User:Kak500/Vic Schoen

Vic Schoen (born Victor Schoen, March 26, 1916 Brooklyn, NY – January 5, 2000 Corona del Mar, CA) was an American bandleader, arranger, and composer whose career spanned from the 1930s until his death in 2000. He furnished music for some of the greatest names in show business including Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, Count Basie, Tommy Dorsey, Harry James, Les Brown, Woody Herman, Gene Krupa, George Shearing, Jimmie Lunceford, Ray McKinley, Benny Carter, Louis Prima, and his own The Vic Schoen Orchestra.

Schoen arranged and recorded with such luminaries as

.

Schoen wrote TV specials for

Andrews Sisters

.

Early Years

Vic Schoen is one of the very few composer-arrangers who was self-taught. Early in his life, he learned to play

arrangements

at this time by “trial and error.”

Schoen also wrote many of Count Basie’s earlier arrangements in the mid 1930s. He commented on the time when Basie paid him for some of his arrangements: “He owed me some money one night after a gig. I had written several arrangements for him and he paid me one hundred dollars in single dollar bills. I walked out of that Harlem club with the biggest wad of cash in my pocket. I had never been so scared in my life.”

Schoen was also extremely impressed with the sound of the Basie band, “There was quite a large difference in the way that the white bands played versus the black bands. When I would show up to Basie’s rehearsals to hear my arrangements sometimes I didn’t even realize they were playing one of my charts. The unique way they played and phrased was so different than what I was used to hearing.”

The Andrews Sisters

Schoen met the

feel.

Schoen was backstage at a Yiddish Theatre in

producer why Cahn was present. The response was, “We figured that if we put his name down as the lyricist then we’d sell a few more copies.”

After the enormous success of the

was later hired as the lead trumpet player.

When Schoen was auditioning new band members in the late 1930s for his backup band to the Andrews Sisters, he needed a new drummer. Someone had highly recommended a young man who was new in New York City by the name of “Buddy”. Schoen gave the kid a chance at a rehearsal to see if he could play his arrangements. The rehearsal quickly became a disaster after it was obvious that the new drummer could not read music. Schoen was nice enough to meet with the young man afterwards to teach him how to read music. This meeting became very tense and the drummer “ran out of the room.” Schoen later commented that “Buddy Rich was terrified about learning to read music.” Through out his lifelong career as a drummer, Buddy Rich never learned to read music.

Schoen once commented that none of the famous

, with whom they released 47 singles. Patty suggested to Bing that they all should learn how to read music. Bing replied, “What are you crazy? You wanna ruin our careers?”

In the later years, Schoen wanted to add one more

Andrews Sisters

.

Although the

, and the ‘40s were extremely busy years for him.

Schoen scored two

Andrews Sisters

to narrate-sing the storylines.

The concept behind the

vocal groups in later years.

In most melodies, there are moments of space. Schoen cleverly used these areas in the song to add a quick fill in the big band between the phrases that the

music.

After the

’s library and those are lost to this day.)

The partnership between Schoen and the

.

1940s and 1950s

From 1940-57 Schoen lived in Los Angeles and throughout those years was music director in residence for Decca Records, Kapp Records, RCA Records, Liberty Records, and Mainstream Records. He was musical director for Universal Pictures for three years, Paramount Pictures for four years, and was with ABC, NBC, and CBS for eleven years.

He wrote several

’s first American tour and television specials.

where he arranged the song “Count Your Blessings.”

From 1951-54, Schoen arranged and conducted the

Colgate Comedy Hour

in 1954.

He composed and arranged for Danny Kaye’s 1955 movie The Court Jester – a hugely successful musical-comedy. Film composer Elmer Bernstein was hired as the assistant musical director to Schoen for the film. The Court Jester was an enormous challenge for Schoen at the time because it was his first feature film. He was not officially trained on the mechanisms of how music was synchronized to film - he learned on the job. The film also required 100 minutes of music for Schoen to compose and arrange. Sammy Cahn and Sylvia Fine, who was Danny Kaye’s wife, were asked to provide seven songs for the picture. Some pieces in the film (also known as ‘cues’) were very long and required a great deal of hours for Schoen to finesse. One piece that Schoen was most proud of in his career was the chase music he wrote toward the end of the movie when Danny Kaye’s character engages in a sword fight. Schoen wrote a mini piano concerto for this scene.

A pleasant surprise happened during the recording session of the

had told me ‘You have broken all the rules’. At the time I didn’t understand his comment because I had been self-taught. It took me years to figure out what he had meant.”

At the height of his fame in the late 1940s and early 1950s, various producers approached Schoen about making him a “TV personality.” This was unappealing to him, as it meant he would have less time to devote to writing his music. The producers suggested that he hire another

to help speed up the process due to the enormous time constraints and amount of music to write.

In 1956 Schoen became the musical director for

arrangements. Schoen recalled, “Patti was an alto, but I pushed her to reach notes higher than she had sung before for this album. We always enjoyed working together.”

In 1957 Schoen moved to New York to become the musical director for “The Big Record” (1957-58), a variety series on

big bands

of the time performed on this show.”

Throughout the late 1930s and into the 1940s Schoen wrote an enormous number of stock

, and Vic Schoen dominated this field. This was easy for Schoen because of the speed with which he wrote. “These type of arrangements had to be kept simple and easy for the high school bands to play, they were kind of vanilla and safe,” he remarked.

Schoen also composed and arranged music for numerous

(including three world tours).

Stereophonic Suite For Two Bands

The following is from the original liner notes:

“Stereophonic Suite For Two Bands” was first conceived in early 1958 when Vic was musical director for The Big Record TV series. Several bands appeared as guests on The Big Record, but it wasn’t until Les Brown, an old friend, was booked that Vic decided to fulfill a long-term desire to write a work for two bands. It turned out to be the finale of the show, and the mail reaction more than justified the battle Vic had experienced to get as much as six minutes for the production. This initial essay was “Ballet In Brass,” included in this album. Later in the year, Vic wrote the rest of the work but it was many months before Les Brown’s peripatetic band was in New York long enough for the recording to take place. Les, absorbed by the challenge from the beginning, worked hard with Vic in making this set come alive. In fact, Les made his participation in this date a prior condition of his new contract with another label.

The men of both bands were also continuously intrigued at being part of this new experience, instead of wandering outside for a break, they stayed in the studio, listening intently to the playback. Some actually sacrificed more lucrative assignments to be there.

Beginning with “Ballet In Brass,” Vic’s love for antiphonal interplay becomes evident as does his pleasure in building climaxes by using very clear-cut unpretentious patterns. The

band and Jimmy Nottingham of Vic’s.

On “Four Score and Seven,” there are the bass of Arnold Fishkin, flutist Alan Ross, and one of the most tantalizing fades on record.

“109 Station Road” (part of Mr. Schoen’s address in New York) is notable for section cohesion again.

In “The Sorcerer and the Latin,” Vic uses even more variegated colors. The tenor is Boomie Richman with incisive piccolo by Alan Ross. There’s a trombone duel between Chauncey Welsch and Dick Kenney of the Brown band, and an ending during which your wall may seem ablaze with brass.

In “Oh, Those Martian Blues,” the

on the right hand side are represented by Joe Wilder and then by Jimmy Nottingham up high.

On “Pipe Dreams,” note the relaxed, flowing section work. The precision skill of these men – working for the first time in this challenging full-length context – is impressive throughout.

“The Fire and the Flame” includes an alto solo by Sam Marowitz and those legions of brass align again.

“The Strange and Stirring Romance of the Inebriated Owl and the Insubordinate Teacup” underlines the timpani wit of Bobby Rosengarden and Vic’s humour, which has been evident many other times in the work.

“Symphonie Pour L’Orchestre Americain” features the legitimate clarinet of Alan Ross and indicates more of Vic’s diversity approach.

This album, I expect will do a lot toward convincing listeners of just how much more you can hear in stereo. There’s certainly bursting excitement in the monophonic version, but in

, Vic’s conception takes on intensely vivid life and becomes a new recording experience.

As Les Brown said at the end of the date, “This one rates a special award!”

Nat Hentoff, Co-Editor, The Jazz Review

Les Brown and His Band of Renown

• Reeds: Butch Stone, Billy Usselton, Matt Utal, Ralph La Polla, Abe Aaron
• Trumpets: Mickey McMahon, Wes Hensel, Dick Collins, Jerry Kadovitz
• Trombones: Stumpy Brown, J. Hill, Roy Main, Dick Kenney

Vic Schoen and His All Star Band

• Reeds: Boomie Richman, Alan Ross, Sam Marowitz, Charlie O’Kane, Leon Cohen
• Trumpets: Bernie Privin, Joe Wilder, Jimmy Maxwell, Jimmy Nottingham
• Trombones: Charlie Small, Chauncey Welsch, Tommy Mitchell

Rhythm Section for Both Bands

• Piano: Don Trenner – Bass: Arnie Fishkin – Drums: Sol Gubin – Guitar: Art Reyson – Percussion: Bobby Rosengarden

Recording Studio: Ballroom Studio of Fine Recording, New York Recording Dates: February 23-24, 1959 Producer: Michael Kapp Engineer: C.R. Fine

Schoen had a relationship with

.

Schoen’s concept for the album was to demonstrate the exciting “ping pong effect” of

’s band would play a musical idea on the left, and his own band would respond on the right, either answering the idea or introducing a whole new idea (and vice-versa). So innovative and exciting was this project that some of the musicians turned down an offer to play on another, better-paying recording just a few miles away.

After the release of “Stereophonic Suite For Two Bands,” the album quickly became sold out in a particular store in Los Angeles that Dragnet actor Jack Webb could not find a copy. Webb called Schoen on the phone asking how he could receive a copy. Schoen mailed him one.

, NY.

For many years after the release of “Stereophonic Suite For Two Bands,” Les Brown tried on many occasions to persuade Schoen to compose more music for a second album. Schoen finally agreed in the mid-1990s, and new music was premiered at a concert in southern California.

Of the nine pieces on the 1959 album, the original scores and parts currently exist for only five, the reason being that Schoen would let many people borrow his music over the years, which he sometimes never received back. The album was re-issued on LP four times, sometimes even without Schoen’s knowledge. “I was surprised to see it in the record store with a new cover every time they would re-issue it,” he remarked. “Stereophonic Suite For Two Bands” was by far one of Schoen’s most successful and famous yet fulfilling recording endeavors.

The 1960s

Schoen struggled with alcoholism and other demons, and found it increasingly difficult to get jobs in the studio world (even selling some rights to his work in order to survive). He finally quit drinking in the mid 1960s and joined Alcoholics Anonymous.

When the technology of diamond groove records was invented Schoen was commissioned to write arrangements for “Brass Laced With Strings” (RCA, 1961), which was the very fist album that employed this technology.

In 1962 Schoen served as music director for the Andy Williams TV Show and the Pat Boone TV Show.

In 1966, he composed for

television series and commented that he had “received royalty checks for many years from countries he had never even heard of.”

Although his work slowed down, he still continued to compose and arrange. Schoen arranged two “space age-lounge” albums for Bobby Shad’s Mainstream label, “Corcovado Trumpets” and “Girls with Brass,” which were not as commercially successful as his earlier work from the 1950s.

From 1965-78 Schoen served as the musical director for Laguna Beach’s Pageant of the Masters, an annual production in which famous works of art are recreated in live tableaux. One show was based on the works of Norman Rockwell. Schoen commented that he greatly enjoyed composing music to accompany his paintings.

The 1970s-Later years

In the 1970s Schoen composed a four movement piano concerto entitled The Journey. He wrote the music to serve as a veritable musical journey around the world. Only a recording exists. The music is lost because Schoen thought the work would never be performed again - he tossed the score.

Although he was both an

.

After establishing himself in Seattle, he arranged and conducted the annual Evening of Pops show in 1982. This was a fundraiser for the drug rehab center Residence XII. In 1983 he arranged and conducted The Most Happy Fella for the Seattle Civic Light Opera. Schoen arranged music for Glenn Miller Remembered, a PBS production video taped in Seattle, 1984, starring Tex Beneke and Marion Hutton. A year later a television interview was aired on Schoen discussing his affiliation with Glenn Miller.

In 1984 Schoen composed “Ballet In Brass II” for two jazz band as well as “Suite For Two Jazz Bands and Concert Piano.” The works were premiered at the

.

In 1985, Schoen composed music for a

.

Patti Page and Vic Schoen reunited for a 1986 stage show in Las Vegas.

Schoen was asked by Nico Snel (conductor of the Seattle Philharmonic and Port Angeles Symphony) to write many arrangements for his pops concerts. In 1987 he wrote an arrangement for the Seattle Philharmonic combining the famous Claude Debussy piano piece Clair de Lune with Jerome Kern’s Smoke Gets In Your Eyes. He called the piece Smoky Lune.

In 1988 Schoen and

reunited. Schoen arranged music for her stage show that was performed nationally and abroad.

In 1989 the Seattle Philharmonic commissioned Schoen for an orchestral work to celebrate the centennial of the state of Washington. His work “Centennial” was premiered with the Seattle Philharmonic and pianist Joel Salsman. The piece was composed in a rhapsodic style for piano and orchestra. Schoen also re-orchestrated the work for the Tacoma Concert Band.

In 1990 he wrote an evening’s worth of jazz arrangements for the Seattle Philharmonic and a full big band to perform at the same time.

During his Seattle years Schoen wrote programs and fundraisers for the

.

After Schoen’s wife

ASMAC

meetings.

In 1999, Schoen reunited with Patti Page to record a CD for a Chinese label.

Although his gigs were less frequent, Schoen never fully retired from music. “His music would never leave him alone to do that,” remarked his fourth wife, Sally-Jan. He was proud of his ability to work in a wide variety of styles and joked that he could “write big band falling out of bed.”

Private Life

Schoen was married four times:

• Yvette Agnes Gowdy (1943-48)
  • One son: David Schoen (b. June 20, 1944) http://www.davidschoen.com
• Kay Starr (1953)
• Marion Hutton (1954-87)
• Sally-Jan Calbeck (1988-2000)

In the 1960s, Vic Schoen’s closest personal friends were Pete Rugolo and Milton Berle. They spent a great deal of time together going to many parties and enjoying the social scene in Los Angeles.

Trivia

Vic Schoen is one of the very few composer-arrangers in history who was self-taught.

His publishing company was Grand Banque Publications.

Schoen met George Gershwin at a party in New York in the mid 1930s.

Schoen met the

.

He arranged Ella Fitzgerald’s famous hit tune “Flyin’ Home.”

Schoen arranged Allegheny Moon and Old Cape Cod for Patti Page in 1956.

Schoen arranged I’ve Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts for Danny Kaye.

Schoen arranged the song “Moonlight Becomes You” for Bing Crosby in the 1942 movie Road To Morocco

Arthur Fiedler from the Boston Pops commissioned Schoen for two arrangements of Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy and Undecided. Schoen’s impression, along with many others at the time, was that Fiedler was “very feisty”.

One of Schoen’s favorite composers was

. Schoen had written so many arrangements through out his life that he felt it was too much of a chore to store them - he had thrown out or lost almost all of the music he had written. He mentioned that after moving from country to country, coast to coast, it was too big of a job to lug the massive amount of music he had written. He once had a flood in his garage that ruined a huge amount of his library. Often, after a concert was over, Schoen would dispose of the scores and parts (he felt the music would never be played again). In his later years, however, he made more of an effort to hold on to his scores and albums. He began to search record stores and different venues to find his arrangements and recordings.

When Schoen was musical director for a very big production in New York he asked the trumpet section from the Tommy Dorsey band to perform in his show for the week. The only trumpet player that he didn’t need, after all the spots were filled, was a young Doc Severinsen “Doc was so disappointed, I don’t think he ever wanted to speak with me again after that,” Schoen had remarked.

Schoen met an avid fan during one of his European tours with Danny Kaye. The young man had been biking all over Europe following the tour and attending each show. Schoen was so impressed with this fan’s dedication and knowledge of his work that he asked the man if he wanted to ride on the train with him and Kaye for the remainder of the tour. The fan enthusiastically accepted.

Schoen arranged music for an album that was released on Decca called “Music For A Rainy Night”. Johnny Green was so upset about Schoen’s arrangement of his 1933 song I Cover the Waterfront (which appeared on the album) that he never spoke with Schoen again. Green felt that the arrangement was a disgrace to his song.

Schoen mentioned that singer-actor Danny Kaye despised drinking. Sometimes Kaye would throw parties and not even show up to his own party. All of the biggest names in Hollywood would attend. During his parties Kaye would sometimes lock himself in his bedroom and later in the evening would come out and talk to a few people and then go right back into his bedroom. Schoen said, “He was an amazing talent, yet he was very insecure. Danny thought that his career would be over next week, if not, then next month. One time when he came out of his bedroom, Danny noticed that Humphrey Bogart had shown up to his party completely drunk. Danny went over to him, picked him up, and threw him out the front door of his house. Bogart fell backwards and landed on the pavement. The entire room was astonished.”

From 1951-54 Schoen was the musical director of the Dinah Shore Show. During a live broadcast of the show, he showed up 20 minutes late. Two of the show’s producers greeted him backstage as he arrived. The first producer greeted him at the door, nodded, and said “Mr. Schoen.” The second producer also nodded and said, “Mr. Schoen.” After a brief pause the first producer said, “That’s going to be $22,000 off of your salary.” After that, Schoen remarked that he was never late for anything ever again.

One of Schoen’s background singers in the Dinah Shore Show was a young woman by the name of Virginia “Ginny” O’Connor. Schoen recalled, “A young Henry Mancini was pursuing her at the time. He used to hang out backstage waiting for her.”

In 1991 Dinah Shore was asked about working with Vic Schoen on her television show, she commented, “I was very lucky to have him as my musical director during those years. He was one of the most sought after arrangers of the time.”

One of Schoen’s favorite singers to work with was Patti Page. She and Schoen had remained close friends and spoke regularly until his death.

Schoen struggled with

by recounting his anecdotes, funny stories, and life lessons he had learned throughout the years.

Schoen decided in the 1960s (after the public’s musical tastes had changed) that he would like to start teaching at USC in Los Angeles. The school would not let him teach music unless he held a bachelor’s degree. He started taking classes at USC in order to obtain the necessary degree, but he later remarked, “I only lasted a few months at the school, it wasn’t for me.”

In the 1960s Schoen was working on a show in

to guarantee the best medical attention.

Kapp Records approached Schoen about a new album called “The Sound of Top Brass: The Peter London Orchestra.” Michael Kapp had felt that Vic Schoen’s name was so ubiquitous in the public by the early 1960s that they decided to create “Peter London,” - Schoen’s pseudonym.

Lyricist Johnny Mercer was a fan of Schoen’s work. Schoen commented, “During a rehearsal of a musical he liked to come and sit next to me in the orchestra pit as I conducted and listen to the orchestra right up close. We talked about writing songs together but we never got around to doing it.”

Vic Schoen had an incredible

and I sat there writing as they were banging the hammers right next to me re-building the set.”

Schoen’s second and third wives were big band singers

alcoholics

and addicts.

In the late 1980s Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. were performing in a traveling show. Upon arriving in Seattle, Sinatra heard that Schoen and Marion Hutton were living in Seattle, and invited them to socialize on the bus after the concert.

In the 1980s Schoen commented on the current music of the day, “I don’t understand how these rock stars take two years to come out with a record. In the 40s we did an album every week.”

In the early 1990s Schoen was asked to arrange and conduct music for one of George Shearing’s concerts. Shearing was a blind jazz pianist. There was a fermata in the middle of an arrangement where Shearing played a small cadenza. Schoen said to Shearing, “After you finish, I’ll look over and nod, then we’ll continue.” After a brief pause Shearing said, “Actually, why don’t I nod.”

Schoen met film composer John Williams backstage at a concert in Los Angeles in the 1990s, and Williams commented to him, “I was a big fan of your music when I was a kid.”

Schoen was a member of

agreed to be Schoen’s sponsors.

Vic Schoen’s only protégé is Los Angeles composer-arranger Kevin Kaska http://www.kevinkaska.com

Vic Schoen’s only son, David Schoen (b.1944), is an accomplished photographer http://www.davidschoen.com

Quotes

“Don’t be afraid to make a mistake, there’s a reason why they put erasers on the end of pencils.”

“On Monday and Tuesday you do the interviews for the media that make you seem like a big star. On Thursday you take out the trash.”

“There’s no need to keep your anger about someone, it does you more damage than them.”

“I can write big band falling out of bed.”

Salary

Was paid $4,000 a week in 1942 to work on the Road to Morocco as an arranger. He bought a house in cash for $90,000.

Schoen once commented that in the 1960s he paid over $80,000 in income tax.

Famous Song

For Dancers Only

Recordings

• Music for a Rainy Night, Decca DL8081
• A Letter to Laura, Decca DL8132
• Great Songs from All Over the World, Kapp K-1097-S
• Brass Laced with Strings, RCA Stereo Action LSA-2344
• Stereophonic Suite For Two Bands (later re-issue: Impact! Band Meets Band), Kapp KRL-4504
• A Swingers Holiday, Liberty LST-7018
• Corcovado Trumpets, Mainstream 56036-S/6036
• Girls with Brass, Mainstream MMS 705