George Crater

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George Crater is a pseudonym for New York radio personality (jazz hipster) Ed Sherman. In addition to hosting a radio show on WNCN in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Sherman (as Crater) wrote a monthly Down Beat column of the same name in 1959 and 1960 featuring his humorous jazz reflections. It was mostly a hilarious take on the jazz scene of the time and influenced teenagers who had just discovered jazz. ^[1]Sherman presented his observational style of jazz humor on the early FM station of WNCN, a New York radio station, in 1961, on Saturdays from 6 p.m.

On posters of jazz concerts where he spoke, he was billed as 'Jazz Humorist'. ^[2]

Among his creations was a group of musicians with related names such as Prez Glick, Quincy Cohn, Thelonius Crasner, Miles Cosnat and Gimp Lymphly and the bandleader and legendary saxophonist Zoot Finster. Crater then made reviews of Finster's records.

Album "Out of my Head"[edit]

Around 1960, Sherman/Crater recorded a comedy album on the Riverside label (Riverside 841). It had the same name as the Downbeat column, "Out of My Head"^[3]. It was unusual for it to be recorded in a studio with no audience or a laugh track. Sherman/Crater's style is like a predecessor of Woody Allen with a deadpan voice and frequent use of jazz slang from that era. About half of the album deals directly with jazz; for example, he talks about jazz wind-up dolls (wind up the Miles Davis doll and it turns its back to you; a Charles Mingus doll punches a critic and the Horace Silver doll sweats for 30 minutes). He also makes up an imaginative story about his performance at a jazz concert at City Hall. While addressing the audience, he imagines Ornette Coleman, annoyed by one of the comedian's jokes, sitting on the balcony, armed with a gun. He also provides a description of the jazz TV special, "The Singin' Swingin' Years".

Discography[edit]

Albums[edit]

• 1960: Out Of My Head (Riverside Records – RLP 841) ^[4]
• 1960: George Crater, Lenny Bruce – Out Of My Head (Broadway Recording Studios, 12", 33⅓ rpm)

References[edit]

External links[edit]

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