Influences on Life

 It seems that a day doesn't go by where a visitor to this blog one way or another opens my eyes to yet another piece of the musical world.  One individual who tends to enlighten & educate me more on the off stage business of the industry is jazz journalist & writer, Chris Albertson.  I assume most of us have arrived at our present location in life due in part to the influence of others.  Bessie Smith seems to have played a role in influencing the path of his life when in 1947 he first heard one of her recordings on Danish  radio.

From that first song an appreciation of  jazz and blues music apparently has taken Mr. Albertson on a very interesting journey.  On his current blog Stomp Off he regularly reaches into a treasure of notes, letters, and  original recordings of interviews he did in the past.  I'm sure there are others in the music business that have a closet full of history also, but Chris appears to endeared himself to a wide range of individuals within the industry, most importantly.. the Artists of days gone by.  From what I have learned about Chris without personally meeting him I feel many who know him might share feelings about him similar to those Duke Ellington shared about Stanley & Helen Oakley-Dance,  long time friends to both Ellington & Chris

In 1970 Duke Ellington wrote:

"Stanley is well informed about my activities and those of my associates. He has been a part of our scene for a long time, maybe longer than he cares to remember. He and his wife Helen are the kind of people it is good to have in your corner, the kind of people you don't mind knowing your secrets. In other words they are friends - and you don't have to be careful with friends."

From the beginning o f my search for John Bartee,  I have been influenced by the sounds & History of an era where life & Music were far different from what we experience in the mainstream of  life today.  Yet an era that still had all the human vices & shortcomings that mankind has nourished from the beginning of his existence here on planet earth.

Years ago one of the first pictures that really drew me into the world of big band & jazz was this grouping of Chick Webb, Artie Shaw & Duke Ellington.

Jam Session with Jazz Giants (1937)

Helen Oakley, in the light dress, then working for Irving Mills, organized this 1937 jam session at the Brunswick Recording Studio in New York to help launch the Master and Variety record labels.
Chick Webb, Artie Shaw, and Duke Ellington all volunteered their time. Milt Gabler kneels behind Ellington; Oakley's British-born future husband, the jazz historian Stanley Dance, stands against the far wall.

And thats Teddy McRae, Back Bay Shuffle... to the left of Helen Dance.  Bandleader. George Hall right of Shaw.

  Originally uncredited:  Charles Peterson was the photographer for this event who himself is part of the pictures he created of the New York music world.  His son, Don, compiled his work in the book Swing Era New York.  Even here we come full circle finding the forward of the book by Stanley Dance. After seeing the preview pictures at the above link within this book I surely look forward to seeing the other images Mr. Peterson lived & captured on film.  The above picture is a weblink to a site where it is posted.

Turns out when Chris Albertson gives a lesson , most recently about his friend Stanley Dance... I am left wanting to know more.  Although I had seen her name before...Helen Oakley with this picture, until doing my homework I really didn't know who she was...  Now I really know how important this picture truly is in music history... for its not just about the well know musicians Webb, Shaw & Ellington.  Its about their friends, supporters and promoters within the industry also pictured who helped shape and influence their success.  

That event / open house for the new Variety & Master record labels was truly an event.  As noted above Stanley Dance stands against a the far wall, he had arrived in New York just the month prior aboard the Queen Mary.  Read a brief account from him.  There is so much more history beyond what is seen in this one picture yet true History is such a difficult product to market.  I bet a complete motion picture screenplay could be produced from just the beginnings of the snap of this picture.  But in this current economy, not even a film about Miles Davis doesn't get put on the shelf.

One thing I have learned about many books published regarding Music history is that many just scratch the surface when it comes to the individuals that aren't pictured on the album cover.  I am not sure if this is intentional between the writer & the publisher just to create the illusion of a product that will impart information & true knowledge of the subject for marketing.  But in this day and age if someone is actually reading & then they take the step to buy a book on a subject that is of interest to them...  Wouldn't it be more beneficial to a publisher's future publications if they were known to produce well researched truly informative books & articles?

Through this website I have been made aware that our news service industry, no longer depends on researching out first hand accounts for stories by contacting an individual like Chris Albertson.  Instead much of the great news research is done at a keyboard collecting third & fourth hand accounts of events through bloggers like myself.  So I add this disclaimer:   I am an authority on Custom Cabinetmaking, Genealogy research, John Bartee & visits to the emergency room... On all other things in life I remain a life long student with a passion for many subjects and activities. 

If you were puzzled about the previous post... Yes it does represent my feelings on many organizations & the fact I base my opinion of an individual on their personal actions.  We are what WE do, not the actions of any political , religious, or ethnic organization.  Beyond that... it was a humorous image that just popped into my head so I had to create it.  Not meant to offend any supporters of President Obama... You could cut and paste the face of any President of the past few decades & I would still see it the same.
If you read the quote by Thoreau it's very easy to understand the depiction.

Should you still be upset with my humorous depiction of World Government in action I refer you back to spokesperson Porky Pig.