http://www.archive.org/movies/details-db.php?collection=prelinger&collectionid=SoundieF

From there just click your choice of streaming video or save it in any size you want. But do yourself a favor and watch it. It's an almost all-girl vibraphone band from the 20's, but they have the best bass player I have ever seen. The ease and grace with which he plays the bass is a thing of beauty. Check it out...then thank me.

My sound card isn't working, and I won't have one working until next week. I can't wait to hear the thing.

What does stand out to me, though, are a couple of things. Either everybody there is left-handed or someone managed to get the film in the projector upside down. Also, there is only one vibraphone on stage, what looks like an old Deagan set. All the other mallet instruments are marimbas. I've never seen a left-handed set of marimbas or vibes -- and these all appear left-handed.

I don't know what the bass players sounds like, but he definitely needs a sedative.

An amazing short by an "orchestra" of vibraphone players.

Some viewers have noted that this film seems to be a mirror image of how things are supposed to be. This is because original Soundie films were printed backwards so that they could appear correct when played in the Panoram machine (an early film jukebox).

From the site. That explains the "left handed" thing.

The Mpeg4 won't play, so I'm downloading the 68mb one. I'll watch it in the morning, 'cause I HAVE to go to bed now (I just finished a summative essay for english that was due last week -- nasty.)

Ray, with that bass player you're going to nitpick about the vibes? BTW, I don't know that a soundcard is necessary to enjoy the clip, although the sound does make it more fun. But just look at the guy...you don't need sound to know he's the greatest bassist who ever lived!

Mmmm.

Clearly I need to bring more animation to my own playing.

On the other hand, maybe I want to get through a gig without a heart attack...

This video reminds that it's REALLY good I stopped smoking rocks!

I'm having trouble getting this download......I have MSN Dial up, and all the downloading goodies. I keep getting a Failed Connection notice on this. I'm dyin' to see this....any suggestions? I've never had this happen before. :bawl:

I'm having trouble getting this download......I have MSN Dial up, and all the downloading goodies. I keep getting a Failed Connection notice on this. I'm dyin' to see this....any suggestions? I've never had this happen before. :bawl:

It's a bit finicky on their end - I tried the MP4 version of the clip and it worked - try that one

Wow, that guy is ahead of his time..... at headbadnging of course!

that was amazing, im inspired :hyper:

Yeah. Very impressive! I'm going to have to seriously rethink my technique after watching that.

YES!!!!
That ranks right up there with the bass pictures in my bathroom.
What a sense of balance....When he holds both arms in the air at the same time, the bass balances right out there on the end-pin. I wonder if that's the EGG-Pin or just one of them Rabbath style hand-bent ones OR what? If he hadn't moved the bass and his own-self down in front, ((where the bass player belongs, by the way) I was figuring he'd taken off the crutch tip and pounded the sharp shaft right into the stage!! :cool:

It was grainy, but to me it looked like he had a sharp point on the end. And I think it balanced when he wasn't touching it because he was bracing it a little with his body, and he didn't take his hands off it long enough to lose balance. You will notice that when he does the whole notes right before he takes it down to the front that it started to fall backwards. So he's definitely not propping it up with anything or jamming the point into the floor. What he should have done is what Lucille Ball did in that episode of I Love Lucy where she pretends to be a bass player and has a bass with a plunger for an endpin and plops it hard on the stage and the plunger sticks there.

Just a thought...are we actually having an intellectual discussion over this guy's technique?

With all the chicks in that band, I think I got a hunch what he's holding up the bass with.

The Supporting Member...?

YOU TWO ARE DISGUSTING!

I do love ya!

Yes, with all the chicks in that band, maybe he can't believe his own luck. That could make a guy a little frantic after all.

Maybe he just has Tourette's............

I'll show it to my percussionist child who thinks only drum set is cool and mallets are boring.

That's a good idea, EJDad. Maybe he'll get interested in playing maracas.

I had to bring this up because Memphisevil on www.rockabilly.com just found out about this guy on bass! So credit for this goes to him:

Reviewer: CyndyM18 - - May 28, 2005
Subject: My mother a Marima Queen

I never thought I would see my mother on the internet. She was one of Reg Kehoe's Marimba Queens. In the movie clip she is to Reg's far right. I have many wonderful memories of the band and traveled with them often as a young girl. What a fantastic way to share this wonderful band of the past. Please feel free to email me for more information about the band.

Reg is playing the marimba and skips up to an electric vibraphone. Frank Denunzio plays the base, and yes the clip is a mirror immage, my mother usually was on the far left and may be the one referred to as rolling her eyes so show how much fun this was. My mother loved to play in this band. The woman next to the maraca player is Reg's wife. A few of the Marimba Queens are still living. The Kehoe Band opened and closed the Hershey Park season in PA for many years and was something I looked forward to each year. This clip was titled "A Study in Brown" and was played before a movie. I don't remember the name of the movie. My mother played with the band from about 1938 until 1955. She also did stand up comedy and a 'contortionist' doing an acrobatic act. I am delighted that people can still enjoy this great band of days gone by.

See the link in the very first post in this thread to see Frank in action!

That's the best video clip I have ever seen.

I love it when everybody stops so he can slap his ass. That's great.

I wonder if Frank's still alive?
Thanks, Jimmy.

Whoops...I just noticed I gave the wrong website...it was www.rockabillybass.com.

I wonder if Frank's still alive?
Thanks, Jimmy.



No, Frank died last Valentine's Day.


http://www.legacy.com/pennlive/LegacyHome.asp?CalendarDate=&LastName=dinunzio&Page=FullText

Dang, he never got to share in his internet glory. He probably would have dug these discussions about him.

I see in the obit link that Bosun provided, that Frank worked with the great and crazy Joe Venuti....
What a pair they must have been....

I see in the obit link that Bosun provided, that Frank worked with the great and crazy Joe Venuti....
What a pair they must have been....

Wonder if he was one of the 50 or so bass players left standing on the corner. . . .

whatever that bass player's on should be strictly controlled !

but, honestly, it sounds like there are a lot more bass notes than I can see him playing, especially at the beginning. It looks like in a lot of places there are at least two quarter notes when neither of his hands are anywhere near the bass. what's going on, is this for real or a jazz-age Milli Vanilli?

later, when he's down in front, it seems like he is really playing all or most of the bass notes that I hear. but whassup with that left hand thing? is that like a bass equivalent of a drum roll?

anyway, its way fun, that's for sure

Wonder if he was one of the 50 or so bass players left standing on the corner. . . .

Hey Ike, I wonder if anybody ever posted those Joe Venuti stories on TBDB? Besides the one you mentioned ...My favorite, the Trigger story?

Any of you guys ever heard the Joe Venuti stories??

Hey Ike, I wonder if anybody ever posted those Joe Venuti stories on TBDB? Besides the one you mentioned ...My favorite, the Trigger story?

Any of you guys ever heard the Joe Venuti stories??
I've got a book somewhere with a bunch of those in it. I'll have to break that out and share.

Ike

Paul, I know I've seen those Venuti stories somewhere on the web, including "Trigger".....I bet a simple google search would turn 'em up. Of course, most of them, I heard from Buono. What would we do without that cat and his tales?

Paul, I know I've seen those Venuti stories somewhere on the web, including "Trigger".....I bet a simple google search would turn 'em up. Of course, most of them, I heard from Buono. What would we do without that cat and his tales?

Off topic, of course, but just a little taste for the cats...
Joe Venuti was one of the great jazz violinists. He was known for his practical jokes.
One of the best known, was the time Joe was working in the pit orchestra at the Apollo Theatre in NYC. This was during a Saturday kiddie matinee. Appearing was the Roy Rogers Show wth the wonder horse Trigger. Roy's entrance was to ride Trigger out stage center, and turn to the audience, rearing Trigger up, while pawing the air with Roy waving his hat.
So, before making this entrance....picture this.....Joe Venuti is standing backstage, with his fiddle in one hand, and his bow in the other. Roy is sitting on trigger, waiting to be introduced....Joe, is standing, looking up, talking to Roy astride Trigger....while using his bow to play with...you guessed it kids....Trigger's ah...ah....privates, causing a HUGE horse erection.
The rest is, of course, very visual. When Roy turns Trig to the, mainly kids and mothers type audience and rears him up to give a great view of dripping, throbbing...........Trigger.

Off topic, of course, but just a little taste for the cats...
Voe Venuti was one of the great jazz violinists. He was known for his practical jokes.
One of the best known, was the time Joe was working in the pit orchestra at the Apollo Theatre in NYC. This was during a Saturday kiddie matinee. Appearing was the Roy Rogers Show wth the wonder horse Trigger. Roy's entrance was to ride Trigger out stage center, and turn to the audience, rearing Trigger up, while pawing the air with Roy waving his hat.
So, before making this entrance....picture this.....Joe Venuti is standing backstage, with his fiddle in one hand, and his bow in the other. Roy is sitting on trigger, waiting to be introduced....Joe, is standing, looking up, talking to Roy astride Trigger....while using his bow to play with...you guessed it kids....Trigger's ah...ah....privates, causing a HUGE horse erection.
The rest is, of course, very visual. When Roy turns Trig to the, mainly kids and mothers type audience and rears him up to give a great view of dripping, throbbing...........Trigger.

:D

That's a hot story! Mmmm...horses...

Um, but I digress.

http://www.archive.org/movies/details-db.php?collection=prelinger&collectionid=SoundieF

From there just click your choice of streaming video or save it in any size you want. But do yourself a favor and watch it. It's an almost all-girl vibraphone band from the 20's, but they have the best bass player I have ever seen. The ease and grace with which he plays the bass is a thing of beauty. Check it out...then thank me.

Here we go!

I need to go home and rethink my life.

Enough about excite equines-

watched the video that started this thread- wow- look at that guy go! I never knew that playing DB was a cardiovascular activity! I wonder if Angus Young ever saw this gig?