Evening star., 1938-12-01

Feeling, IN the gentle breeZeS
which watt cigarette smoke and idle
chatter about those haunts inhab-
tied by the townspeople who are al
lergic to beds, a trend the depart
ment thought 1t ought to investigate.
There seemed to be, the department
thought, and maybe it was just wish
full thinking, turn to the right in
the ofIing, turning away from 1--WE
and jam and wham toward the bal
lads, or at least toward swing with
the edges knocked of by a polite
manner.
So, thinking this in the office, the
weather being not too inviting, the
first thing to do was to turn to
Variety, good old Variety. Variety,
among the innumerable other af-
fairs of show business of which 1t
keeps track. keeps tab on the popu-
lar tunes played over the networks
and the popular tunes sold to people
who do not play piano by ear. A
check of the first 10 tunes on the
radio listing showed that seven were
ballads, three might fall In the swing
category. A band, of course, can
swing anything it wants to, up to
and including "Valse Triste," If it
wants to, but seven of the tunes still
were definitely of the ballad type.
slow and sentimental and my heart
is breaking And In the sheet music
listing the score was the same, seven
to two in favor of the heartbreak
call from Tin Pan Alleys nests.
Next, in this campaign to let you
know where your music is going,
maybe, came the call upon the band
leaders of the town. Whether or not
you can determine a trend In the
answers of the maestros is something
entirely up to you. but it's always
easy to get story by asking any six
people silly question, especially in
bars.
The question (put, we must admit,
quickly to catch the boys of guard:
Do you think swing is here to stay?
The answers:
Sande Williams, of the Cartons
Shar-Zad room-I think so. Say,
AAdSS yoo SOV q kASVa1S VA iAC AoWA
at your office you can use?
Barnee, of the Shoreham Blue
room-Who was that blond you were
up here with the other night?
Johnny Shaw. of the Madrillon-
I think so, think so. Hey, do you
wanna dance with that girl over
there? Do you really mean 1t? I'll
be or noanito11,
is here to stay. The public is tired
of this sWishy-swashy sweet music.
AL Norton, of the Bamboo Gar
dens-Certainly not. I'll buy you a
drink. like sweet music I got paid
today. None of this Dixieland stuff
for me.
Artie Humes of the Heigh- -Ho-I
think jazz is on the down-grade. Do
you think the automobile is here to
stay?
Sasha Lukas, at the Russian
Troika-Nitchevo.
Bill Strickland, at the Lotus
Sometimes I think so and sometimes
I think no.
Matt Windsor, at the Annapolis
Hotels Anchor Room-I can play
any kind of music
John Slaughter, at the Wardman
Park Metronome room-What do
you want to hear, ma fren'? We
play 'em all.
There it is. You figure it out.
''' Newest dance sensation to have
the town, or at least that large por-
tion of the town which frequents the
Shoreham's Blue room, talking is
that "Cavalcade" performed by
Caperton and Columbus. Starting
with the Bunny Hug of 1910 their
danced history of the dance traces
the manners of ball room terpsi-
chore right up to todays swing,
simetimes gracefully, sometimes wit
tily and ever entertainingly.
80 Something that has a lot of
other people talking these the
many, many people who are making
the Russian Troika one of the towns
busiest spots another season is
that midget number, one of the gay
est interludes in any Entertainment.
And for that matter the boys and
girls who haunt the Troika ringside
like very much everything else about
the show, too-dances by Vanva
Oriik and Lola Lolik. songs by Vlad-
imar Dilot1. more dances by Nadia
Varelle and that dashing finale.
80 The Midnight Merry-G Go Round
Table Tennis Champ Stanley
Fields is back. now doing his nimble
business i'll the Bamboo Gardens
show. After the exhibition with Kim
Chen, who's the champion of China,
Stanley does the challenge act and
If you can top him the champagne
is yours. You'll have to work, though,
for the other eve Mr.. Fields gave a
chap a II point handicap, then
blindfolded one eye, beat him 21-17.
Nina Tarasova was rehearsing
the other afternoon with Mario di
Polos orchestra in the Pail Mall
room. OF in corner worked a lone
electrician. Every time Nine. Tara
sova started to sing the fellow would
stop his work, listen quietly and in
tently. then at the end applaud soft
ly and solemnly and 60 back to his
wire-braiding. Same show has
been held over at the Lotus, a trib-
ute to the talents of Woodward and
Glenn and Caryl Sloane. Achieve
ment: Walking into the Madrillon
the other night Johnny Shaw was
discovered already playing 1T Never
Was Anywhere You" even without
any one demanding it. Mr.. Shaw is
the same fellow who reports the
Sunday night crowd at the Madrillon
made him play MY Reverie" some IL
times, the boys finally breaking the
monotony by playing it every tempo
4 Alaax IL IL. l.