“Mean to Me”
Composed by Fred E. Ahlert (music) and Roy Turk (lyric); arranged by Freddie Slack. .
Recorded by Will Bradley and His Orchestra for Vocalion on October 26, 1939 in New York.
Will Bradley, trombone, directing: Steve Lipkins, first trumpet; Joe Weidman and Al Mitchell, trumpets; Bill Corti and Jimmy Emmert, trombones; Art Mendelsohn, first alto saxophone, and clarinet; Joe Huffman, alto saxophone and clarinet; Nick Caiazza, tenor saxophone and clarinet; Sam Sachelle, tenor saxophone; Freddie Slack, piano/arranger; Steve Jordan, guitar; Felix Giobbe, bass; Ray McKinley, drums. Carlotta Dale, vocal.
The story:
Trombonist Wilbur Schwichtenberg, known professionally as Will Bradley, was born on July 12, 1912 in Newton, New Jersey and raised in Washington, New Jersey. In 1928, he moved to New York City and became a member of Milt Shaw and His Detroiters, then Red Nichols and His Five Pennies. From 1931-1934 he was on staff at CBS radio. In early 1935, at the behest of Glenn Miller, who greatly admired his ability as a trombonist, he joined Ray Noble’s American band and remained through that year. In the first nine months of 1936, he was a Manhattan free-lance, recording with many different groups, but often with Jack Shilkret. He rejoined the CBS staff in the autumn of 1936, and was often present on that network’s popular Saturday Night Swing Club. He also led the studio band for the Summer Silver Theater on CBS in 1941, with Ed Sullivan as the show’s host. (Above right: Glenn Miller, Ray Noble and Wilbur Schwichtenberg (later Will Bradley) – 1935.)
In 1939, he changed his name from Wilbur Schwichtenberg to Will Bradley, and in September of that year, at the instigation of booking agent Willard Alexander, he started a big band that included drummer Ray McKinley and pianist/arranger Freddie “Daddy” Slack, both of whom had worked with Jimmy Dorsey for several years. The concept Alexander had was that Bradley would lead the band but that McKinley would be featured presenting novelty vocals.(1) The band included, at various times, Arthur Rollini, tenor saxophone; Les Robinson, lead alto saxophone, Mahlon Clark, clarinet, Michael “Peanuts” Hucko, clarinet and tenor saxophone, Billy Maxted, piano/arranger, Pete Candoli, trumpet; among others. Vocalists included: Carlotta Dale, Terry Allen, Lynn Gardner, Ray McKinley, Phyllis Myles, Larry Southern, and Jimmy Valentine.
The Bradley band became well known for boogie-woogie, particularly with its hit novelty, “Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar.” The song reached the top ten of Billboard magazine’s popular music chart, as did “Scrub Me Mama with a Boogie Beat” and “Down the Road a Piece.” The latter song was recorded on August 12, 1940 by the Will Bradley Trio (McKinley on drums, Slack on piano, and Doc Goldberg on bass), with the vocal by McKinley and Bradley.
In 1940, Franklin Roosevelt’s son James introduced a new concept in filmed entertainment: three-minute musical Soundies filmed for coin-operated “movie jukeboxes.” Will Bradley was one of the first bandleaders to work in Soundies, in December 1940.
Freddie Slack left the Bradley band in April of 1941 to form and lead his own band, which had considerable success through the 1940s. In the spring of 1942, Ray McKinley departed the Bradley outfit to form his own band. His timing was unfortunately not good. Between the ongoing military draft taking musicians out of his band and the American Federation of Musicians’ recording strike, the McKinley band was forced to fold after eight months. He had better luck after World War II.
Bradley meanwhile, was also finding it difficult to keep a big band together on the road in 1942. He hired the young trumpeter Milton “Shorty” Rogers and drummer Shelly Manne, but he could not maintain a stable personnel because so many members of his band were being drafted into the armed forces. He dissolved his big band and returned to broadcasting at CBS in New York in late 1942. He was much in demand as a recording-studio musician from the mid-forties through the 1950s. In December 1954 he signed with NBC radio’s flagship station in New York, WRCA, joining many veterans of the big-band era to provide live music on the air. He continued to work in radio and television including on The Tonight Show on NBC-TV, also working as a free-lance studio musician as time would permit through the 1960s.(1)
In addition to being an excellent trombonist, Will Bradley “…(did) some classical writing, including a trombone sonata for the American Composer’s League, several large string works, a brass suite, and a number of works performed by Dean Dixon on Radio-Diffusion, Paris. Will’s hobbies included silversmithing, gem cutting, wood sculpture and painting.”(2)
Will Bradley died on July 15, 1989, in Flemington, New Jersey, three days after his 77th birthday.
The music:
“Mean to Me” is a popular song with music by Fred E. Ahlert and a subtly ironic lyric by Roy Turk. It was published in 1929. Hit versions that year were by Ruth Etting and Helen Morgan. Ben Bernie and the Hotel Roosevelt Orchestra also recorded what might have been the first male vocal version in February 1929, with Scrappy Lambert singing. Annette Hanshaw recorded it on February 20, 1929. Her recording was released under the pseudonym of Gay Ellis and Her Orchestra. Later recordings made in the 1930s include one made by Billie Holiday with Teddy Wilson and Lester Young (May 11, 1937).
The recording of “Mean to Me” presented with this post was one of the first by Will Bradley’s new band, and their vocalist Carlotta Dale. Ms. Dale had just recently left Jan Savitt’s band after singing with that group for about two years. She was a fine vocalist whose role with the Savitt had basically been to sing ballads. Her vocal here demonstrates that she could also swing most effectively (and provocatively) at a relaxed medium tempo.
The arrangement on “Mean to Me” played by the Bradley band was written by Freddie “Daddy” Slack, and is a straightforward dance chart that has the vocal chorus coming first, right after the brief, airy introduction which spots unison clarinets. Those clarinets are then harmonized most attractively to caress Ms. Dale’s voice in the first half of her vocal chorus. Then on the bridge we hear the saxophones providing a warm background. Her singing is particularly piquant in the last eight bars of the vocal chorus. (At left: Will Bradley, Freddie Slack and Carlotta Dale look over some music – December 1939.)
A transitional passage follows the vocal, and the music modulates into another key, then the saxophone quartet glides through a sixteen-bar soli of melodic paraphrase. The straight-muted brass supply warm accents. On the bridge, trumpeter Joe Weidman plays a brief muted solo. The saxophones return to finish the chorus. (At right – a view of some of the Bradley band sidemen; L-R in front: Jimmy Emmert, Joe Weidman, Steve Lipkins, Al Mitchell; in back: Felix Giobbe and Freddie Slack.)
The final chorus presents Maestro Bradley playing the melody smoothly on his open trombone in a manner that shows that he was a master of his instrument. He works up to a held high-note at the end that is swathed in muted brass and clarinets. (At left: Will Bradley goes for a high note.)
The recording presented with this post was digitally remastered by Mike Zirpolo.
Notes and links:
(1) Much of the information about Will Bradley was derived from the Wikipedia post on him.
(2) The Encyclopedia of Jazz by Leonard Feather (1960), 141.
Here are links to a couple other fine vocal performances by Carlotta Dale:
https://swingandbeyond.com/2016/08/14/you-go-to-my-head-jan-savitt-carlotta-dale/
Here are links to other great recordings that are sleepers:
https://swingandbeyond.com/2016/08/26/soft-winds-erskine-hawkins-1940/
https://swingandbeyond.com/2016/10/24/spinnin-the-webb-1938-chick-webb/
https://swingandbeyond.com/2024/08/31/since-i-fell-for-you-1945-buddy-johnson-with-ella-johnson/
https://swingandbeyond.com/2024/08/17/the-night-we-met-in-honomu-1941-larry-clinton-with-peggy-mann/
https://swingandbeyond.com/2017/11/04/une-lettre-de-jean-1997-the-morpheus-trio/
The trumpt solo is by joe Wiedman (aka Weidman ) and not as stated by joe Huffman who played saxophone and it is Wiedman in the photograph.. Carlotta
sings beautifully and can also be heard to advantage on Ghost of a Chance with
WilB Bradley.
You are so right William. These little mistakes somehow creep into posts from time to time. Thanks for catching it. I have corrected the post accordingly.
P.S. I agree that Carlotta’s vocal is wonderful.