"BIG BAND NEWS" JANUARY 2005

                         reported by Christopher Popa

         A public funeral service for Artie Shaw, who died Dec. 30, 2004 at age 94, was

    held Sun., Jan. 9 in the chapel at Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park in

    Westlake Village, CA.  John Mitchell covered the memorial for the Ventura County Star

    and details below were contained in his published report.

         As part of the ceremony, the director of today's Artie Shaw Orchestra, Dick

    Johnson, spoke of his colleague.  Johnson stated, "I believe he was the best jazz

    clarinetist of all time and one of the very few geniuses I've rubbed elbows with."

    Johnson then played I'll Be Seeing You on his own clarinet, in tribute to Shaw, whose

    flower-bedecked closed casket was behind him.

         Also attending the service was comedian Red Buttons, who joked about Shaw's

    marriages.  "I asked him why did he marry so many times . . . He said, 'Why not.'" 

    The gathering roared with laughter.  "I met Artie during World War II," Buttons

    continued.  "We were both in uniform.  He was in the Navy and I was a bellhop at the

    Astoria Hotel."  After a few more laughs, Buttons glanced up and said, "Is God going

    to punish me for getting laughs at a memorial?"

         "I Did It My Way" could be a song title about Shaw's life, Buttons told the crowd.

    "Artie all his days told it like it was, how he saw it, not how you saw it," he said.

    Then Buttons looked at the coffin.  "In a way I'm shocked to see this public service for

    this most private man."

         After others spoke, the memorial ended with a recording of Lee Wiley singing

    Someone to Watch Over Me, and Shaw was buried at Valley Oaks Memorial Park. 

         His health had been in decline for several years: he never fully recovered from a

    broken leg in 1995, was legally blind, and suffered from adult onset diabetes. 

         His personal assistant since 1993, Larry Rose, earlier this month told the

    Associated Press that Shaw likely died of complications of the disease.  "He just

    reached a point where he was tired of fighting.  He wasn’t able to really enjoy life

    anymore," Rose said.

         Shaw's attorney and longtime friend Eddie Ezor said that Shaw's caregiver was with

    him when he passed away.

         Shaw was to receive a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters award in

    California on Jan. 7th.  "Someone will accept for him," Ezor had told reporters.

         According to Ezor, there is to be an Artie Shaw Foundation.

         When Shaw's death was first announced, entertainment mogul and former big band

    singer Merv Griffin praised Shaw’s musical accomplishments and said his romantic

    exploits made him the "Howard Hughes of the clarinet."

         Late night king of comedy Johnny Carson grew up listening to big band sounds.

    He occasionally played drums for fun, but he made some admirable contributions to

    music as host of "The Tonight Show" for 30 years. 

         Foremost was featuring an all-star big band, "The NBC Orchestra," which

    included such stellar instrumentalists as Snooky Young and Conte Candoli on trumpet,

    and Al Klink and Walt Levinsky on saxophone.  Starting in 1967, the orchestra

    was conducted by trumpeter Doc Severinsen. 

        Also, every now and then Carson invited invited famous bandleaders and singers to

    "The Tonight Show."  Buddy Rich, for example, was on 57 times (!) between 1970

    and 1988.  Other guests included Artie Shaw, Desi Arnaz, Louis Bellson, Louis

    Armstrong, Lionel Hampton, Benny Goodman, Woody Herman, Billy Eckstine, Frank

    Sinatra, Cab Calloway, and Joe Williams.  Even Lawrence Welk appeared, chatting

    with Carson 9 times between 1971 and 1979.  On a 1984 program, Carson took the role

    of Bob Eberly (as "Johnny Eberly") and sang Tangerine with Helen O'Connell.    

         Comedian David Letterman, during his own TV show on Jan. 31st, offered a tribute

    to Carson, inviting Severinsen, now age 77, and two former members of The NBC

    Orchestra, saxophonist Tommy Newsome, 75, and drummer Ed Shaughnessy, 76, to

    perform one of Carson's favorite songs, Here's That Rainy Day.

         Necrology:

    Mort Fega, radio program host, 83, Jan. 21, complications following surgery

    Les Robinson, alto saxophonist (Shaw '37-'39, '40-'42), 90, Jan. 6

    Consuelo Velazquez, songwriter (Besame Mucho), 84, Jan. 22, complications from

      a fall

         A gathering of members of The Vaughn Monroe Appreciation Society, "Still

    Racing with the Moon," is to be held Jan. 21-23 at the Seminole Inn in Indiantown, FL.

    "Indeed it is!," Claire Schwartz, Co-Founder and Webmaster of the Society, informs me.

    "And, yes, there are still openings. We would love to have you join us if you're

    interested."  (The event originally was scheduled last October, but had to be postponed

    due to severe storms which hit Florida.)  Indiantown is 20 miles west of Stuart, FL,

    where Monroe made his home during the last part of his life.  Planned activities include

    viewing of Monroe television performances and movie clips, visiting local Monroe-related

    sites, and listening to his music.  For more information, contact Ms. Schwartz via

    info@vaughnmonroesociety.org.

        The (Sally Bennett) Big Band Hall of Fame was scheduled to open in its new

    home on the South Florida Fairgrounds in West Palm Beach, FL, Jan. 14th.  "Because

    of our storms, we have had to push back our start date on this project," Elizabeth K.

    Speigle, Curator, Yesteryear Village at the South Florida Fair, advises me.  "The new

    building will be up by early summer.  The collections, however, are available for viewing

    here on the grounds at Yesteryear Village.  Our hours of operation are Tuesday through

    Sunday 11-5 excluding special events and holidays."  The Fair runs through Jan. 30th.

        New CD releases:

    Jerry Gray, "The Spirit Is Willing: Classic Big Band Sounds From 1946-1954,"

      Sounds of Yesteryear 657

    Harry James, "The Complete Marion Morgan with Harry James and His Orchestra:

      Sentimental Souvenirs," Collectables 7637; "Spotlight On Harry James," Collectables

      8071 [previously issued in 2000 with different artwork as Sony Music Special Products

      A 30798]

    Vido Musso, "The Swingin'st," Ace 1035  [from Crown]

    Jan Savitt, "San Francisco Struttin'," Joyce 1020

    various artists, "Columbia Small Group Swing Sessions (1953-1962)," Mosaic

      MD8-228 [incl. selected sessions from the Columbia and Epic labels, feat. Buck

      Clayton, Illinois Jacquet, Coleman Hawkins with Clark Terry, Ben Webster with

      Sweets Edison, and others]

         New DVD releases:

    Count Basie, "Swinging At His Best," Passport 56004

    Cab Calloway, "Swinging At His Best," Passport 56007

    Benny Carter, "Jazz Masters," Shanachie

    Duke Ellington, "Swinging At His Best," Passport 56005

    Lionel Hampton, "Swinging At His Best," Passport 56006; "Lionel Hampton & the

      Golden Men of Jazz," Pioneer/Geneon

         During the height of the Cold War, big band and jazz music was used as a

    propaganda tool against Communism.  With the backing of the U.S. State Dept.

    beginning in 1956, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, and others helped

    to spread American ideals around the world with their marvelous talents.  In her new

    352-page book, Satchmo Blows Up the World: Jazz Ambassadors Play the Cold

    War (New York City: Harvard University Press), author and history professor Penny Von

    Eschen recalls the great results of those endeavors.  The cover image is a staged

    publicity shot, taken during Armstrong's 1965 tour of Egypt, with Louis serenading his

    wife, Lucille, in front of the Sphinx.  According to Michael Cogswell, Director of the

    Louis Armstrong House & Archives in New York, the photo "successfully implies the

    intersection of love, time, and music."

         DownBeat celebrates its 70th anniversary with a special collectors' edition that, in

    part, reproduces archival information and images.  Included in the issue, dated Jan.

    2005 and now on sale, are Duke Ellington: "Duke Scores with Sacred Music in

    Grace Cathedral" by Don DeMichael (originally published Nov. 4, 1965); "Coleman

    Hawkins: "The Hawk Talks: Coleman Hawkins Discusses Individuality and Some

    Young Musicians" by Nat Hentoff (Nov. 14, 1956); Fletcher Henderson: "Smack!

    Memories of Fletcher Henderson" by Rex Stewart (Jun. 3, 1965); Woody Herman:

    "'New Music's Swell, But We Can't All Be Geniuses,'" by Ned Williams (Jun. 17, 1946);

    Stan Kenton: "The Restless Searcher" by Ralph Gleason (Apr. 28, 1960); and Artie

    Shaw: "Artie Shaw Salutes," a letter to the editor praising Duke Ellington (Dec. 3,

    1952).  Happy anniversary, DownBeat!

         Also in the magazine is a compact disc review, "CDs We Missed: Bluebird Bonus,"

    by John McDonough, on page 70.

         New in-print:

    Crosby, Johanna.  "In the mood for swing: The great originators have died, but

      the jazz genre lives on," Cape Cod Times / capecodonline.com, Jan. 17, 2005.

         This month's itinerary - select list:

    Count Basie Orchestra directed by Bill Hughes: Jan. 29, Midland Center for the

      Arts, Midland, MI

    Tex Beneke Orchestra directed by Jim Snodgrass: Jan. 26, McCallum Theatre,

      Palm Desert, CA; Jan. 27, East County Performing Arts Center, El Cajon, CA;

      Jan. 29, La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, La Mirada, CA; Jan. 30, Civic

      Arts Plaza, Thousand Oaks, CA

    Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra directed by Bill Tole: Jan. 16, Poway, CA

    Larry Elgart: Jan. 11, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Sarasota, FL

    Woody Herman Orchestra directed by Frank Tiberi: Jan. 23, Philharmonic Center

      for the Arts, Naples, FL

    Sammy Kaye Orchestra directed by Roger Thorpe: Jan. 2-7, Mississippi Queen

      riverboat cruise, New Orleans to Baton Rouge, LA; Jan. 25, Manatee Fair, Manatee,

      FL

    Glenn Miller Orchestra directed by Larry O'Brien: Jan. 12, Broward Center-Amaturo

      Theatre, Fort Lauderdale, FL; Jan. 13, Kravis Center, West Palm Beach, FL; Jan. 19,

      Newberry Opera House, Newberry, SC; Jan. 22, Grove Park Inn & Resort, Asheville,

      NC; Jan. 26, National Museum of Naval Aviation, Pensacola, FL; Jan. 29, The Lucas

      Theatre, Savannah, GA

    Russ Morgan Orchestra directed by Jack Morgan: Jan. 7-13, Mississippi Queen

      riverboat cruise, Baton Rouge, LA to Vicksburg, MS; Jan. 14, American Legion,

      Clinton, LA

         BBC Radio2 presents the first portion of "The Billy May Story" at 9:30 pm

    (London time), Jan. 4th.  Five more parts will be aired in the future. 

   

         For his distinguished career, Skitch Henderson is to receive the James Smithson

    Bicentennial Medal from the Smithsonian Institution at a ceremony in Washington, DC

    on Jan. 29th.  The program will include a performance by the Tommy Dorsey

    Orchestra, with Henderson as guest pianist. 

         A suite honoring Count Basie, composed by Bob Florence and commissioned

    jointly by ASCAP and the International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE), was

    expected to be premiered at the annual IAJE convention, Long Beach, CA, Jan. 6th.

         The new Buddy Rich line of drums, made by Drum Workshop (DW) Drums,

    is to be introduced at the National Association of Music Manufacturers (NAMM) show,

    which runs Jan. 20-23 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA.

         Also, his daughter, Cathy Rich, says that a Buddy Rich Memorial Concert is in the

    works, to be held at the House of Blues in Los Angeles, in association with DW Drums.

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