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Welcome to the Manager's Corner

Posted Sun, 2009-11-08 13:47 by arnie

For almost the entire two decades of their existence, beginning as their Talent Scout on Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts, Arnie Koch was the Salt City Five/Six Personal Manager. Under his management, the band had three recording contracts and two major talent agencies: Music Corporation of America and Associated Booking Corp. They played in about every major jazz club in the U.S. Fortunately for his family, Arnie never had to give up his day job with General Electric in public relations.

LAST OF THE FIVE

Posted Thu, 2018-09-13 15:05 by arnie

The last surviving member of the original Salt City Five – Don Hunt – died Aug. 5 in Lyons, N.Y. at age 87.
His inspired skills on the trumpet were a major factor in the Salt City Five’s rise to fame,” said former SC5 manager Arnie Koch. The band also featured trombonist Will Alger, clarinetist Jack Maheu, drummer Bob Cousins and pianist Charlie French.

Alger Tribute

Posted Sun, 2017-04-23 14:59 by arnie

On July 7,1992, Jack Maheu learned that his longtime partner, Will Alger, had died in his sleep that morning.
Later, when the “Salt City Six Plays the ‘The Classics’” was re-released, Jack dedicated it to “Uncle Will Alger” with these words:
“Will and I wanted pretty much wanted the same things that music could give: a swinging band, good tunes to play, honesty in interpretation (a minimum of B. S.), a dollop of showmanship, and the exhilaration and excitement that good ensemble dixieland jazz could give to the listeners.

THE LAST ROUNDUP

Posted Tue, 2016-11-08 18:45 by arnie

It was on Sept. 22, 2006 that three of the five original Salt City FIve members appeared at a “Jazz ‘N Caz” concert. It was their last appearance together. Arnold Koch, longtime manager of the Salt City Five/Six, introduced the evening....

Fifty-four years ago, five guys from Syracuse, three of them from the Syracuse University Marching Band, started a dixieland band called the Salt City Five. They were: Will Alger, trombone, Jack Maheu, clarinet, Don Hunt, trumpet, Bob Cousins, drums, and Charlie French, piano. It is our loss that neither WIll nor Charlie are still with us.

LAST SALT CITY SIX RECORDING FOUND

Posted Tue, 2016-04-12 18:27 by arnie

When it comes to the Salt City Six, former drummer and longtime mainstay, Danny D’Imperio, gets the award for “Treasure Hunter of the Year” for discovering the master of a never-before- released session recorded in Rochester, N. Y. on April 2, 1978. It was last recording of the band and is
excellent. Personnel include: Jack Maheu, clarinet; Will Alger, trombone and vocals; John "Punch" Thomas, trumpet; Barry Keiner, piano; Barney Mallon, bass; Danny D’Imperio, drums. Added artists included Charlie Mussen, banjo and Carol Leigh, vocals.

Toots Thielman With the Five

Posted Thu, 2016-03-31 17:27 by arnie

If someone had walked into Almalfi’s Restaurant in Syracuse one evening in 1953 they would have seen the eventually world-famous Toots Thieleman playing harmonica with the Salt City Five.

ARTHUR GODFREY ETC

Posted Mon, 2016-01-11 18:43 by arnie

This excerpt from Arnold Koch’s diary describes the Salt City Five’s
winning performance on Arthur Godfrey Talent Scouts that helped launch the band’s career that lasted three decades:
6/17/52 Went to CBS Studio in p.m. for Arthur Godfrey audition. Band sounded great. Were told to come back at 5 to play for producer. When he heard them, he came in from control room and said they were great.
6/18 Awakened by phone call from CBS. They want us on Monday night. Then got call from Publicity Dept. for info about me.

ALGER'S DATE WITH TEAGARDEN

Posted Fri, 2015-08-21 13:28 by arnie

When the Salt City Five cofounder and trombonist, WIll Alger, died in
1992 at 66, his close friend, Charlie Mussen, commented in JazFax,
“The number one musical influence on Will’s life was Jack Teagarden. Jack could do no wrong as far as Will was concerned. He had no patience for someone who criticized his idol.”

Gap Mangione Into Rochester Music Hall of Fame

Posted Thu, 2015-02-26 15:47 by arnie

The Rochester Music Hall Of Fame has announced its class of 2015 inductees will include jazz pianist, and former Salt City Six allum, Gap Mangione. The induction ceremony will be held the at Eastman Theatre on Sunday, April 26. Other inductees are jazz bassist Ron Carter; Gibson Guitar CEO, Henry Juszkiewicz; concert singer William Warfield; and soul singers, Wilmer & the Dukes. The Personnel section of this website has an extensive writeup on Gap’s career including his time with the Six.

Jack Maheu and the Dukes of Dixieland

Posted Thu, 2014-10-02 15:36 by arnie

After joining the Dukes of Dixieland, Jack Maheu performed and recorded on the Audio Fidelity releases of volumes 2 thru 9 in the late 50's. He was on the stereo only recordings and Harold Cooper was on their LP (Hi-Fi) versions of those same volumes. Originally, those recordings were made in Hi-Fi because stereo was yet to be developed but in 1957 Sid Frey, owner of Audio Fidelity, was the first to produce a "stereo" album which was with the Dukes of Dixieland and Jack had replaced Harold for those remakes.