![]() ![]() Schwartz thought the Chief had told him to disregard the conversation and that he would put the issue down in writing with more instructions. Schwartz and Chief Warren remembered the conversation that day very differently. According to Chief Warren, there was a standing rule that no officer should “loiter at places where intoxicating liquor was drunk.” He called Schwartz in for a conference to remind him of the standing rule and to tell him he could no longer sing at the club because of it. Word got around, however, to Salem’s Chief of Police, Clyde A. He was doing something he loved on his own time. Conduct Unbecoming a Police Officerĭuring his off-duty time and in civilian clothes, Schwartz began singing at the Blue Note. He passed his civil service test about a year later – delayed by a deployment with the Marine Corps – and was approved for a permanent position within the force. Schwartz joined the Salem Police Department in 1950 as a temporarily appointed patrolman. His baseball career was short lived, however. A skilled and voracious softball player, Schwartz moved to Chattanooga to play for the Washington Senator’s affiliate team. At the sound of the applause, he was hooked. ![]() Bob Schwartzīy his own recollection, Schwartz’s musical career started when he was 5 years old, singing at the Hollywood Theater in Salem during the live entertainment hour preceding a matinee movie showing. The Western night featuring Tommy Kizziah and his West Coast Ramblers was a little more low key with instructions: “Come as you are – Blue Jeans or What Have you.” The club frequently invited local singers to perform, which was an opportunity taken up by one talented Salem Police Officer: Arnold Robert “Bob” Schwartz. The club regularly hosted theme nights, too, including a full-on Luau attended by 200 people featuring rocks for roasting the pig brought in from the Oregon Coast and poi and ti leaves flown in from Hawaii. There were dance contests in Jitterbug and Samba. Brassfield’s quartet would play regularly, as would many guest artists. Advertisements for the short-lived club make it sound like a good time. Brassfield was born in Salem, but had some serious jazz and pop chops, having played saxophone for the likes of Gene Krupa, Spike Jones and Bob Crosby. The Blue Note turned out to be a jazz and super club opened by Don Brassfield in January 1954 at 2625 Dallas Road (now Salem-Dallas Highway/Highway 22). So, I started down the research rabbit hole that turned out to be full of blue notes. Having been elbow deep in brass band uniforms and string quartet programs that day, finding something to visually represent jazz in our community was a welcome lead. On the envelope was a simple inscription: Man Singing (“Blue Note” vocalist) and the name and address of Bob Schwartz. Passion for Jazz Led to Firing of Salem Police Officerĭigging through photos and artifacts in preparation for a special exhibit looking at the history of live music in Salem, I came across a non-descript portrait, showing a man standing beside a piano taken by the McEwan Photo Studio in January 1955.
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