Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Swing? Is Ahn BY HAROLD DESOTO Music Analyst The average jazz fan and critic is a creature who prides himself on his tolerance, taste and im munity from the faddism found in most realms of American popular music. The truth of the matter is the Jazz fan is as fickle as any high school girl sighing over the stilted bellowing of this month's rockbilly sensation. T h e only difference is that your teen-ager lets sleeping baritones lie-the Johnny Ray's, and Vaughn Mon roe's are allowed to exist if only to entertain the "Old Folks". A Jazz fan spends years ex plaining away his transient en thusiasms. It's very difficult to obtain a coherent answer as to why George Shearing swung in 1949, but "like now, man, he's isn't saying anything". Shearing plays no differently than he did then; but then he was "in" and now he's really "out." Even Duke Ellington can be subject to the big "put down". The Duke had a TIME cover a few years ago and almost im mediately the complaints came t h a t he was playing "Mood Indigo" too much. The fact is that Ellington has been a hand leader for 30 years and has de veloped a public that demands to hear his old hits and is glossed over with mumbles about "com mercialism". Dave Brubeck has received as much publicity and brickbats as any musician since the war. The Brubeck cult maintains he'll find the lost chord-the opposition say that as a pianist, he'd make a good wood chopper. Brubeck is Even A is WitL I Sing Of L For if you dig e It figures thati Like pure Flave And only Winst A real gone cor Selected and pr That's why, dea Winston tas iad Jan content to grab the money and run-the only sensible attitude to take in the state of anar6hy the jazz world has become since Brigitte Bardot started taking guitar lessons. One of the current objects of a "Hippie" cold war is a quiet, dapper piano player who was born Fritz Jones 30 odd years ago in- Pittsburgh, Pa., but who has won his fame under the exotic title, Ahmad Jamal. Jamal has c o m d from ob scurity to the position of one of the highest-prieed acts in jazz within a few shoit years. "Carv ing" Jamal has replaced matches as the great saloon sport among musicians and jazz buffs. There can be little doubt that to lovers of o p e n two-hand piano of the Art Tatein style Jamal's tinkling sounds I i k e dropping apples in a tub of lano lin. They may have a point-Bill Basie, Jamal ain't but one thing that can be said for Jamal, a point he shares with all the great inovators of Jazz, is the posses sion of a definite style. Ahmad is one of the four or five musi cians in the world who can be recognized almost the minute Geology Muse Include Anim BY ANN LAZZARINO Feature Writer The Geology Museum in LeConte C o I I e g e exhibits an intriguing a r r a y of precious gems, rare minerals, and palenontological fos sils which comprise one of the irgil. b the Winsto ZI~ Arms And ike|FBE -BE modern filter cigarette t's what's up front that is the rsville, orlbit stuff, and all the on swings with FILTER-BL abo of golden, rich tobaccos ocessed like for filter smokin r cats or even sqjuares, it's ul les good like a cigai .. ial Nec( he hits a chord. I'd be willing to vote for Ahmad if only for the reason that Ahmad Jamal has brought the ballad back to jazz playing. Along with the "Cottontails" and Four Brothers" that remain in jazz lore there were some pretty swinging ballads like "Lover Man," and "E a r l y Autumn" that made an impact on the public of the day. It's a neglected form except for Ben Webster, Billy Taylor and a few others who possess the I y r i c quality-a type of musicianship just as difficult as playing 40 choruses of "Per dido". Many musicians will tell you they would like to play bal lads but every time they try it its the signal for waiters to drop dishes and chicks to shriek at their escorts to explain that last remark. It's also a theory of many club owners that their cli en tele doesn't drink as much during a set of ballads. They really feel if the music's loud enough the water the booze is cut with won't be noticeable. This is in contradiction to the business Ahmad pulls in, but then, as the Broadway sages um's Various al Fossils, Sha most valuable geological collec tions in the entire Southeast. The specimens contained in the collection have been gathered from various c I a s s i c mining areas throughout the world, especially North America and Europe. Their n beat ND| Man, most tjazz; END| up front, (Iderstood rette should I 3ss ary. say-there's no precentage in arguing with saloon-keepers. Anyway the p o i n t is that Ahmad believes in an economical attack on a Steinway. In the ballad idiom he specializes in, it's very effective. Witness the way he caresses a minor miracle of 1954-a ballad by Bob Haymes that's titled "That's All." Its in strumentally as knowing a n d definitive a version ag Nat Cole's fine reading was a few years ago. Listen, too, to the rapport es tablished by Ahmad a n d his Bassist, Israel Crosby on "But Not For Me" and "Poiheiana". Crosby, by the way, is to my ears as swinging as he was when he cut "World Is Waiting F'r The Sunrise" with Jess Stacey twenty years ago. As far as critics go, Ahmad can take- solace from the words of Eddie Condon. A number of years ago someone told Eddie about a French critic who had written a book slighting Profes sor Condon's type of Jazz. Eddie looked at his needler and retorted. "He's got a nerve telling us how to play - I wouldn't go over there and tell him how to jump on grapes." Exhibitions rk Teeth acquisition may be attributed to the generosity of several individual private and professional collectors. Thomas Cooper came to South Carolina College in 1819, and in that year gave a course on geology, which was the first of its kind in America, with the possible excep tion of Silliman's lectures at Yale. European Localities Cooper's geological specimens f r o m European localities were brought to this country when he immigrated in 1795. Lardner Vanuxem, professor of geology at this institution from 1821 to 1827, made many note worthy contributions to the mu seum already begun by his eminent predecessor. Professor R. T. Brumby was at Carolina from 1845 to 1856, during which time he obtained numerous fine specimens from the celebrated dealer, Dr. K r a n t z of Bonn, Germany. Succeeding professors in the department have further ampli fied the collection. Banker Contributes Later, in 1945, other specimens wvere acquired from Burnham S. Colburn, a wealthy North Caro lina banker. Among these are rare minerals and precious gems, such as amethysts, topaz, garnet, aqua marine, o p a I, emaralds, rubies, sap)phires, and h (1d(d i n i t e , an emerald-like substance. The museum also djisplays in teresting specimens of petrified wvood from South Carolina. In cluded in this group is a cypress stump over 17,000 years old, and a red cedar stump f r o m Myrtle Beach Park, 35,000 years old. In addition, the animal fossils give evidience of various forms of life which o n c e existedi in the State. For instance, remains of giant b)eaver, bison, mammoths, and mastodlons (the latter two be ing elephant-like mammals) have been discovered. E o e e n e shark teeth taken f r o m the Santee Cooper diversion canal date back to betwveen 30 and 45 million years. Geology, Anybody? Have you taken a course in geo logy lately ? Neen. Mheurd, Spoke.s ON CAMPUS C;oedl crawling uEnder1 tables in Russell House in search of ring. Rusheec falling th rough hedge while run ning toward fraternity hous onIR p1 Jledlge night. * * * Shoeshine boys covered with shaving cream fleeing men's dlormn. * * . Student seen plucking his beard with a pair of forceps be cause he waas tired of shaving. * * * Student e.rplaining that he takes his shower at 4:30 a.m. because he is very modest. e e e Student trudging to Russell House for breakfast two hours early because his roommate had set th aamn- clockr up twnn hours. Dr. Reese Completes 'Odyssey' BY BOBBIE BOYD Feature Writer Dr. Ennis Rees, associate pro fessor in the English Department, has recently completed a verse translation of the " 0 d ys a -e y ", which represents three years of preparation. The study of Greek and particu larly the writings of Homer have fascinated Dr. Rees s i n e e his undergraduate days at William and Mary. T h i s interest precipitated re search into the translations of George Chapman, and in 1954 the Harvard University Press pub. lished Dr. Rees' "The Tragedies of George Chapman." Homer Used Verse Dr. Rees decided to translate the "Odyssey'" mainly because there is no satisfactory verse edition of this great work. Most students are not aware of the fact that Homer actually used verse in the "Iliad" and "Odyssey." The modern in terpretations employ the prose or novel form. "Poetry cannot be mechanically transferred from one language to another," Dr. Rees pointed out. "In this version I have tried to be faithful to the sentiments, ideas, and images of the original Greek poem, but I have also done what I could to make a readable English p o e m , since something of the quality of Homer's poetry would seem to be the most essential quality for a translator to convey." Dr. Rees achieves his objective by using neither the very eloquent nor very common language. The manner in which the poem is pre sented renders it enjoyable for all. The use of five major stresses per line plus a varying number of un accented syllables gives the verse translation a flowing, sparkling quality that the verse edition lacks. Published in Fall "The Odyssey of Homer will bp published in the fall in the regular trade edition, and then reprinted in the Modern Library series. Scrap Becoi Possession 4 One wvord on a scrap of paper has become a valued possession of the South Caroliniana Library at the University of South Carolina. The wvord is "Lynch" and is part of the autograp)h of Thomas Lynch Jr., signer of the Declaration of Independence from South Carolina. About a m on th ago E. L. Inabinet, director of the South Caroliniana Library, received the Lynch signature as an en closure in a letter from D)r. Joseph E. Fields of 1221 Glen wood Ave., Joliet, Ill. Dr. Fields wrote, "Enclosed you will find a signature of Thomas Lynch Jr., signer of the Declara tion of Independence from South Carolina. It gives me great pleas ure to present this signature to the South Caroliniana Library." Lynch signatures are very rare, less rare only than those of Button G;winmnett, signer f r o m Georgia. "By actual count," Dr. Fields wrote, "there are only about 75 knowvn signatures of Lynch. Most of these are located in libraries and historical societies." The signature now in posses sion of the South Caroliniana Li-. brary was once owned by Sabina Lynch Bowman, sister of the Declaration signer. It was in herited by her daughters, Esther and Mary Bowman and then by their niece, Sarah Dismukes, who married Col. John A. McCrady of the Confederate A r m y . Through subsequent sales, it be came the property of D)r. Fields in 1949. Thomas Lynch Jr. was born in Prince George's Parish, Winyaw. He studied in England at Eton and Cambridge, and studied law at the Middle Temple. But when Lynch returned tc South Carolina in 1772, he aban doned law as a profession gnd ac cepted his father's gift of Peach~ Tree plantation in St. James Parish on the North Santee. He wvas a member of the firui and second provincial congressen (1774-76), the constitutional com. mittee for South Carolina (1776) the first staba General As.smrn Pulitzer A By Poetry BY STAFF WRITER It just seems like yesterday in fact, it was yesterday-when I was thinking about Gus Jones, and the fond memories I have of the "Ozark Weekly News." For those of you that have fol Agatha lowed my nostalgic remembrances, ol' Gus is as real to you as he is to me. I notice the jagged scar on my temple and chuckle over the picture of Gus wielding a desk handle. I dwell lovingly on the crooked left arm that Gus broke in a fit of pique. Ah, days that never will never come again. Reminds me of the time Gus hired a poetry editor for the "News." Agatha Memnon Agatha Memnon was her name, I and she could turn out a line that would make Byron right proud to have been a poet. She won a Pulitzer award for her efforts on the "Meniorializa tion of Hog-Waller's Foot Bridge." (Jake Pulitzer was a noted land owner around Mountaindale who paid anyone $25 for a mention of "Hog Waller" in print or over KHOG, the local radio station. Jake had to leave town recently . . . called to Washington on busi ness, so we hear.) Anyway, I'm getting away from the story of Agatha Memnon and her poem. Crusade Gus had crusaded relentlessly rnes Valued LDf Library (17761) and the Second Continental Congress (1776.77). Elected in 1775 as a captain in the First South Carolina Regi ment, Lynch wvent to North Caro lina in search of recruits. There he contracted an illness which made him a partial invalid for the re mainder of his life. March 23, 1776, the General As sembly elected him to the Continen tal Congress so that he might care for his father, whose health had failed. It was during this service that the younger Lynch signed the Declaration of Indepen dence. The son's health, poor since his service in North Carolina, continued to decline, but the father experienced a temporary Irecovery. They set out for South ICarolina together, traveling in easy stages, but the father died on the way. The son reached South Carolina, but after more than two year-s of illness he sought to improve his health by sailing with his wife for the south of France by way of the West Indies. The ship vanished and was never heard of again, and apparently the f u I life of scholar-sold ier statesman Thomas Lynch, Jr. ended in tragedy at sea. D)r. Fields, who presented the signature to the library, is an authority on Lynch signatures. His article, "Lynch autographs in South Carolina," appeared in t he July, 1952, issue of the "South C ar oli n a H istorical Magazine." In the article he relates his dis covery in 1951 of two Lynch auto graphs in S. C., own~ed by a lineal descendant of the signer. Until then it was believed that there were no Lynch autographs in the state. Dr. Fields has also presented i Lynch autograph to the S. C Historical Society at Charleston According to Dr. Fields, this anc 'the one now owned by the Caro liniana Library are the only Lynel signatures in historical repositor la In S. C. ward Won Editor for a new auditorium for the town, and the city fathers had rewarded his efforts by building a footbridge over Hog Waller. 'Course, nobody ever walked to Hog Waller-or lived near there for that matter but it was the thought that counted, Vemnon or so Mayor Daniels said. Besides, the town had - built a new barn on Mayor Daniels' prop erty, about twelve miles out of ton, and the city was welcome to use it when it wasn't raining and they could get to the barn. I'll let you judge for yourself the quality of this rustic gem of literacy. Hail to thee, Hog Waller and to the bridge that spans you. With the tax-payer's dollar And a well-taught crew, They built the footbridge That spans the ridge. Gems of Poetry As far as I know, Agatha is still with Gus, memorializing his great crusades in verse. She wrote the "Ode to Dying Cat," "On First Gazing at the Summer Morn After the N i g h t Before, Alas," and others. I'm going back to the "Ozark Weekly News" after studying in the big school, and I know that I'll always he welcomi. In their shy, folksy way, there is wealth of human understanding in the hills of Arkansas. With a voice husky with emotion, Gus will probably say to me: "If I told you oncet, I've told you a hunnert times, wipe your feet off before you come in this here of fice." My People These, these are my people. Prizes Vary In Olympic Trip Contest Whoever said, "The best things in life are free," could have been thinking about our current contest fever, and 1960 promises to be a banner year for contest giveawvays. Sonme pundits have gone so far as to estimate that the time and effort spent by American business on thinking up things to give away, coupled wvith the value of all the prizes, could: (I) put the U. S. ahead of Russia in the space race; (2) halve the national debt; (3) assure a winning football team at Podunk U. for the next 10 years. Latest example of this peculiarly American institution is of special interest to college students. It is an "Olympic Salute Contest" that of fer 104 prizes topped by a two wveek trip for twvo, via TWA jet, to the Summer Olympics in Rome. (While there are no restrictions as to traveling companions, each win ner must supply his own.) Color TV A special feature of the contest is that an RCA color TV set will be awarded to any school or college listed on the four top) prize-winning entries. (Only one school or col lege can be listed on any entry.) Besides the top tour prizes, Pola roid camera kits will be awarded the next six winners, while 90 other winners will receive RCA transis tor radios. To take part in the contest, stu dents need only write their names and addresses and the school of their choice on the entry blanks available at local stores or In the Feb. 15 and 22 issues of "Sports llustrated." Blindfold Drawling All entries must be maIled to l Olympic Salute, P. 0. Box No. 52 Mount Vernon, N. Y., and post marked by April 11. All prizes will be awarded on the basis of a blindfold drawing.