The big bands are back
in a new and exciting way!
JUNE 2015
"BIG BAND NEWS"
compiled by Music Librarian CHRISTOPHER POPA
COMPACT DISCS IN DETAIL
This month, I'd like to concentrate on CDs.
As part of my focus, I now have added to my website a "Collector's Checklist" of CDs. While it's not meant to be every CD by the big bands, it is intended to show what are the most essential and non-duplicative releases. I hope that you will enjoy looking it over and comparing it to your collection. Here is a direct link: http://www.bigbandlibrary.com/compactdiscs.html
I'm happy to announce that for June there are quite a number of additions to my "Collector's Checklist," but some come with a caution or two for longtime aficionados.
THE HAMPTON HAUL
Lionel Hampton. "Lionel Hampton 'live': Great Vibes," Mr. Music MMCD-7041. Producer
Wayne Knight always does a good quality job with his Mr. Music label, so this is a
welcome release. And the performances are from the 1940s and feature such
instrumentalists as Arnett Cobb on tenor saxophone and Milt Buckner at the piano.
Lionel Hampton. "Please Sunrise," Brunswick / Ultra Vybe (Japan). Like the rest of
the Hamptons this month, the material comes from 1972-73. There are a number of
originals by Eugene Record, who was the lead singer with The Chi-Lites. Titles
include Soulful Autumn, I Call It Trouble, and It Must Be Love. NOTE: This album was
previously released on CD in 1999 by Edsel (England).
Lionel Hampton. "Stop! I Don't Need No Sympathy," Brunswick / Ultra Vybe (Japan).
A hip blend of instrumental jazz, soul, and funk. The all-instrumental line-up includes
the title tune, I Wish it Was Me, It's Time for Peace, and Turn Back the Hands of Time.
NOTE: The material was already on CD, also released in 1999 by Edsel (England).
Lionel Hampton. "Them Changes," Brunswick / Ultra Vybe (Japan). Another album that
was originally recorded for Brunswick Records, this was one of Lionel's funkiest.
Selections include the title tune, plus such pops as Ain't No Sunshine, California
Dreamin', Light My Fire, and Bridge Over Troubled Water. NOTE: This was already
released on CD in 2006 as "The New Look" by Unidisc Records.
Lionel Hampton. "There It Is," Brunswick / Ultra Vybe (Japan). This would be just as
good a choice as any of these four new Brunswick releases, maybe even better since
it has not previously been on CD. These are all soulful instrumentals featuring Hamp's
vibes. Titles include Happiness, Without You in My Life, I Never Had It So Good,
and Sing a Little Song.
A WELK WINDFALL
If you think that was a lot of new Lionel Hampton CDs, there are an equal number of Lawrence Welk's long out-of-print Dot and Ranwood albums which have been transferred to CD-R by My Music Boutique of Arizona. This is good, because Vanguard Records, which owns the Dot and Ranwood masters, seems to have no desire to do so.
Here is the latest batch:
Lawrence Welk. “The Best Of Lawrence Welk,” Music Boutique CD-R.
Lawrence Welk. "The Champagne Music Of Lawrence Welk," Music Boutique CD-R.
Lawrence Welk. “The Happy Wanderer: Featuring The Lawrence Welk Singers,”
Music Boutique CD-R.
Lawrence Welk. “Hymns We Love,” Music Boutique CD-R.
Lawrence Welk. “No, No Nanette,” Music Boutique CD-R.
EVEN MORE CDS
Tommy Dorsey. “The Tommy Dorsey Show,” Sounds of YesterYear (E) DSOY998.
The final volume which samples TD’s 1947-48 stint as a disc jockey, playing some
of his own records and some by other performers. Included is an interview he
conducted with fellow bandleader Lionel Hampton.
Benny Goodman. “And The All Stars In Berlin 1958 – 1959,” Sounds of YesterYear
(E) 2001. A 2-CD set, mostly of familiar Goodman favorites like Airmail Special,
Slipped Disc, Rachel’s Dream, and Sing, Sing, Sing. This material has been out
on CD from a number of sources.
Stan Kenton. “Concerts In Miniature Part 9,” Sounds of YesterYear (E) DSOY2000.
Another volume of Kenton on the air in 1952, with show #s 21 through 24. For
Kenton completists only.
Alvino Rey. "Swingin' Fling," Music Boutique CD-R. A Capitol LP from the late '50s, but
be advised that this was already out on CD, though under a different name, on
Alvino's own Alysa Records label.
Various artists. “Charlie Christian ‘live’: First Star Of The Electric Guitar,” Mr. Music
MMCD-7040. With Armstrong, Basie, Hampton, and F Henderson.
Various artists. "Remember the night, and the girl, and the song," Music Boutique CD-R.
A 1961 Warner Brothers project that included such big band star vocalists as Bob
Eberly and Helen O'Connell, Helen Forrest, Martha Tilton, Jack Leonard, Yvonne King,
and even Skinnay Ennis.
ONE MORE TIME
Also available, as imports this month, are five Count Basie, one Duke Ellington, and two Dizzy Gillespie albums on CD, in case you don’t already have them.
The Basie titles are: “Standing Ovation: Three Eras Of Basie Recorded Live At The Tropicana Hotel Las Vegas” (originally on Dot – and one of my personal favorites), “At Newport ’57,” “Basie Picks The Winners,” “Basie’s Beatle Bag,” and “Ella [ Fitzgerald ] And Basie.”
The Ellington is “Soul Call,” which was first issued by Verve.
And the Gillespies are “Dizzy Gillespie At Newport” and “Dizzy Gillespie & The Double Six Of Paris.”
Good music, but all available on CD before.
THE BANDS IN-PERSON
Count Basie Orchestra directed by Scotty Barnhart. June 21, venue tba, Toronto,
Ontario, Canada.
Tommy Dorsey Orchestra directed by Terry Myers. June 12-28, aboard the Crystal
Symphony for a trans-Atlantic crossing from New York City to Dover, England.
The Glenn Miller Orchestra directed by Nick Hilscher. June 5, Riviera Theatre, Three
Rivers, MI; June 6, Leelanau Sands Casino, Peshawbestown, MI; June 8, Derby
Dinner Playhouse, Clarksville, IN; June 10, The Holmstad, Batavia, IL; June 11,
Coralville Center, Coralville, IA; June 12-13, “The 40th Annual Glenn Miller Festival,”
Clarinda High School, Clarinda, IA; June 14, Wilder Park Main Pavilion, Allison, IA;
June 15, El Riad Temple, Sioux Falls, SD; June 16, Clarkson Community Opera
House, Clarkson, NE; June 18, Main Street Square, Rapid City, SD; June 20, “Glenn
Miller SwingFest” (including a presentation about Glenn Miller by Alan Cass, Curator
of the Miller Archive at Colorado University-Boulder), Fort Morgan Airport, Fort
Morgan, CO; June 22-23, Boulder Dinner Theater, Boulder, CO; June 24, The Ute
Theatre, Rifle, CO; June 25, KTAOS Solar Center, Taos, NM; June 27, The
McSwain Theatre, Ada, OK; June 28, Levitt Pavilion for the Performing Arts,
Arlington, TX.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU
Lennie Niehaus, b.June 11, 1929. Saxophonist with Kenton '52 / '56 (Capitol W 724).
Dennis Spragg, b.June 16, 1953. Senior consultant to The Glenn Miller Archive at The
University of Colorado-Boulder.
NECROLOGY
Dorothy "Dottie" Butterfield, 92, d.Jun 3, 2015. Maiden name Smith. As "Dottie
Smith," was vocalist with Billy Butterfield on some of his 1956-57 RCA Victor
recordings. She was married to him for 36 years.
Gunther Schuller, 89, d.Jun 21, 2015, complications of leukemia. Author of The
Swing Era: The Development of Jazz 1930-1945 (New York City: Oxford University
Press, 1989) and Early Jazz: Its Roots and Musical Development (New York
City: Oxford University Press, 1968).
REMEMBERING YOU
Nelson Riddle, b.June 1, 1921. Trombonist and / or composer-arranger with Spivak
'41-'42, T Dorsey '44-'45.
Marty Napoleon, b.June 2, 1921. Pianist with Powell '43-'44, Armstrong '52 / '53.
Ernie Royal, b.June 2, 1921. Trumpeter with Hampton '41-'42, Herman '47-'49, Kenton '53.
Britt Woodman, b.June 4, 1920. Trombonist with Hampton '47-'48, Ellington '51-'61.
Ted Lewis, b.June 6, 1892. Leader of own band.
Jimmie Lunceford, b.June 6, 1902. Leader of own band.
Tal Farlow, b.June 7, 1921. Guitarist with Norvo '50-'53, Shaw '53-'54.
Glen Gray, b.June 7, 1906. Leader of own band.
Wes Hensel, b.June 10, 1919. Trumpeter-composer-arranger with Raeburn '47,
Brown '47-'59.
Dickie Wells, b.June 10, 1909. Trombonist with F Henderson '33, Basie '38-'45,
Oliver '47.
Shelly Manne, b.June 11, 1920. Drummer with Kenton '46-'52.
Zeke Zarchy, b.June 12, 1915. Trumpeter with Shaw '36-'37, T Dorsey '39-'40, Miller
'40 / '43-'45 (AAF), Goodman '46-'47, Herman '47 (8/15 Columbia session), Carter
'52 (8/12 Victor session), Armstrong '56 (8/1 Victor session).
Doc Cheatham, b.June 13, 1905. Trumpeter with Calloway '32-'39, Wilson '39-'40,
Carter '52 (10/2 Victor session).
Clarence Hutchenrider, b.June 13, 1908. Clarinetist with G Gray '31-'43?.
Si Zentner, b.June 13, 1917. Trombonist with Brown '40-'42, J Dorsey '44-'45, Herman
'47 (Apr/May Columbia sessions), G Gray '56 / '57 / '58 / '59. Leader of own band.
Nappy Lamare, b.June 14, 1910. Guitarist with Crosby '35-'42 / '51-'52 / '57 / '60 / '61,
J Dorsey '48-'49.
Allan Reuss, b.June 15, 1915. Guitarist with Goodman '35-'38 / '43-'44 / '47 / '55,
Hampton '37 / '38 (Victor sessions), Teagarden '39, James '44-'45.
Stan Wrightsman, b.June 15, 1910. Pianist with Crosby '50 / '51 / '52 / '57 / '60.
Lucky Thompson, b.June 16, 1924. Tenor saxophonist with Basie '44-'45.
Ray Bauduc, b.June 18, 1909. Drummer with Pollack '28-'34, Crosby '35-'42 / '60,
Miller '35 (4/25 Columbia session), Armstrong '47, J Dorsey '48-'50, Teagarden
'52-'54.
Ray McKinley, b.June 18, 1910. Drummer with Dorsey Bros '34-'35, J Dorsey '35-'39,
Bradley '39-'42, Miller '43-'45 (AAF), Miller Orch '56-'66. Leader of own band.
Babe Russin, b.June 18, 1911. Tenor saxophonist with Nichols '29 / '30 / '31 / '32,
Hampton '38 (7/21 Victor session), J Dorsey '42-'43?, Goodman '46-'47 / '55,
T Dorsey '49, G Gray ' 56 / '57 / '58 / '59 / '61 / '61 / '62 / '63 (Capitol LPs).
Jerry Jerome, b.June 19, 1912. Tenor saxophonist with Miller '37, Goodman '38-'40,
Hampton '39 (Victor sessions), Shaw '40-'41.
Lloyd Morales, b.June 19, 1928. Drummer with Brown '56-'58.
Joe Thomas, b.June 19, 1909. Tenor saxophonist with Lunceford '39-'47, Lunceford
Orch '48-'49?.
Lammar Wright, Sr., b.June 20, 1912. Trumpeter with Calloway '32-'43 / '58 (Gone LP).
Ella Johnson, b.June 22, 1923. Vocalist with Johnson (her brother) '39-'61?.
Ben Pollack, b.June 22, 1903. Leader of own band.
Milt Hinton, b.June 23, 1910. Bassist with Calloway '36-'47 / '49?-'50? / '58 (RCA
Victor LP), Hampton '39 (Victor sessions), Armstrong '53, Goodman '55 / '69 (Oct
Reader's Digest sessions).
Eddie Miller, b.June 23, 1911. Tenor saxophonist with Pollack '31-'34, Crosby '35-'42 /
'50 / '51 / '52 / '56 / '57 / '60 / '61 / '66 / '85, Miller '35 (4/21 Columbia session).
Bill Russo, b.June 25, 1928. Trombonist-composer-arranger for Kenton '50?.
Shad Collins, b.June 27, 1910. Trumpeter with Calloway '36? / '37? / '43?-46, Basie
'38-'39.
Ben Homer, b.June 27, 1917. Composer / arranger for Brown '40?-'42?.
Pete Candoli, b.June 28, 1923. Trumpeter with Bradley '42?, T Dorsey '43-'44, Herman
'44-'46, Beneke '47-'49.
Jimmy Mundy, b.June 28, 1907. Composer-arranger and / or tenor saxophonist for Hines
'33-'40, Goodman '35?-'37?, Whiteman '42.
Mousie Alexander, b.June 29, 1922. Drummer with Sauter-Finegan '53-'55 / '60,
Goodman '56.
Ralph Burns, b.June 29, 1922. Composer and / or pianist with Norvo '43?, Barnet
'43-'45, Herman '44-'45.
Lena Horne, b.June 30, 1917. Vocalist with Barnet '41, Shaw '41 (Victor session).
Buddy Rich, b.June 30, 1917. Drummer with Berigan '38, Shaw '38?-'39, T Dorsey
'39-'43? / '44-'45, Dorsey Bros '54, James '57?-'65?. Leader of own band.
SNEAK PEEK
Next month, I'll answer "Whatever Became of Ray Purslow?" (from whom some of you may have purchased big band recordings) and provide details of a fresh CD of live Tex Beneke / Glenn Miller style music and some Harry James music you might have missed.
Plus over 50 (!) new CD-Rs from a company called Kipepeo Publishing.
Meanwhile, please don't forget to take a look at my new "Collector's Checklists: CDs."
go to Big Band Library homepage
