The big bands are back
in a new and exciting way!
MARCH 2015 "BIG BAND NEWS"
compiled by Music Librarian
CHRISTOPHER POPA
NEW COMPACT DISCS
Larry Clinton. "Dance Date," Music Boutique CD-R. The RCA Camden CAL-434 LP
with A Study in Scarlet, A Study in Red, A Study in Blue, A Study in Green, A Study
in Modernism, and 7 more, plus A Study in Brown added as a "bonus" track.
Duke Ellington. "Second Sacred Concert Live," Squatty Roo Records 228. Performed
in Paris, France in 1969, the music includes Praise God, Meditation, Freedom, and
T.G.T.T.
Stan Kenton. “Stan Kenton And His Orchestra: Concerts In Miniature Part 8,” Sounds
of YesterYear (E) DSOY990. With the complete program #s 18, 19, and 20 from
1952.
Abe Lyman. “Abe Lyman and His Orchestra Volume Two: ‘Hullaballoo’: Recordings
From 1928 to 1935. Crystal Stream Audio (Aus) IDCD299. Generous sampling of
26 selections including I Can’t Give You Anything But Love, Ain’t Misbehavin’,
Twelfth Street Rag, and Farewell Blues.
Freddy Martin. “Most Requested: Freddy Martin & His Orchestra,” Music Boutique
CD-R. Freddy’s 1967 Decca album with such songs as Winchester Cathedral,
Cabaret, Meditation, and the bouncy Top of the Strip.
Glenn Miller. “Glenn Miller And His Orchestras: Civilian and Military: Top Tunes Of
1943-1944,” Sounds of YesterYear (E) DSOY992. Weighted slightly more in favor of
Miller’s AAF band, this also includes four songs (Dearly Beloved, Moonlight Becomes
You, Moonlight Mood, That Old Black Magic) sung by Skip Nelson, the instrumentals
Rhapsody in Blue and Rainbow Rhapsody, etc.
Glenn Miller Orchestra directed by Ray McVay. "Ray McVay Leads The Glenn Miller
Orchestra UK: Love Songs," CD-R. 13 songs including three medleys. Among the
selections are Happy Talk, The Sound of Music, and How Deep Is the Ocean.
WARNING: This CD is an excerpted version of "Glenn Miller Orchestra Directed by
Ray McVay Plays the Frank Sinatra Songbook" on Shenley Records.
Various artists. “Anne Shelton: I’ll Be Seeing You,” Sounds of YesterYear (E) DSOY
991. Shelton with orchestras led by Glenn Miller and others.
---. “The Ralph Flanagan And Glenn Miller Orchestras: My Hero Glenn Miller,” Sounds
of YesterYear (E) DSOY 995. Various Miller recordings (Vilia, In the Mood, My
Buddy, etc.) paired with Flanagan recordings (My Hero, Come On In, Goodbye, etc.)
to see how they compare.
BIG BANDS ON TOUR
Count Basie Orchestra directed by Scotty Barnhart. Mar 1, Red Bank, NJ; Mar 4,
Churchville, NY; Mar 17, Red Bluff, CA; Mar 18-19, Folsom, CA; Mar 20, Modesto,
CA; Mar 21, Visalia, CA; Mar 22, Cerritos, CA; Mar 23, Palm Desert, CA.
Tommy Dorsey Orchestra directed by Terry Myers. Mar 5, “Strawberry Festival,”
Plant City, FL; Mar 7, Strange Brew, Austin, TX; Mar 8, Cailloux Theatre, Kerrville,
TX; Mar 9, Cactus Theatre, Lubbock, TX; Mar 10, La Rita Performing Arts Center,
Dalhart, TX; Mar 11, Forney Museum, Denver, CO; Mar 13-14, Enid Symphony Hall,
Enid, OK; Mar 19, Horseshoe Casino, Shreveport, LA.
Glenn Miller Orchestra directed by Nick Hilscher. Mar 1, Monfort Concert Hall, Greeley,
CO; Mar 2, Sidney High School Fine Arts Center, Sidney, NE; Mar 6, private,
Association of Professional Orchestra Leaders “35th Annual Dinner-Dance and
Scholarship Fundraiser,” Chicago, IL; Mar 8, The Ritz Theatre, Tiffin, OH; Mar 11,
Fogelberg Performing Arts Center, Burlington, MA; Mar 13, Roy Thompson Hall,
Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Mar 16, Dunfield Theatre Cambridge, Cambridge,
Ontario, Canada; Mar 18, The Ramsdell Theatre, Mainstee, MI; Mar 20, Jasper
Arts Center, Jasper, IN; Mar 24, Fox Theatre, McCook, NE; Mar 25, North Platte
High School, North Platte, NE; Mar 27, Merryman Performing Arts Center, Kearney,
NE; Mar 28, Lied Center for Performing Arts, Lincoln, ME; Mar 29, Lourdes Central
Catholic School, Nebraska City, NE.
HAPPY BIRTHDAYS TO:
Harry Prime, b.Mar. 5, 1920. Vocalist with Brooks '47; Fina '47; T Dorsey '47; Flanagan
'49-'53.
Dick Hyman, b.Mar. 8, 1927. Pianist with Goodman '50 / '55 / '85-'86.
Keely Smith, b.Mar. 9, 1932. Vocalist with Prima '49-'61.
Donn Trenner, b.Mar. 10, 1927. Pianist with Fio Rito '43-'45; Morrow '47?; Brown '54-
56 / '57-'60?.
Quincy Jones, b.Mar. 14, 1933. Trumpeter with Hampton '51-'53 and Gillespie '56; and
composer (Basie '58 Rat Race / The Midnight Sun Never Sets / Meet B.B.).
George Avakian, b.Mar. 15, 1919. Record producer.
Bob Wilber, b.Mar. 15, 1928. Clarinetist - soprano sax with Hackett '57; Goodman '58.
Larry Elgart, b.Mar. 20, 1922. Saxophonist with Byrne and brother Les Elgart; and
bandleader with Les and on his own.
Bill Hughes, b.Mar. 28, 1930. Trombonist with Basie '54-'57 / '63-'84 and leader of the
Basie Orch '03-'10.
NECROLOGY
Orrin Keepnews, 91, d.Mar. 1, 2015. Journalist, author (A Pictorial History of Jazz:
People and Places From New Orleans to Modern Jazz), owner of Riverside record
label, and record and CD producer. Among the CD releases he produced were "The
Duke Ellington Centennial Edition: The Complete RCA Victor Recordings (1927-
1973), released in 1999, and "Artie Shaw: Self Portrait," released in 2001. Mr.
Keepnews died just one day before his 92nd birthday.
REMEMBERING YOU
Barrett Deems, b.Mar. 1, 1914. Drummer with Venuti '37?-'44?; Norvo '48; Spanier
'51-'53; Armstrong '54-'58.
Bob Hardaway, b.Mar. 1, 1928. Tenor saxophonist with Anthony '52; J Gray '54;
Herman '56.
Glenn Miller, b.Mar. 1, 1904. Trombonist with Pollack '26-'28 / '29 / '36; Nichols
'29-'31; Dorsey Brothers '34; Noble '35-'36. Leader of own band.
Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, b.Mar. 2, 1921. Tenor saxophonist with Williams '42-'44;
Millinder '44-'45; Kirk '45-'46; Basie '52-'53 / '57.
Orrin Keepnews, b.Mar. 2, 1923. Journalist, author (A Pictorial History of Jazz:
People and Places From New Orleans to Modern Jazz), owner of Riverside record
label, and record and CD producer. Among the CD releases he produced were "The
Duke Ellington Centennial Edition: The Complete RCA Victor Recordings (1927-
1973), released in 1999, and "Artie Shaw: Self Portrait," released in 2001.
Barney Bigard, b.Mar. 3, 1906. Clarinetist with Ellington '28-'42; Slack '42-'43;
Armstrong '47-'52 / '53-'55.
Cy Touff, b.Mar. 4, 1927. Trumpeter with Herman '53?-'56?.
Red Callendar, b.Mar. 6, 1918. Bassist with Armstrong '37.
Mahlon Clark, b.Mar. 7, 1923. Clarinetist / saxophonist with Bradley '41-'42;
McKinley '42; Beneke '70s? / '80s?.
Heinie Beau, b.Mar. 8, 1911. Clarinetist with Nichols '40; T Dorsey '41-'43.
Sam Donahue, b. Mar. 8, 1918. Tenor saxophonist with Krupa '38-'40;
Shaw '42-'44 (Navy band); T Dorsey '51?'-53?; Kenton '60-'61. Leader of own
band; Leader of T Dorsey Orch '61-'65.
Dick Hyman, b.Mar. 8, 1927. Pianist with Goodman '50 / '65 (Columbia Jazz
Combo) / '85.
Herschel Evans, b.Mar. 9, 1909. Tenor saxophonist with Basie '36-'39; James
'37-'38 (two Brunswick sessions).
Bix Beiderbecke, b.Mar. 10, 1903. Cornetist with Whiteman '27-'29.
Mercer Ellington, b.Mar. 11, 1919. Trumpeter with Ellington '65-'74. Leader of
Ellington Orch '74-'96?.
Jackie Mills, b.Mar. 11, 1922. Drummer with Raeburn '45-'46; James '52-'55? /
'55-'56 / '58-'59.
Bob Haggart, b.Mar. 13, 1914, Bassist with Crosby '35-'42 / '58 / '85 / et al.
Ina Ray Hutton ,b. Mar. 13, 1916. Leader of own band.
Les Brown, b.Mar. 14, 1912. Leader of own band.
Harry James, b.Mar. 15, 1916. Trumpeter with Pollack '36; Goodman '37-'39 /
'55. Leader of own band.
Deane Kincaide, b.Mar. 18, 1911. Clarinetist / saxophonist / arranger for Pollack
'33-'35; Crosby '35-'37 / '37-'38; Herman '37; T Dorsey '38-'40; Spanier
'41; McKinley '46-'50 / '54; Miller Orch-McKinley '57-'62.
Buster Harding, b.Mar. 19, 1917. Arranger / composer for T Wilson '39-'40; Basie
'40-'41; Calloway '41; Shaw '45.
Doug Mettome, b.Mar. 19, 1925. Trumpeter with Goodman '48-'49; Herman
'50 / '51; Dorsey Brothers '54.
Hank D’Amico, b.Mar. 21, 1915. Clarinetist with Norvo '36-'39?; Crosby '40-'41.
Sonny Burke, b.Mar. 22, 1914. Arranger for Spivak '41-'42; J Dorsey '42-'46?.
Conductor for Armstrong '55. Leader of own band.
Charlie Christian, b.Mar. 22, 1919. Guitarist with Goodman '39-'40.
Johnny Guarnieri, b.Mar. 23, 1917. Pianist with Shaw '40-'41 / '41-'42;
Goodman '41.
Jimmy Blanton, b.Mar. 26, 1921. Bassist with Ellington '39-'41.
Eddie Zandy, b.Mar. 27, 1920. Trumpeter with Hutton '40?-'42? / '46?; Thornhill
'47-'48?; G Gray '50?; Beneke '50-'56; Miller Orch-McKinley '56?-'66; Miller
Orch-DeFranco '66-'68?.
Sarah Vaughan, b.Mar. 27, 1924. Vocalist with Hines '43-'44; Eckstine '44-'45.
Burt Collins, b.Mar. 27, 1931. Trumpeter with Hefti '54; Herman '56; Lawrence
'58; McKinley '66.
Chummy MacGregor, b.Mar. 28, 1903. Pianist with Miller '37-'42.
Paul Whiteman, b.Mar. 28, 1890. Leader of own band.
Eric Dixon, b.Mar. 28, 1930. Tenor saxophonist with Basie '61-'73 / '75-'84; Basie
Orch '84-'89.
Pearl Bailey, b.Mar. 29, 1918. Vocalist with Williams '44. Married Bellson '52
until her death in '90.
Ted Heath, b.Mar. 30, 1900. Leader of own band.
Red Norvo, b.Mar. 31, 1908. With Whiteman '32; Goodman '44-'45 / '59;
Herman '45-'46. Leader of own band.
Freddie Green, b.Mar. 31, 1911. Guitarist with Basie '37-'84.
SNEAK PEEK
The wait for a great Phil Harris stereo album is over, and the series of CDs with Tommy Dorsey acting as a d.j. continues… next month.
go to Big Band Library homepage
Glenn Miller visits the Naval Training Station in San Diego, CA in 1941.
Photo by Stanley Libera.
MOSTLY MILLER
The 1st of this month is the 111th anniversary of the birth of Glenn Miller, and his legacy is reflected in several portions of the latest “News.”
Not only are there a couple of new CDs of authentic Miller music in the pipeline, today’s Glenn Miller Orchestra will play more than a dozen dates in the U.S. and Canada over the next few weeks, and a number of former sidemen who were associated with the Miller music, including his pianist Chummy MacGregor as well as saxophonist-arranger Deane Kincaide and trumpeter Eddie Zandy from Ray McKinley’s tenure as leader of the Miller band, are remembered in memoriam.
