NORTHJERSEY.COM : ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
Musical program held at library in Vernon
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2014
BY JANET REDYKE
CORRESPONDENT — AIM VERNON

                                                                                                                      PHOTO/JANET REDYKE
Guitarist Ken Lelen performed the music of World War I at a program at the library.

Guitarist Ken Lelen of Titusville, N.J. returned to Dorothy Henry Library to acknowledge the 100th anniversary of World War I by performing his Ragtime Rascals concert. Hosted by the Friends of the Library, the program took place Sunday afternoon, Oct. 26.
     Lelen displayed and played four vintage guitars, in chronological order dating from 1925, 1926, 1932 and 1933. The guitars all had mahogany wood backs and sides and spruce fronts, which produced beautiful tones. "These guitars are vintage, I never use the word 'old,' " he chuckled.
     According to Lelen, the music of World War I was the popular among flappers, doughboys, crooners, bootleggers and other nostalgic persons of the period. "Those young people used a gramophone like today’s youth use an i-Phone," Lelen said.
     The first song Lelen played and sang was "The Sheik of Araby" which represented the people’s attraction to Rudolf Valentino. Lelen mentioned the influence of brother composer team George and Ira Gershwin in 1924.
     The audience of 50 broke into a sing-along when Lelen played and sang "It had to be You," "Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue," and "Ain’t She Sweet."
     "Ragtime music had two trends," he stated. The two trends were, in song, one word could mean another, like a metaphor when good actually meant bad. The second trend, according to Lelen, was the beginning of dance crazes, which back then were morally unacceptable. Lelen continued with "Bye Bye Blackbird" and "Sweet Sue — Just You" to illustrate both trends.
     He also spoke about song writer Dorothy Fields, who lived in New York City. Once, as she walked down Fifth Avenue, she noticed the sun shining on the buildings on one side of the street. So she wrote "On the Sunny Side of the Street" that night.
     Lelen concluded the 90-minute concert by playing and performing "Tiptoe through the Tulips." He said, "This song was a hit back in the 20s, long before Tiny Tim made it famous."

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© 2014 — northjersey.com/Vernon
northjersey.com/arts-and-entertainment/music/musical-program-held-at-library-1.1128602

The Lorizio

1937 Martin 00-18H

As the Great Recession swept into my neighborhood in early 2009, I needed money to pay some bills. So I decided to sell this 1937 Martin 00-18H, one of 255 made between 1935 and 1941 and priced at $45 to $55. A grand concert-sized guitar (14¼-in. lower-bout width), it originally was set up for Hawaiian-style play.

                                                                                            PHOTO: Vintage Instruments
The Lorizio — 1937 Martin 00-18H

     Today, the instrument is known as the Lorizio after its original owner, Jeanette Porcello Lorizio. Born Jan. 2, 1913 and deceased Dec. 30, 2000 in Norton, MA near Boston, her surname and Soc. Sec. number are hand-inscribed on the back of the guitar's headstock.

     Long-ago converted to standard play, I bought the Lorizio (SN 65183) at the height of the vintage guitar market, when a mid-thirties 00-18H in excellent condition could fetch $9,500. Offered in “good condition, needs work” at $6,500 in Jan. 2007 by Fred Oster of Vintage Instruments in Philadelphia, I was able to buy it six months later at $5,500. By year's end I'd spent $1,650 more for its restoration by luthiers Greg Hanson and David Crawford of Durham, NC (formerly in Raleigh).

                                                 PHOTO: Lark Street
Lorizio 00-18H headstock —
with inscribed name & SSN

     Hanson and Crawford's repairs included the following work:

     •  resetting the neck;

     •  planing fingerboard to obtain uniform radius and removal of a hump at the 12th fret;

     •  refretting fingerboard with modern T frets;

     •  installing a forgery-grade ebony bridge and intonating the bone saddle;

     •  adjusting the set-up to accommodate my flatpicking playing style;

     •  gluing a thin pad of maple rescued from a 100-year-old piano onto the original bridge plate to eliminate string-ball damage;

     •  repairing two small irregular holes in the upper treble rib.

     The quality of Hanson & Crawford's work was beyond reproach. Still, Oster sniffed dismissively when he examined the restored guitar in early 2009. He called the work "passable, not great."

     Accurate or not, Oster's opinion of this fine guitar meant trouble for me. His opinion of the guitar could spoil my chance to sell the guitar and obtain a good price either at his Vintage Instruments shop or elsewhere in the vintage guitar market.

                                                      PHOTO: Ralph Shirak
Ken Lelen with Lorizio 00-18H
Kennebunk, ME in June 2008

     So I looked to sell or trade it in a non-East Coast market. Luckily, a 1920s Maurer Style #493 guitar made by the Larson Brothers appeared on Eric Schoenberg's website. Based in Tiburon, CA near San Francisco, he priced the Larson, a grand concert beauty restored by Chris Berkov, at $6,675. In addition, Schoenberg agreed to my suggestion of swapping the Lorizio 00-18H for the Maurer #493. Like icing on a cake, I netted $1,000 cash from Schoenberg in the process.

     The Lorizio 00-18H is a great instrument and I enjoyed playing it for two years. Still, I don't miss it. The Maurer #493 is an outstanding guitar that offers sublime pleasures to any player. Indeed, it is hard to put down even after playing it for an hour.

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References & Links

                                               C. F. Martin & Co.          —      martinguitar.com

                                               Vintage Instruments     —      vintage-instruments.com

                                               Schoenberg Guitars       —      om28.com

                                               Larson Bros. guitars      —      Maurer Style #493

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A journalist for 30 years before opening Vintage Music Concerts in 1999,

Ken Lelen sings ragtime, jazz and swing & plays vintage acoustic guitars

at concerts for diverse groups, niche markets and sundry venues across

the East Coast. He has played acoustic guitar since the summer of 1963.

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© 2014 by Kenneth Lelen — All Rights Reserved

Mid-South Tour — June 2014

                                                                              PHOTO: Melanie Jones

Ken Lelen in October 2013 at Bermuda Village in Advance
NC, where he played a 1941 Gibson L-00 guitar, one of 28
that was built with a natural finish and retailed for $42.

I'm excited to announce my June concert tour through the Mid-South begins in a few days.
     Between June 9 and June 21, I will play six Vintage Music Concerts in central North Carolina, south-eastern Virginia and mid-state South Carolina. As usual, I'll also visit several vintage guitar dealers and luthiers along the way.
     My concert hosts all are long-time sponsors, including a pair of senior villages that have presented my concerts twice a year for nearly ten years. Audiences at these venues are great groups to play for since they love the music, enjoy seeing and hearing acoustic guitars from back-in-the-day and appreciate the concert themes I present.
     In addition to In The Mood, an audience favorite, this month I'll deliver two new programs for the first time: Radio Ramblers, which honors the songs, singers and shows of radio's heyday; and Broadway's Song Souvenirs, which offers hit tunes spawned on the Great White Way during the 1930s and 1940s.
     Here's the line-up of senior communities (linked) where I'm performing:
          •     June 11     —     Cypress                         —    Raleigh NC
          •     June 12     —     Springmoor                    —    Raleigh NC
          •     June 13     —     Lake Prince Woods          —    Suffolk VA
          •     June 16     —     The Oaks                       —    Orangeburg SC
          •     June 17     —     Stewart Health Center     —     Charlotte NC
          •     June 18     —     Bermuda Village             —    Advance NC
__________

Sadly, three long-time concert sponsors — Arbor Acres of Winston-Salem NC, Heritage of Raleigh NC and Glebe of Daleville VA — cancelled their June concerts.

     Arbor Acres skipped this year's concert "due to budgetary cuts," one community official said. "We have so many local resources [that] we are not using as many traveling groups as we have in the past."

     In March the 480-resident facility announced a $10-million nursing and assisted-living building project. This caps the recent completion of a five-year, $32-million multiphase expansion.
     Meanwhile, Heritage, a unit of the 600-facility Brookdale Senior Living, cancelled due to a spate of logistical difficulties, personnel problems and unresolved resident issues. In my opinion, these problems arose because the facility does not provide sufficient staff on premises to adequately manage its Saturday evening events for residents.
     Meanwhile, one Glebe official cited "conflicts in scheduling and other unforeseeable circumstances" when it abruptly pulled out in late May. This cancellation by the Blue Ridge facility was particularly vexing for me, since the program coordinator in December had requested the creation of a new Vintage Music Concert theme for its June event.
__________

However, over the past dozen years of concert touring on the East Coast I've had the good fortune to meet many vintage guitar dealers, players, collectors and luthiers. I expect to visit the following vintage guitar sources (linked) on this month's tour. Each holds a special interest for me.
     For example, Tom Wentzel of Vintage Blues Guitars in Lititz PA near Lancaster is holding a 1920s Oscar Schmidt guitar for me. The back, sides and top of this grand concert-sized instrument are made with beautiful Hawaiian koa wood. Its long scale length (26-1/2 inches) helps produce a huge volume. Now nearly 90 years old, the guitar has a deep thumpy bass and sparkling trebles that are perfect for the classic ragtime and speakeasy jazz I perform at my concerts.

Luthier Greg Hanson of Durham NC
inspects a 1939 Gibson KG-14.

     This month I'm planning to bring two guitars for inspection and repair estimates by luthiers Greg Hanson and David Crawford. Their Durham NC firm, Hanson & Crawford, has repaired, restored and set up most of my vintage guitars since my initial concert tour across the Southeast in September 2002.
     Picker's Supply, a downtown Fredericksburg VA instrument dealer, has been tempting me with vintage guitars for years. Owned by Bran Dillard, the shop currently has five vintage Washburn guitars, a 1930 Larson Brothers guitar and at least three Gibson guitars I'm eager to play.
     Finally, at the tour's conclusion, I plan to visit the twice-annual Great American Guitar Show held in Oaks PA near King of Prussia. Among the show's many guitar gurus, I look forward to meeting dealer Alex Whitman of TR Crandall Guitars, New York NY and luthier James Burkett of Burkett Guitars, Dothan AL. Both have been helpful with my research on recently converted (x-braced) vintage guitars, a subject I'm investigating for a forthcoming blog posting. Stay tuned!

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©  2014 — Kenneth Lelen — All Rights Reserved

Tin Pan Alley Cats

Concert at Bridgewater Library  —  May 9, 2014 @ 7:30 pm

Pop tunes from America's finest songsmiths

Vintage guitars from 1920s, 1930s and 1940s

Friends of Bridgewater Public Library will host a free concert by Ken Lelen on Friday, May 9, 2014, at 7:30 pm in the Program Room, 1 Vogt Drive, Bridgewater, NJ 08807. Info at 908-526-4016 and Bridgewater Library website.

Thomas "Fats" Waller
"I'm through with flirtin'; it's just you I'm thinkin' of,
Ain't misbehavin'; I'm saving my love for you."

    Lelen will sing pop tunes composed by America's greatest songsmiths — including George & Ira Gershwin, Richard Rogers & Lorenz Hart, Jimmy McHugh & Dorothy Fields, Cole Porter, Johnny Mercer, Duke Ellington, Irving Berlin, Jule Styne, Harold Arlen & Yip Harburg, Richard Whiting, Johnny Black, Fats Waller, Hoagy Carmichael and others. In addition to the songs, the musician will offer amusing anecdotes on the composers and lyricists, Tin Pan Alley and music of the mid-20th Century.
      The music program may include such songs as: "The Lady Is A Tramp" (Rogers & Hart), "She's Funny That Way" (Whiting), "On The Sunny Side Of The Street" (McHugh & Fields), "Blue Moon" (Rogers & Hart), "Ain't Misbehavin'" (Waller), "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm" (Berlin) and "Over The Rainbow" (Arlen & Harburg).

     "Mr. Lelen is a genial performer, with a pleasant tenor," said the New York Times. "The songs he plays will never go out of date."

     The musician will display and play steel-stringed acoustic guitars from the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. Made by Gibson, Martin, Regal, Schmidt and other U.S. firms, they produce an authentic, back-in-the-day sound that is striking for its tone, character and sustain without the use of pick-ups or electronic gimmicks.

     "People of all ages love the songs," Lelen said. "And they're pleasantly surprised by the robust sound and classy look of the vintage guitars."

Richard Rogers and Lorenz Hart
"Won't go to Harlem in ermine and pearls,
Won't dish the dirt with the rest of the girls,
That's why the lady is a tramp."

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     ©  2014 — Kenneth Lelen — All Rights Reserved

Sunny Side of the Street

Concert at Denville Library  —  April 14, 2014 @ 7:00 pm

Mirthful pop tunes from 1930 - 1939

Acoustic guitars from the same era

Hoosier Hot Shots - Chicago - 1936
"She broke my heart in three places:
Seattle, Chicago and New York"

Denville Public Library will host a free concert by Ken Lelen on Mon., April 14, 2014, at 7 pm in the Theatre, 121 Diamond Spring Rd, Denville NJ. Info at www.denvillelibrary.org and 973-627-6555.

     Lelen will tell amusing tales and sing tunes with memorable melodies and clever lyrics from 1930 - 1939. Composed by Tin Pan Alley's greatest songsmiths, the tunes were meant to soften the Great Depression's sting, offer love advice to threadbare sweethearts and poke fun at society's upper crust, which seemed immune to the era's economic woes.

     In addition to "On The Sunny Side Of The Street," songs may include: "Bye Bye Blues," "The Lady Is A Tramp," "When I Take My Sugar To Tea," "Pennies From Heaven," "She's Funny That Way," "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm" and "Over The Rainbow."

     "Mr. Lelen is a genial performer, with a pleasant tenor," said the New York Times. "The songs he plays will never go out of date."

     The musician will play steel-stringed acoustic guitars from the 1920s and 1930s for an authentic, back-in-the-day sound. Made by Gibson, Martin, Regal, Vega and other US firms, they produce music that is striking for its tone, character and sustain without the use of pick-ups or electronic gimmicks.

     "People of all ages love the songs," the musician said. "And they're pleasantly surprised by the robust sound and classy look of the vintage guitars."

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     ©  2014 — Kenneth Lelen — All Rights Reserved

Denville Library event photos

PHOTOS: Mary C. Martin

Ken Lelen with 1932 B&J Serenader

Ken Lelen with 1938 B&D Groton 1

2013 — Concert Schedule — Final
Jan  9     Heath Village, Hackettstown NJ

Mar  1     Mayflower House, Hackettstown NJ

Mar  4     Glebe, Daleville VA

Mar  5     Deerfield, Asheville NC
Mar  6     Stewart Health Center, Charlotte NC
Mar  7     Springmoor, Raleigh NC

Mar  8     Cypress, Raleigh NC
Mar  9     Heritage, Raleigh NC
Mar 12     Arbor Acres, Winston-Salem NC
Mar 15     Country Meadows, Hershey PA
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Mar 16     Artists Series Concert — A Fine Romance
              7 pm, Nicarry Meeting House, 717-624-2161, www.crosskeysvillage.org
                  Cross Keys Village, 2990 Carlisle Pike, New Oxford PA 17350
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Mar 18     Lakewood Manor, Richmond VA
Mar 19     College Walk, Brevard NC
May  2     Arbors, Manchester CT

May  7     Kirkland Village, Bethlehem PA
May 14    SW PA Veterans Center, Pittsburgh PA
May 14    Laurel View Village, Davidsville PA
May 15    Springhill, Erie PA 
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May 22    Council on Aging Concert — Sunny Side of the Street
                 1 pm, Activity Room, 508-210-5570, www.holdenma.gov
              Senior Center, 1130 Main Street, Holden MA 01520
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May 23    Countryside Health Care, Milford MA
May 23    Overlook, Charlton MA
Jun   3     Shannondell-Ashcroft, Audubon PA

Jun   7     Mayflower House, Hackettstown NJ
Jun  13    Country Meadows, Hershey PA
Jun  14    Lake Prince Woods, Suffolk VA
Jun  15    Plantation Estates, Matthews NC
Jun  16    Bishop Gadsden, Charleston SC
Jun  17    Stewart Health Center, Charlotte NC
Jun  18    The Oaks, Orangeburg SC
Jun  30    Applewood Estates, Freehold NJ
Jly  19     Pleasant View, Manheim PA
Jly  22     WV Lakes Manor, Willow Street PA
Sep  4     Heath Village, Hackettstown NJ

Sep  6     Mayflower House, Hackettstown NJ
Sep 16     SW PA Veterans Center, Pittsburgh PA
Sep 17     St Barnabas, Gibsonia PA
Sep 18     Springhill, Erie PA
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Sep 20    Village Concert — Tin Pan Alley Cats
             1:30 pm, Club Encore, 732-657-1658, www.lvwa.net
             Leisure Village West, 3 Buckingham Drive, Manchester NJ 08759
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Sep 22     Public Library Concert — Folk Song Boomers
              3 pm, Community Room, 973-827-8095, www.sussexcountylibrary.org
              Dorothy Henry Branch Library, 66 Rt 94, Vernon NJ 07462
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Sep 26     Crane's Mill, West Caldwell NJ
Oct   3     Wellington, West Chester PA

Oct   4     Edenwald, Towson MD
Oct   5     Country Meadows, Hershey PA
Oct   7     Glebe, Daleville VA
Oct   8     Arbor Acres, Winston-Salem NC
Oct   9     Bermuda Village, Advance NC
Oct  10    Stewart Health Center, Charlotte NC
Oct  10    Springmoor, Raleigh NC

Oct  11    Cypress, Raleigh NC
Oct  12    Heritage, Raleigh NC
Oct  14    Lakewood Manor, Richmond VA
Oct  16    College Walk, Brevard NC
Oct  17    Plantation Estates, Matthews NC
Oct  22    Arbors, Manchester CT
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Oct  23    Greendale Mens Club — Tin Pan Alley Cats
              9:30 am, Gymnasium, 508-852-6694
              YMCA, 75 Shore Drive, Worcester MA 01605
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Oct  23    Community Concert — Big Band Idols
              7:45 pm, Performing Arts Center, 508-434-2317, www.overlookcharlton.com
              Overlook, Charlton MA 01507
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Oct  27    Public Library Concert — Vintage Guitars + Vintage Songs
              2 pm, Rotunda, 845-221-9943, http://eflibrary.org
              East Fishkill Community Library, 348 Rte 376, Hopewell Jnctn NY 12533
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Oct  29    Riddle Village, Media PA
Nov  4     Shannondell-Bradford, Audubon PA
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Nov  6    Public Library Concert — Tin Pan Alley Cats
             2:30 pm, Ayers Room, 732-388-5999, Clark Public Library
             Clark Public Library, 303 Westfield Ave, Clark NJ 07066
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Nov  7     Homewood, Frederick MD
Nov  8     Lake Prince Woods, Suffolk VA
Nov 11    The Oaks, Orangeburg SC
Nov 19    Pine Run, Doylestown PA
Nov 23    Monroe Village, Monroe Twp NJ
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Nov 24    Public Library Concert — Juke Joint Jive
             2 pm, Large Meeting Room, 732-329-4000, www.sbpl.info
             South Brunswick Public Library, 110 Kingston Lane, So Brunswick NJ 08852
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Nov 26    Country House, Wilmington DE

Dec  6     Mayflower House, Hackettstown NJ
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  ©  2013 — Kenneth Lelen — All Rights Reserved