Music Trade Review

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The Music Trade Review
Eddie Peabody Knocks the Highbrows
Dead During Portland Appearances
Vega Artist Completes Engagement at Broadway Theatre to Praise of the Leading
Music Critics of the Local Newspapers
PORTLAND, Ore., March 10.—Eddie Pea-
body, famous banjo artist and Victor re-
corder, has come and gone from Portland's
midst. During his recent local engagement at
the Broadway Theatre where he held full sway
for several months with his Vega banjo and
numerous other string instruments, as orchestra
conductor and entertainer, he not only won his
way into the hearts of the lovers of popular
music but broke into the musical elite of Port-
land's musical circle as the following editorial
taken from The Morning Oregonian's music
page shows. The editorial was given the lead
by the music critic of the Oregonian, which car-
ries Portland's "high brown" musical page:
"It is customary to discuss legitimate musi-
cians in this section. It is not impertinent to
suggest that Mr. Eddie Peabody, who has just
concluded his engagement as leader of a local
theatre orchestra, is entitled to some comment
in this column. Eddie's instrument, the banjo,
is not admitted to respectable symphony orches-
tras, for reasons unknown to most of us; but
his mastery of that instrument and its close kin,
the ukulele, the guitar, the mandolin, etc., is
equivalent to Koussevitsky's mastery of the
double-bass.
"This statement is rather startling, of course,
but it does not signify as much as one might be
inclined to believe. There is nothing here to
suggest that Eddie should leave the theatre or-
chestra flat and establish himself on the door-
step of a concert manager who would be dis-
posed to promote him as a concert banjoist.
"Koussevitsky raised the prestige of the
double-bass immeasurably when he proved that
it was not a mere medium for the production
of sinister grunts to accompany the more audi-
ble scrapings of the violins. Many attempts have
been made to elevate the banjo above the status
of the mere maker of rhythm. Several of the
self-styled 'banjo wizards' have toured the
vaudeville circuit. The 'Second Hungarian
Rhapsody' and 'By the Waters of Minnetonka,'
to name only a couple of the war horses, were
recruited for the slaughter. These were mostly
dynamic individuals, with a sense of harmony
MARCH 17, 1928
nioni/.ed the melody; second, as Liszt might
have embellished it, and last as it would have
been ground out in tin-pan alley. Eddie's adap-
tations were not only ingenious—they were
beautiful. They were not intended to be mock-
cry. They were devised in utter sincerity.
"Eddie is no charlatan. As a matter of fact,
few of the very popular theatre men are char-
latans. There is a tremendous amount of musi-
cal buncombe in the theatres; but this comes
mostly from people who arc merely tolerated by
the public but never worshiped. Eddie's popu-
larity does not come entirely from his dyna-
matism from his sense of comedy, from his
short, colored jackets and Oxford bags. Much
of it is due to his musicianship. Not everybody
knows this. Eddie himself may suspect it, but
possibly he is not certain.
"If he wants reassurances, let him get as
much as he wants from the real tributes given
him by the musicians of this city."
Hohner Announces New
Piano Accordion Line
Samples Arrived From Factory and Will
Shortly Be Ready for Inspection by Distribu-
tors
A new line of piano-key accordions was an-
nounced this week by M. Hohner, Inc., 114
East Sixteenth street, New York, distributors
Eddie Peabody and His Vega
of the Hohner harmonicas and accordions. The
and melody, whose efforts on behalf of the no- present popular demand for a high-grade piano-
ble cause resulted mainly in dissension among key accordion led the Hohner officials to pro-
the musicians and the general disgust among vide a de luxe line of instruments.
those who affected to take music seriously.
Samples have arrived from the factory and
"Eddie does not fall into this group. He ac- it is expected that in the near future the new
quired an instrument, that for a banjo is a mag- line will be ready for the inspection of the dis-
nificent musical instrument. Like the others, he tributors. The announcement sent to the whole-
took the melodies and harmonies of the well- sale trade this week by William J. Haussler,
known and well-worn classics, and like the read:
others, adapted the banjo to his music. His
"Our distributors who are concerned in the
artistic temperament permitted him to do this. sale of piano-key accordions will be interested
Those who attended his performances and to know that in the .very near future we will
laughed at his horse play might have over- have ready for their inspection and considera-
looked the possibility of his possessing an artis- tion an entirely new line that will be most
tic temperament. He has it, though.
unique and extraordinary. When completed,
"One week he played a piece on the banjo the assortment will comprise five distinct series,
three times—first, as Debussy might have har- aggregating forty different instruments.
"For the past twelve months the research and
technical departments of our factory have been
diligently occupied in creating and perfecting
these piano-key accordions.
"The manufacture of Hohner piano-key ac-
cordions will be standardized so that uniform
OUKSTAMDUUKBTNOVSEINIWIMM
quality, construction and appearance will re-
sult, thus providing the trade with instruments
that will afford satisfaction to all.
"In the line there will be models to satisfy
the popular demand and to meet the exacting
requirements of discriminating buyers, an ex-
quisite dc luxe series will be provided. At the
earliest practicable date a set of photographs
will be sent to the trade with detailed descrip-
tions and complete price list."
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