For those who regularly roam YouTube, you've probably come across audio and video clips of a 1950s TV show called Stars of Jazz. Of all the TV jazz show, it was easily the most relaxed and hippest. Beyond the title, you probably know that singer-songwriter and composer Bobby Troup was the show's host. And that's likely all you know.
Fortunately, James Harrod, a writer and researcher who specializes in West Coast jazz, has just published Stars of Jazz: A Complete History of the Innovative Television Series, 1956-1958 (McFarland), a super book on the show's evolution and an episode-by-episode listing (go here).
I recently had a chance to pepper Jim (above) with questions about the dramatically lit TV series. Here's our JazzWax conversation:
JazzWax: What was Stars of Jazz?
James Harrod: Back in 1956, several executives at KABC, the ABC TV affiliate in Los Angeles, came up with an idea to broadcast performances by jazz musicians. For years, these executives had been imploring station manager Selig Seligman to greenlight a live jazz series.
JW: Who were these employees?
JH: The group included Peter Robinson, KABC's program director; Jimmie Baker, a program producer; Bob Arbogast, a program writer; and Norman Abbott, a director. Robinson and Arbogast had worked together previously in radio doing a comedy skit similar to Bob & Ray. Robinson had also been a jazz deejay. And Baker was a musician who led bands in college and overseas while in the Army Air Force.
JW: What happened?
JH: Seligman finally relented in early 1956 and gave them the go-ahead to produce four 30-minute shows. They had to scrounge together sets, pay performing musicians a low AFM scale, and use a run-down rehearsal studio. Seligman said if they didn't find a sponsor to underwrite costs after the fourth show, the series would be cancelled.
JW: What day of the week was Stars of Jazz on?
JH: Monday nights, when most jazz clubs had the night off and jazz artists were available to appear on the show. The chosen time slot was 10:30 p.m. That's when two seasoned cameramen would be available after finishing work on Lawrence Welk's New Faces. The Welk show broadcast from 9:30 to 10:30 p.m. Both cameramen had musical backgrounds and were jazz fans. [Photo above of Julie London, Art Pepper and Bobby Troupe by Ray Avery/CTSImages]
JW: What was photographer Ray Avery’s role?
JH: Baker and Robinson welcomed local photographers on the set. When it became too crowded, they limited on-set photographers to three. Ray Avery heard about the new TV series from a friend, photographer William Claxton, who also frequented the show and acted as advisor on the series. Avery became a regular presence on the set. He was featured in the November 17-23, 1956 issue of TV Radio Life in a two-page spread showing his photographs from the show.
JW: Many local TV shows were devoted to jazz in the ‘50s. How was Stars of Jazz different?
JH: To fill air time in the early days of television in the late 1940s, shows included Cavalcade of Jazz, Jazz Concert on WPIX, Adventures in Jazz on CBS, and Eddie Condon's Jazz Show on NBC. In the 1950s, many of TV’s celebrity-hosted variety shows featured jazz musicians. But these shows weren’t devoted exclusively to jazz.
JW: What made Stars of Jazz special?
JH: Stars of Jazz pioneered the educational presentation of jazz on TV. It sought to clarify the various elements and styles of jazz for viewers. Explanations of the type of jazz being offered were delivered in layman’s terms to enhance viewers’ appreciation and understanding. Stars of Jazz also presented a cross section of jazz artists from every era of jazz, from Dixieland and swing to bebop and modern.
JW: How did the show benefit musicians?
JH: It raised their profile locally and probably helped sell their latest records. Jazz clubs were thriving in Los Angeles when the series started in June 1956. Baker was able to persuade club owners at Zardi's Jazzland, Tiffany, the Haig, and Jazz City to pay AFM scale for musicians who appeared on Stars of Jazz in exchange for on-air advertisements promoting their clubs.
JW: So performers were paid and didn’t appear for free to promote albums and club dates?
JH: Album promotion and club appearance might have been a factor regarding accepting low AFM scale to appear. Dave Brubeck appeared on the show twice since he likely perceived his appearance as valuable in promoting jazz to a wider audience. His normal concert fee at this time was $1,200.
JW: How was Bobby Troup involved?
JH: Singer-songwriter and pianist Bobby Troup was selected as the host for Stars of Jazz. Troup had a TV persona that he had polished as a regular on Musical Chairs, a musical variety program that ran on L.A. TV for 2½ years. He also had a brief stint on network TV. His clean-cut looks, easygoing temperament, self-effacing personality, musical background, and quick wit made him an excellent match for guest jazz artists.
JW: Did the series have an easy time attracting sponsors?
JH: Baker was able to secure several hundred copies of a new paperback, Jazz Americana, published by a friend at Petersen Publishing. At the end of the fourth show, Troup announced that viewers could receive a free copy of the book if they sent a postcard to the station.
JW: What happened?
JH: During the week, KABC received thousands of requests for the book. Baker put all of the mail into a canvas mail sack and took it to the Young & Rubicam advertising agency, where he asked to see the executive handling Budweiser beer. The executive was a jazz fan and offered sponsorship. Stars of Jazz was sponsored by Budweiser for over a year before other sponsors such as Marlboro cigarettes stepped in as sponsors.
JW: What were the reasons for the show not being picked up by the network?
JH: The most likely reason is that network decision-makers at ABC headquarters in New York weren’t jazz fans. When they relented in the spring of 1958, the show aired at over 70 TV affiliates across the country during the summer and fall. In the process, Stars of Jazz gained positive reviews where it aired.
JW: So the show never went national?
JH: ABC could not secure a network sponsor for the show after 2½ years. On the local and affiliate levels, Stars of Jazz enjoyed a long run—130 episodes.
JW: Did the show feature mostly white performers?
JH: No. Kid Ory’s Creole Jazz Band on the first episode was an integrated band. Erroll Garner starred on the second episode. Bobby Timmons was Chet’s pianist on the third episode. Betty Roche was the vocalist on the first Dave Brubeck program. Race was not a factor in selecting artists for the show. It's impossible to know whether this was a factor in its failure to attract a network sponsor.
JW: What brought Stars of Jazz to a halt?
JH: Several factors. When the series ended in December 1958, the jazz landscape was changing. Club owners were finding it difficult to book jazz artists and make a profit. Many Los Angeles clubs had ceased to feature jazz or had closed. Artist agents were demanding substantial fees for TV appearances by their clients. For example, Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis had refused to appear for AFM scale.
JW: What is Stars of Jazz’s legacy?
JH: It paved the way for the dignified and professional presentation of jazz on TV. Among them were Camera Three, The Sound of Jazz, See It Now on CBS, Art Ford's Jazz Party and Ralph J. Gleason's Jazz Casual. All of the above shows that followed benefited from the videotape revolution that transformed TV production. They could be rehearsed and edited for final presentation.
JW: And on the national TV level?
JH: The Timex All Star Jazz Shows, the Swing Into Spring shows and 1958’s The Subject Is Jazz on NBC.
JW: By contrast, Stars of Jazz was live?
JH: Yes, with all of the inherent risks. Blending elements such as camera shots of the musicians, views of the back projection screen, audio samples, advertising spots, and narrator scripts required precise choreography. Live television meant no do-overs.
JW: How close did Stars of Jazz come to syndication?
JH: KABC received the go-ahead for episode #93 on April 14, 1958, to be videotaped and sent to ABC’s Chicago distribution center. It featured the Mastersounds, Jeri Southern, and Teddy Buckner’s Dixieland Band. Participating ABC affiliates could air episodes at their discretion. Stars of Jazz was a summer replacement for Voice of Firestone. Television Digest reported that ABC was considering syndication of Stars of Jazz as noted in their January 31, 1959, edition. The mention did not clarify if it was ABC New York or KABC in Los Angeles. Regardless, it did not happen.
JW: Did all 130 episodes survive?
JH: When Baker was told that KABC was discarding the Stars of Jazz kinescopes, he rushed to rescue what was remaining and placed them with the UCLA Film & Television Archive. UCLA has restored 16 episodes and 29 additional shows are in the archive. The remaining 85 episodes are lost.
JW: Lost can mean many things.
JH: Correct. They could have been erased to use the tape for other shows. Or they could have suffered damage. Or they were tossed out during renovations or moves. Or they could have been misplaced or mislabeled or taken home and now sit on shelves or in garages and attics waiting to be discovered. More than likely, though, since film stock required special care to preserve it from deterioration, this might have been a factor in the decision to toss the kinescopes. When Stars of Jazz went into network distribution, the shows were videotaped. These tapes cost $400 each and were routinely erased and reused.
JW: Are all surviving episodes available on YouTube or on DVD?
JH: A few episodes have been placed on YouTube. And Video Yesteryear of Sandy Hook, Ct., issued several VHS collections of programs in the mid 1990s. A Nevada firm issued four DVD collections in 2008. The source of the DVDs was most likely the Video Yesteryear VHS tapes. Neither received any restoration, and the picture quality is poor.
JW: Which are you favorite five episodes? JH: Based on the audio I have collected from episodes:
Here's the Max Roach Quintet...
Here's Billie Holiday, with Cork Hale on piano (when the camera pulls back at the end, you can see the back of Corky's hair)...
And here's Julie London...
Fortunately, James Harrod, a writer and researcher who specializes in West Coast jazz, has just published Stars of Jazz: A Complete History of the Innovative Television Series, 1956-1958 (McFarland), a super book on the show's evolution and an episode-by-episode listing (go here).
I recently had a chance to pepper Jim (above) with questions about the dramatically lit TV series. Here's our JazzWax conversation:
JazzWax: What was Stars of Jazz?
James Harrod: Back in 1956, several executives at KABC, the ABC TV affiliate in Los Angeles, came up with an idea to broadcast performances by jazz musicians. For years, these executives had been imploring station manager Selig Seligman to greenlight a live jazz series.
JW: Who were these employees?
JH: The group included Peter Robinson, KABC's program director; Jimmie Baker, a program producer; Bob Arbogast, a program writer; and Norman Abbott, a director. Robinson and Arbogast had worked together previously in radio doing a comedy skit similar to Bob & Ray. Robinson had also been a jazz deejay. And Baker was a musician who led bands in college and overseas while in the Army Air Force.
JW: What happened?
JH: Seligman finally relented in early 1956 and gave them the go-ahead to produce four 30-minute shows. They had to scrounge together sets, pay performing musicians a low AFM scale, and use a run-down rehearsal studio. Seligman said if they didn't find a sponsor to underwrite costs after the fourth show, the series would be cancelled.
JW: What day of the week was Stars of Jazz on?
JH: Monday nights, when most jazz clubs had the night off and jazz artists were available to appear on the show. The chosen time slot was 10:30 p.m. That's when two seasoned cameramen would be available after finishing work on Lawrence Welk's New Faces. The Welk show broadcast from 9:30 to 10:30 p.m. Both cameramen had musical backgrounds and were jazz fans. [Photo above of Julie London, Art Pepper and Bobby Troupe by Ray Avery/CTSImages]
JW: What was photographer Ray Avery’s role?
JH: Baker and Robinson welcomed local photographers on the set. When it became too crowded, they limited on-set photographers to three. Ray Avery heard about the new TV series from a friend, photographer William Claxton, who also frequented the show and acted as advisor on the series. Avery became a regular presence on the set. He was featured in the November 17-23, 1956 issue of TV Radio Life in a two-page spread showing his photographs from the show.
JW: Many local TV shows were devoted to jazz in the ‘50s. How was Stars of Jazz different?
JH: To fill air time in the early days of television in the late 1940s, shows included Cavalcade of Jazz, Jazz Concert on WPIX, Adventures in Jazz on CBS, and Eddie Condon's Jazz Show on NBC. In the 1950s, many of TV’s celebrity-hosted variety shows featured jazz musicians. But these shows weren’t devoted exclusively to jazz.
JW: What made Stars of Jazz special?
JH: Stars of Jazz pioneered the educational presentation of jazz on TV. It sought to clarify the various elements and styles of jazz for viewers. Explanations of the type of jazz being offered were delivered in layman’s terms to enhance viewers’ appreciation and understanding. Stars of Jazz also presented a cross section of jazz artists from every era of jazz, from Dixieland and swing to bebop and modern.
JW: How did the show benefit musicians?
JH: It raised their profile locally and probably helped sell their latest records. Jazz clubs were thriving in Los Angeles when the series started in June 1956. Baker was able to persuade club owners at Zardi's Jazzland, Tiffany, the Haig, and Jazz City to pay AFM scale for musicians who appeared on Stars of Jazz in exchange for on-air advertisements promoting their clubs.
JW: So performers were paid and didn’t appear for free to promote albums and club dates?
JH: Album promotion and club appearance might have been a factor regarding accepting low AFM scale to appear. Dave Brubeck appeared on the show twice since he likely perceived his appearance as valuable in promoting jazz to a wider audience. His normal concert fee at this time was $1,200.
JW: How was Bobby Troup involved?
JH: Singer-songwriter and pianist Bobby Troup was selected as the host for Stars of Jazz. Troup had a TV persona that he had polished as a regular on Musical Chairs, a musical variety program that ran on L.A. TV for 2½ years. He also had a brief stint on network TV. His clean-cut looks, easygoing temperament, self-effacing personality, musical background, and quick wit made him an excellent match for guest jazz artists.
JW: Did the series have an easy time attracting sponsors?
JH: Baker was able to secure several hundred copies of a new paperback, Jazz Americana, published by a friend at Petersen Publishing. At the end of the fourth show, Troup announced that viewers could receive a free copy of the book if they sent a postcard to the station.
JW: What happened?
JH: During the week, KABC received thousands of requests for the book. Baker put all of the mail into a canvas mail sack and took it to the Young & Rubicam advertising agency, where he asked to see the executive handling Budweiser beer. The executive was a jazz fan and offered sponsorship. Stars of Jazz was sponsored by Budweiser for over a year before other sponsors such as Marlboro cigarettes stepped in as sponsors.
JW: What were the reasons for the show not being picked up by the network?
JH: The most likely reason is that network decision-makers at ABC headquarters in New York weren’t jazz fans. When they relented in the spring of 1958, the show aired at over 70 TV affiliates across the country during the summer and fall. In the process, Stars of Jazz gained positive reviews where it aired.
JW: So the show never went national?
JH: ABC could not secure a network sponsor for the show after 2½ years. On the local and affiliate levels, Stars of Jazz enjoyed a long run—130 episodes.
JW: Did the show feature mostly white performers?
JH: No. Kid Ory’s Creole Jazz Band on the first episode was an integrated band. Erroll Garner starred on the second episode. Bobby Timmons was Chet’s pianist on the third episode. Betty Roche was the vocalist on the first Dave Brubeck program. Race was not a factor in selecting artists for the show. It's impossible to know whether this was a factor in its failure to attract a network sponsor.
JW: What brought Stars of Jazz to a halt?
JH: Several factors. When the series ended in December 1958, the jazz landscape was changing. Club owners were finding it difficult to book jazz artists and make a profit. Many Los Angeles clubs had ceased to feature jazz or had closed. Artist agents were demanding substantial fees for TV appearances by their clients. For example, Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis had refused to appear for AFM scale.
JW: What is Stars of Jazz’s legacy?
JH: It paved the way for the dignified and professional presentation of jazz on TV. Among them were Camera Three, The Sound of Jazz, See It Now on CBS, Art Ford's Jazz Party and Ralph J. Gleason's Jazz Casual. All of the above shows that followed benefited from the videotape revolution that transformed TV production. They could be rehearsed and edited for final presentation.
JW: And on the national TV level?
JH: The Timex All Star Jazz Shows, the Swing Into Spring shows and 1958’s The Subject Is Jazz on NBC.
JW: By contrast, Stars of Jazz was live?
JH: Yes, with all of the inherent risks. Blending elements such as camera shots of the musicians, views of the back projection screen, audio samples, advertising spots, and narrator scripts required precise choreography. Live television meant no do-overs.
JW: How close did Stars of Jazz come to syndication?
JH: KABC received the go-ahead for episode #93 on April 14, 1958, to be videotaped and sent to ABC’s Chicago distribution center. It featured the Mastersounds, Jeri Southern, and Teddy Buckner’s Dixieland Band. Participating ABC affiliates could air episodes at their discretion. Stars of Jazz was a summer replacement for Voice of Firestone. Television Digest reported that ABC was considering syndication of Stars of Jazz as noted in their January 31, 1959, edition. The mention did not clarify if it was ABC New York or KABC in Los Angeles. Regardless, it did not happen.
JW: Did all 130 episodes survive?
JH: When Baker was told that KABC was discarding the Stars of Jazz kinescopes, he rushed to rescue what was remaining and placed them with the UCLA Film & Television Archive. UCLA has restored 16 episodes and 29 additional shows are in the archive. The remaining 85 episodes are lost.
JW: Lost can mean many things.
JH: Correct. They could have been erased to use the tape for other shows. Or they could have suffered damage. Or they were tossed out during renovations or moves. Or they could have been misplaced or mislabeled or taken home and now sit on shelves or in garages and attics waiting to be discovered. More than likely, though, since film stock required special care to preserve it from deterioration, this might have been a factor in the decision to toss the kinescopes. When Stars of Jazz went into network distribution, the shows were videotaped. These tapes cost $400 each and were routinely erased and reused.
JW: Are all surviving episodes available on YouTube or on DVD?
JH: A few episodes have been placed on YouTube. And Video Yesteryear of Sandy Hook, Ct., issued several VHS collections of programs in the mid 1990s. A Nevada firm issued four DVD collections in 2008. The source of the DVDs was most likely the Video Yesteryear VHS tapes. Neither received any restoration, and the picture quality is poor.
JW: Which are you favorite five episodes? JH: Based on the audio I have collected from episodes:
- #3—Chet Baker Quintet, Thelma Gracen
- #5—Dave Brubeck Quartet, Betty Roche
- #8—Pete Jolly Trio, Billie Holiday
- #59—Bud Shank Quartet, Audrey Morris
- #107—Chamber Jazz Sextet, Kenneth Patchen
Here's the Max Roach Quintet...
Here's Billie Holiday, with Cork Hale on piano (when the camera pulls back at the end, you can see the back of Corky's hair)...
And here's Julie London...
This story appears courtesy of JazzWax by Marc Myers.
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