Open Microphone

New Zealand Listener, Volume 34, Issue 869, 29 March 1956, Page 18

Open Microphone

— "--- NEWS OF BROADCASTERS ON AND OFF THE RECORD

O a travel agent or an ordinary card-carrying taxpayer, the recent experience of Gerald Knight, Director of the Royal School of Church Music, must seem like a dream. Three months out from England, he has visited eight Asian countries and Australia, and after a month in New Zealand and anether three months in Australia goes

home by way of San Francisco and Canada. On no account could his trip be called a holiday, however, he told us. Days and nights seemed to be too short for all the addresses he had to give to both lay and church groups, organ and choir practices and recitals, broadcasts and Press interviews. About 4800 choirs through the Commonwealth are affiliated to the Royal School of Church Music, and new choirs are joining at the rate of about 500 annually. The School trains organists and choirmasters to a very high standard, and there is a very select band of only 24 diploma holders who

are Fellows of the Schools Organ and Choir Training School. Mr. Knight himself has seen many great ecclesiastical ceremonies, including the Coronation, where he was responsible for organising the invitations to choirs and their seating arrangements. As honorary organist to the Archbishop of Canterbury he will play on the beautiful organ in the recently re-opened Lambeth Palace chapel on such occasions as the consecration of bishops.

"In New Zealand,’ said Mr. Knight, "I’ve noticed that you haven't enough qualified organists, and that though some of the pipe-work of you. organs is of good quality, the mechanisms need bringing up to date. You suffer through not having enough men in your choirs, and the small numbers of boys, too, tend to discourage what boys there are, as the women’s voices are too powerful." Gerald Knight will be heard from YC stations on April 3 in an organ recital, and from 1YA, 2YC, 3YA, and 4YC on April 8 in a half-hour rehearsal of a Dunedin choir for a service. +

A WOMAN TO WOMEN

"|; ARANAKI listeners to the newlyextended Women’s Session have become familiar, since the beginning of February, with the voice and happy personality of Betty Loe. "I was born at a small place called Ward, and spent

| the first 24 years of my life in true _ country fashion on a sheep farm doing odd jobs about the place, brewing, | baking and the like," Betty wrote, when | we asked her to tell her. story. "Had a

bit of fun with local dramatics and musical groups, reciting and singing with gay abandon in

various places for the sheer heck of it. Forgot to mention three years spent at boarding school (St. Mary’s) in beautiful Wellington. In 1951 I had my first taste of the big, wild world when I spent 12 months in England, Ireland and other spots about Europe. "When I returned I decided I'd like to have a lash at N.Z. radio, and joined the NZBS at the beginning of 1953 in the Engineering Section .. . then replaced the Transcription Officer at 2ZB. I began my public broadcasting career with Miria at 2ZB, where I was generai stand-in for anyone who took sick. Then I moved to 3ZB, and did a few sessions there before coming to 2XP. My hobbies? Singing, when I get the chance (which is generally in the bath, as few people would stand it anywhere else), and drama." i

FIVE MEN AND A GIRL

PS ANYBODY who can spell the word "jazz" knows about Daniel Lovis "Satchmo" Armstrong. So those who listened to Louis at the Crescendo with the All Stars (as recorded and played

over the NZBS) won’t need briefing on Satchmo himself. They may, however, like. to know something of some lesser stars on the disc. These five men and a girl have been part of the Armstrong act for some years. Barney Bigard, clarinet, rose to international fame with Duke Ellington's

orchestra. from 1928 to 1942. He spent two years with Freddie Slack, then led his own combo

and played with Kid Ory until 1946, when he joined Armstrong. He has won three Silver Awards in the Esquire polls and played with Louis at the Metro-

politan Opera House in 1944. James "Trummy" . Young, trombonist, has been with Ear! Hines, Jimmie Lunceford and Charlie Barnet. The youngest member is the bassist Arvell Shaw (born in 1923), who worked the river boats with the legendary Fate

Marable. He served. = -~-O in the Navy, 1942-45, and then spent some years in and out of Armstrong's bands and combos. He distinguished himself by taking time out in 1950 to study harmony and composition at the Conservatory in Geneva, Switzerland, under the G.I. Bill. Velma Middleton is the singer in the All Stars, Billy Kyle (ex-soloist in the memorable John Kirby sextet from 1938 to 1942) is pianist, while on the drums is Barrett Deems, featured for six years with Joe Venuti’s orchestra. ~*~

YN the trail of information’ about the children’s film screenings we wrote up recently, we asked for help from Dennis Garrett, secretary of the Child-

ren’s Film Committee, and one of Wellington’s keenest film enthusiasts. Thirty years old, Mr, Garrett was President of the Wellington Film Society from 1952 to 1955, and this year was elected Presi(continued on next page)

(continued from previous* page) dent of the New Zealand Film Institute. What is more to the point, he has been one of 2YA’s regular film reviewers for the past three years (he will be heard in Film Review on April 5), and has also taken part.in broadcast discussions on the cinema. With so Many activities on his. plate, in addition to his regular job as Assistant. Editor of the Public Service Journal, he confesses that he finds it very difficult to make time to go to the pictures! "My taste in films is, I suppose, a little odd," he says. "I put that down to the fact that the first film I remember seeing was the Marx Brothers in Monkey Business. Nowadays TI just like my pictures good, whatever type they are." From the reviewer’s point of view, Mr. Garrett: explained, that made the situation rather difficult: he felt it was unfair to read other critics’ opinions be-

fore he saw a film himself, but with limited reviewing time some guidance about what to see-or, more important, what not to see-was necessary. "With British and European films I usually regard the director's name as a fair guide," he said, "but with American films I find that the producer is generally the important man." As 2YA’s Film Review is a monthly session, Mr. Garrett tries to cover mainly films still showing at the end of the month. Talk of films shown earlier in the month would, he considers, be of interest only to the academic filmgoer, and besides he finds that Wellington release dates are often well behind | of other centres. "All this amounts to. a plea for fortnightly rather than monthly film reviews," he added, "but, on the whole, radio film reviewers are well treated."