I got this note from Mike Manieri. It's history and it's great!!
Hope this email finds well. So glad to hear Tim’s recitation on Marjorie Hymas career. I would not be playing vibes because of her. My mother heard her performances on he radio in the late 1940’s
and said to my dad, “I want Michael to play the vibraphone.” My father was aghast as he was making $28 a week at that time and supporting eight family members.
So my very determined mother took a job in a sweatshop for two years, saved enough money
to buy me my first 2 1/2 octave Deagan vibraharp which had cardboard resonators, but
beautiful sounding bars. She found me a teacher, Lem Leach, who lived in the Bowery
which was a 3 subway ride
from the Bronx. Paid him two dollars for each lesson. He stuck four mallets in my hands with the weird grip that I still use today in 1950.
Two years later, miraculously my Little jazz teen Trio was performing on the Paul Whitman radio show.
We played “tea for two.” Thank you, Margie, Tim and of course you, Tony!
Warm regards
Mike
Comments
I got this note from Mike…
tonymiceli Wed, 05/15/2024 - 18:47
I got this note from Mike Manieri. It's history and it's great!!
Hope this email finds well. So glad to hear Tim’s recitation on Marjorie Hymas career. I would not be playing vibes because of her. My mother heard her performances on he radio in the late 1940’s
and said to my dad, “I want Michael to play the vibraphone.” My father was aghast as he was making $28 a week at that time and supporting eight family members.
So my very determined mother took a job in a sweatshop for two years, saved enough money
to buy me my first 2 1/2 octave Deagan vibraharp which had cardboard resonators, but
beautiful sounding bars. She found me a teacher, Lem Leach, who lived in the Bowery
which was a 3 subway ride
from the Bronx. Paid him two dollars for each lesson. He stuck four mallets in my hands with the weird grip that I still use today in 1950.
Two years later, miraculously my Little jazz teen Trio was performing on the Paul Whitman radio show.
We played “tea for two.” Thank you, Margie, Tim and of course you, Tony!
Warm regards
Mike