Open Microphone

New Zealand Listener, Volume 26, Issue 663, 21 March 1952, Page 24

Open Microphone

NEWS OF BROADCASTERS, ON AND OFF THE RECORD.

By

Swarf

6 po CHEESMAN, of (he came aa Christchurch originally), 1 well known to listeners as an exponent of both serious and popular music. He began as a pianist in

cinema orchestras-~ when cinemas had orchestras-and has. been connected with many branches of music from pianoaccordion playing to orchestra conducting. During the war he was musical director of the Kiwi

Concert Party in the Pacific, and he has toured New Zealand with several prominent artists, the most recent of whom was Stanley Holloway. In 1950 he was awarded a bursary to continue his studies in England, specialising in. conducting and arranging. Mr. Cheesman now conducts the Auckland Studio Orchestra heard from 1YA.on Tuesday nights.

JAZZ STYLIST

* By af [Ts 12 or 13 years since Ray Harris (Wellington pianist) made his first broadcasts in The Stars of Tomorrow programmes at 2ZB. He began "tinkering at the piano," as he puts it, at the age of five. Until he became ‘in-

terested in the jazz stylist Johnny Guarnieri he played only classical items, but later his interest spread

| to the work of such exponents as Art | Tatum, Nat Cole, Fats Waller, Count Basie and Earl Hines. Today, after | playing jazz for several years, he has added George Shearing, Andre Previn, Buddy Cole and Cy Walter to his fav- | ourites. For his own jazz programmes Ray Harris gets many an idea from ee collection of 1300 recordings, but | he is still heard in music by Debussy, |Schumann, Rachmaninoff, | Moeran, parties and Schubert. Recently at 2YA | ae presented a series of six programmes 'accompanying John McDonald in Irish songs, and later this year he will be heard at 2YA again in a popular series with guitar, drums, bass and a vocalist. Ask Ray Harris if he has any special preferences and the reply will be, "I thimk I can say quite truthfully that I like all music, classical or jazz, provided it’s good." eRe | Ps *

BEARD, PIANO, AND VOCALIST

RECENTLY acquired ginger-black beard of popular piratical design is causing some comment among fellow musicians of Auckland’s Crombie Mur-

doch. And as long -as it is not allowed to intervene between his fingers and the key-

board jazz lovers won't mind, for as a | modern jazz pianist Murdoch is

weli up among iNew Zealand’s best, exploiting a relaxed style and good technique. Murdoch has become familiar to Auckland listeners as pianist with several — well known dance bands, and has led his own band. This Satur-

day (March 22), however, in Design for Piano, he will make his first 1YA broadcast as the leader of a small group featuring his piano, and with him as vocalist will be Pat McMinn. Crombie, born in Invercargill, renounced the Deep South for the Far North, attended Auckland University College, and took part of his Mus.Bac. His interest in classical music is still very much alive

and he has composed some piano pieces. Pat McMinn needs no introduction as a vocalist. It may be less well known that she holds 15 championships for Highland Dancing, plus about 60 cuvs and 200 medals. ‘T’ve retired. etacefully over the last four years," she said the other day, "but if you’d care for a job — polishing __ silverware ..." Her hobby is raising pedigree cocker spaniels, some of which have ‘collected prizes at kennel club shows.

EMANCIPATOR

Fe Pe * "T REGARD the safety bicycle as the prime emancipator of women. Smoking, dancing unchaperoned with young men, two-piece bathing dresses, equal education with men, even the vote itself, are the only signs of an emancipa-

tion achieved; it was the bicycle which won the first battle.

Honour those brave pioneers who put on breeches and a -kind of elongated sports jacket which came down as far as the knee and, regardless of the jeers of small boys, rode along. the King’s Highway, their faces grim with desperate determination not to feel self-con-scious, their hands clutching tightly the

wide, wavy handlebars. They had to don masculine attire because there were no ladies’ bicycles yet."--Compton Macken-

zie talking about the emancipation of women in the BBC programme "Woman's Hour."

}!5 easy style and the pleasant melodies he introduces by way of illustration have brought T. J. Young a large following of adult as well as child listeners to his Schools Broadcasts Singing Classes. Mr. Young, who is

lecturer in Music at the Wellington Teachers’ Training College, has conducted these classes since 1937. In 1950-51 he. spent 13 months in England, Europe and America, studying school music in its various forms-among other things — and he returned to New Zealand with no change in his belief that children tend to learn more rapidly from other children’s than from the adults’ voices which are used in the BBC’s "Singing Together’ programmes. The Broadps to Schools resumed on March ---

ADIO’S "bad man,’ Guy Dolman (he’s: Dumetrius in Dossier on Dumetrius, now playing at 2ZA, 2XG and 2XN), started his radio career as an announcer at 3ZB, Christchurch. Thinking a visit to England would help his acting career he decided to make the trip, stopped in Australia, and has been there ever since. He has also done a considerable amount of film work, which he finds particularly interesting, for it gives him a chance to study producing and direction. Guy Dolman now has star roles in a number of Australian radio serials.