The film had been completed but not yet released, making Milt among the first outside of Culver City to hear three songs that would quickly become classics: "The Boy Next Door," "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and "The Trolley Song."
Hugh's death two weeks ago at the age of 96 got me wondering if he might not have been the last living composer of a true standard in the pre-rock and roll edition of the Great American Songbook. I'll stand corrected, but I think that's the case.Sort of makes one feel cut adrift, doesn't it?
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Dear Big Band,
If there are any ideas or anyone in your big band community may have a phone number or e-mail or some way to contact him, we would be very much appreciate it.
Looking forward,
English Gardiner
Assistant to Michael Mackintosh
P.O. Box 150870
San Rafael, CA 94915
(415) 925-1518 Office
(707) 322-3404 Cell
Dear English,
It was actually in March of 2009 that we printed that request for the whereabouts of Charlie Barnet Jr. He really must have gone underground if you're still looking for him two years later. Nevertheless, I will again encourage any of our readers with pertinent information to get in touch with you.
Hmmm.
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With the melodramas of bandleaders and their children in mind, Jack Melick of Dallas mentions that Stan Kenton's daughter Leslie has recently published a memoir. The charges she makes concerning her dad can be found easily online, so I'm not going to go into detail here. But Jack poses a provocative issue:
I am very bothered by [Leslie's] allegations ... Stan was my favorite bandleader for many years and a great man, as far as I was concerned.
For a long time, I too thought that my musical heroes, in addition to being great artists, must have been great people. Gradually, I learned many were not. Our challenge as consumers of entertainment may be to come to terms with the reality that the best and worst of human expression can exist in the same person.
Jack also asks, wryly, if I've ever heard bad things about Stan, other than the fact that he always wanted the band to play louder. No, I haven't. Then again, the subject at hand is one that the world tends to squelch rather than discuss openly.
Whether Leslie's claims against Stan are true or fabricated, Stan's reputation undoubtedly will survive this test. Anybody familiar with the saga of the Kenton kids can find reason to believe that the daughter is in the wrong, not the father. Either way, though, it's a tragedy.
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Wash your ears out with this note from Herb Stark of Massapequa, N.Y.:
I would like to post this tribute (somewhat belated) to Sid Bulkin, a fine big band drummer who died on March 1, 2008, at age 83. Sid played with some of the greats of the big band era. Among them were Benny Goodman, Ralph Flanagan and Terry Gibbs, in addition to vocalists such as Frank Sinatra, Vic Damone, Harry Prime and Dinah Shore.
Sid gave me drum lessons back in the early '50s when I was a roadie with the Flanagan band. He was a gentle, fun-loving guy who took his music seriously.
His daughters and niece carry on the legend of this highly regarded musician. Do yourself a favor: Google the name Sid Bulkin. Enjoy time well-spent with videos and stories of this beloved drummer on the occasion of the third anniversary of his passing.
Thanks, Herb. Sid was a friend to many and is deeply missed.
