Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-12-02
gton Shows American Jazz Spirit in Gay Night Life

wheezes forth a pianissimo Shrek and
slides into cascade of ripping MARBLES.
His notes rain on the heads of dancers
like hail. He wooes your heart with
the most voluptuous cacaphony. He
is mouthpiece for the ages, voicing
the whole gamut of human emotions,
venting Syncopation that music masters
forgot. This untamed fury drains all
mortal energy when it breathes one of
those passages that start like the low
whistle of a Kansas twister and
achieves the gusto of long-winded
shrek. That is the most penetrating
chord known to human ear drums. 1t
leaves several dents in the Uranium.
What composers do they play? All
the classical masters. of courSe-Bach,
Chopin, List, Wagner, Beethoven and
Brahms. All! But the clever dis
guises. Behind the veil of syncopation
are bits from THE Messiah" "Tosca,"
Blue Danube Waltz" and the Merry
Wives OF Windsor" Tin Pan Alley is
clever beyond expression in unmusical
words. only music could tell what is
behind the motif in Eyes, We Have No
Bananas" But who cares? Dance is
the thing; let composers hang.
Have done with the melo-maniacs
and the mountainous chef d'orchestre
Look at the dancers, wrapped in en-
braces and hot from the dizzy whirl.
But who minds fatigue? 1t requires no
shrewd observer to note that young
women are more drawn to the dance
than men. They seem never to tire,
although physically they are weaker.
Their endurance is nothing short of
sensational. One petite damoselle can
Guidance half dozen housekeeping
hombres. 1t is strange.
With each glissando of the clarinet,
the skilled dancers swoop into a low
glide. But a glissando effect from the
long-winded trombone is sufficient for
a Slight pause. If the swoop movement
were carried to completion, the couple
would find themselves on the floor. But
good dancers understand Their feet
are nimble and responsive.
Saturday night. Who invented Sat-
urday night? The gamut of literature
apotheosizeS 1t only once, in "Cotter's
Saturday Night" But Saturday night
in Washington has a different mean
ing. 1t implies all nights of the week
boiled down to one night. 1t is the
great nocturnal holiday. The Saturday
habit may have started with the Gus
tom Of weekly baths. Saturday night
was made for whoopee, because on Sat-
urday night young and old forget to
deposit the pay envelope III the DanK,
and the gap between Saturday and
Monday yawns like crevasse of end
less time.
Hence. on Saturday night the shrines
OF dance are prined for customers.
And they are not disappointed. From
all points of the District and others in
Virginia and Maryland, the caravan
creepS toward danceland. Half hun
dred orchestras peddle their jazz on
Saturday night. Three hundred and
seventy-six pounds of shoe leather wear
out. Half hundred frocks are ruined
by spilled ginger ale. Nine hundred and
eighty-seven suits go to the pressers
and half as many to the cleaners. Guz-
zlers do away with 1891 bottle of soda
pop and leave no less than $877.54 in
| tips for walters.
The official statistician of dance is
| now collecting figures on the number
of bottles broken, earning of taxi driv-
ers and number of fiat tires. But the
figures already barred here are authentic
and final for the fiscal season. Accept
them and juggle no other.
X Y X
NOW for tone to the picture. Come
away from the proletarians and
ferret out the haunts of elite customers