[78-L] The TIME-LIFE sets (was) Alvino Rey and The Kings

[Dan Van Landingham]

I've got a copy of that May-Lunceford album on Capitol.My late friend Al Hendrickson was on it.It was
another one of those that I got at some thrift store here in the Coos Bay-North Bend,Oregon area.It's not
in very good shape as it was stored out in a shed and the jacket got mildewed.I'd heard that story before
about the charts being in Thomas' garage.Al never told me about that session he did and I still keep comi-
ng up with albums he played on with just about everybody.I've got some stuff he did with Gordon Jenkins
on the TIME label of which I know little about other than Bob Shad is credited as being a producer.Of
Skeets Herfurt,I've got another one on TIME and Skeets,Al and trumpeter John Best were all on the same album.May did a few for that label as I recall.Lunceford died up here on the northern Oregon coast
in July of 1947 of an alleged heart attack.It was up in Seaside,Oregon.He was outside of some record
store signing autographs.I don't know who he was recording for at the time;it may have been Majestic.
The copy of "Cement Mixer" backed with "Just Once Too Often",an Eddie Wilcox tune,is in pretty bad
shape.It's a red label Majestic like the copy of "Margie" I had a number of years ago.



________________________________
From: Jeff Sultanof <jeffsultanof at gmail.com>
To: 78-L Mail List <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
Sent: Thu, April 22, 2010 6:03:50 PM
Subject: Re: [78-L] The TIME-LIFE sets (was) Alvino Rey and The Kings

The story is true, and it is about the Lunceford album Billy made in 1957.
He tried to get as many ex-Lunceford musicians as he could, and he was told
that Joe Thomas was an undertaker in St. Louis (I believe that was the
city), but that he still played. Joe was flown out to L.A. and had a ball.
May told him about having to transcribe the arrangements, and Joe casually
told him, "You should have asked me. I have a lot of them in my basement."
According to my information, Joe and pianist Ed Wilcox tried to keep the
band going after Jimmie died, couldn't do it, and then split the book in
half and went their separate ways. I've always wondered what happened to all
that music when Joe died.

Jeff Sultanof


There's a famous story of
> Billy May who transcribed many of the scores from the original rcordings:
> he
> was telling a felow musician what a problem and how time-consuming  it was
> to transcribe one of the charts and how relieved he was when completed. To
> which the musician replied something like, " Oh, man, you should have told
> me, I've got the parts in my garage.
> Jack Daney
>        Big bands are definitely coming back.      How do I know? I read it
> in DownBeat in 1952
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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