Old Saxophone-ish, Wailing Jazz Being Displaced By New American Music, Now That Beer Is Here, Says Ben Bernie

"Yowsah," the "old maestro" mumbled to a CRIMSON reporter, as he attempted an unsuccessful clasping of his collar button in the bedroom of his suite at the Statler last Tuesday afternoon. "Yowsah, times have certainly changed. Why, yesterday's leading bankers are doormen today--if they're lucky; and the old saxophone-ish, wailing type of jazz has given way to a new style of popular music.

"The truth is, we don't like the term jazz". It always signifies something more or loss crude. Ours is a certain type of American music that has caught the spirit of the music-loving world. Look at Olsen, Lombardo, Bernie--even in Europe--Paris, Berlin, London--this new American music has caught like wildfire. Pagan it may be called, but nevertheless just look how it's used. But we decry the word 'jazz.' Which reminds me, now that beer's here, there's going to be a great change in the music world, and people are going to learn to appreciate our style more and more.

"Why, I'd much rather play before a crowd of kids from sixteen to twenty than I would before a crowd of middle aged folks. That's the truth. The younger generation are saying alas and alack with Mozart and the rest. They want something lively, and sentimental. Some time ago I toured the South with Cab Calloway--we played before crowds of these southern debutantes. They almost wont crazy over the hot stuff. Why, after the dances they used to crowd around us to get our autographs, and honestly, there was always more of a group around Cab, even in the South, than there was around me.

"But Whiteman's style is altogether different. He prefers to play the more or less classical--now arrangements of almost symphonic works. But Paul has always done that. And he's one man that can do it and get away with it. He's always been the 'King.'

"By the way," the famous leader added, "I wonder if Serge Koussevizky will be there tonight. He'll have to take several auditions before he can join our orchestra."

Bernie's next engagement is in Worcester. His college engagements include practically every large college in the country.