Notes on Notes by Carl Myatt
INSPIRATION
Hongkong talent for American a pan and wor
ENTERTAINERS be they singers, dancers or actors-depend on the "breaks" to enable them to Freach stardom. Some are fortunate for the break comes early in their careers. Others are not so lucky. Sometimes the break never comes and so with age creeping up on them, they ride the path to obscurity.
I've been a fan of Kong Valenie. Miss Valente, who has fused the female voice with a A young lady in Hongkong bas just got her break and it's a Ling's ever since 1-first heard a beautiful resonant voice, is a lush string orchestra,
cely big one. Her name is her singing nearly four years linguist. Kong Ling, and she is a singer: ago at Winner House with the Already famous in Hongkong as Celso Carillo combo.
es most of Southeast Asia, Chinese girl is on the
Since those early days, Kong of world-wide fame Ling has matured into a real been heard ne — providing she artiste, having well with American frequently on radio and tele-
A woman of poise and audiences in the near vision. For Kong Ling has had personality, she should make a with American TV ke of luck which comes big hit
cel a lifetime, Arthur audiences.
this column, "Bon odfrey, the famous American From
ersonality "discovered" her Voyage" and the very best of he was last here and luck. signed be, on for a guest appear- oes on one of his big TV shows. So Kong Ling files to New York
IF one was to award a prize tomorrow to realise a dream for the most versatile singer which to the majority of the entertainers. In this part of the of this generation, it would galways remains a fantasy, certainly ro to lovely Caterina
A Gift from
Father
father was a plain, simple, meducated man. He high school I did not know whether he envied me or was proud of me.
M could meter read or write, and when I finished
Father was a blacksmith and into place and then father's - three men” On the ponderous stop in the back hall day I graduated, my mother As he opened the Eichen door and six brothers attended the mother began to scold him. She Geereises but my father kept to had wept all afternoon. Father forge and anvil Returning ignored her and turned to me. home we passed the shop and "You have done a good job. he came to the door.~~
You saved 60 dollars.
"Om son took three prizes, mother told him proudly. "Humph, school, is over now. There is, work to be done. Son,
cericol must be emptied.”
backed occasionally by soaring saxo- phones. Among the languages she speaks and sings fluently in are-
Wonderful music for a quiet English, German, French, Italian, winter's evening at home or for Spanish and Swedish. Now she that after midnight party period is learning Japanese.
when tired daucers and tired This command of languages feet want to shuffle to probably stems from the fact thing other than the wild beat that her father was Spanish, her of rock'n roll or cha, cha. mother Italian and that she has Some of the tunes ou travelled on the continent a album are: "Moonlight Becomes great deal.
Caterina Valente is
thus famous from Paris (her birth place) to Berlin, from Rome to Madrid. She has little difficulty in expressing herself to any audience, to whom she is affectionately known as Valente"..
"La
some-
the
A You Wish You", "When
Star",
Serenade". "Moonlight "Stars Fell On Alabama" and "Moon Madness".
Miss Valente's latest album A
to
On Dot DLP 3269.
want
But end by sitting till comes
the night
I wrack my brains to get out
something
But poor, result in blankly
nothing.
★
Then I catch it while roaming
'neath the trees.
Home I rush yet half way
there, it flees!
Oh, where art thou, my dear `·
inspiration?
Come help me make a swell
composition !
*
Ah, now I know 'tis neither
right nor true
REALLY hard-swinging, wonderful album is that
features saxophonist To wait till it descends onto
you. Sonny Sutt with the "new" Oscar Peterson Trio.
New because drummer
Ed Hurry up in seeking know- ledge where you con
on the Decca label should have wide appeal, even though
she which has .confined the lyrics French and German interpre tations.
Take for instance ber version Thigpen replaces guitarist Herb Ellis. This Verve LP was record- of "Fever", the song Peggy Lee made famous. You don't ed in Paris where the trio It
Granz have to understand the words together with Stitt, were touring
or the manner. in Jazz At The Philharmonic.
Stitt is always at his best as the tune which it is sung. Backed by
·the · Jo Boyer orchestra, a featured jazz soloist, and or Caterina gives out with her this album he is in particularly peppy and most original inter- fine form. Much of this is due pretation in French. A strange to the brilliance of the trio which accent perhaps, but with the assists without being obtrusive. voice Miss Valente possesses, But when Peterson does
Stitt he surely enhances his it is not really necessary to himself or trades solos with understand the lyrics.
Other familiar tunes which I reputation as one of the finest am sure you will recognise are living jazz pianists..
An excellent album, heartily "Bimbombey". (Jimmie Rodgers big hit sung in French), and recommended. "Cia- Ciao Bambina" (sung in
“You want to stridy, and bc- come a clergyman and not work with your hands. You must learn and understand what has | German).
Werner Muller and the to be done sometimes to ear or save a dollar you would R.I.A.S. Dance orchestra accom- pany the singer on all the Ger- man songs.
"He shall not empty, cesspools lead and preach, on graduation day. He shall could have my men empty not? My mother, cried. Father the cesspool when it is needed only gari at me.
Iron
I knew, my father. Although and slow to age, be, like another craftsman, took oy the nature of the materiale with which he worked. He was
man of iron. 1 emptied the
Cesspool.
and it would cost me eight, nine hundred dollars a year. I want
On Decca LK 4350.
to know if you are too proud NEARLY all modern songs
to earn a dollar at an olun- pleasant job as scme men have to do. Here."
have as their theme, love. This emotion is most closely associated with such heavenly bodies as the moon, and the stars, the night sky etc.
a
He took a white envelope from
Now a young musician has his pocket, handed it to me and then turned to the sink to wash cut an album for Dot, dealing in "When I opered it my its entirety with the backdrop mother wept again. This time for love, for joy. I wept, too. It con- The album is entitled "Mcer-
struck" and features the] Just before scpper time after tained 1,500 dollars,
orchestra and arrangements of had bathed and put on my
John. Cacavas (pronounced new suit again, I heard the
has cover of the cesspool clang back Credit Card to Robert Bau. Kach-uh-vuss). Cacavas
NOW YOU'RE OLD ENOUGH TO BE WHISTLED AT /
Apt. Credit card to: Rosemary Noronafs
On Verve-MGVS 6108.
solo
won't desert you when you need it then.
Credit Card to Hilder Chiu.
MEET THE MEMBERS
PHILIP TSE, 21, civil engineering draftsman, c/o P.O. P.W.D., Farm-road, Kowloon.
Reel Corner
KATE
O'REILLY
THE name is Francoise Prévost. She is French. She
THE
has a bubbling personality that radiates vitality and a love of living. ́And, after all that, if you live anywhere in the world but France, you could be excused if you said: "So what. I've never heard of her!"
So, I will repeat the name. It is Francoise Prevost. Remember it, for this typically French girl is about to be launched in her frst British picture, and, after seeing early rushes from the film, I'm convinced she will soon: become a firm favourite with cinemagoers everywhere.
The picture is the Indepen- dent Artists' production "I- PROMISE TO PAY," currently in production at Beaconsfield Studios, which also stars Michael Craig, star of "Doctor in Love," and Billie Whitelaw who has a leading role in the forthcoming "No Love for Johnnie.”
FRANCOISE PREVOST
But, before your mind begins to conjure up alluring visions of another Brigitte Bardot or My- lene. Demongeot slinking across the screen, let me shatter all laughing. Yet, at the same time, such illusions here and now. are shrewd and penetrating.
No sex kitten
is
This lively personality matched by an equally lively mind, and her conversation covers a wide range of subjects, Francoise is not, never has everything from the Algerian been, and never hopes to be war to France's "New Wave" sex kitten, She is, first, last and films and the problems of type- ́always, an intelligent and cap casting..
tivating actress.:
-
For a while Francoise talked
I met Francoise for the first mostly about her early life: How time on the set of "I PROMISE at the age of 17 she had given TO PAY." She was wearing a up acting "I was too tail to pair of tapered slacks and a play teenage roles" she says (for black, loose fitting sweater. the record Francoise is. 5′ 8′′-- to become a journalist, a tast Her auburn bouffant hair style. she stuck to for four years. was rufied. But to discover the true character you must look into - “But I knew. one day. I would- the face, Francoise's face is switch back to acting" suited- frank, open - and friendly. Her Francoise, "I enjoyed being a eyes are lively and sparkling, journalist, but always I longed and seem toi ibe i continually to return to acting.*
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