Passport to The Future

Dana Countryman's new biography detailing the life and career of French electronic pop music legend, Jean-Jacques Perrey, includes Perrey's memories of meeting Raymond Scott. Here's an excerpt:

"My sponsor, Carroll Bratman, drove me to the studio of Raymond Scott, the famous bandleader and composer," Jean-Jacques recalls. "I knew he was the man who had composed 'The Toy Trumpet,' and many other famous melodies, so I was very impressed to meet him. He had a huge studio in his home that was filled with his electronic music inventions. It looked more like a scientific laboratory, than a recording studio!"

"I played the Ondioline for Raymond Scott, and immediately he wanted to play it. He was very interested in how it worked. He didn’t offer to buy it right away, so Carroll suggested that we leave it in his studio. 'If you decide you like it, then you can buy it,'" Carroll said.

"Not long after, Mr. Scott called up Carroll, and said, 'Okay, I’ll buy the instrument from you.' But instead, Carroll decided to give the Ondioline to him — for free! The only other time that I remember him giving an Ondioline away, was the time he gave one to Arthur Godfrey."

• More memories of Raymond Scott from Perrey: here
• Book details and ordering info: here