| Chapter 6: | The Clarinet |
and a fine tenor, sang “Temptation.” Then Red DiStefano appeared on the stage and was greeted with tremendous enthusiasm by the audience. He looked like the twin brother of Red Skelton, the Hollywood comedian, but nearsighted with thick glasses. From the orchestra pit where I was sitting, he appeared almost blind. He put his lips to the mouthpiece of his trumpet and he suddenly became an ethereal being. He began with “Estrellita,” then he did “I Cried for You,” his third song “I Had the Craziest Dream” brought the audience to their feet. And then he finished his historic performance with “Stardust.” I would have never imagined that anyone could play that tune better than Artie Shaw, but Red did. The audience was so moved by his performance that applause and shouts of “encore” resulted in Red’s rendition of “Frenesi” and “Deep Purple.” There were shouts of “Harry James” as he left the stage, a thin redhead with thick glasses and a trumpet in his left hand.
At Franklin and at Otis we had Spring festivals. One of the best took place on May 26, 1949. In Part One of the show, the kids from Otis in the glee club and band ensemble performed seven Italian songs plus “America, I Love You.” Part Two belonged to us, the singers, dancers and band players at Franklin. We did “Flying Down to Rio,” “Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise,” “Latin American Fantasy,” “Jalousie,” and “La Carioca.” Part Three featured an “Evening at Radio City” with “Stardust,” “In the Still of the Night,” “Dancing in the Dark” (a dance solo by Gerard Kennedy), “With a Song in my Heart” (sung by Salvatore Greco), and “It’s a Grand Night for Singing” (band and choristers). The Finale, “Let All the Nations Rejoice,” from “Cavalleria Rusticana.”