[78-L] kostelanetz materials donated to LC]

[Swamp Daddy]

I'm not too surprised that the Kostelanetz's material is just going to the Library of Congress.    He, and a few others, lasted long past their era and their material was being reissued.

I can think of others like Guy Lombardo.   I guess the bands that adapted to public taste lasted longer than those who could not, would not change their repetoire.  

And, often Kostelanetz was fronting studio orchestras and groups not his.   I have over 50 Kostelanetz LPs and I would characterize most of the later repetoire as elevator music, high class elevator music, but nonetheless meant as background noise. 

He was a darling of the record clubs as older patrons of them who no longer went to fancy hotels for dancing and dinner would buy his LPs to remind them of the older days. 

Kostelanetz does Disco
Kostelanetz plays Hawaiian Love Songs
Kostelanetz plays Rachmaninoff concertos
Kostelanetz plays Rogers and Hamerstein
and on and on

his name, and whatever pickup group was in the studio, must have gone on every type of music around.

In the jazz band touring era there were a couple of groups that outlived their era too:  The Dukes of Dixieland, and Pee Wee Hunt.   They toured for years after other groups had long given it up.  (and, I don't mean the fake group now playing under the Dukes of Dixieland name - I mean the original Assunto's group that toured for ages.)  They played what the public wanted be it watered down dixieland, show tunes, dance numbers, etc.

I just bought a 3 - CD set of Kostelanetz a couple of years ago (Romatic autumn or some other name like that) to use again as background music when I was in the mood while doing other things.

Harry