Phil Ohman & Victor Arden with Their Orchestra - Sometimes I'm Happy ~1927 скачать в хорошем качестве

Phil Ohman & Victor Arden with Their Orchestra - Sometimes I'm Happy ~1927

Fillmore "Phil" Ohman was born on October 7, 1896 in New Britain, Connecticut. He was such a natural in music that his secondary school teachers recommended sending him to Europe for further study. Unable to do so on a pastor's salary, his parents sent him to study with Edward Laubin for four years and another two with pipe organ master Alexander Russell with a focus on technique and theory rather than organ. It was during this time, just shy of his 16th birthday that Phil recorded his first record, the popular intermezzo "Narcissus" for Victor. At 18, he accidentally found employment as a piano salesman and demonstrator at the Wannamaker's department store in New York City when he ducked in to get out of the rain and decided to play to pass the time. He was offered a job on the spot. In 1919, he took at a company called QRS, arranging and recording piano scrolls. That summer, a new employee started working with the company doing the same work by the name of Lewis Fuiks (aka Victor Arden). In short order, they found many commonalities in both taste and abilities and, working together, could create and arrange music with little effort. They would lay out the general gist of what they would play with minimal notation and would begin recording, Arden usually playing bass and Ohman treble. The scroll business was doing well and the two were really making a name for themselves, both through sales, performances, recordings, and radio. In September 1920, Ohman wed and was looking for some extra income. His success with arranging got around and he ended up getting side work, becoming the sole pianist for big name singers of the day such as Marie Sundelius, Reinald Werrenrath, Rafelo Diaz, and John Barnes Wells with whom he toured with in early 1921. This all led to a position with Paul Whiteman's orchestra, and unable to keep all of his balls in the air, he would be forced to quit QRS and end the duo for a while. His final song before leaving was a tune entitled "Try and Play It". This left Max Kortlander to pair with Arden and continue the work. It became clear to both that their new work was less fulfilling than when they were working together and the two paired up once again to start building their repertoire, playing clubs in Manhattan and beginning to record more frequently. The duo soon found themselves on Broadway, co-leading the pit orchestra for "Lady Be Good" in 1924. Ohman would once again leave QRS and move to the Aeolian company, however the duo were contracted to Brunswick and continued recording. They were heavily involved in the company's transition from acoustic to electrically recorded discs in 1925. They expanded their sound with the creation of the Arden-Ohman orchestra that same year, initially for recordings but later for both live shows and radio (which would almost single-handedly be responsible for getting them through the depression). The pair would continue their Broadway run as well with more Gershwin classics like Tip Toes in 1925, Oh, Kay in 1926, and Funny Face in 1927. They were soon sought out by Warner Brothers to make Vitaphone shorts, moving them from sound only to the playing on the silver screen. Come the 1930's, the duo switched their focus to radio due to its wide exposure, and it's no surprise they found sponsorship easily, hosting musical shows including The Bayer Music Review, The Buick Program, and the landmark American Album of Familiar Music. By 1934, the stress of it all was seeping in on a professional level and the duo split to do their own things but remained lifelong friends. They would record for Brunswick once more that same year. Ohman would move to Hollywood and as true talent does, his abilities found their way to the ears of future Capital Records founder Johnny Mercer which produced a few songs. These were successful and Phil would soon wind up composing movie soundtracks and playing for and in films, becoming one of the most prominent film pianists of the late 1930's and early 1940's. He would retire from films, but was still leading an orchestra in the 1950's and could usually be found playing the Players Restaurant on Sunset. He would pass away in August 1954. Victor would stay behind and became a pianist and conductor with NBC radio, even trying things with his own dance band and occasionally filling in for Abe Lyman on quite a few occasions. Arden would continue recording and performing throughout the 1930's and 1940's. He would lead an orchestra until 1951 when he retired. He would pass away in July 1962. Today's song comes from their Brunswick days with some great electrically recorded clarity. "Sometimes I'm Happy", originally written by Vincent Youmans, Irving Caesar, and Clifford Grey for the musical comedy "Hit The Deck". The recorded took place on April 8, 1927 with Victor and Phil on pianos, their orchestra accompanying, Harry Reser providing banjo and frank Munn doing the singing.