Klarinet Archive - Posting 000541.txt from 1995/09

From: Josias Associates <josassoc@-----.COM>
Subj: Re: Raymond Scott
Date: Tue, 26 Sep 1995 21:48:20 -0400

Wow! Raymond Scott, there's a name from the past. I listened to
his recordings on the radio when I was an indigent student in the 1940s.
I was crazy about his stuff, but not yet smart enough to invest my limited
resources in his recordings. Although he may have made something of a
name for himself in cartoon music (I heard a Fritz Stallings CD a few
months ago) the things I remembered so well about Scott were his straight
orchestral or dance-band recordings, which had unique and unpredictable
harmonic and melodic twists.

I am astounded to learn from Prof. Faria's message that Scott
never wrote any of his compositions down. Incredible! Still, some of his
music was at the top of the 1940s Hit Parade and was played by many dance
bands of the day. I guess the distinction was that noone played his
particular arrangements because they probably only existed in his head.

I have two recollections about Scott, which I hope some Scott
afficionado on the Klarinet network will verify or correct. The first
was that one of the top tunes during the height of his popularity was a
composition of his entitled, "Little Old Lady Walking By." It sounded
as though it could have been written by Mozart and it could have been
played in an 18th-century drawing room. I hummed it so much at the time
that I still remember the tune. In retrospect, while I knew who Scott was
at that time, I'm not sure I knew who Mozart was.

The second recollection was that Scott had a very famous brother
whose last name wasn't Scott, but I can't remember whether he was a
musician, actor, playwright, bank robber, or what. Does anybody remember?

Thanks for the information on the CD. I plan to get it.

Connie

Conrad Josias
La Canada, California