-fends, supposed to be f n such an overwhelming majority. i won't pay for what they like. seeing \ hat they get so much of it free. r
 C. H.