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Profile of Allan Stephensen (February 10, 1939.) Part one. Except for the very first years of my time at school, I was extremely bored thereafter. With a few exceptions I felt that most of my schoolmates as well as the teachers were totally without initiative and fantasy. This attitude may sound as if I regarded myself as being superior to my surroundings, and probably that was how I felt at the time. My main interests from the early fifties were literature (of various quality) and first and foremost the jazz music, accelerating thanks to an early acquaintance with Karl Emil Knudsen, Arne Svensson a.o. There was very little understanding for music of any kind in the public school back then. That is the reason, that I was almost euphoric with joy when in our leading, conservative newspaper ”Berlingske Tidende” I spotted a little modest advert inserted by the record company ”Metronome” located in Copenhagen NV. Here they sought for a young person for average work. That was in the fall of 1958. Allan, 2006. | ||
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At that time I attended the
Academic Student-course in Central Copenhagen. I lived in
Charlottenlund north of the city and didn’t know anything
about the location of Metronome, and what my parents would
mean about such an initiative. On the other hand I knew
almost all about their jazz record issues and I was sure
that this knowledge would secure the position for me. With
faith in the future I went to their address the next day
after school to offer my services.
It took some time to locate
Vibevej no. 31 which appeared to be an older office building
with entrance from a passage. I had to go to the first floor
and there I knocked on the door with the sign ”office” on it
and went inside. It was a kind of front office, where a
younger woman listened to my errand. I was guided down a
corridor to another door which was open. Inside two persons
were sitting and standing discussing something. The person
standing I immediately recognized as being the boss, Bent
Fabricius-Bjerre - often appearing in the papers and
magazines of the day, while the other bearded fellow was
unknown to me. It was a bit difficult to knock on an open
door so I just stood there glaring. BF-B must have felt my
presence and asked me what I wanted. Stuttering I told him
about my errand. At first he didn’t understand it at all but
then both remembered that they had asked someone to insert
an ad.
To
work at Metronome! I don’t remember much about my first day.
Willemoës introduced me to the rest of the staff with obvious
joy. He now had an assistant and within a short time, I became
his pupil in recording techniques which was not mentioned until
later. My first job was cataloguing and to bring order into
Metronome’s massive tape archive which contained all previous
recordings - issued as well as unissued. There were several
hundreds and working with them was very exciting because I had
to listen when appropriate to make a proper registration. I was
allowed to do this on my own without supervision.
Fabricius-Bjerre I never saw in this period, but Peter looked in
now and then. But soon I was involved in the world of a
recording engineer which for me was extremely exciting. Here was
something that really interested me and I learned fast. Not
surprisingly, because 50 years ago one worked with only
two-track stereo tape machines, and everything was really quite
simple compared to the studios nowadays.
Peter Willemoës and Bent Fabricius-Bjerre, 1957.
The
Metronome studio was located in ”The High school Home” situated
in Frederiksberg, Cph. From the last half of the fifties
Metronome here used ”The Church Hall” because the very large
room was completely covered with wood from floor to the high
ceiling which offered a fine acoustic. High up at one end of the
room there was a balcony going from end to end in the full width
of the hall. Facing the hall the company had been allowed to put
up a soundproof glass wall, and here was enough space for
placing the recording units. Everything, however, should be
brought along from the offices at Vibevej every time a recording
was to take place. From my start in 1958 it was my job to carry
the very heavy Lyric tape recorders as well as mixers and other
heavy gear up to the balcony. Downstairs in the hall the fine
Neuman stereo microphones, pre- amplifiers and other stuff were
placed. Also it was my responsibility to bring soda water and
heavier drinks
for
the musicians and the soloists. Two elderly ladies in fine
dresses employed here served sandwiches in a separate room, but
I was always the last one to come to the table because of my
preparations for the next session. As a result there were
usually only a few pieces left with egg and herring. No wonder
that up to this date, I hate sandwiches with egg and herring!
Come to think about it, it was here the friendly violinist,
Harry Felbert taught me to drink beer. He couldn’t stand to see
me all day long with the eternal soda water.
 The
bearded man introduced himself as Peter Willemoës, sound
engineer while the other one felt no desire to tell me who
he was. Willemoës said after a short inspection of my looks:
”Can you start tomorrow?” I stuttered a few words completely
taken by surprise but he didn’t take notice and just told me
that they usually started work at nine o’clock. ”Remember
some sandwiches” he added. Then they took up their
discussion and I left the place, quite shaken.
Back in the street again and on
my way to the train station it dawned on me, that something
had happened to me. I had for the first time taken an
important decision of my own: Goodbye to the boring school
and hello to the sight of my first real pay check, the size
of which I had no idea at all. I simply had forgotten to
ask. All that was left was the thought of a coming fight
with my parents. What would they say about my initiative?
Being an optimist I was not really worried. Actually I
didn’t really cared. I was on my way, but to what?
Bent Fabricius-Bjerre, The Nicholas Brothers and Allan in the
background, 1958
At
that time suddenly most pop records should have an echo. So when
a session was finished, the sound was played back via a
loudspeaker placed in the concrete cellar of the building. A
microphone received the signal down there and simultaneously the
mix was recorded up at the balcony. By increasing or decreasing
the volume of the speaker the echo effect could be regulated.
Embarrassment! One day Karl Emil entered the balcony with a 7”
reel of tape containing some very ”dry” recordings with Snooks
Eaglin that he wanted to sound better by adding a little echo.
The same day I started the process when suddenly
Fabricius-Bjerre popped up in the control room. He asked what I
was doing. ”I, ah uhm, am adding some echo for Knudsen” I said
stammering. To this he said in a sharp tone: ”Allan, you have to
understand one thing clearly: You either work for me or for
Knudsen”. Then he left slamming the door. I have never
forgotten this correction concerning loyalty. Fair as he always
was, the episode was never mentioned again!
These titles were issued on Storyville with an echo added:
Only a friendly gesture.
Willemoës and a little later I too were hired to make recordings
for other companies. It was here that I did my first job by
myself recording the wonderful entertainer and humorist, Kjeld
Petersen reading monologues written by Tao Michaêlis. This was
for ”Zac” Records. No big deal, of course but I was happy about
it for a start. Along the way during my years with Metronome I
had the pleasure to meet many great artists of both sexes
performing all kinds of music. Most of them were very friendly
and they impressed me very much because of their personality and
professional skills.
In
part two of my somewhat childish profile above I later will
continue telling a little above my years with Karl Emil and
Storyville Records.
Thank you, Arne Svensson for helping me translating this text
into the English language.
Allan, July, 2008.
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