Tony Mottola Interview

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Contents

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Biography

Image:EPI2.GIF Tony Mottola's career as a guitarist began accidentally in his home town, Kearny NJ, in 1927 when he was nine years old. He wanted to study saxophone but the nearest saxophone teacher was in Newark and Tony was considered too young to take so long a trip by himself. Instead, his father, who played guitar, offered to teach him that instrument for a year until he was old enough to undertake the long journey to Newark.

"By the end of that year," Tony laughs in recollection, "I was hooked by the guitar and I never took those saxophone lessons."

He went through high school in Kearny with Herbie Haymer, a brilliant jazz saxophonist who was killed in an automobile crash in 1949, and with George Paxton who was to become a band leader and is now a music publisher (one of the composers whose work Paxton publishes is Tony Mottola). After high school, Paxton landed a job with George Hall's orchestra and later brought Mottola into the band. For two years Mottola toured with the Hall band as part of a remarkably strong rhythm section - Johnny Guarnieri, piano; Doc Goldberg, bass; Nick Fatool, drums and Mottola himself on guitar.

In 1941, Tony auditioned for a staff job at the Columbia Broadcasting System and subsequently was heard on numerous CBS shows playing with Raymond Scott and Walter Gross and as accompanist to his old WAAT colleague, Frank Sinatra, who was still just a sustaining performer at that time. When Sinatra left, his replacement was another as yet unheralded singer, Perry Como. Mottola continued as Como's accompanist and has been with him most of the time during the sixteen years since then.

After half a decade as a busy free lance, Mottola returned to CBS early in the 50s when he was called in for the first live musical show that the network had tried. While he was working on this show he met a director named Yul Brynner who was soon to give the bald head stature and sex appeal in The King and I. Brynner was doing a TV dramatic show called Danger for which he had been given a music budget that would cover only a one-man band. The customary thing to do in such a situation was to use a Hammond organ. But the show which preceded Danger had an organ for background music and Brynner wanted his show to have a different sound.

He asked Mottola if he could create a background for an entire series with just a guitar. This was an unheard of idea but Mottola said he thought he could. He not only could but the music he wrote and played was so vividly effective that is has been hailed as one of the landmarks in the development of TV during the 50s. He composed and played for Danger for five years.

[Taken from the sleeve notes for Tony Mottola's debut solo LP "Mr Big" (Command RS 807 SD), issued in 1959.]

Beginnings

When did you first pick up a guitar and strum?
Image:EPI2.GIF My first guitar was one that my father owned. He was a laborer but loved to sing and play his guitar.
What is your musical background - were you classically trained?
Image:EPI1.GIF My earliest instructions were from a Professor of Music named David Vallilo. He taught me the rudiments of music in the study of "solfeggio" - that is, the learning of reading music vocally before one touches an instrument. My father taught me a few things on the guitar but basically I have been self-taught.
When did you make your first recording?
Image:EPI2.GIF My first recording was in the late 1930s when I was a member of the George Hall Orchestra. My first recorded solo with that band was on a recording of "Shine" which featured Hall's girl vocalist Dolly Dawn.
When did the electric guitar first make an impact?
Image:EPI1.GIF The electric guitar came onto the scene in the 1940s and I, like so many others, was greatly inspired by the late legendary jazz guitarist Charlie Christian.
When did "Mottola's Manhattan Guitar Club" start and how long did it run? Is it still running?!
Image:EPI2.GIF There was no "club" called "Mottola's Manhattan Guitar Club." What it was was an idea by guitarist Art Ryerson and a few other studio players to form a "club" for the purpose of supplying the various recording studios in NYC with amplifiers so we wouldn't have to be burdened with carrying amps from studio to studio. We made a deal with the Ampeg Amplifier Co and became the "Manhattan Guitar Club". Here is a roster of the members as I'm sure some guitarists out there will be interested:
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Don Arnone

Everett Barksdale
George Barnes
Billy Bauer
Vinnie Bell
Gene Bertoncini
Kenny Burrell
Billy Butler
Al Caiola
Ralph Casale
Al Casamenti
Chuck Catania
Al Chernet

Frank Cercie

Howard Collins
John de Rose
Barry Galbraith
Al Gorgoni
Tony Gottuso
Allen Hanlon
Tommy Kay
Mundell Lowe
Tommy Lucas
Larry Lucie
Trade Martin (Lione)
Carmen Mastren

Charlie Macey

Jim Mitchell
Tony Mottola
Billy Mure
Ralph Patt
Danny Perri
Bucky Pizzerelli
Walter Raim
Wally Richardson
Art Ryerson
Bill Suyker

Honorary Member:
Jim Raney

Enoch Light

When did you first come to meet Enoch Light?
Image:EPI2.GIF I first met Enoch in the late 1940s when he had Grand Award Records.
My discographies so far only have Tony Mottola releases on Command and Project 3 - did you record with Enoch Light before this time, ie: on Grand Award or earlier?
Image:EPI1.GIF I recorded a few albums with the great accordionist Charles Magnante who was an artist with Grand Award. I also did the "Knuckles O'Toole" albums which featured Billy Rowland on piano [Note: "Knuckles O'Toole" was a pseudonym used by both Billy Rowland and Dick Hyman]. Billy and I were on staff at CBS at that time and later we would move to NBC to start a long tenure for both of us with Perry Como.
What sort of man was Enoch Light to work with?
Image:EPI2.GIF Enoch was very easy to work with. He was a perfectionist and hired only the most talented people in their fields. Enoch was the first record company producer to give to the "sideman" a chance to become recording artists. He did this for me, Doc Severinsen, Dick Hyman, Terry Snyder, Phil Bodner and many others. He was fair, sympathetic and a true gentleman. On a personal note, he once came back from Paris where he had recorded some symphonic sessions and called me to ask me to come to his apartment on 5th Avenue NYC. To my shock and amazement, he presented me with an original still life painted by the father of the classical guitar, Andres Segovia. It is one of my greatest treasures.

Recordings with Enoch Light

Many of these recordings are filled with great humour and energy and yet some of the sleeve notes, eg: Persuasive Percussion, are highly technical and "serious". What were Enoch's intentions with these recordings?
Image:EPI1.GIF When Enoch started Command Records, I believe his vision was to record music in an innovative way, both musically and technically. He revolutionized, and to me was the father of, stereo recording. In his endeavour, he had the fortune to become associated with Bob Fine, a master recording engineer, and later (Project 3) with legendary engineer-producer Phil Ramone. He also had, in my mind, the finest creative music arranger, Lew Davies.
The recordings also seem to have a lot of spontaneity. Were the recordings laid down fairly "live" or was there a lot of multitracking and re-recording.
Image:EPI2.GIF Everything was done "live". No overdubbing except in the case of "Persuasive Percussion" where Terry Snyder was called in for some very creative overdubbing. Another personal remembrance of Enoch - whether the sessions were with a small group of 10 or a symphonic session of 50 men ("Irving Berlin at Carnegie Hall", "The Classical Beatles"), at the first break, a caterer would march in with coffee and danish pastries for all!
Were you and any of the other Light Brigade players involved with many projects outside of Grand Award/Command or Project 3?
Image:EPI1.GIF In my years with Enoch as a recording artist I did many sessions for other labels as a "sideman", never as a leader. He was great in his regard to all his artists.
Did you ever record any film music?
Image:EPI2.GIF In 1985 (after having left my tours with Frank Sinatra (1980-85)), I scored a motion picture called "Running on Empty" for Warner Bros. It starred River Phoenix and was directed by Sidney Lumet, my old director friend from the "Danger" series.

The Light Brigade & Project 3 Memories

Can you tell me what happened after Enoch sold Command and moved on to set up Project 3 Records?
Image:EPI1.GIF When Enoch sold Command Records to ABC Paramount, I was still contractually obligated to them for another year. Enoch never contacted me at that time and when my obligation to Command was ended, Enoch called me with an offer to join him at Project 3 Records as an artist and as an associate producer. At that time I was also on staff at NBC TV doing the Johnny Carson Tonight Show. Project 3's offices were also in the Radio City complex so I used to spend time shuttling between my duties at Project 3 and NBC studios.
Who took over the arranging duties at Project 3 after Lew Davies passed on?
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When Lew Davies passed away, Enoch hired a young talented arranger, Jeff Hest. Jeff eventually became an artist with the company in addition to writing arrangements for many of Enoch's albums. Also on the A&R staff was Enoch's daughter Julie Klages. Julie is an extremely talented and knowledgeable woman in all phases of the recording business. Dick Hyman, besides doing his own albums for Enoch, also arranged many of the sessions for the company. Another talented orchestrator was Dick Lieb. Dick arranged one of my favourite Enoch Light albums "The Classic Beatles". It seems that during those years (1960s-70s) I would be in a studio on an Enoch Light session almost every week. I recorded over 40 of my own albums for Project 3 and I think some of my favourites would be those I did with a small group. In that group you would usually see (and hear) Dick Hyman on piano, Bob Haggart on bass, Phil Kraus and Bobby Rosengarden on percussion and drums and a couple of other guitarists such as Al Caiola, Bucky Pizzerelli, Don Arnone, Al Casamenti and Vinnie Bell. Vinnie was (and still is today) one of the top studio players in NYC. He is an electronics genius and his unique and innovative playing is heard on many of my albums. Speaking of the above guitar group, they appeared with me on my very first Command album for Enoch called "Mr Big." I kiddingly chided Enoch for that title which became sort of a nickname for me amongst my fellow musicians. With this group I also recorded an album for Project 3 in the mid 1970s called "Tony Mottola and the Quad Guitars." Two of my albums that were well received are those I did with just Bucky Pizzerelli - they were "Two Guitars for Two in Love" and "Holiday Guitars".



I also recorded many albums with a larger orchestra - "Tony and Strings", "Tony Mottola and the Brass Menagerie" to name a couple. But Enoch was right when he said that my guitar fans would rather hear me in a more intimate setting. The sales of my small group recordings were always proof of Enoch's uncanny knowledge of the record buying public (as was the case in the spectacular success of "Persuasive Percussion" - the most copied album in stereo history).

Finale

How do you remember Enoch Light?
Image:EPI1.GIF When Enoch died in 1978 it was a sad day for me and the countless musicians that were made into recording artists by him. He was not only a successful recording magnate but a warm, honest, sincere human being. He never forgot his roots as a musician and was always simpatico to his fellow "sidemen". At his memorial service, I was proud to have been asked to play. I chose something I had recorded for him in one of my albums. It was a medley of "Yesterdays" by Jerome Kern and "Yesterday" by Lennon & McCartney. It was one of his favourite recordings of mine. After Enoch's death, Project 3 was sold to a Mr Herb Linksy. Herb valiantly tried to keep the catalogue going for a few years but the music business had changed so much with the rock and roll - MTV era that he finally sold it to Essex Entertainment Inc of Englewood NJ. They still have some of the Project 3 catalogue available but I am no longer involved. My last recording for Project 3 Records was for Herb Linksy. It was called "All the Way" - a tribute album to Frank Sinatra. It was recorded in 1983 and the personnel was: Dick Hyman - piano, Bucky Pizzerelli - guitar, Irv Cottler - drums, Jerry Bruno - bass and Urbie Green on trombone. I think Enoch would have approved.



This interview is © Robbie Baldock/Tony Mottola, July 1996. Please seek permission before reproducing any part of it elsewhere. Similarly, if anyone sees any part of this interview appearing elsewhere on the WWW or in print, please contact me.

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