Big Band Library: September 2008 "Big Band News"

What's billed as Buddy Morrow & "The Dorsey Ensemble" will entertain aboard Fred Olsen Cruise Lines' ship Braemer, making a roundtrip from and to Miami, FL between December 11th and the 22nd. "The Dorsey Ensemble" is described as an 8-piece group (trumpet, trombone, alto sax, tenor sax, piano, bass, and drums) plus a vocalist.

THIS MONTH'S NAME BAND ITINERARIES

Count Basie Orchestra directed by Bill Hughes, Sept. 19, Little Rock, AR.

Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra directed by Bill Tole, Sept. 2-3, Flint, MI; Sept. 6, Bradford, PA.

Tommy Dorsey Orchestra directed by Buddy Morrow, Sept. 9, Bearcreek Farms, Bryant,

IN.

Les Elgart Orchestra directed by Russ Dorsey, Sept. 25, Hurst Public Library Gazebo,

Hurst, TX.

Harry James Orchestra directed by Fred Radke, Sept. 27, Santa Barbara, CA.

Glenn Miller Orchestra directed by Larry O'Brien, Sept. 14, Susquehanna University,

Selinsgrove, PA; Sept. 16, Central Dauphin High School, Harrisburg, PA; Sept. 17,

Smith Opera House, Geneva, NY; Sept. 19, Officers Club, US Naval Station,

Portsmouth, RI; Sept. 20, Algonquin Arts Center, Manasquan, NJ; Sept. 22, Logan

Theatre, Logan, WV; Sept. 23, Newberry Opera House, Newberry, SC; Sept. 25-26,

Frankenmuth Performing Arts Center, Frankenmuth, MI; Sept. 27, Arcada Theater,

St. Charles, IL; Sept. 28, Lewis & Clark College, Godfrey, IL.

Russ Morgan Orchestra directed by Jack Morgan, Sept. 21, Indiana Roof Ballroom,

Indianapolis, IN.

AMERICA'S GOT... BIG BAND

Yes, that was a snippet of the big band hit Sing Sing Sing to which the "Tapping Dads" danced during the NBC-TV show "America's Got Talent" on September 10th. It didn't seem to be Benny Goodman's actual record, but, rather, a copy. They used the part where Christopher Columbus was introduced into the arrangement.

IN-PRINT AND / OR ONLINE

Walt Andrus, "That Big Band Singer's Column," The Great Escape!, Issue # 10 Sept./

Oct. 2008 / dixieswing.com [ Andrus shares some memories about his time with The

Tommy Dorsey Orchestra directed by Buddy Morrow ].

George Arellano, "Final Notes: Robert F. Grabot (Grabeau)," Overture, Sept. 2008

(Vol.88 No.5), p.15 [ a warm remembrance of Bob Grabeau by a friend of the family ].

Juli S. Charkes, "Music History: Struggling to Preserve Cab Calloway's Home," New

York Times, Sept. 14, 2008 [ one of Cab's daughters, Lael, hopes to turn the house,

located in Greenburgh, NY, into a museum ].

"CU-Boulder's Glenn Miller Archive Receives Second Major Gift in Two Years,"

colorado.edu, Sept. 25, 2008 [ trombonist Paul Tanner, a member of Miller's band

from 1938-42, has formally donated Miller's first trombone (which had been on

permanent loan to the University since 1974), some items of jewelry given to him by

Miller, reels of film footage dating from the early '40s to the 2000s, and several boxes

of books, letters, and records ].

Danielle Hatch, "Hoping to be the Hub again," [ Peoria, IL ] Journal Star, Sept. 10, 2008

[ after being closed since 2006, the Hub Ballroom in Edelstein, IL reopened in August;

built in 1938, it features a 5,000 square ft. maple dance floor ].

Bob Knack, "Those Benny Goodman Stories, " The Great Escape!, Issue # 10 Sept./

Oct. 2008 / dixieswing.com [ humorous tales about Goodman ].

Charles A. Sengstock, Jr., "The Willowbrook Ballroom: Still Going Strong After 85 Years,"

Intermezzo, Sept. 2008 / Vol.68 No.8, pp.14-15.

Johnny Souza, "The Jazz Beat: Long live Satchmo!," [ Pittsburg, KS ] Morning Sun,

Sept. 19, 2008.

NEW COMPACT DISCS

Buddy DeFranco, "The Chronological 1952-1953," Classics ( Fr ) 1467.

Tommy Dorsey, "The Chronological 1939-1940," Classics ( Fr ) 1469.

Duke Ellington, "Della & the Duke: Della Reese with Duke Ellington & his Orchestra,"

Acrobat ( UK ) 5116 [ material recorded Feb. 13, 1962 for "Guard Session"

transcriptions ].

Benny Goodman, "The Chronological 1952-1954," Classics ( Fr ) 1465.

Stan Kenton, "The Unrecorded Stan Kenton," Sounds of Yester Year ( UK ) DSOY 766

[ select instrumentals performed live during 1951-52; 2-CD set ].

Red Nichols, "The Five Pennies," Decca Broadway 20170 [ selections from the soundtrack

of the 1959 movie biography of Nichols' life; also incl. Louis Armstrong ].

NEW DVDS

Benny Goodman, "Hollywood Hotel," Warner Home Video, Sept. 2008 (available

separately or as part of set "The Busby Berkeley Collection Volume 2," Warner Home

Video).

Lionel Hampton, one-hour big band performance from Belgium in 1958, Jazz Icons.

Ozzie Nelson, "Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, The: Volume 6," Alpha Video.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU

Stumpy Brown, trombonist-vocalist (Brown '43-'01?), b.Sept. 1, 1925.

Trigger Alpert, bassist (Rey '40; Miller '40-42; Miller AAF '43-'45), b.Sept. 3, 1916.

Gerald Wilson, trumpeter (Lunceford '39-'42) - bandleader, b.Sept. 4, 1918.

Virginia Maxey, vocalist (Barnet '43 / '48 "Red Skin Rhumba" [ sic ] Universal short; Pastor '44; Elman '47),

b.Sept. 4, 1923.

Sam Butera, saxophonist (McKinley '47; Prima '54-'75), b.Sept. 17, 1927.

Frank Foster, saxophonist - arranger (Basie '53-'64; Basie Orch '86-'95), b.Sept. 23, 1928.

Herb Jeffries, vocalist (Ellington '39-'42), b.Sept. 24, 1913.

NECROLOGY

Harold Wax, 86, accordionist (Shaw Navy band '42-'44 / Donahue Navy band '44-'45; Lanin), d.Sept. 3, 2008.

Ronnie Craig, 76, vocalist - guitarist (Miller-McKinley '56-'58), d.Sept. 16, 2008.

Richard Sudhalter, 69, author [ Lost Chords: White Musicians and Their Contributions to Jazz 1915-1945 (New York City:

Oxford University Press, 1999); liner notes, "Giants of Jazz: Bunny Berigan" (Alexandria, VA: Time-Life Records, 1982) ],

d.Sept. 18, 2008, "multiple system atrophy" / "the final cause was pneumonia."

Connie Haines, 87, vocalist (James '39; T. Dorsey '40-'42), d.Sept. 22, 2008, "myasthenia gravis,

a neuromuscular disease."

NO, IT'S NOT HIM

The evangelist-cult leader "Tony Alamo" who was arrested on September 25th on charges of allegedly transporting young girls across state lines for sex is NOT the Tony Alamo who sang with Sammy Kaye's band from 1948 to 1951 and recorded with Art Mooney's orchestra in 1951. The accused "Alamo," born Bernie LaZar Hoffman on September 20, 1934, evidently was at one time a singer. Because in some literature he identified himself as a former "crooner" and "big band singer," certain usually-reliable reference sources confused the two men. But, again, this "Alamo," a convicted criminal, is NOT the vocalist who worked with Kaye and Mooney.

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The big bands are back

in a new and exciting way!

Want to book a memorable -- and musical -- vacation before the end of the year? How about a leisurely, exotic cruise with one of the legendary big bands?

Guy Lombardo's Royal Canadians directed by Al Pierson will perform during a "14-Day Journey to the New World," cruising on the Holland American Line's ms Noordam from Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy to Fort Lauderdale, FL beginning October 4th. Ports of call along the way are Monte Carlo, Monaco; Barcelona, Spain; Cartagena, Spain; Cadiz (Seville) Spain; and Funchal, Madeira, Portugal.

The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra directed by Buddy Morrow will be on board when the Crystal Serenity travels across the Atlantic Ocean for 10 days later this year. The ship departs November 21st from Lisbon, Portugal, with stops at Ponta Delgada, The Azores on November 23rd and Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos on November 29th, and arrival December 1st at the destination of Miami, FL. Shown below, courtesy of Crystal Cruises, is a map of their planned route.

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SEPTEMBER 2008

"BIG BAND NEWS"

compiled by Music Librarian CHRISTOPHER POPA

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