For some unknown reason in the middle of the night I began thinking back to a dinner-restaurant (night club) in Dayton, Ohio called Suttmiller’s. So, rather than lose my train of thought, I got up and started writing down my reminiscences.
Suttmiller’s in the 60’s was a beautiful place in decor and vibrant feeling. The main theme was German with lots of red and gold walls and fixtures. The main room which held the dinners and the shows seated 500 people. There was a small stage for the band and a dance floor maybe 10′ by 12′ that was on a hydraulic lift, down for the dancing and up for the shows. The stage was lit by good stage lighting and a spotlight, the kind used in ice shows, and very bright. (and we were not allowed to wear sunglasses) There was also a smaller room off to the side in which were held small parties and banquets. And adjacent to this was a piano bar with booths where Gardner Benedict presided, knowing every tune known at the time along with the composers & lyricists and sometimes even the history. And if this wasn’t enough, he had a voluminous file as backup.
The main room is where I worked, a booth in the bar is where we sat and had a drink during the breaks. The bartenders were a bit crotchety at times, but also helpful. When customers bought the band drinks, we had to use them or lose them. So I started ordering a hamburger or a bowl of turtle soup instead of too many drinks. With a shot of sherry, the turtle soup was delicious.
I’m not sure how I first learned that the band leader, Danny Martin, was looking for a trombone player. I was in the end of the first semester of my senior year at the College-Conservatory of music in Cincinnati and I didn’t have a car. My roommate, Dave McMaken, consented to drive me to Dayton for my audition which was playing during the dance sets. The hours were 9:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. six nights a week, and after playing a set or two, I was offered the job. I, of course, accepted and was on the road to working there for about five years. In order to do this I bought a small Ford which was semi-reliable and, besides feeding it regularly with gas and oil, prayed a lot that it would start at 2 a.m. The rest of my senior year was difficult to say the least. For the second semester I had 8 a.m. student teaching and a mandate to attend a certain number of recitals in order to graduate. Mercifully, I had friends who would fill out an attendance card for me so I could graduate. And I carried a full load of classes including Russian. (Had I only known).
There was always a rehearsal with the entertainers on Monday afternoon. Usually two and sometimes three acts. Then there were three shows, 9, 11, and 1 a.m. on Monday, Friday and Saturday with dance music in between. During the week there were only two shows a night with more dance music. The dance music was simple charts of popular songs of the day and medleys of standards in which the horns and piano took solos. To play the next tune, the soloist would indicate the key by holding up fingers: one finger up (1 sharp), meant key of G, one finger down (1 flat), meant key of F and so on. Musicians: trumpet – Basil Drew; sax – Roger Decker; piano – Joe Fernandes, then “Satch.” (last name forgotten); drummer – Jimmy LaMonica then Jimmy Green; bass- Danny Martin (and sometimes alto sax). When Danny played sax, Basil would play bass, and then after a while I was able to also play bass.
All through college to graduation and beyond I drove to Dayton from Cincinnati, then from Middletown, then from Dayton when I got married. It didn’t matter what kind of weather, I drove and made it on time always. I never had snow tires or used chains, just a car (and prayers). During my second year at the club Danny vouched for me at the Chevy dealer in Dayton and I bought my first new car, a stripped down Corvair. The motor was in the back, so I put a few cement blocks in the front trunk for balance and never had a problem in any kind of weather, even when most cars were stuck at the side of the road.
At one point in time, the sax player was let go (instead of me), so on the shows I played the lead alto sax parts on trombone along with the important trombone parts. There were also lines on the sax part for flute and clarinet. The alto parts are in Eb, flute in concert C, but up an octave or two and the clarinet parts in Bb. Thankfully, I never had a problem transposing at sight. My college training was classical in nature, and orchestral trombone parts are in alto, tenor and bass clefs. I also was able to play french horn parts in F. After a year, the sax was rehired and my life was a bit easier.
The house band at Suttmiller’s contained excellent musicians and were always a pleasure to work with. No hassles, we always covered each others backs. We could read anything put in front of us, and fill in things that weren’t in front of us. We played acts from all over the world. Good charts, bad charts, we played them all. Many acts came to Dayton to refine, rewrite, and break in their material before going to New York, Las Vegas or Los Angeles. There was even one act so bad at first that they were going to be fired after the first show on Monday. In order to save them, I wrote and rewrote their music all night and into the next day, then rehearsed them so they could finish out the week. It worked and they stayed, but I was exhausted from scoring music and copying the individual parts for the band.
Some acts were an absolute joy to play behind. Carol Lawrence just off Broadway in the hit show “West Side Story” came in to refine her act before touring. Lou Rawls, Nelson Eddy, and Vaughan Monroe (who was very upset with me because someone stole the alto part of his theme son “Racing With the Moon” from my music stand). These were all hand-copied parts. I had it almost memorized and was able to finish the week suitably. There were a lot of older acts like Henny Youngman and Ted Lewis, and starting out acts like Joan Rivers and George Carlin. Acts on the rise and acts going down. Animal acts, vocal groups, Flamenco, and Adagio dancers.
This became a way of life, enjoyable but also hazardous. In a way I miss it, but I still have the memories of the people and personalities unique to this special life-style. And, because this was in the 60’s most are gone now. But recordings and films occasionally bring them back to our consciousness. And as comedian Jackie Vernon always ended his act by saying: “Just remember folks, a wet bird never flies at night.”
May you have good health and good memories…!