RATING THE RECORDS
.
By Frank Marshall Davis for ANP
FAT? ON THE LINE
Five re'ssues and one brand
new platter featuring Fats Wal
ler, all on Bluebird, ought to
make his fans jumn for joy. Tit
les and dates. are DREAM MAN
(1934) and YOU’RE NOT THE
ONLY OYSTER IN THE STEW
(1934): SERENADE FOR A
WEALTHY WIDOW (1934) and
SWEETIE PIE (1934), orchestra;
VALENTINE STOMP (1929) and I
LOVE ME OR LEAVE ME (L'29)
WAITING AT THE END OF
'j HE ROAD (1929) a> d SWEET
SAVANNAH SUE 0929) piano
solos; and THOU SWELL and
•SIPPI’ both in 192X by the
Louisiana Sugar Babes. The new
■record is HONEY HUSH and
YOU MEET THE NICEST PEO
PLE IN Y01LR DREAMS by or
chestra.
These discs have a wide variety
of supporting musicians. There
are such stars as A1 Casey, Bill
Taylor, Herman Autrey, Eugene
Cedric, Mezz Mezzrow, Bill Cole
man and others. The famous
Sugar Babes were composed of
Waller on pipe organ, Jabbo
Smith on trumpet, James P. John
son on piano and Garvin Bushnel!
on alto ssx, clarinet and bassoon.
Of the old numbers, “Waitin’ ’’
ha1: never been reissued.
All of these platter8 are good,
aid if you’re a confirmed Wal
ler addict and unable to get more
than one or two, you’ll have a
hard time. His piano is always
outstanding and his jive gets a
cross. Still, if you must rr.aue a
choice, get “Love Mo" and “Sere
nade. ’
•V. V *
UP TO THE MINUTE
Although Count Basie plays
two Commercial numbers of Vo
cation, don’t let that stop you.
YOU AND YOUR LOVE and
YOU CAN COUNT ON ME, the
hit numbeP from a new Negro
film, have all the Basie rhythm
mnd technique with Helen Hutcs
■h rpinjr on both sides. A1 Coop
fer's Savoy Hultans have come up
with a mighty fine rhythm num
ber on Decca entitled STITCHES.
Definitely worth having. Every
Deuhsch surprised me no end with
hi« hot Bluebird of BAS VILST
DU GAILY STAR, the Slim and
Slam opus, and HUNGARIAN
DANCE NO. 1. Some good swing
musicians cut loose on these.
If you would like sensational
piano work, grab the Decca of
THREE FOOT SKIPPER JONES
by the Three Peppers. After a
grand guitar solo, Boh Howard
tears 'the moth box to pieces.
Coupling is IT’S ALL A PUZ
ZLE TO ME. There’s a new zany
•song that you may as well get
used to. It’s THE LITTLE MAN
WHO WASNT THERE built
around some nonsense verse l saw
in a London magazine over three
y«ar„ ago. Anyway, both Larry
Clinton and Mildred Bailey have
recorded it for Victor and Vo‘
✓adjon respectively. It’s a fine
dhythm number. The Clinton com
panion piece is PARADE <
THE WOODEN SOLDIERS in a
ewdll arrangement, while Miss
BaUey turns her talents to
GUESS I’LL GO BACK HOME
After waiting several years,
Victor has finally decided to re
lease for the first time this Duke
Ellington arrangement of ROCK
IN' IN RHYTHM and a low down
blues entitled NO PAPA NO.
•Rubber Miley plays trumpet on
the latter side. This is tremen
dous stuff. Jan Savitt uses his
ahuffle rhythm to good advantage
on two popular titles for Decca.
SHABBY OLD CABBY and
MOONLIGHT SERENADE. A1
Donahue’s well balanced swings
ters do equally well with A MAN
AND HIS DREAM and GO FLY
\ KITE, the latter especially
-good, for Vocation. Unjess you
-bave a truly discerning ear, you're
-tiliely to think it’s Ellington
flaying EBONY RHAPSODY and
SOLACE for Bluebird. Instead,
.fit's. Charlie Barnet, sounding like
•Jfie Duke—and good. too.
Woody Herman is building a
flpra reputation on his indigo
tunes. His new Decca is CASjtAH
BLUES and FAREWELL BLUES
the former slow and mellow and
the latter fast and stompy. Grade
A. On records Ziggy Elman has
a chance to prove he i8 a great
trumpet player. Using Benny
Goodman's band without Benny’s
clarinet, Ziggy has waxed two
memorable Bluebird®, LET'S
FALL IN LOVE and I’LL NEV
ER BE THE SAME, and YOU’RE
MINE YOU plus ZAGGIN’ WITH
ZIG, the latter guaranteed to
make the joint jump. Jess Stacey
plays especially fine piano. By
thu way, if you like Martha Raye,
get her version of YOU'LL
HAVE TO SWING IT and OL’
MAN RIVER on Brunswick. The
firs'; is one of her most famous
numbers..
A new group with plenty on
the ball is Glenn Hardman’s Ham
rond Five. On Vocalion they
ffer WHO and EXACTLY LIKE
VOU. Aiding are men from Count
Basie's and Jack Teagarden's
birds among (hem [.ester Young.
The first ci !e will knock you
vpiv Glenn Miller’s Bluebird of
WANNA HAT WITH CHER
RIES has some of the most mon
otone1 drumming I’ve ever
h“»rd. Th" coupling. THE DAY
WE MEET AGAIN, is much
better. Art e Shaw and Teagar
den also Jo canahl" jobs with
commercial tunes. Shaw’s Blue
bird is I’Ll REMEMBER and
EASY TO SAY, while Jack’s
Brunswick counles ESPECIALLY
FOR YOU with YOU’RE THE
MOMENT IN MY LIFE.
_-/tHn
NEW YORK, Sept. 3 (CNA)—
fleorg" Peterson, 37, of 805 St.
Nicholas Ave., and William A
Lnsh. 32. of 315 West 115th St.,
this week were held for the grand
fury when arraingned in Felony
Court on charges of burglary,
They are charged w!th the theft
of fifty dozen pairs of silk stock
ings. valued at $200, from the of
f'ceu of Kalz and Burkin, silk re
finers, of 82 West 30th St.
-oOo —
$500,000 CENTER FOR
HARLEM BOYS
New York, Sept. 3 (CNA) —
Construction soon will begin on
a $500,000 Harlem Boys’ Center
on West 134th Street, the Child
ren’s A'd Society announced this
week.
The building will cost $375,000
and contain an auditorium, a gym
a game, craft, trade and music
room and a spacious play roof
There also will be a dental and
medical clinic with a full size
staff.
FRAME-UP OF GEORGIA
ATTORNEY COLLAPSES
Birmingham, Sept 6 (CNA—
An attempt to frame Arthur D.
Shores, Negro attorney active in
tho fight for the right of mem
bers of his race to vote, collapsed
hero this week.
Shores was acquitted in Police
Court by City Judge Martin on
charges of disorderly conduct
brought against him following an
outbreak in connection with his
prosecution of a white policeman
for beating a youth.
The police officer, George Wil
liams, had beaten Will Hall, a
prisoner, with a rubber hose.
Charges of Brutality were
brought against him before the
Civil Service Board and Shores
represented Hall.
As Shores left the hearing,
Monroe Conner, Negro police in
form*, leaped upon ton from
behind. W. H . Hillinsr Shores
partner, and G. H. Lucas, jumped
in and pulled Conner off the
roung attorney. .
All four were arrested oy the
police, who were naturally handy
and charged with disorderly con
duct.
Shores was represented o>
Crampton Harris, prominent
white New Dealer and former
partner of Supreme Court Justice
Hugo Black.
The prosecution did not attempt
to make a case for disorderly |
conduct against Shores but con
centrated its fires on the attor
ney’s activities in behalf of the
right of Negroes to vote. Defense
vitnesseg were asked if they were
members of the National Asso
ciation for the Advancement of
Colored People.
Shores was acquitted, Lucas and
Hillins were fined f5ve dollars
each and Conner was fined ten
dollars and costs.
Williams w*te later placed on
probation for one y«*r and order
ed to appear before the dvd
Service Board for a public re
primand.
DARK LAUGHTER 0L HAPPINGT0N
I been goin* wid Mr. Stewmeat for fifteen years an’ I think it’s ’bout time
he did the right thing by me.
WPA BILL DB’iVE
MANY TO SUICIDE
New York, Sept. 6 (CNA)—The 1
slashing of WPA and the death
warrant provided for millions in
the tory Woodrum Bill has caus
ed a wave of suic'des in Haidem
during the past week. Twelve
suicides and as many attempted
suicides have taken place in the
community and are directly trace
able to WPA-'wrccking drive of
Republicans and ant;-New Deal
Democrats in Congress.
An indication of the plight of
Iho people is seen in the increas
ing numbers who are applying
for relief, and :n the growing de
mands on food distribution sta
tions. Hitherto there were only
two such stations in Harlem. This
week however, a new station was
opened. But even so the food sta
tions aro unable to take care of
the demands of the destitute peo
ple.
Meanwh’Ie, relief authorities
announced that families on relief
who could no longer certify un
der the provision^ of the Wood
rum Act would be reported back
to the South, or dropped alto
gether if they refused to go. The
annoucement was regarded with
grave concern by progressive
leaders in the community who
pointed out that such a move
would leave the needy at the
mercy of Southern tory plantat'on
owners.
The situation wa s re ported af
fecting all classes in the commu
nity. Small busines., men and
trades people have revealed a de
cided drop in the sale of basic
necessities, particularly food.
A campa’gn designed to ease
the terrific pressraro was being
organized by several groups, in
cluding the Workers Alliance.
I,eaders of the Alliance stated
they would conduct a special drive
to obtain adequu* relief for
Harlem, and to demand the rchir
ing of Negroes on the projects.
AFRICAN PRINCE TELLS OF
FASCIST OUTRAGES IN
ETHIOPIA
New York, August 31 (CNA)—
Italian fascists are carrying out
mass arrests of women and men
in the occupied areag of Ethiopia
in an effort to break the spirit
of the Ethiopian people, who are
still resisting the Italian occupa
tion, Prince Akiki Nyobango of
Uganda, East Africa, charged this
week. Ethiopian women he added,
were forced to undress in the
prescence of the fascist soldiers.
Price Nyobango was one of the
principal speakcrs at the confer
ence, initiated by the Negro Peo
ple's Committee to Aid Spanish
Refugees “to oonsider techniques
for cooperating in aid to Ethio
pian rufugees, relief to Chinese
victims of Japanese aggression
and assistance in resettling Span
ish refugees in Mexico.” Prince
Nyobango recently visited Ethio
pian refugee kraals in Kenya, Dji
bouti, Aden and Soudan.
A plea for a:d to China, and
an emhorgo on the sale of war
materials to Japan, was made by
Dr. P. C- Chang, men her of the
People’s Polit'ca! Bureau (Parlia
ment) of China. Without. Ane-i
can war materials, Japan wiul 1
have to erd the wan end stop the
. laughter of Chine-e civilians* Dr. j
Chang asserted.
Dr. Herman Re'ssig, executive
secretary of the Spanish Refugwe
Relief Campaign told tl® confer
ence that half a million' Spanish
refugees were living in barbel
wire inclosed refugee camps iff
F'rapee. “Mexico offers unlimited
asylum to them and ah opportu
nity to establish homes thine. But
r the Mexican Goverment cannot
transport them. Our task is to
provide transportation as rapidly
•s poss’ble,” he said. Nearly 3,000
Spanish refugees have already
reached Mexico.
The light of Ethiopian refugees
was described by Prince Nyo
bango. In some of the refugee
kraals there was only one water
hole to supply 2,700 persons, he
said. Health conditions were un
speakable, with dysentery, relap
sing fever, small pox and typhus
w-despread. “Little relief reaches
these victims, as the general pub
lic- seems unaware of their exis
tence.”
The conference appointed Hr.
Max Yergan, who is sailing for
Eurone shortly, to visit Emner
or Haile Selass'e to discuss plans
for an official investigation and
renottt on the conditions of Eth
iopian refugees.
D.\ Wilham Llovd lines, pastor
of St. Janies Presbyter:an Church
and chairman of the Negro Peo
ple's Committee to Aid Spanish
Refugees, presided.
__oOp
COAST JIMCROW BAN
FACE ’ COURT TEST
T Ang' S t. 6 (C*NA)—
[fifctors of r. municipal plunge
irI Pasadr,,,a must appear this
weel- in the court room of Sup
erior Judge F mett Wilson to
show cause why* they should not
stand trial for exempting to bar
six boys from the pool because
of their race.
The deadline was set by Judge
Wilson when ho refused to sus
tain demurrers submitted by Pas
adena City Manager C. W. Rain
er and Superintendent of Parks
W. H. Nichols in answer to a
writ of mandate sought by the
National Association for the Ad
vancement of Colored People and
the American Civil Liberties
Lnion.
An attempt will be made by A.
L. Virin and Thomas Griffiths,
attorneys for the boys, to prose
cute the city directors of Pasa
dena on the grounds that the dis
crimination has been sanctioned
by the city's officials.
—-0O0
Read The Guide for News
BEATING THE GUN
(By A1 Moses or AN'P)
/»_
WE’D LIKE TO SEE CHAPPY
GARDNER CZAR OF
NEGRO BASEBALL
Ten years ago, we wrote a
pieco for a nationally read maga
zine in which we lauded James
“Chappy’ Gardner to the skies.
Tonight, we find ourselves un
changed in our opinion of the man
that’s why we’re suggesting
without reservation his nomina
tion as the Judge Landis of Ne
gro baseball.
I/ooking over the background
of this great athlete upon -whom
we hung the moniker “mighty
atom.” with interesting data is
brought out into the sunlight:
Chappy started his baseball
playing career with the Harris
burg (Pa.) Giants, 1906. During
his college days he had tried his
hand with varying success as a
pitcher, finally switching to short
stop at which position he quick
ly gained national attention. Two
seasons, later Gardner hooked up
with the original Brooklyn Royal ,
Giants remaining with them
through 1910, the same year
Johnson licked the hairy boiler
maker out Reno way.
Thera follcwed five glorious
years with the famous Cuban
Giants (1911-18), years in which
Chappy rose to dizzy heights of
stardom well known to the gen
eration of two decades agov Base- .
ball’s globetrotter was next seen |
(1902-23) with the crack Havana
Red Sox team.
Few' faster ever wore a spike
i than Gardner. He was leadoff
man for most of the teams he
played with, and tetters would
lay you ten to one Chappy would
beat out a bunt to first base or
pilfer a bag.
r Few men have ever been timed
in JO seconds flat for the hundred .
attired in full baseball riggings,
still, the hero of this brief epistle
turned the trick before accredited |
I timers.
rn addition to starring as a
player. Chappy was a v'.Me of a
manager. Away back in 1915 he
managed the Roanoke All Stars,
turning in the neat job of 38
straight wins in annexing the
Virginia and West Virginia state
championships.
192&-24 saw him outright owner
aird manager of a team known as
the New York Red Sox, of Mon
treal, Canada. Needles to add,
[ Gardner went out and won the
Canadian championship with this
j outfit comprising 10 clubs. The
trick was turned in a playoff
(double-header) during which the
Red Sox licked the two nearest
clubs of the Canadian league
round robin.
Just a few weeks ago, Jimmy
Powers, N. Y. Daily News sports
editor, gave it as his opinion that
the name of Chappy Gardner
should be immortalized in the
baseball hall of fame. The Na
tional Negro Baseball league own
ers are respectfully requested to
give careful consideration to our
consideration to our nominee, who
would lend color and dignity to
the post.
-oOo
CHICAGO, Sept. 3 C(NA)—
Isnmael P. Flory, secretary-treas
urer of the Joint Council of Din
ing Car Employees, this week w on
an out-of-court settlement of
$100 and an apology in his suit
against the Great Northern Hotel
of this city for jim crow discri
mination against him- He donates
the money to the Chicago Council
of the National Negro Congress.
GERMAN TROOPS
SENT TO AFRICA
Geneva, Sept. 8 (CNA)—Des
pite Ital'an denials, foreign obser
vers insist that German troops
are being dispatched in increasing
number to Libya, Italian North
African colony bordering on
Egyp
M'litary experts expressed the
opinion that in case of a general
war, the German and Italian
troops would attempt to seize the
Suez Canal by an attack on Egypt
from Lybia.
The concentration of Italian and
German troops and technical
force,, in Lybia is also held to be
a constant menace to French
Africa, which the Italian fascist
covet and repeatedly demanded.
Calls Friend ‘Mrs.’; Is
Fined By Southern Court
Columbia, S. C. Sept. 3 H N'A)
—Mrs. Eloiso Blak-» was fired in
city court here for “disorderly
conduct” because she referred to
*■ #
n frerH as “Mrs.” when asking
to speak on the phone.
The friend, Mrs. Pauline Clay,
works as a maid in the home of
Mrs. Hadden, white. When Mrs.
Hadden answered the phone, Mrs.
Blake asked to speak to “Mrs.
Pauline Clay." The white woman
who had no objection to being ad
dressed as “Mrs.” went up in the
air when she heard abc(it; the
term applied to her Negro maid.
She wanted to know why the
caller did not ask for “Pauline.”
Not content with bawling Mrs.
Blake on the phone, the Hadden
woman got in touch with the po
lice and had Mrs. Blake arrested.
In court, Mrs. Blake, was fined
$15 for “disorderly conduct.”
You know the game well enough
now, whether you call it Chinese
Checkers or some o’.her name. A
couple of years ago you had not
heard of it or were ju=t hearing of
it. It was a NEW game to you.
Now it is everybody’s game.
When you learned to play it, they
told you it was played like cl'.es9
or checkers, with certain differ
ences. And you said to yourself,
"Oh, a new game, using basic prin
I oiples of age-old favorites."
But it is not a new game The
name indicates that its origin may
have been in China. But a manu
facturer of the game boards reports
an order for a shipment, under
their peculiar trade name, to Per
sia, and the return, “We are dis
appointed. We thought we were to
learn a new American game and
find it varies only a little from a
game we have always played."
So evidently this game we have
popularized as new has been known
for years, even centuries, by many
of the people of the Far East,
i You will say then, “Oh, nothing
is new.” And I will insist that this
game of ours is new. It is new.
just the same as all the other in
ventions and conveniences are new.
It may be just an adaptation of
something old. But it Is new in thi*
materials it is made of, in the de
signs upon It, in some of the
streamlined rules of playing.
Where originally some man
worked for hours planing a board
and whittling out the pegs for it.
now machinery can stamp out mil
lions in a day from sheet metal or
from compositions unknown im
ages gone by.
It is new because it is here bow,
adapted to our times.
AUNT EHFlfcl Made To Order ... By Ed Mar#o
crtn^rn t>« ^ ‘ crj By FRANCIS NOONAN