Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-27
Sounding Brass

| Jazz orchestra leaders must be
learned in the methods of acous-
| tics as we'll as in music. They
must know what instruments will give
the best sound volume and at what
point of the room the orchestra will
carry the sound without echo. One
might think that some numbers would
give louder volume than others. Take.
for instance, waltz. A waltz can be
played loud or soft according to the
size of the room. If the room is large,
naturally the waltz must be played in
loud tones to give the dancers the
benefit of the music. OF course. in
small room the waltz can be played
softer. The same Is true with a fox
trot. Any orchestration can be tuned
down to softer tone.
Dance music for the small club
or drawing room offers q problem
all its own because of the necessity
of maintaining restrained tones, and
the verve and hot tempo dema nded
in present-day dance steps.
A carefully worked out and success
full solution of Club music" presenta-
ton was described by Paul Fidelman,
leader of Meyer Davis Club Chante-
cler Orchestra, designed to fit the
| needs of small place.
ITO begin with" said Mr.. F'idelman r, ,
I'VE restricted the size of the orches-
| ira to piano, saxophone, violin and
drums. The next point is, naturally,
to keep the closest watch on the in
dividual volume secured by the vari-
Gus musicians. No flash effects or
star performers are permissible in a
small orchestra. Each member must
adhere to a restrained and highly
melodized type of playing if the best
results are to be ured. The saxo-
phone is used, instance. only in
singing sty'~ and with a total alb
sence of =. usual saxophone effects.
The 81 .,none and string instruments
are Il ID in counter-melody work. for
the most part. Drums are the most
difficult of all to handle in these COM
paratively small rooms.
The violin is the one instrument of
the club music lineup that can be
played naturally and is, therefore, ac-
corded considerable prominence. While
club music must necessarily be toned
down, this does not imply any lack OK
vivacity. But it does imply more
gracefulness and tuneful qualities
than are to be found in the work of
viz CIV Ae1sO AoA = Cl va iSC vi CliCSSIds
According to science it takes a. great
deal more energy to dance the Charles
ton and the Black Bottom than it does
to carry out a days work.
A group Of Scandinavian scientists
at the Physiological Institute of the
University of Helsingfors, In a report
recently received here, sets down
in precise figures the number of Gallo.
ries used in different kinds of dances.
The waltz went to the bottom of the
list with 3.99 calories used per hour
per kilogram of body weight. The
schottische, beloved of grandfather
and grandmother. scored below the
modern fox trot, using ATS calories,
while the latter required 4.78. The
polka, another institution of grand
mothers day, needed 7.56 calories an
hour, while the mazurka, evidently the
fastest dance learned Scandinavians
could get any one to practice for them,
took 1887 Galleries, or almost twice the
amount of energy consumed by a
stonecutter plying his trade.
1t obviously remains for some Amer
lean research worker to find olIt the
number of calories that need to be
supplied to devotees of the Charleston
and the Black Bottom.
IC VhCyEL lS1SIS oOCiCty OICUcStTd
engagements for the week are dances
at the Italian and Cuban embassies,
Mrs. Gist Blair's dance at Grassland
and the dance of the State Depart
ment Club.
Engagements of the Sidney May
flower Orchestra include the ball Of
the Cos, the Georgetown Assembly,
a dance at the Chevy Chase Club and
concert music for Mrs. Zachary .Lans-
downe's wedding. A Sidney orchestra
has been booked for the Mi-Careme
ball, March %.
"Pomp and Circumstance" Is the
name of the overture to be played this
week at the Palace Theater by the
concert orchestra. The overture is
one of the classics, interpreted with
the shadow lighting impressions. The
Elton Collegians in Some Song
Studies" are one Of the stage attrac
lions. They are billed as the Five
Merry Boys from Merry England"
Johnny Hines wishes to deny the
report that his First National picture,
A l. ~ 4. -,