Posted by Steve Marcus on October 14, 2002 at 00:00:47:
I wanted to share my glee about two “finds” today.
For the past 25 years, the Mammoth Music Mart has been held in the Chicago area by the Les Turner Foundation as a fundraiser for research to find a cure for ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease). Under a huge outdoor tent, tens of thousands of donated recordings are sold. This year is the last Music Mart ever because there are more profitable ways for the Foundation to raise funds. Knowing this, I visited the Mart today looking for some goodies. I came away with two LPs that I have been seeking for years:
1. “Catch the Brass Ring” by the so-called Torchy Jones Brass Quintet. This album, which was issued on Columbia in the late 1950s, consists of pop tunes and light arrangements of classical themes performed by five members of the Philadelphia Orchestra, including Abe Torchinsky on tuba. The story, confirmed by Mr. Torchinsky, is that when Eugene Ormandy learned that members of HIS orchestra committed the blasphemy of issuing an album of non-classical music, he had the records pulled off the shelves before many copies were pressed. The album has never been re-released in any format.
I’ve had a monophonic copy of this album for some time, but I had never seen a stereo copy--until today. $1 later, and it’s mine.
2. We’ve discussed on this BBS the rarity and value of the Golden Crest LP, “Bill Bell and His Tuba.” Copies have sold on eBay for $50.00 and more. You guessed it--after I parted with a one dollar bill, a near mint copy of this record is in my library.
I also purchased an album by a group called “A Little Bit of Dixie.” According to the liner notes, “Little Bit of Dixie is a Dixieland band comprised of seven dedicated musicians ranging in age from 14-17. They have spent hundreds of hours rehearsing and performing throughout the Chicagoland area.” This album was recorded around 1984. The tuba player is identified as JoAnna Anzelmo, and she sounds fantastic! Does anyone know anything about her or this group of musicians?