Randy T. and all: The Carl Stalling Project, Raymond Scott, and Cartoon Music


I'm probably the last to know about all this, but, here goes....a genuine music topic......

While flipping through the soundtrack/television section at the local FYE, desparately hoping to stumble on something new, I came across "The Carl Stalling Project: Music From Warner Brothers Cartoons, 1936-1958." Very interested, but just a little hesitant, I decided to check into it a little more at home before purchasing. After a quick amazon.com look, and a peek into "The Cartoon Music Book"(essential!), which happens to feature a interview with Stalling from 1969, I knew I was into something good.

Best known for his work at Warner Brothers, where he worked as musical director for the animation division from 1936 to 1958, Carl Stalling actually began his career with a guy named Walt Disney in Kansas City in the mid-1920's; he wrote the music for the first dozen Mickey Mouse cartoons, while inspiring the creation of the Silly Symphonies, scoring them for a year. He left the Disney Studio in 1930.

Further probing led me to the music of Raymond Scott(also featured in the above mentioned book). His "screwy pseudo-jazz"(as it was referred to) was not written specifically for cartoons; Warner Brothers later bought the rights to his music, and Carl Stalling used Scott's melodies to spice up the antics of Bugs and company(his music has also been used in more contempoary cartoons as well). I immediately charged out and found "The Music of Raymond Scott, Reckless Nights and Turkish Twilights" at Borders--where had this music been all my life--I grew up with this stuff Saturday and Sunday mornings!!! It helped make me what I am today.....

Now my Disney-related question--why not a Disney-Carl Stalling Project--why not a retrospective of the music from the early Mickey, Donald, and Goofy cartoons--the Silly Symphonies??? It's just so distressing looking at the current Disney music available, a wasteland of teeny-techno-fluff.....

Anyway, just a suggestion, a thought, a scream in the dark.....

Randy? Tim Hollis? Greg Ehrbar? Anyone?

Mike
 

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Re:Randy T. and all: The Carl Stalling Project, Raymond Scott, and Cartoon Musi

... why not a Disney-Carl Stalling Project--why not a retrospective of the music from the early Mickey, Donald, and Goofy cartoons--the Silly Symphonies??? It's just so distressing looking at the current Disney music available, a wasteland of teeny-techno-fluff.....
Licensing... and it wouldn't sell.

Mike won't consider the iTunes Music Store or any similar service where such a project might actually find its audience. The idea has been pitched to him on more than one occasion.

Be sure to check out Vol. 2 of The Carl Stalling Project, if you haven't already done so.


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Re:Randy T. and all: The Carl Stalling Project, Raymond Scott, and Cartoon Musi

That's funny, Bill--before I saw your reply, I was on the bastamusic.com site, because I knew there was some Scott material there, and I also wanted to check out the Beau Hunks' Laurel and Hardy CD set; they're wonderful, I have one of their CD's already, with L&H/Little Rascals music. I spotted their Raymond Scott CD, and figured that was going to have to go on my list! Thanks for the confirmation!

Mike
 

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