Sleigh Ride
Galloping Fingers
Decca Records DL 5327 (10-inch, 33 rpm)
1951
From the back cover: By virtue of her amazing versatility and artistry, Ethel Smith has become one of the foremost organists of our time. She is expert at interpreting every kind of music from classical to swing – from the legato of the ballad to the torrid tempo of the rumba. "Galloping Fingers" offers ample evidence of her mastery of the organ, for Ethel is equally at home in such classic standards as "Maple Leaf Rag" and "By The Waters Of Minnetonka" as well as the more recent, haunting "Third Man Theme" and Leroy Anderson's crisp and captivating "Sleigh Ride."
But let's go back to the beginning – back to Pittsburgh, for it was here that Ethel received much of her sound musical background at Carnegie Tech. Institute where she studied piano, organ and, incidentally, Spanish. After graduation she got a job playing in the pit for a Shubert show. It was her first taste of commercial music life and she liked it well enough to tour with the company for twenty-eight weeks.
Next came an offer to accompany a singer in one of Hollywood's studios. One day, on the set, she noticed a Hammond Electric Organ – at that time, only recently developed. She took to it immediately. Apparently, it took to her, too, for an alert and advertising-wise dealer saw in her nimble-fingered playing an excellent way to demonstrate the new Hammond. He not only let her practice on it to her heart's content, but also allowed her to take it with her to Florida where she was booked for an engagement playing accompaniment for a trio in a little Barvarian restaurant. Ethel soon adopted the electric organ as her chosen solo instrument – mainly because it responded so sensitively to the highly colorful tropical rhythms she loved so well.
When Cordel Hull sailed southward to attend the first Pan-American conference, Ethel was one of the few women who traveled with his party. She had managed to snare the post of chairman of the entertainment committee. Her first and long-dreamed-of South American trip, it served to whet her appetite for other more extensive expeditions – for she had decided to make a first-hand study of the native music. Her travels below the border eventually encompassed some seventeen Caribbean and South American countries. "For a while," she says, "I became a regular tropical hep chick. I stuck my nose into every smoky cabaret that boasted a native orchestra. Whenever they let me, I'd sit in with the boys for a little Latin jam session. That way it didn't take long to collect a trunk-load of authentic and out-of-the-way rhythms and melodies – including such lush and sultry-sounding ones as chacareras, milongas, bambucos, pasillos, guarachas, habaneras and, of course, the traditional sambas, rumbas and congas."
So well did Ethel learn to interpret the music of South America that she was offered an engagement at one of its most celebrated night spots – Rio De Janeiro's Copacabana. While she was playing here, an executive of a tobacco company invited her to return to New York for the "Hit Parade" radio show. Ethel was featured as one of its stars for over a year. Then a talent scout from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer suddenly awoke to the fact that not only was Ethel's music a delight to the ear, but that Ethel, herself, was extremely photogenic. She was offered a contract, at what she considered a "fantastic figure" and naturally accepted.
But let's go back to the beginning – back to Pittsburgh, for it was here that Ethel received much of her sound musical background at Carnegie Tech. Institute where she studied piano, organ and, incidentally, Spanish. After graduation she got a job playing in the pit for a Shubert show. It was her first taste of commercial music life and she liked it well enough to tour with the company for twenty-eight weeks.
Next came an offer to accompany a singer in one of Hollywood's studios. One day, on the set, she noticed a Hammond Electric Organ – at that time, only recently developed. She took to it immediately. Apparently, it took to her, too, for an alert and advertising-wise dealer saw in her nimble-fingered playing an excellent way to demonstrate the new Hammond. He not only let her practice on it to her heart's content, but also allowed her to take it with her to Florida where she was booked for an engagement playing accompaniment for a trio in a little Barvarian restaurant. Ethel soon adopted the electric organ as her chosen solo instrument – mainly because it responded so sensitively to the highly colorful tropical rhythms she loved so well.
When Cordel Hull sailed southward to attend the first Pan-American conference, Ethel was one of the few women who traveled with his party. She had managed to snare the post of chairman of the entertainment committee. Her first and long-dreamed-of South American trip, it served to whet her appetite for other more extensive expeditions – for she had decided to make a first-hand study of the native music. Her travels below the border eventually encompassed some seventeen Caribbean and South American countries. "For a while," she says, "I became a regular tropical hep chick. I stuck my nose into every smoky cabaret that boasted a native orchestra. Whenever they let me, I'd sit in with the boys for a little Latin jam session. That way it didn't take long to collect a trunk-load of authentic and out-of-the-way rhythms and melodies – including such lush and sultry-sounding ones as chacareras, milongas, bambucos, pasillos, guarachas, habaneras and, of course, the traditional sambas, rumbas and congas."
So well did Ethel learn to interpret the music of South America that she was offered an engagement at one of its most celebrated night spots – Rio De Janeiro's Copacabana. While she was playing here, an executive of a tobacco company invited her to return to New York for the "Hit Parade" radio show. Ethel was featured as one of its stars for over a year. Then a talent scout from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer suddenly awoke to the fact that not only was Ethel's music a delight to the ear, but that Ethel, herself, was extremely photogenic. She was offered a contract, at what she considered a "fantastic figure" and naturally accepted.
Her first film for MGM was "Bathing Beauty," in which Ethel traded musical punches with Harry James to a delightful draw. Since then she has appeared in many motion pictures and made frequent personal appearance tours to the delight of her countless followers. To the world, and rightly so, she is known as "The Empress Of The Hammond Organ."
Sleigh Ride
Sleigh Ride
The Galloping Fingers
The 3rd Man Theme
The Cafe Mozart Waltz
Fiddle Faddle
By The Waters Of Minnetonka
Maple Leaf Rag
Steamboat Rag
OMG this is FABULOUS! So old and wonderful! Love the cover and Sleigh Ride is one of my faves!! This is magical!! And a 10" too!
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