Whiteman, Paul. (1890–1967) [Simon, George T. (1912–2001)]
Typed Letter Signed with Letter of Reference
Typed letter signed from the influential orchestral leader and self-dubbed "King of Jazz" to the jazz writer and drummer George T. Simon, together with an unsigned typed copy of a letter of reference for Simon. Dated August 23, 1943 on letterhead of the Blue Network. Whiteman writes: "Do hope things are moving along nicely for you and that the enclosed letter will help you secure the commission you want. I think you would be really great at this type of work." The letter of recommendation states that Simon is "a man of excellent character and sound judgement [...] a fine musician. Good executive, brilliant writer and thoroughly familiar with all types of publicity and promotion; this together with his varied experience in the entertainment field should make him of great value in any enterprise dealing with entertainment." Folding creases and some toning; overall fine. 8.5 x 11 inches (21.6 x 27.9 cm).As the leader of one of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920's and 1930's, Whiteman produced recordings that were immensely successful, and press notices often referred to him as the "King of Jazz". Using a large ensemble and exploring many styles of music, Whiteman is perhaps best known for his blending of symphonic music and jazz, as typified by his 1924 commissioning and debut of George Gershwin's jazz-influenced "Rhapsody in Blue". Although he played an integral part in bringing jazz to the masses, and introduced many of jazz's future stars (including Bix Beiderbecke, Tommy Dorsey, Joe Venuti and Eddie Lang), by the end of the 1930s his star had begun to fade.
George T. Simon was editor-in-chief of Metronome from 1939 to 1955 and shifted it, from writing technical articles, to being a chronicler of the swing era. Simon was probably the most influential jazz commentator during the swing era. Thanks to his inside connections with the jazz world, he was able to report information about bands and their personnel with great accuracy. (15492)
TLS Jazz