accessible presentation on January 13,Rawlins was joined by his wife Nancyon piano, John McClernan, who playedtuba, Franny Smith on the banjo, whileadding a vintage clarinet and a sopranosaxophone, which he played admirablyfor “Whispering.” During the course of

the delightful program,vocals were sung byNancy and Franny, bothof whom enriched theclassics with newvitality.

“Ain’t Misbehavin’written by Fats Waller in1929, apparently drewthe attention of a rathernotorious sector of thecommunity. While hewas appearing at a well-known Chicago hotel,Waller was kidnappedone evening by a quartetof thugs who spirted himaway to nearby East

Cicero. Although the 25 year old singerfeared that he was about to meet anuntimely end, this was not to be the case.Instead, the gun-toting gangsters haddecided to surprise their boss, Al

Capone, for his 30th birthday. Theunscheduled gig lasted three days,after which Waller was deliveredback to the hotel, now richer by$3,000.

One of the most successfultunes of the 19th Century was “Onthe Banks of the Wabash, FarAway,” written by Paul Dresser in1897. While many believe that“Back Home Again in Indiana,”composed in 1917, is the state

song, it’s actually the earlier tune towhich the honor belongs. By 1900, sheetmusic sales of Dresser’s creation reached

FEBRUARY 2018www.APSSinc.org

Newsletter

VOLUME 39, NUMBER 5 Formerly New York Sheet Music Society

Tunes of theTwenties, AndAll That Jazz

Continued on page 3

Although ThomasEdison deserves creditfor creating the firstworking model of aphonograph in 1877, heput the work aside inorder to prefect his mostimportant invention, theincandescent light bulb,before resumingdevelopment of thephonograph a decadelater. By then, otherinventors and scientistssuch as AlexanderGraham Bell, had longbeen working to improveit.

Originally, Edison had notenvisioned that his device would be usedfor recording music, but rather as abusiness dictating machine. He utilizeda rotating cylinder with a vertically cutgroove which ran along the outside,while Edison’s competitors foundit less expensive and more efficientto utilize a disc on which a spiralgroove ran from the outside to thecenter. The primary practitioners ofthis method, Columbia and Victor,began producing the discs as earlyas 1901. Although Edisoncontinued to make improvementsto his cylinders, his productremained uncompetitive. But theEdison Records label did well enough fora while, producing 12 of the 30 best-selling records in 1900. Due to thepopularity of stars such as Billy Murray,

Arthur Collins, Byron Harlan, HarryMacDonough, and Ada Jones, Edison’srecord company continued to make arespectable showing on the hit chartsuntil 1912. A year earlier, a youngsensation by the name of Sophie Tucker,recorded her seventh and best known

song for Edison “Some of These Days,”a tune which soon became her anthem.

As it so happens, “Some of TheseDays” is one of the more than 200 songsprofiled by Robert Rawlins in his

magnificent treatise Tunes of theTwenties, a volume certain to become amust-have resource in every musicresearch library. In a warm and

By Jerry Osterberg

Photo by

Glen Cha

rlow

Sophie Tucker Fats Waller

The new year, 2018, got off to a great start with a wonderful programgiven by Robert Rawlins based on his book, “Tunes of the Twenties.” Whata treat it was to have a four piece band playing some of the iconic songs of

the past, songs that we still know today. Jerry Osterberg, our editor-in-chief, has written the leadstory, and you can read all about our January show in this issue. Many thanks to everyoneinvolved in making this informative and entertaining event happen.

I will be away this month on a much-needed vacation, so Marilyn Lester will take over thehosting duties on February 10th for a Program that I am certain will be absolutely amazing.Two of our esteemed Board Members, Michael Lavine and Tom Toce (both of whom havepresented great shows for us in the past) will tell you about the contemporary animation musicof Disney. This promises to be a fascinating afternoon. Michael is a renowned sheet musiccollector/music director and Tom is a prolific composer and show producer. They have also toldme that their pre-show “Rising Star” will be an exciting new talent.

The “Member Exchange” has proven to be very popular, and we hope that our members willcontinue to bring sheet music, books, CD’s and other memorabilia for the table. Pleaseencourage people to donate; it always upsets me when people throw away something theyconsider “old stuff” while to others it might be a treasure. It is also good to make room and clearout some of your collections. Members tell me that they love browsing through the table, asyou never know what you might find. And, remember: the price is right .......FREE!

I look forward to seeing you on March 10th for a terrific program that I am calling “AnAfternoon with Sidney Myer.” Sidney is a fabulous entertainer, and is the man who has beenbooking cabaret shows at Don’t Tell Mama for many years.

I’ll miss you all in February but will be on the beach in beautiful Puerto Vallerta, Mexico,and out of this cold weather! Yay!

Linda 

PAGE 2 AMERICAN POPULAR SONG SOCIETY FEBRUARY, 2018

President’s Message...Linda Amiel Burns, President

Board Of Directors:Linda Amiel Burns

President

Joan AdamsSandi Durell

1st Vice Presidents

Sandi DurellSandy Marrone

2nd Vice Presidents

Glen CharlowTreasurer & Membership

Marilyn LesterSecretary

Bill BoggsWill FriedwaldMichael LavineJudy Stewart

-------------------------------------Publicist

Marilyn Lestermj@mjlester.com

Programs & Special EventsElliott AmesSandi DurellTom Toce

APSS Official Photographer:Rose Billings

Graphic Designer, WebsiteGlen Charlow

N E W S L E T T E REditor/Publisher: Jerry Osterberg

osterbergg@aol.comContributing Editor: Marilyn Lester

mj@mjlester.comAssociate Editor: Joan Adams

joan.adams@corcoran.comGraphic Designer: Glen Charlow

info@APSSinc.org

Membership Mailing Address:American Popular Song Society

P.O. Box 5856Pikesville, MD 21282

info@APSSinc.org(212) 315-3500 (Linda A. Burns)

American PopularSong Society

MEETING LOCATION: Local 802 – Musicians’ Hall322 West 48th Street. Program: 1:45 – 3:30PM.Come early to look thru Sheet Music & CD’s & stuff, all FREE.

N E W S L E T T E REditor/Publisher: Jerry Osterberg

osterbergg@aol.comContributing Editor: Marilyn Lester

mj@mjlester.comAssociate Editor: Joan Adams

joan.adams@corcoran.comGraphic Designer: Glen Charlow

info@APSSinc.org

Top: Linda Amiel Burns, Elliott Ames, Franny Smith & John McClernan.Bottom: Robert & Nancy Rawlins.

Photos by Rose Billings

Photos by Rose Billings

Elliott Ames holds up the goodies onsale after the program

$100,000, the modern equivalent ofalmost $3,000,000. But, the success ofthe recording of “Back Home Again inIndiana,” with “Darktown Strutters’Ball” on the flipside, helped to make the

newer song better known. In spite of thefact that “Indiana” was said to beseriously derivative of “Wabash,” it’s“Indiana” which became the unofficialsignature song of the state. It’s also afavorite of jazz musicians, placing it in aprominent place in American popularmusic.

Encouraged by having published hisfirst song in 1907, Irving Berlinembarked upon the first of his manyprolific periods, publishing 110 songsover four years, of the four or five he waswriting each night. Ten of thesecontained the word “rag” or “ragtime” inthe title, among them “Yiddle on YourFiddle, Play Some Ragtime,” “ThatOpera Rag,” “That Lovin’Rag,” “Oh, That BeautifulRag,” and “Sweet Marie,Make a Rag-A-Time-ADance With Me.” Two ofthese made the charts,including “Oh, ThatBeautiful Rag,” by ArthurCollins, and “That Lovin’Rag,” Sophie Tucker thesinger. It would pale incomparison to Berlin’s firsthuge success, “Alexander’s

Ragtime Band,” the most successfulrecording of 1911. One year earlier, asong by the name of “Alexander and HisClarionet,” the lyrics by Berlin, themusic by Ted Snyder, flopped. Berlindecided to replace the music with hisown and struck gold. The sheet musicsold 1,000,000 copies in the first year.

Among the other tunes discussed byour guest were “Bei Mir Bist Du Schon,”“Poor Butterfly,” “Rosetta,”“Whispering,” “Smile,” and “I Can’tGive You Anything But Love,” writtenby Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fieldsfor Blackbirds of 1928, which featuredan all-black cast, including Bill Robinsonand Adelaide Hall, and ran for over 500performances. Although the song wasnot well received in an earlier revue, itwas the major hit of the Broadwayproduction, and catapulted the buddingcareer of the young Fields to a greatheight. At least three versions of the tuneplaced among the top songs that year. It’sbeen recorded countless times, most

notably by Billie Holiday with TeddyWilson, and Lena Horne with BillRobinson. As recently as three years ago,Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga included itin a Grammy Award-winning albumCheek to Cheek.

In spite of its title – Tunes of theTwenties – Robert Rawlins’ welcome

expansion to our knowledge of classicAmerican popular music, not all of thesongs came about in the second decade.Indeed, in the ten or so presented in hisprogram for APSS, there’s only three; therest going back to 1910 and running upto 1937. Rawlins’ explained: “Thetitle…is true, but not to be taken literally.It refers to a style, an attitude, and amindset, not necessarily a decade.” Hewent on to say “Many songs of the ‘20sare no longer remembered, and a list ofthe top hits of the decade would look fardifferent from the contents of the presentvolume.”

It’s interesting to note that peoplewho are invested in the music of the

period in one way oranother, often refer to themusic of the ‘20s and ‘30sin one breath, performerssuch as Vince Giordano,who, with his band TheNighthawks, has beenenriching our musical livesfor decades. One of themost striking take-a-waysof Rawlins’ divertingtreatment is that it perhaps

FEBRUARY, 2018 AMERICAN POPULAR SONG SOCIETY PAGE 3

Twenties... and JazzContinued from page 1

Photos by Rose Billings

JUST DOODLING, I’M SURE, but I found this “doodle” by APSS Member Judy Densky tobe “right on”.

TUNES OF THE TWENTIES

Continued on page 8

PAGE 4 AMERICAN POPULAR SONG SOCIETY FEBRUARY, 2018

Part II

ROLL ON, MISSISSPPI,ROLL ON - By 1929 theBoswell Sisters were NewOrleans favorites. But if theywanted a higher level ofsuccess, they needed to playvenues further from home. Sothe young ladies hit the road,performing in an unglamoroussector of the Vaudevillecircuit. Their show featuredplaying instruments––Marthaon piano, Connie on sax, Veton banjo (and some tapdancing), doing popular songsof the day. Oh…and a littlesinging was pitched in.

At their first out-of-towngig, in a small, dingy theatrein Chicago, the trio wassuddenly stricken at showtime with a serious case ofstage fright. They were sonervous that they left theirinstruments backstage––allthey could manage to do wassing to Martha’s pianoaccompaniment. When theyfinished, the stage manager,noticing their discardedinstruments backstage,asked: “Don’t you girls doanything but sing?” Ah, butfate was tampering with thoseslot machine tumblers––it wasthrough their singing that theywould create a musicalsensation.

Their tour ended up inLos Angeles, where the radiowork was. One day Connieshowed up for a live broadcastwith a bad cold. Shesuggested the songs betransposed down “an octaveor two,” and sing soft andclose into the microphone.This close-mike technique is

one of the first examples ofusing the newly developedelectronic microphone formaximum effect. This gavethe trio an importantcomponent of their signaturesound.

While doing radio showsin California, a letter cameinto the station with a scathingreview. It was Martha whoopened it. The listener wrote:“Get rid of those awfulBoswell Sisters––they’re

always changing the melody,and whenever they come onthe radio, me and my friendsturn them off.” It closed witha bristling coda: “We callthem the savage chanters.”

Martha was so upset atthis harsh critique that shebroke down in tears. She wasabout to rip up the letter whenConnie snatched it from herhand. Connie said it was proofthat the trio was indeed doingsomething different, and that

they should keep on doing it.With the experience gleanedfrom touring and consistentradio work, it was time tomove to New York, where thejazz scene was in full swing.It was 1930 and the BoswellSisters were getting ready totake on the world.

THE MUSIC GOESROUND & ROUND - TheBoswell Sisters came along atthe right time. Vaudeville wasgiving way to that new

invention––radio––whichgrew rapidly from a curiosityto a widely accepted form ofentertainment. Recordedmusic was also going througha seismic transformation.Early recording technologyused a crude horn to channelthe sound. By 1925 theelectronic microphone finallymade it possible to capturenuances never heard in arecording before. The Bozziesmade their first few

recordings (into those horns)in 1925. By the time they gotto their main body of work,starting in 1931, the electronicmicrophone was firmlyestablished as the newstandard.

Like today’s Internet,with the popularity ofFacebook, YouTube, Twitter,Instagram––the sistersembraced the technologies oftheir day: radio, records andfilms. These burgeoningmedia marvels allowed themto reach a far wider audiencethan was ever possiblethrough live shows alone. Andthe New York scene is wherethe sisters would find thesuccess they worked so hardfor.

Records in the 1930smeant a live studioperformance. There was notape, overdubbing, or editing.Each take was recorded inmono onto a wax disc––worlds away from moderndigital recording. There wasno concept of “fix it in themix.” The performance had tobe good or the “waxie” wastossed. The Bozzies wentthrough a lot of “waxies”before they were satisfiedwith a record.

In the studio, they werefortunate to work with somegreat musicians of the day,many of whom later becamewell known: Glenn Miller(trombone and arranger),Tommy Dorsey (trombone),Jimmy Dorsey (alto sax),Benny Goodman (clarinet),Artie Shaw (clarinet), BunnyBerigan (trumpet), MannyKlein (trumpet), Joe Tarto(bass/tuba), Eddie Lang(guitar), Dick McDonough

By Paul Chiten

THE GREATEST TRIO YOU NEVER HEARD OF –THE BOSWELL SISTERS

FEBRUARY, 2018 AMERICAN POPULAR SONG SOCIETY PAGE 5

(guitar), Carl Kress (guitar),Joe Venuti (violin), VictorYoung (violin) and Stan King(drums). They also workedwith the orchestras of JimmyGrier, Victor Young and PaulWhiteman.

So how could three whitemiddle-class southern galscome to sound like a sassy trioof soulful jazz singers? Mostpeople who heard themwithout seeing them, assumedthey were black. Theirinfluences included gospel,jazz, blues and “race” records.Connie was a fan of earlyblues vocalists Bessie Smith,and especially Mamie Smith––whom she patterned her styleafter. Her other two majorinfluences were a disparatepair: hot-jazzer LouisArmstrong and operatic tenorEnrico Caruso.

The Bozzies’ vocal soundis a curious combination.Martha and Connie werecontraltos, while Vet was amezzo-soprano with anexceptional range. The typicalvocal registers were thrownout the window, because theyhad the uncanny ability toshift parts at will, creatingever-morphing three-dimensional sonic shapes.Martha called this “blending.”Connie referred to it as“passing harmony.” Whateveryou call it, it meant that themelody could continuallymove between the threevoices. The shuffling of parts,the rapid tempo changes, themodulations and continual re-harmonization––indeed risingto the level of re-composition––make thatunmistakable Boswell Sound.Nobody had done music thisway before. Or since.

In a 1965 interview,Connie reflected on the trio’s

sound. She said when peopleheard them for the first time,they couldn’t believe theywere sisters, because “nofamily could have 3 sisterswho could sing like this.” Atthe same time, they HAD tobe sisters, because “no 3voices could possibly blendthis well without being fromthe same family.”

Their father, A.C., aformer Vaudevillian andBarbershop singer, taughtthem a language he called“gibberish.” It’s a zany, word-morphing, pig-Latinish kind

of thing––and the girls lovedit. This “gibberish” shows upin a number of theirrecordings. A variation on“gibberish” is heard on thesecond section of “EverybodyLoves My Baby,” whichfeatures nonsense soundssung at an insanely fasttempo, performed with perfectdiction in astonishinglyprecise 3-part harmony––atypical Bozzie DazzleMoment.

Every time I hear thistrack, a jolt of electricityshoots up my spine. The vocalhistrionics are as energeticallywild as they are highlydisciplined. Connie even“gulls” (a technique ofextreme glottal stops) in themiddle of everything. Hey, ifthis doesn’t get you to sit upand take notice, you’re in amusical coma. The sisterscreated all their ownarrangements, workingcollectively, each sparking offthe other. But just how didthey come up with these

wildly inventive soundcanvasses?

Connie provided someinsight in a 1932 interview:“The method we use is ratherquaint, and I know will amuseyou when you hear about it––we learn our songsbackwards! …That is to say,we start at the end of thechorus and work back to thebeginning. None of ourarrangements are written out.Once we learn a song we

never forget thearrangement.” Onstage,Martha played pianoaccompaniment (and on mostof their recordings). Conniesat next to her on the pianobench and Vet stood behind,resting one hand on eachsister’s shoulder,choreographing the trios’movements.

The fact that thesebeautiful and talented youngwomen become so successfulin a world dominated by men––at a time when women hadonly fairly recently been giventhe right to vote––is testimonyof their sense ofempowerment as females.They went on the road with nochaperones, managed theirown business, and chartedtheir own destinies. TheBozzies were also in control,and responsible for, theirmusical creations. Rare forrecording artists at that time.Their unique musicality,uncanny skill, playful heartsand wistfully “witchy”soulfulness kept them leaguesahead of any competition.

Editor’s Note: PaulChiten is a Los Angeles-basedsongwriter, composer,producer, musician, singerand artist. His songs haveearned him multi-platinumand gold records. Hiscompositions and productionshave won Telly, Aurora andEmmy Awards. He hasworked with MichaelJackson, Anita Baker, TinaTurner, Donna Summer,Cyndi Lauper and countlessothers. This article originallyappeared in the AFM Local424 News, and re-printed withthe permission of the author.

To be continued…

By Marilyn Lester

Vintage Disney:Thirty Years of Original

Music, 1929-1959

From the beginning of sound in film, Walt Disney Studioshas always had an appreciation for the power of music in itswork. The first Mickey Mouse short, 1928’s Steamboat Willie,was also the first Disney cartoon produced with synchronizedsound, featuring the tune, “Turkey in the Straw.” SubsequentMickey Mouse shorts were produced with music, such as “Inthe Shade of the Old Apple Tree,” “St. Louis Blues,” “Runnin’Wild,” “Maple Leaf Rag,” and classical numbers, such as“William Tell Overture” and the quartet from Rigoletto. In1933, Disney commissioned an original song, “Who’s Afraid ofthe Big Bad Wolf?” (Frank Churchill/additional lyrics by AnnRonell) for the short, Three Little Pigs. The tune was a huge hitin the 1930s and is still one of the most recognizable of Disneysongs.

Disney’s initial animatedoutput was centered in

short films, mainly theSilly Symphoniesand Mickey Mouseseries. Thestudio’s firstfeature- lengthanimated picturewas Snow Whiteand the Seven

Dwarfs (1937) —the first-ever film

released with a soundtrackrecording. It was a smash, and a

consistently high-earner for the company. Frank Churchill andLarry Morey composed the songs, producing hits such as“Some Day My Prince Will Come,” “Whistle While You Work”and “Heigh-Ho.” Following the success of Snow White and theSeven Dwarfs, Disney plunged into animated feature films withgusto, making, in quick succession, Pinocchio (1940), Dumbo(1941) and Bambi (1942). Pinocchio featured songs composedby Leigh Harline, with lyrics by Ned Washington. One of themost popular and identifiable songs of all time, the JiminyCricket solo, “When You Wish Upon a Star,” ultimately becamethe theme song of the Walt Disney company.

Dumbo, at 64 minutes in length, was essentially a “quickand dirty” feature made to recoup the financial losses ofDisney’s classically based flop, Fantasia. The musicalnumbers, by Frank Curchill and Ned Washington, aren’t terriblymemorable, yet Dumbo won the 1941 Academy Award forOriginal Music Score and for Best Song (“Baby Mine”).Bambi’s score, composed by Churchill and Edward Plumb, alsoproduced no real hit numbers. It wasn’t until Song of the South

(1946), a live-actionand animated feature,that Disney struck goldagain with a certifiablehit song, “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah” (AllieWurbel/Ray Gilbert),which won the 1947Oscar for Best Song,There are ninenumbers in the film,which were composed,

by different songwriting teams, a first for Disney. The 1950s closed out the classic period of Disney animated

features, with Cinderella (1950), Peter Pan (1953), Lady andthe Tramp (1955) and Sleeping Beauty (1959), each producingmemorable tunes. Songwriters for Cinderella were originallyCharles Walcott and Larry Morey; their output was never used,and instead, songwriters Mack David, Jerry Livingston and AlHoffman wrote the soundtrack songs. Peter Pan underwent asimilar musical trajectory. Frank Churchill wrote several songsfor the proposed film in the early 1940s; Charles Walcott wroteadditional songs in 1941 and Eliot Daniel composed moresongs in 1944. Peter Pan was shelved, and when the studio wasready to resume work on it, none of these original songs wereused. Instead, several different songwriting teams were hired,including Sammy Cahn and Sammy Fain, who wrote, “TheSecond Star to the Right,” “You Can Fly!” and “Your Motherand Mine,” among others. Lady and the Tramp’s songs weremostly (and famously) written by Sonny Burke and Peggy Lee,who performed many of them. Lee voiced Darling, the humanmother, and Si and Am the Siamese cats, as well as Peg, a strayPekinese with aBrooklyn accent.Finally, in SleepingBeauty, the originalcomposer, WalterSchumann, left theproduction due tocreative differences. Hewas replaced by severaltunesmiths: GeorgeBruns, Sammy Fain andJack Lawrence, withWinston Hibler, Tom Adair, Erdman Penna and Ted Searswriting lyrics.

As the animated films of the 1960s and beyond camerolling out of Disney, the studio also began to increase its liveaction feature output. The music continued to flow, adding newtunes to the American Songbook. Mary Poppins not onlyproduced several memorable musical numbers, such as “ASpoonful of Sugar” and “Chim Chim Cheree,” but also usheredin a new era for Disney, with the Sherman Brothers at thesongwriting forefront.

PAGE 6 AMERICAN POPULAR SONG SOCIETY FEBRUARY, 2018

Linda Amiel Burns, APSS President, is celebrating four decades of The SingingExperience. A number of APSS members have taken this workshop, some morethan once. For those of us who have, we can assure you that you’ll feel like apro by the night of the performance. Although many students have never sungin public before, the supportive environment has prepared them well for theirdebut. Call Linda at 212-315-3500 to sign up. The Singing Experience CableTV show continues on MNN Time Warner: Channel 56 or RCN: Channel 111.The program broadcasts are every Sunday at 5:00 PM. You can also see yourfellow NYSMS members on YouTube at any time.

Midday Jazz Midtown continues on Wednesdays (1:00 PM to 2:00 PM) at SaintPeter’s Church (East 54 Street (entrance) @ Lexington Ave), NYC, Hosted byRonny Whyte. Programs: February 7, Harold Mabern-piano; February 21,Danny Bacher – singer/saxophonist, Alan Farnham – piano, Dean Johnson –bass; February 28, Russ Kassoff Big Band, featuring Catherine Dupuis – singer.Suggested donation: $10. Parking: Icon Parking, East 51 St, between Thirdand Lexington Ave. $15 including tax for five hours withva l i da t ion@Sa in tPe te r ’sRecep t ionDesk .www. ronnywhy te .comwww.saintpeters.org/jazz/midtownjazz.htm.

Board member Will Friedwald will present the latest edition of his monthly ClipJoint program at the 92nd Street Y on Friday, February 2 @ 12:00 PM. Ticketsfrom $29. www.92y.org/event/will-friedwald-s-clip-joint.aspx

Message from Steve Ross: I’ve decided to add several Master Class dates tothe schedule: THE SONG IN YOU AND YOU IN THE SONG – an intimate songstudy and performance workshop.– The initial sessions will take place takeplace in my apartment (255 W. 84th St., Apt. 12D) on Saturday Feb. 3 (1-4),Saturday Feb. 10 (1-4), Saturday Feb. 17 (1:30-4:30), Sunday Feb. 18 (1:30-4:30), Saturday Feb. 24 (1:30-4:30), and Sunday Feb. 25 (1:30-4:30). You cansign up for one or indeed more than one if there’s availability. Arrangementsare being handled by my assistant Dena Kaufman denakaufman7@gmail.com917 848 4797.

Steve – I’ll be at the keyboard and shall need in advance the names of the threesongs you’ll be asked to bring with you and their keys if known. To your sessionyou’ll also bring copies of the sheet music as well as three copies of the songs’lyrics typed in a medium-large font, double-spaced. Regarding the song choices– I’m most comfortable with material from the Great American Songbook andBroadway/Off-Broadway but I’m happy to prepare whatever else you might wishto work on. I’m also partial to 60’s and 70’s classics. You might be asked toscan a given song to Dena.

Steve – The songs you bring can be ones you know well and would like to

examine more deeply, songs you’ve always wanted to work on or indeed songyou are working on. Memorization is not required. In any case we shall, as theworkshop’s title suggests, do our best to make sure that the SONG is in YOUand, more importantly, YOU are in the SONG!

Steve – Some further thoughts: This is not a class in vocal instruction. You donot have to be a professional singer to participate but you will have to have abasic knowledge of singing. – The fee is $75 in cash or check made out to SteveRoss to be collected by Dena at the door on the day of. – If you decide to joinin on this musical adventure, please indicate which session(s) you’d like toattend. We all know things can come up so it is requested that a cancellationbe made at least 24 hours before your scheduled session. The atmosphere willbe relaxed and collaborative. I’m eager to make some good music with you!

Paul & Rochelle Chamlin celebrate the release of their new CD The First TenYears. The CD features favorites from their first decade, and then some, ofmaking music together. The release will be marked by a show at the LaurieBeechman Theatre, downstairs at the West Bank Café, on Saturday, February10 @ 2:00 PM. There’s a $20 cover charge and a $20 minimum per person.Discount code: 10YEARS. 407 West 42nd Street, between Ninth & TenthAvenues.

APSS Board member Tom Toce has recorded a studio version of his successfulMAC Award nominated cabaret show Songwriter in the House at theMetropolitan Room last year. The recently released CD is different than Tom’searlier album. It features his singer-songwriter songs and his vocals throughout.Backing Tom are Jon Burr – bass, Sean Harkness – guitar, Justin McEllroy &Peter Millrose – vocals. The CD is available on CD Baby.https://www.cdbaby.com/cd/tomtoce.

Carol J. Binkowski’s new book, Opening Carnegie Hall: The Creation and FirstPerformances of America’s Premier Concert Stage was just published byMcFarland & Co. www.caroljbinkowski.com.

Hilary Kole’s newest CD: The Judy Garland Project (Miranda Music) is now on-sale. The remarkable performer conjures the spirit and beauty of Judy Garlandin stunning arrangements of songs made famous by the legendary singer,including “The Trolley Song,” “The Man That Got Away,” “Over the Rainbow.”

Do you seek an elusive song? If you do, write APSS Board member SandyMarrone @ smusandy@aol.com or call 856-829-6104. You can also visit Sandyin New Jersey to see thousands and thousands of sheets of music, most ofwhich can be yours very reasonably. She is a marvelous resource and a super-great lady! Having heard from only a few of our members over the past yearor so, Sandy wants to remind you that she’s still at it, adding to her collectionevery day, and always willing to part with sheet music at especially fair pricesfor us. Sheet music was the reason we were founded thirty plus years ago, afterall, and she’s only a phone call or e-mail away. Sandy continues to be willing tooffer free appraisals with no expectation of having right of first refusal, and canprovide unbiased advice as to how and where to sell music. It’s not a secret,pass it on please.

Speaking of Sandy Marrone, our congratulations for having been featured in theSeptember 17 edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer, The Region. The profile,Lost in Song: Name That Tune. She Probably Has It, by Kevin Riordan, tracesthe beginning of her 600,000 piece collection to 1975 and a fortuitous stop inan antiques shop. Robert Rawlins, Rowan University music-theory professorsaid “Her collection is amazing. I didn’t think there could be that much musicin one place. There were things I thought I would never find, and she had them.”

Member News...

Send Member News to Osterbergg@aol.com no later than the 15th of each month for the next issue.

If you have any member news, or other items you would like to haveconsidered for this newsletter, please send it by e-mail to the co-editor, Jerry Osterbergg: osterbergg@AOL.com. It will be subject toediting, depending on size and content, and please remember thatwe try to go to press two weeks before each monthly meeting. Weoften get very good items that get to us after the newsletter has beenprinted and mailed.

FEBRUARY, 2018 AMERICAN POPULAR SONG SOCIETY PAGE 7

P.O. Box 5856 • PIKESVILLE, MD 21282

Did you know every issue of this newsletteris in COLOR online at www.APSSinc.org

American PopularSong Society

February10

2018

Contemporary Music of Disney Annimation

Producedby

Michael Lavine&

Tom Toce

February 10, 2018Michael Lavine & Tom Toce

The contemporary music of Disney AnimationMarch 10, 2018

(Cabaret Month) Linda Burns,performance by Sidney Myer

April 14, 2018(Jazz Appreciation Month) Marilyn Lester

New directions in JazzMay 12, 2018

Sandi Durell, Songwriter ShowcaseJune 9, 2018

Richard Skipper on Cabaret and ColeA celebration of Cole Porter on his Birthday

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Starting with The Little Mermaid in 1989, WaltDisney Animation Studios renewed itscommitment to animated feature musical films.With songs by great contemporary songwriters,these movies have attracted hundreds of millionsof new fans around the world. Seven of the songshave won Academy Awards. Michael Lavine andTom Toce will explore the best songs from thesemovies, aided by a cast of great Broadway singers,and show how they’re similar to—and differentfrom—songs from earlier Disney hits.

gets readers thinking about how the music of the period wasshaped by what was happening in society, both prior to andduring, and why it morphed into the music which followed.Rawlins’ music choices parallel the end of a horrible war, anunprecedented boom period, a long and painful depression,and arrival on the edge of another war, far worse than anyonecould have possibly imagined. That’s quite a backdrop.

Our thanks to the producer, Board member Elliott Ames,for bringing the exceptional program to our attention, and to

Robert Rawlins andhis talented band forspending theafternoon with us insuch an engagingpresentation. We’lllook forward tohearing whatProfessor Rawlinshas to say about therest of the 20th

Century.

Twenties... and JazzContinued from page 3