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  • ATTENTION ALL FACEBOOKERS!!!!!

    Current mood:accomplished

    Hey everybody!

    The New York Foundation for the Arts just built an interface with FaceBook in their Causes application and now, anyone can join the Cause of funding my documentary. Of course, you don't have to donate but there is strength in numbers and the more members, the better.

    So, if you're on FaceBook, PLEASE visit and join -

    http://www.causes.com/causes/476778?recruiter_id=20096265

    For those of you that don't know me, here is an interview with me on the NYFA website about my journey to produce my father's documentary -

    New York Foundation for the Arts
    Read Von Babasin's interview at:
    http://www.nyfa.org/level3.asp?id=694&fid=5&sid=156

    Please consider giving me a hand with this... just think how you would like your music to be remembered after you're gone... thanks to all who help!

    Von Babasin
    8:30 PM

  • Jason Crane's "The Jazz Session"

    Current mood:accomplished

    Hey everybody!!!!

    What a great holiday - ONOFFON wishes everyone the best of everything!!!

    In his continuous struggle to raise the money to honor his father, Harry Babasin, and the entire west coast jazz movement, Von Babasin was interviewed by Jason Crane on his jazz podcast, The Jazz Session, hosted on the well respected jazz website, All About Jazz!

    Here's the link to the interview on "The Jazz Session" -


    Happy New Year!!!
    6:31 PM

  • Chet Baker's first career recording....

    Current mood:artistic

    Hey everybody...

    Von here from ONOFFON. I'm really jazzed because I just scored a copy of the first recording in Chet Baker's illustrious career, that was recorded live at a club in Inglewood, CA, called the Tradewinds in 1952. It was during a series of jam sessions lead by my father, Harry Babasin, that was called "Sessions of Jazz", hosted by satirist Herm Hines.

    It's an amazing story and one of many I will be including in the documentary film I'm producing, Harry Babasin's Jazz In Hollywood.

    Harry Babasin on MySpace

    Chet Baker was one of many up and coming jazz stars that my father gave them their starts in their careers...

    Definitive west coast jazz history...   
    11:10 PM

  • I just made someone's dream come true today...

    Current mood:blessed


    Talk about strange and wonderful...

    A woman called me from Tennessee today. She's been doing some research on her natural father, a trumpeter that went by the name of Jimmy Valves. She knew him a little and had spent time with him before he passed away but had little history on him. She knew that he played on tour with the Beach Boys for a while and was involved with recording in the Hollywood area. But, she has no recorded history of her father at all.

    In her searching, she found a reference to a group he formed and recorded with in the 60's called Jimmy Valves and the Incredible Jangle Group. It named Nocturne Records as the label he recorded with, which was my father's label, so she tracked me down.

    I had never heard of the group but I'm still finding recordings that my father was connected with that I never knew before. She also found a label from a record that confirmed the recording was indeed done on Nocturne and sent me a jpeg. In talking with her, I told her that it was a 45 rpm label and that I would search for it in our archives. Then, I remembered when my mother passed away last year, I brought home a pile of 45's that are sitting in a corner of my living room. While we talked, I meandered through the pile.

    Sure enough, there in my hand was a pristine copy of her father's 45, with an original tune on one side written by him called 'Walk on the Beach'. I immediately put it on my turntable and played it for her over the phone. It was the first time she heard her father play on a recording, let alone his own composition.

    I'm sending it to her now. She was floored - she couldn't believe it - I couldn't believe it - what an absolute fluke to have a copy of it. She offered to pay - I said don't be silly...

    All this on what would have been my father's, Harry Babasin's, 88th birthday today...

    Ahhhh... life is good...


    11:38 PM
    • Post a comment...
      • Jacob Robison

            Can you get me in touch with the women from tennesse who says Jimmy Valves was her Dad?
         I know all about her dad, I was the Bass player with Jimmy Valves and the incredible jangle group and other bands we were in together. I have some of our recording, although no pictures..
        Jake Robison

        3 years ago
      • Caylan

        You made my year! I still am floored and can't get over all the "coincidences". Thanks Mr. Dreammaker!!! Oh, and listening to your music, not only did you make a dream come true for me, you made a fan for yourself.
        I LOVE your recordings!!! ttfn

        ~Caylan

        4 years ago
      • Stratosfear

        That's a really nice story. It's reassuring to know that there are people out there, willing to help others.

        4 years ago

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