LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) û Jazz pianist Charles Thomas, who shunned the spotlight of touring with Duke Ellington's band to play in his homestate of Arkansas, died Tuesday of prostate cancer. He was 64.
During his career, Thomas headlined numerous jazz festivals and accompanied vocalists such as Tony Bennett. After Ellington's death, the band leader's orchestra asked Thomas to take his place on the piano.
But Thomas's tour with the Duke Ellington Orchestra didn't last long. Thomas "got tired of being Duke Ellington û he wanted to be Charlie Thomas," said his longtime manager, Jim Porter.
Thomas returned to Arkansas and played at venues such as the Black Orchid in Hot Springs during the 1960s.
William "Tiger" Warren
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) û William "Tiger" Warren, founder and chairman of the Macheezmo Mouse restaurant chain, was killed Saturday when the float plane he was piloting plunged into the Columbia River just after takeoff. He was 48.
Warren and his wife were in the middle of what had become a bitter divorce in 1994 when he took Macheezmo Mouse public, turning his shares into a $9.2 million investment in one day.
But the chain of 13 Mexican-style restaurants since has struggled, despite its wide menu featuring many low-fat dishes aimed at attracting what the company saw as a growing market of health-conscious customers, including aging Baby Boomers.
Warren had worked for Esco as a steel salesman before founding Macheezmo Mouse in 1981. Before that, he had a short career as a filmmaker. Warren's movie "Skateboard," one of the first features on the sport, was produced in the 1970s in Los Angeles. A later movie, "Rockaday Richie and the Queen of the Hop," was produced in Portland, said Bill Foster, director of the Northwest Film Center, who had known Warren since the '70s.
Monday, Nov. 29, 1999; 6:54 a.m. EST
LOS ANGELES ûû William Benedict, a character actor best known as Whitey in the old Bowery Boys comedies, died Nov. 25 from complications of heart surgery. He was 82.
Born in Haskell, Okla., he was a newsboy and a plumber's assistant before appearing in films as a youngster in the mid-1930s.
He played Skinny in some of the low-budget East Side Kids films about the exploits of a tough gang of New York youngsters. In the 1940s and '50s, Benedict made regular appearances as Whitey in the Bowery Boys films, popular successors to the East Side Kids.
Alvin Cash
CHICAGO (AP) û Alvin Cash, who had a hit in 1963 with the dance tune "It's Twine Time," died Nov. 21. He was 60.
The cause of death was not determined, though he had been suffering from stomach problems.
A native of St. Louis, Cash started his career as a tap dancer and performed with his brother in a group called the Step Brothers. He started singing later, hitting the Chicago scene with his group Alvin Cash and the Registers.
"It's Twine Time" earned them appearances on shows hosted by Dick Clark and Ed Sullivan. Follow-up dance tunes included "The Funky Washing Machine," "The Ali Shuffle" and "The Philly Freeze."
Fred Ford
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) û Saxophonist Fred Ford, a versatile jazz and rhythm and blues musician who recorded with B.B. King and Jerry Lee Lewis, died Friday after a battle with cancer. He was 69.
Ford, a mainstay of the Memphis music scene, was known for his baritone sax skills. He played on hundreds of sessions, including recordings with Rufus Thomas, Lightnin' Hopkins, Charlie Rich and Junior Parker.
Ford started playing professionally with the Douglass Swingsters Orchestra and the Andrew Chaplin Band in the late 1940s, before graduating from high school.
His most famous recording û the 1952 classic "Hound Dog" by Big Mama Thornton û had him barking instead of playing sax.
Calvin Dodd MacCracken
HANOVER, N.H. (AP) û Calvin Dodd MacCracken, an inventor who developed products which ranged from electric hot dog cookers to space suits for astronauts, died Nov. 10 of pneumonia. He was 79.
MacCracken earned his first patent û a jet engine design û during World War II when he worked for General Electric. After the war, he founded Englewood, N.J.-based Jet Heat Inc., now called Calmac Inc., and served as its president for 50 years.
Ashley Montagu
PRINCETON, N.J. (AP) û Anthropologist Ashley Montagu, known for combining rigorous scientific research with witty, accessible writing, died Friday after a long illness. He was 94.
Montagu wrote more than 60 books, ranging from an account of the life of Joseph Merrick, known as "The Elephant Man," to lighter works such as a book on the history of swearing.
Montagu became a controversial figure in the 1950s when he suggested there was scientific evidence of race and gender equality. He recently published a revised version of his 1953 book, "The Natural Superiority of Women," in which he argued for complete equality between men and women.
Robert Theobald
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) û Noted futurist and author Robert Theobald died of cancer Saturday. He was 70.
Theobald wrote books, prepared and appeared on broadcasts, and lectured around the world to governments, businesses and organizations.
He worked independently throughout his career, and was not attached to a think tank or university.
Theobald argued that blind confidence in economic growth, technology and the culture of materialism destroyed the environment and failed to provide opportunity and income for many people.
"We've halved the size of our families, doubled the size of our houses and have to fill four times as much space with stuff," he said in an interview two years ago with The Spokesman-Review newspaper.
History is littered with cultures that collapsed under their own success, unable to maintain their ecosystems as their populations grew, he warned.
His latest book "Reworking Success" called for fundamental change at the new millennium.
"If we do not change direction rapidly, the impact of technology will deprive many people of the possibility of earning a living and will lead to despair and disruption," he wrote. "In addition, rampant technology will leach the meaning out of life."
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Date: Mon, 29 Nov 1999 10:18:17 -0500
From: Nat Kone <bruno@yhammer.com>
Subject: (exotica) Re: essential exotica
At 07:26 PM 11/29/99 +0900, Jan Fornell wrote:
>106 essential exotica albums :
>his selection included 35 albums by Martin Denny 30 by Arthur Lyman, 9 by
>Les Baxter, and
>further albums by Augie Colon, Si Zentner, Ethel Azama, Chick Floyd, Tak
>Shindo, Sondi Sodsai, Paul Conrad, Gene Rains, Paul Page, Johnny
>Spencer, Rex Kona & His Mandarins, Jimmy Namaro, the Markko Polo
>Adventurers, Eden Ahbez. Milt Raskin, Warren Barker, Don Tiare, Axel
>Stordahl, the Aliis, the Surfmen,
Never heard of Chick, Paul, Paul, Johnny, Jimmy and Don.
Heard OF but never heard Ethel, Sondi, Gene, Rex, Milt, Axel or Aliis.
The only classics I actually own, outside some Dennys, Lymans and Baxters
are the Tak Shindo, Marko Polo, possibly Warren Barker and maybe the
Surfmen, assuming it's the one with the woman emerging from the flower
So anyone want to tell me about the ones I've never heard of or heard.
And I'm surprised not to see George Cates on the list. Even Webley
Edwards. Or Ron Goodwin.
Nat
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------------------------------
Date: Mon, 29 Nov 1999 10:01:25 -0500
From: "Nathan Miner" <nminer@jhmi.edu>
Subject: (exotica) Hey Luxuria guys........
.....could you post to Exotica the current 5 CD's on rotation on your =
site???
Some great stuff that I wouldn't mind having - I recognized Brazil '66 and =
Fantastic Plastic Machine, what about the other two??
Thanks......
- - Nate
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------------------------------
Date: Mon, 29 Nov 1999 19:00:57 -0500
From: itsvern@ibm.net
Subject: (exotica) 'Populuxe' book
A while ago there was a thread about recommended books that would
comfortably co-exist with our 1950's-60's exotica music collections.
One of the books I mentioned, 'Populuxe' by Thomas Hine was then out of
print. This book was hard to find - used book dealers were selling
copies for $100-200.
I just found out that it is now back in print - a hardcover version
sells at the reasonable price of $15. Amazon.com and I'm sure a few
other dealers are now offering it. Its a definite favorite of mine and
the first book I think of when someone mentions 50's design.
Some of the chapter headings:
- The Luckiest Generation
- Design and Styling
- The New Shape of Motion
- The Boomerang and Other Enthusiasms
- Just Push the Button
- Lost in Space
Vern
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------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Nov 1999 15:54:15 +0900
From: Jan Fornell <tripa@sannet.ne.jp>
Subject: Re: (exotica) Re: essential exotica
Nat Kone wrote:
>
> At 07:26 PM 11/29/99 +0900, Jan Fornell wrote:
> >106 essential exotica albums :
> >his selection included 35 albums by Martin Denny 30 by Arthur Lyman, 9 by
> >Les Baxter, and
> >further albums by Augie Colon, Si Zentner, Ethel Azama, Chick Floyd, Tak
> >Shindo, Sondi Sodsai, Paul Conrad, Gene Rains, Paul Page, Johnny
> >Spencer, Rex Kona & His Mandarins, Jimmy Namaro, the Markko Polo
> >Adventurers, Eden Ahbez. Milt Raskin, Warren Barker, Don Tiare, Axel
> >Stordahl, the Aliis, the Surfmen,
>
> Never heard of Chick, Paul, Paul, Johnny, Jimmy and Don.
> Heard OF but never heard Ethel, Sondi, Gene, Rex, Milt, Axel or Aliis.
> The only classics I actually own, outside some Dennys, Lymans and Baxters
> are the Tak Shindo, Marko Polo, possibly Warren Barker and maybe the
> Surfmen, assuming it's the one with the woman emerging from the flower
> So anyone want to tell me about the ones I've never heard of or heard.
> And I'm surprised not to see George Cates on the list. Even Webley
> Edwards. Or Ron Goodwin.
A slight disclaimer is in order here, and I apologize if by using the
word "essential" in my first posting created the wrong impression. The
name of that list was actually "Those 106 Albums of Great Exotic Sounds
You Will Enjoy" and it was divided into Martin Denny Albums, Arthur
Lyman albums, Les Baxter albums, and "More albums for your listening
pleasure". It didn't really claim to be exhaustive, and the
non-inclusion of some particular album may be due to the simple fact
that no copy was available, or just lack of space!
The Surfmen record is called "Colorful Romantic Hawaii" and the cover
features a girl sitting with a huge purple, flower-patterned acoustic
guitar.
Jan
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------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Nov 1999 09:55:25 -0500
From: "Nathan Miner" <nminer@jhmi.edu>
Subject: Re: (exotica) The Surfmen
<<The Surfmen record is called "Colorful Romantic Hawaii" and the cover
features a girl sitting with a huge purple, flower-patterned acoustic
guitar.<<
Ah, so there seems to be *three* Surfmen albums out there. The "must =
have" LP with the nude gal emerging from the inside of an exotic flower =
(name escapes me....), the forgettable "Hawaii" album that mixes a blend =
of bland Hawaiian standards with cuts off of the "Exotic" LP (and =
re-titled), and now this third album.
Is "Colorful....." more like the exotic LP with bird calls and Denny riffs =
or what?
- - Nate
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------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Nov 1999 09:58:40 -0500
From: <nytab@pipeline.com>
Subject: (exotica) [obits] Yasuhiro Kojima,Bethel Leslie,Adele Balkan
The Associated Press
Tuesday, Nov. 30, 1999; 6:47 a.m. EST
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- Yasuhiro Kojima, who trained and coached
professional wrestlers like Hulk Hogan and Lex Lugar, has died of
colon and liver cancer. He was 62.
Kojima, who was known by his stage name as Hiro Matsuda, died Saturday at his home.
Kojima played baseball in Japan but came to the United States in 1961 because wrestling was his first love. The sport was more
developed here.
Kojima started wrestling on a circuit that took him through
Texas, Oklahoma and Florida.
After settling in the Tampa Bay area in 1962, he went on to
train neophytes at the old Sportatorium in Tampa, home of the
Championship Wrestling from Florida television program.
``We referred to it as the dungeon,'' said wrestler Brian Blair, known in the ring as Killer Bee. ``That's where Hiro put us
through the mill. He taught us discipline.''
Blair trained with Kojima for two summers 20 years ago. He
remembered that about 100 wrestlers tried out under Kojima those
two years.
Only Blair, Terry Bollea (Hulk Hogan), Paul Orndorff (Mr.
Wonderful) and Ray Hernandez (Hercules) stuck it out, he said.
Kojima wouldn't allow them to enter the ring until they'd done 1,000 pushups and 1,000 squats.
``We never knew wrestling as sports entertainment,'' Blair said.``He trained us to believe we'd have to fight for our lives. He
used to kick us and say, `Come on, boys, I'm an old man and you
can't even keep up with me.' ''
Kojima never stopped training, Blair said. Even in his 60s, he could do hundreds of pushups and squats.
Kojima is survived by his wife, Judith; daughters Heather Kojima of Venice, Calif., and Stephanie Kojima of San Francisco; and a
sister, Hatsue Yokotsuka of Yokohama, Japan.
Funeral arrangements were pending.
Bethel Leslie
NEW YORK (AP) û Bethel Leslie, a Tony-nominated actress in theater, films and television shows such as "Gunsmoke," died Sunday of cancer. She was 70.
Ms. Leslie was a 15-year-old student when she was discovered by producer George Abbott, who cast her as the girl next door in the 1944 Broadway production of the comedy "Snafu." She appeared in 10 Broadway plays before she was 25 and acted alongside Fredric March, Sam Wanamaker and Helen Hayes, among others.
In 1955, she played the conflicted daughter of a Bible-wielding reverend in "Inherit the Wind." The show earned her strong reviews and a ticket to Hollywood, where she appeared on "Gunsmoke," "Perry Mason" and "The Fugitive."
Ms. Leslie's first film was 1964's "Captain Newman, M.D.," in which she played the wife of a traumatized Air Force pilot, played by Robert Duvall.
She returned to New York in 1965, appearing on stage and in soap operas.
In 1986, she was nominated for a Tony for her work as the morphine-addicted mother in Eugene O'Neill's "Long Day's Journey into Night."
From 11/26 L.A. Times --
* Adele Balkan; Movie Costume Designer
Adele Balkan, 92, Hollywood costume designer who dressed such stars as Claudette Colbert, Marlene Dietrich and Marlon Brando. Balkan's career spanned four decades until her retirement in 1972 to devote full time to art. She costumed many of the original films that inspired recent remakes--"The Bodyguard" in 1948, "Mighty Joe Young" in 1949 and "The Fly" in 1958. Among her other films were "The Boy With Green Hair," "The Blue Angel" and the biblical epics "The Ten Commandments" and "The Greatest Story Ever Told."
Balkan recently had helped create an oral history of her work in Hollywood for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Margaret Herrick Library. On Saturday in Los Angeles of cancer.
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Date: Tue, 30 Nov 1999 10:02:35 -0500
From: Brian Phillips <hagar@mindspring.com>
Subject: Re: (exotica) The Surfmen
>Ah, so there seems to be *three* Surfmen albums out there. The "must
>have" LP with the nude gal emerging from the inside of an exotic flower
>(name escapes me....), the forgettable "Hawaii" album that mixes a blend
>of bland Hawaiian standards with cuts off of the "Exotic" LP (and
>re-titled), and now this third album.
That is Sounds an Exotic Island, viewable at King Kini's:
http://www.tamboo.com/clubvelvet/lp/index.html
Regardless of the *ahem* aesthetics of the record, it is indeed a great
one. Small sidenote, my mother had a record called "Music of the Near
East" by Ali Beirut's orchestra, which I listened to for the first time two
weeks ago. It has a rather scantily clad woman on it and in my formative
years, I was AFRAID to pull the album out to listen to it, partially
because it was not mine but I feared getting into trouble because of the
lady on the cover.
No, I got it for the...articles,
Brian Phillips
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------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Nov 1999 10:56:25 -0500
From: "Rajnai, Charles, NNAD" <crajnai@att.com>
Subject: RE: (exotica) 'Populuxe' book
I just saw this book at the Barnes and Noble. Very interesting stuff, =
and
certainly up our alley of better living through capitalism.
visit=20
THE BRIMSTONES Eternal Surf and Garage Damnation=20
