Ella Fitzgerald’s engagement at Zardi’s Jazzland carried over from 1956 into the first week of January 1957 closing on Sunday the 6th. Slim Gaillard and his combo were booked for two weeks beginning on the 7thduring midweek with the Dave Brubeck Quartet headlining weekend billing on January 11, 12, 13 and 18, 19, and 20.
Dave Brubeck’s current quartet featured Paul Desmond, Norman Bates, and Joe Morello. Brubeck’s contract with Columbia Records allowed two final recording sessions with his former label, Fantasy Records. A solo album, DAVE BRUBCK PLAYS AND PLAYS AND PLAYS …, Fantasy 3259; and REUNION – DAVE BRUBECK QUINTET, Fantasy 3268, were recorded in February 1957. The fifth musician joining Brubeck’s quartet for the REUNION album was David Van Kriedt on tenor sax who arranged all of the tunes for the album. Van Kriedt was a major contributor to the Brubeck Octet from the Mills College days.
Slim Gaillard continued to fill the midweek slot when Bob Scobey’s Band opened on Friday, January 25th. Scobey’s group featured Clancy Hayes, Lizzy Miles, and Ralph Sutton. Norman Granz recorded the band during their Zardi’s Jazzland engagement, Bourbon Street – Bob Scobey with Lizzie Miles, Verve MGV-1009.
The Los Angeles Evening Citizen News announced a change of management at Zardi’s Jazzland on February 21, 1957.
“GOOD NEWS that the new owners of Zardi’s Jazzland in Hollywood plan to continue much the same policy that has made Zardi’s so popular with the emphasis on lower prices. Jack Gordon, Joe Collins and Pete Snyder are men who know their business, especially Gordon and Snyder, both of whom are former owners of the old Melody Room on Sunset Strip. With Buddy Rich and his boys, Slim Gaillard, and Red Novo making music at Zardi’s you know the place is Jumping. And on March 1, the new management is bringing Dinah Washington in to entertain you Washington fans!”
Buddy Rich’s working trio around this time included Hank Jones on piano and Ray Brown on bass. Norvo’s regular quintet included Bob Drasnin, reeds; Jimmy Wyble, guitar; Buddy Clark, bass; and Bill Douglass, drums. The Norvo group had recently recorded HI-Five – The Red Norvo Quintet for RCA Victor.
Dinah Washington’s engagement opened on Friday, March 1, and continued through Sunday, March 17th. “Miss D” as she was popularly known, recorded for Mercury Records where she was backed by numerous combos and orchestras on her EmArcy jazz releases. Her latest album recorded a few months prior to her Zardi’s engagement was with Quincy Jones, the swingin’ miss “D”, EmArcy MG36104.
She received a box of chocolates in the mail while she was performing at Zardi’s as reported by the Progress-Bulletin, Pomona, CA, on March 13, 1957.
Box of Lethal Candy Mailed To Nightclub Blues Singer
HOLLYWOOD (AP) – Police said today that someone sent a box of chocolates to blues singer Dinah Washington that could have proved fatal had she eaten them. The chocolates contained slivers of glass.The 32-yead-old Negro singer, appearing at Zardi’s here, only learned about the chocolates yesterday, Detective Sgt. Mark Nolan said. She had received the 1½-pound box thru the mail two days ago and gave them to a friend Mrs. Ann Moore. Mrs. Moore bit into one of the chocolates, discovered the glass and returned the box to Miss Washington who called police.
Enclosed with the candy was a typewritten note: “My tail is short as you can see, goodby to you from me.” It was signed “Yasha.”
Miss Washington said she had no idea who the sender could be. U.S. Postal inspectors have been called into the case, police said.
Jack Gordon, Zardi’s manager, said the nightclub features white and Negro jazz musicians and singers. Audiences also are mixed he said. He scoffed at any idea that the plot was aimed at Miss Washington because of her race.
The California Eagle reviewed the Treniers on March 21st.
‘Singsational’ Variety Show For Jazzland
“The Treniers opened on Tuesday, March 19th. Claude and Cliff, the sensational Trenier Twins, their combo, plus singer-comedian Scatman Carruthers, opened a limited engagement at Hollywood’s New Zardi’s Jazzland Tuesday. Famous for their frantic antics, the versatile Treniers perform most of their song catalog with a frenzied, feverish manner that, generated great excitement at Jazzland. They jumped all around the room, danced wildly, played their instruments with equal vigor and created a clamor that appeals to those who like a desperate vein of entertainment.
The Treniers, having just completed a highly successful stint at the Royal Nevada Hotel in Las Vegas, signed new contracts with Atlantic Records and at the same time are being featured in the Columbia film Calypso Heat Wave still in the process of being completed during their stay at Zardi’s. This will be the third movie in which the Treniers have been seen. Sharing the entertainment bill is internationally famed comedian, Scatman Carruthers.”
The Treniers engagement continued into April when Billy Ward and The Dominoes opened on April 5th. The new talent at Zardi’s was profiled in the California Eagle, April 4, 1957.
Treniers Held, Dominoes Join Jazzland Show
“Jack Gordon and Pete Snyder, owners of Zardi’s Jazzland, have announced that business has been so terrific with the Treniers, Scatman Crothers and new vocalist Jean Turner jam-packing the Hollywood nightery to such capacity, they have renewed all contracts and are holding over the entire show with the added attraction of Billy Ward’s Dominoes beginning this Friday, April 5. Visiting Zardi’s this week were celebrities Sheri North, Manny “Guys and Dolls” Franks, Sy Devore, Russ Tamblin and Anne Francis, and a great number of other film capital greats along with members of the musical world of fame.
Newest policy still prevails at the Jazzland with No Admission and No Cover charge and front door parking service every night except Monday.”
Jack Gordon and Pete Snyder took out multiple ads heralding the engagement of Billy Ward and The Dominoes. Newspaper reports noted that the group failed to appear. The duo experienced similar problems when they booked Fats Domino in May.
Los Angeles Mirror, Tuesday, April 9, 1957.
“Unfortunately, Jack Gordon and Pete Snyder spent a bundle heralding the Ward date, As for entertainment, I’m confident they are way ahead. The Treniers, who by the way are staying over at Zardi’s, are a potent package. The Zardi management is fling charges against Ward and his clan with the local musicians union.”
The Treniers closed their run at Zardi’s on Sunday, April 14th, then returned to Las Vegas before heading East on a national tour. The Kirby Stone Four plus the Blinky Allen Band opened on Tuesday, April 16th, and vocalist Jean Turner remained on the bill.
Romaine Brown and His Romaines opened at Zardi’s on April 25, 1957. Jean Turner and the Blinky Allen Band were held over. Brown had been a member of The Red Caps and left that group in the spring of 1953 to form his own group. Romaine Brown and His Romaines closed on Sunday, May 5th.
Johnnie ‘Scat’ Davis of “Hurray For Hollywood” fame opened on Friday, May 17th. Also featured were the Roy Milton Band with Mickey Champion. The Davis engagement continued through the end of May when Slim Gaillard was added to the bill.
“Fats” Domino was booked at Zardi’s to open on June 10th. The Rounder’s Night Life column in the Mirror News, June 13, 1957, reported the opening night’s events.
“For a while Monday evening I thought Lucky Jack Gordon had come up with another Billy Ward at his Hollywood Zardi’s.
A few months ago Gordon inked Ward and his crew for a Zardi’s date, but when the time came for Ward to move in he went AWOL. There were several explanations, none of which seemed to make any sense. Monday night I showed up early at Zardi’s for a hear-see of Fats Domino and his recording aggregation. On the bandstand were about seven musicians tooting away and Gordon standing at the gate chewing his knuckles.
It wasn’t until nearly 10 p.m. that the rotund maestro the rest of his retinue strolled into the spacious jazz emporium. Once Fats the got onto rostrum, his musicians got into the swing of things, and the festivities that up until that time had been on the lackadaisical side perked up to an ear-shattering crescendo. Domino, who has been mentioned along with other topflight musicians such as Satchmo, Kid Ory and Leadbelly Morton, whizzed to national recognition on his recordings of “My Blue Heaven,” “When my Dreamboat Comes Home” and “Blueberry Hill.”
Domino was a no-show on Saturday, June 15th which prompted Gordon to purchase an ad in the Mirror News on June 18th to advise customers who were disappointed to attend the new line-up opening that night sans cover and admission charges: Betsy Duncan, Jen Jackson, Slim Gaillard, Johnnie ‘Scat’ Davis, and ‘Madcap’ Mike Riley.
Jazz acts at Zardi’s Jazzland were intermittent under Gordon and Snyder when they took the helm in February. They introduced another mixed billing that opened on July 5th with comic Don Rickles, the Will Osbourbne Ochestra, budding songbird June Perry, and the Don Tosti Latin Quintet. The two-week billing ended on July 21st.
Allyn Ferguson’s Chamber Jazz Sextet opened at Zardi’s Jazzland on July 23rd. The Los Angeles Mirror News noted that: “Zardi’s, Hollywood Boulevard bistro, returns to the jazz beat with the curtsy of the Chamber Jazz Sextet, one of the betterknown aggregations. Listeners to the Chamber Jazz brand of tunes will discover a new sound.”
The sextet included Robert Wilson (tp,perc), Frank Leal (as,b-cl), Modesto Briseno (ts,bar,cl), Allyn Ferguson (p,el-p,fhr,perc), Fred Dutton (b,bassoon,contra-bassoon), and Tom Reynolds (d,tymp). The sextet had recently appeared on Bobby Troup’s Stars of Jazz TV program in February and April. Their first album on Cadence Records was released in 1957, The Chamber Jazz Sextet, CLP-1020.
Allyn Ferguson was the featured guest on Michael C Ford’s Hen House Studio production, It Might Not Be Poetry. Ferguson noted that their engagement at Zardi’s lasted two weeks, closing the first week of August 1957. The Chamber Jazz Sextet was the last jazz act to perform at Zardi’s. The marquee advertising their engagement was still on display in November as related by Michael C Ford.
The Los Angeles Times, December 15, 1957, classified section carried a notice announcing the disposition of all of the restaurant equipment from Zardi’s. The same fate befell other cherished jazz clubs in Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles Jazz Institute released a “Members Only” DVD set presenting rare recordings of Shorty Rogers and His Giants with Stan Getz, Stan Kenton and His Orchestra, and the Stan Getz Quartet. These rare recordings were captured live at Zardi’s during the heyday of West Coast Jazz in 1955 ands 1956. Only a few sets are left and available at the premium membership level of $125.00
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