Music Trade Review

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52
THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
IGHTY
BLUE
OCTOBER 17,
1925
Jllox Trot
(Melody With
Great Dcunce Rhythm
Marguerite
AMidhty Blue
Fox Trot Sone L
OWEN tflURPHY
RAYMOND EGAN
RICHARD WHITI
AL SHERMAN
mi BEN BEANIE
Maurice Loops the Loop in Search of Tin Pan Alley—(Continued from page 51)
the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, under Fred-
erick Stock. They will begin on Thursday, No-
vember 5, and will continue on alternate Thurs-
days until Spring. Each program is of about an
hour's duration, with explanatory remarks by
this conductor, who is a great teacher and a
tactful disciplinarian. The Symphony Orches-
tra begins its regular subscription concerts in
the middle of October. The Civic Opera an-
nounces a third opera, new to Chicago, to be
given this coming season in English.
F. J. A. Forster Music Co.
In a few minutes' chat I had with Fred Fors-
ter and Maurice Adler, they took a great deal
of delight in telling me of their successes.
"Purple Twilight" is their leader. "Hold Me in
Your Arms" is a fox-trot tune they are going
after, and their old-time publication, "Garland
of Old-Fashioned Roses," is now being revived
and is sure to go. They also have an educa-
tional campaign now on their standard mate-
rial which undoubtedly will benefit the entire
industry, as well as the dealers, through na-
tional advertising. Adler is just leaving for a
four weeks' trip through the East, particularly
on account of the "Forster Edition" of about
175 titles of standard material by Logan, Rob-
erts, McDermid and others.
McKinley Music Co.
Those of you who have never visited the Mc-
Kinley plant should take an afternoon off the
next time you are in Chicago and go through
this high-class institution. I will extend to you
the invitation, and I know that Mr. McKinley
will be glad to see you. Mr. Dewitt Forster took
me through the entire building. They are just
now making shipments of fifty new issues they
have added this Fall to their fifteen-cent edition.
To my surprise, I saw shipments going to Lake-
wood, N. J., as well as Los Angeles, Cal.;
Maine, and Oregon alike. The outfit was run-
ning with full speed, but not wild. Mr. McKin-
ley has just returned from his Summer home at
Lake Villa, 111., with a coat of tan, the real,
high-priced kind that you get at Palm Beach.
He is taking a great interest in their new publi-
cations. He truly is artistically bent, which is
so well reflected in the new numbers, for they
ate extremely attractive: Mr. Forster said their
jobbing business is holding up well and that
they have a number of excellent selling collec-
tions, methods and studies in their own catalog,
which are enjoying a country-wide sale. Forster
is satisfied with his lot, and doesn't want a
whole lot. His reason is, so he stated: "I ain't
never yet seen a rich man develop a hobby that
gits him up early in the mornin'." He also
knows quite a bit about philosophy. He claims a
great deal of happiness is overlooked because it
doesn't cost .anything. A. A. Anderson, the ac-
countant, is the only person I ever knew who
had three "A's" as his initials. What an
"A-A-A" guy he is!
Dick Howells was in Chicago recently, re-
turning from the greatest and most successful
trip he has ever had in the West and on the
West Coast. He traveled unattached, having
parked his better half at Dallas, Tex. That
was sensible. As the Chappell-Harms catalog
is so gigantic, it is hardly possible for poor
Dick to take care of his business and a sweet
young bride and do justice to both. Dick has
a call from the Lone Star State. You see, his
"Lonely Star" is there in Dallas and his lone-
some days are now over.
Have you heard this one about Dick How-
ells? One of the Western dealers, in greeting
Dick, said: "Why, Dick, you are positively
beaming. What's up?" (Of course, this deal-
er didn't know that Dick had taken himself a
bride.) "I am in the greatest luck imaginable,"
said Dick. "You see, I have been attentive to a
very pretty girl for some time. During all that
time she would never admit that she loved me;
she would only say that she respected me. But
now, Old Chap, congratulate me. Before I left
on this trip she confessed that she respected me
no longer, but she loved me."
Leo Feist, Inc.
When I called to see Rocco Vocco, the Chi-
cago manager, he was out, probably selling "I
Miss My Swiss" to a big-time performer. The
Feist branch maintains a large force here in
Chicago in the professional department at 167
North Clark street, across the street from the
Sherman House. The usual Feist "go-getters"
are on the job. "Midnight Waltz" and "Pal of
My Cradle Days" are going over the top. When
I finally did see Rocco he was all tanned up.
That was on Sunday morning, and I don't think
he got it in church. They say he is a mean
driver from the tee in the game of golf. So, at
least, Dewitt Forster, of the McKinley Co.,
claims. I can vouch, however, that he does
know all about putting on a successful drive on
new songs. Rocco Vocco is some fine bucko.
I'll say he is.
Irving Berlin, Inc.
On the ninth floor in the Woods Theatre
Building, at 56 West Randolph street, the first
person I saw was Jake Kalver, with his sleeves
rolled up, collar loosened and no tie. He sure
looked like a busy guy. The opening campaign
for this season is on the following publications:
"On a Night Like This," fox-trot; "I Wonder
If You Think of Me," waltz, and a special drive
on Irving Berlin's own composition, "Remem-
ber," and the following other publications: "Ce-
celia," "Alone at Last" and "My Sweetie
Turned Me Down," all fox-trot tunes. Al Beilin
is still professional manager and Kalver is the
special representative. I know AI very well. H*e
gives lots of advice, but he has no vice—just a
nice, lovely, peppy boy.
J. H. Remick & Co.
The Remick offices were extremely busy. In
every room I looked the piano was going full
speed, and a lot of active ladies and gents were
learning their great songs for this season. My
friend, Harry Worthen, the Chicago manager,
is confident that "Sometime" and "If I Had a
Girl Like You" will both be universal sellers.
And "By the Light of the Stars" is going very
big. But the new one that they are concentrat-
ing on is "Bam Bam Bammy Shore," and looks
like a clean-up. It is by the same boys that
wrote "Follow the Swallow." And the Star
Dance Folio No. 27 has gone beyond their ex-
pectations. Billy Cripps is on the promotion
staff and a new addition is Billy Thompson,
also in the professional department, a boy who
knows the profession as well as the trade, not
only in the big burgs but in the tank towns as
well. Strange as it may seem, when I walked
down the aisle one morning at the Congress
Hotel, the big chief from the New York office,
Joe Keit, nearly collided with me. He wanted
company for breakfast. But he was out of luck,
for though it was early, eight bells a. m. hav-
ing just struck, I was on my way to keep an
appointment. We were both sorry we didn't
meet sooner. Joe was leaving on the Twentieth
Century the same day for New York. Perhaps
it is just as well, as we might have sat up half
the night, trying to pick a lot of new titles for
hit songs.
"Summons" From Irving and Jack Kaufman
Irving gave me a novel-looking summons. If
1 didn't know the old bozo, I would have been
frightened. When I opened the document, it
read as follows: "Irving and Jack summons
you to appear in person, any evening, at the
Moulin Rouge Cafe. A dash of Paris in the
heart of Chicago." They give you an eight-
course dinner for a dollar and a half, and if you
are looking for a good dancing partner, you
can get that, too.
J. W. Jenkins Sons' Music Co.
The house of Jenkins, of Kansas City, is rep-
resented locally by Clarence Parrish, who is
working awfully hard with their new tunes.
From all indications, Jenkins will be shipping
in a lot of goods in the Chicago territory. The
ones that are showing up the best are "Deep
Elm (You Tell 'Em I'm Blue)," "The Worid
is Such a Lonesome Place" and "Peaceful Val-
ley," and the following successes in their cata-
log are still holding their own: "You're Just a
Flower from an Old Bouquet" and "Kiss Me
Good Night." A good selling song from the
Jenkins catalog is always pleasing to the sheet
music dealer.
Zez Confrey
Zez Confrey, the talented young American
pianist and composer of "Kitten on the Keys,"
uses three Chickering pianos at his appearance
in his engagements right now in a large Chicago
uptown theatre. He demonstrates, on the stage,
how his records and his compositions for the
Ampico in the Chickering are made in a most
interesting feature.
(Continued next week)