Joe´s Music
Rack
Part of
YOUR
KEY TO COLLECTIBLES©
Larry Adler Again!
Larry Adler
33MAdler L1
Audio Fidelity
Records...AFSD-6193...A/B...1968...33 1/3 LP...Stereo
Side 1
1) Night & Day - Cole Porter...3:07
2) September Song - Weill - Anderson...3:46
3) Malaguena - Lecona - Siegel...2:40
4) Speak Low - Weill - Nash...2:38
5) But Not For Me - George & Ira Gershwin...3:37
Side 2
1) I´ve Got You Under My Skin - Cole Porter...3:44
2) Someone To Watch Over Me - George & Ira
Gershwin...3:09
3) Falling In Love With Love - Rogers - Hart...2:15
4) Love Walked In - George & Ira Gershwin...3:16
5) Do It Again - George & Ira Gershwin...3:13
ON THE BACK OF THE
JACKET
Larry Adler Again!
Harmonica Virtuoso with Piano, Trumpet,
Bass, and Drums
I am not now, nor have I ever been, a jazz
musician. This does not disbar me, happily, either from liking
jazz or from the pleasure of making music with jazz
musicians.
Which immediately reminds me of a story. In 1934 I was engaged to
play a solo in a film called “Many Happy Returns” for
Paramount. My fee for the solo was to be $300 and even in 1934
that kind of money for a movie salary was hardly considered
princely.
When I reported to the 2nd assistant director, which was all that
my $300 rated, he told me that my scene would take place in a
radio studio – my, my, that does date me, doesn´t
it? – and that my solo would be accompanied by Guy Lombardo
and His Royal Canadians.
I said that I didn’t happen to like the music of Mr.
Lombardo.
The 2nd assistant director said he was not asking for
my likes or dislikes, he was telling me what I was going to
do.
That, to use a British idiom, put my back up and I flatly
refused. I was then ushered into the Presence, which is to say
the director, to whom my fracas with 2nd assistant director was
reported. The director told me to stop being a damned fool and to
do as I was told. I still refused and so I was fired.
The next day I heard from the producer who summoned me to the
studio for a talk. He was very patient with me and pointed out
the opportunity that was being handed to me, an unknown, in
giving me a chance to play a solo in a major film accompanied by
a name orchestra. I agreed, but said that I didn’t want to
play with this particular name orchestra. The producer looked
pained by his first encounter with juvenile delinquency (I was
18) and my status, as a fired person, remained quo.
Later that week I heard from the secretary of Mr. William
LeBaron, then head of Paramount. He wanted me in the office at
9:30 the next morning.
I still do not understand, and I’m not fishing, why so much
trouble was taken over such a comparatively insignificant item.
Mr. LeBaron was kind and friendly and tried to get me to
reconsider. He told me that Mr. L. was getting $40,000 as against
my $300 but I remained unimpressed.
“You know who I like," I said, though no one had asked me,
“I like Duke Ellington."
"So do I, Larry," replied Mr. LeBaron, "but we can´t just go
hiring orchestral on your say-so."
I agreed but mentioned that the Duke was already on the lot,
making a film with Mae West, so it shouldn´t be too difficult to
get him for one day´s shooting. Mr. LeBaron suggested that I
leave the running of the studio to him. He gave me one more
chance to repent my iniquitous ways but I wouldn´t so home I
went, no less fired than before.
At midnight the director phoned me.
"Well, you little bastard," he said, “we’ve got
Ellington for you.
They had, too. They paid him $5000 for the day to accompany my
$300. He wasn´t photographed because the whole thing had to be
kept secret from Mr. Lombardo. The public never did know that
Duke Ellington played my accompaniment but the kick, for me,
remains the same.
Almost everything on this album is improvisation.
Every one of the songs on this album have lyrics fashioned by men
who respected the English language and I wish that I could sing
them on my harmonica. I think that the harmonica is, in fact, a
singing instrument but it does tend to mess up its
consonants.
One last bit of memory. The first time that I ever played the
“Porgy and Bess” melodies was at a party in Beverly
Hills. The hostess sang “Summertime” in a lovely
delicate soprano, I played obbligatos and at the piano we had
George Gershwin.
I should mention that Mr. Gershwin and I were in hot competition
for the attention of the soprano. She, not unaware of this, had
purposely invited us both and had thoughtfully installed a
recording machine by the piano. She recorded the whole evening
and I must say I’d like to hear those records again. You,
on the other hand, (where I have a blister) want to know how that
competition came out, don’t you?
Gershwin won.
LARRY ADLER
Copyright 1968 by Audio Fiedlity Records, Inc.
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