Evening star., 1941-05-18

guest solo appearance Mark always
introduces him as my brother
Harry"
He Expanded the Gag.
As for the silent music" that
came about because the players in
his band decided to have little fun
one day when they were playing in
a Broadway theater. As Scott was
conducting them In the playing of
Tuxedo Junction" at one perform
ance all the instrumentalists sud-
denly became silent, but continued
to make the motions with their vari-
Gus instruments, as If they were
actually playing. 1t was gag, but
it made decided hit with the audi
ence, which seemed to get the sensa-
ton of music, although not sound
was coming out.
Scott not only adopted the idea
with enthusiasm, but he also ex-
panded it. Now not only do the in
strumentalists make the motions of
playing, but the individuals do tricks
the trombonist puts BACK his head,
balances his long horn on his lips,
drops his hands to his sides and goes
through all the motions of playing
a solo while doing that juggling
stunt with his horn at the same
time.
Tricky? Yes.
Crazy? Not when it takes an or
chestra out of the ordinary groove
and lifts it to position where 1t
is one of top money-makers in the
band business.
Finally a Graceful Nod.
after the boys pulled this silent
music gag, realized that the visual
is just as important as sound to
the audience of a band" he says.
ITS the reason that the drummer,
when playing fancy passage, will
always draw the eyes Of the audience
away from the rest of the orchestra.
because he is so much more visual
in pantomime than are any of the
other instrumentalists.
IT'S just as I think one of my
prime achievements is that after
nine months of practicing I finally
trained myself to nod my head
gracefully when acknowledging ap-
plause"
Scott had 13 men in his band,
not because he thinks 13 is a lucky
number. but because that happened
to be the number when he finally
achieved what he considered perfect
tonal quality. He has six brasses.
instead of the usual five. Now he
is going to add a couple of guitars
because he thinks they will give an
added sweetness of tone.
Aside from composing music which
is classical in one mood and modern
jazz in another mood a few minutes
later, Scott makes a transition of
tone several times during a per-
formance because by missing one or
two or three beats an audience can
be excited over into more recep--
tive, mood. .- r..-.
He Chased the Neighbers: -
Scott, if you discount his enthusi-
asm for candid cameras, is almost
exclusively interested in sound, both
as profession and as hobby. He
plays with loud speakers in his spare
moments because 1.-The man who can
master loud speakers can artistically
distort music so that 1t will be much
more effective"
He studied sound engineering at q
school in his native Brooklyn and
smoothed this off with course at
the Institute of Musical Art. Then
he turned his apartment into net
work of wires and loud speakers and
began experimenting with sound by
placing various sized glasses of water
on top of telephone books and get
ting nuances by rubbing his hands
over the rims Of the glasses.
Then he started experimenting
with his piano and other musical in
struments on this home-installed
network.
The neighbors started to cancel
their leases.
So now Scott and his Lifted Eye
brow School of Music" operate
mostly in his Broadway dressing
rooms, where he has a double decker
bunk to sleep and where he COM
poses such of his serious minuets as
"War Dance for Wooden Indians"
and Reckless Night on Board an