BIG BAND NEWSBIG BAND NEWS FEBRUARY 2020 by Music Librarian CHRISTOPHER POPA 2020 CONTINUES WITH NEW...
Transcript of BIG BAND NEWSBIG BAND NEWS FEBRUARY 2020 by Music Librarian CHRISTOPHER POPA 2020 CONTINUES WITH NEW...
BIG BAND NEWS
FEBRUARY 2020
by Music Librarian CHRISTOPHER POPA
2020 CONTINUES WITH
NEW BIG BAND CDS! I’ve said it before, but I have to say it again. Just when it
seems as if the release of new big band compact discs is
nearing an end, at least five different labels issue something
unexpected. Don’t get me wrong—it makes me happy, but I
am surprised.
As you will read in this month’s “Big Band News,” thanks to
Crystal Stream Audio in Australia for bringing back two bands
that are rarely heard, to Jazzology, Modern Harmonic and
Tantara Productions in the United States for adding to the
legacy of three other bandleaders, and to Gearbox Records in
England for serving up a wonderful momento of another band.
Waiting in the wings for next month’s “News” are several
more important releases—with music that wasn’t previously
available on CD by some favorite bands.
So “the big bands are back—for another year—in a new
and exciting way!”
I hope that it can keep going!
GRAY GORDON
AND HIS TIC-TOC RHYTHM
“I LIKE TO RECOGNIZE THE TUNE”
CRYSTAL STREAM AUDIO IDCD422
Believe it or not, this compact disc release proves that the
big bands are back in a new and exciting way, for it’s the very
first Gray Gordon CD ever! (And this is 80 years after the music
was recorded!)
The label is from Australia and like their other releases, this
has good sound quality (in the USA, these sides were on
Bluebird and Victor, but were sourced here from Regal
Zonophone and HMV 78s).
Gordon’s “tic-toc” sound opens the selections; as a matter of
fact, that monotonous effect is heard at the start of 25 of the 26
selections (the lone track without it being My Enchantress of the
Night, an out-of-character rhumba). Total playing time is a
generous 78:59.
Throughout the disc, you’ll hear a gamut of sweet band
trademarks, such as triple-tonguing trumpet, an accordion, a
sweet trombone, unison clarinets, and many novelty songs.
Saxophonist Cliff Grass, who would later go on to join Guy
Lombardo and His Royal Canadians, sings one-third of the
vocals.
There are also four songs from “The Wizard of Oz.”
If you like the sweet bands, you may enjoy this release. In
my opinion, it just isn’t my cup of tea. As I said, the CD itself is
well-done. Some of the music is pleasant, some of it tedious—
but going by the style, I don’t feel that it’s on the same level as,
say, Sammy Kaye or Lawrence Welk or Hal Kemp.
The track which, to my ears, is the best is Blue in the Black
of the Night. I guess it’s the least tedious.
ORRIN TUCKER
AND HIS ORCHESTRA
‘DRIFTING AND DREAMING’
CRYSTAL STREAM AUDIO
IDCD420~421
A second new release from Crystal Stream Audio is another
sweet band, that of Orrin Tucker, who played the tenor
saxophone and sang.
This is a 2-CD set, with playing times of 78:16 and 77:50,
and 54 songs total.
Most of them are sung either by Tucker or Bonnie Baker.
Their biggest hits, namely Oh Johnny, Oh Johnny, Oh! and
Billy, are included, as well as a couple songs written by Tucker
such as Wouldja Mind. Tucker is joined by comedian-
trombonist Jerry Colonna for the vocal of The Yogi Who Lost
His Willpower, a Mercer-McHugh song, and Tucker does an
acceptable job on Little Girl.
It Was Wonderful Then (And It’s Wonderful Now) includes
the verse.
Tucker’s must have been one of the few -if not the only one-
of the famous bands to perform the songs Lydia, The Tattooed
Lady (better to have left that one for Groucho Marx) and If I
Could Be the Dummy On Your Knee.
Moving on, the finest vocal moments, however, are by Bob
Haymes (yes, Dick’s brother), who sings with the Tucker band
Always in My Heart, Tangerine, and a few others. His voice is a
pleasant and welcome surprise here.
The package is nicely-done, as usual from Crystal Stream.
MUGGSY SPANIER
“RARE AND UNISSUED
RECORDINGS”
JAZZOLOGY JCD-406~407
This is a real collector’s item, with a recording of a 1941
swing concert, selections by Spanier and his “Chicago Loopers”
in 1943 and ‘44, Spanier playing his theme Relaxin’ At the
Touro on Dave Garroway’s WMAQ radio program in 1948, and
the master takes and some alternates by Spanier and his
Dixieland Band in 1952 for World Transcriptions. Counting the
alternates, many of the 51 selections are previously-unissued.
Right away I also was impressed with this package-the cover
is simple but attractive, and there is not one but two ( ! )
booklets included. Trevor Richards did a good job tracing
Spanier’s career in both booklets, the chronological discography
is appreciated, and the photographs chosen are all very clear.
Speaking of clear, the playing time of disc one is 62:27 and
disc two 69:15, and the sound quality of each selection belies
their age. The sound quality is very impressive!
There are two unfortunate errors in the second booklet.
First, it is stated that Muggsy’s instruments “seem to have
disappeared without a trace.” That is not correct, for his horn
and mutes have been held for a number of years in what is now
called the Arts & Music department of The Harold Washington
Library Center, which is the central facility of the Chicago Public
Library. And then, a caption for the photo used on the booklet’s
front cover claims that it is the “only known photo” of Spanier
during his stay at a military school in Chicago. Guess where
there are more and many other interesting photos?
But, all in all, a great and fitting job!
BUDDY RICH
“JUST IN TIME:
THE FINAL RECORDING”
GEARBOX GB1556CDACE
As Buddy’s daughter Cathy writes in the notes, “It has taken
thirty-three years to finally get these recordings out. An
absolute labor of love that I never gave up on.” One listen to
this new CD and you’ll agree that it was worth the effort!
These are performances recorded live at Ronnie Scott’s club
in London on November 19 and 20, 1986. In fact, the CD has
the subtitle “The Final Recording,” which, since as Rich
collectors will know, it isn’t the last thing Buddy played or the
last thing that Buddy played that was recorded. Therefore, I
guess it means the last time he was recorded at Ronnie Scott’s,
or the last time that Buddy authorized a recording to be made of
his band.
The packaging is simple but attractive, a gatefold album with
a photograph of Buddy and his entire band on the inside.
After listening to sweet bands on 78s, what startled me is the
very good sound quality of these two stereo CDs! (Sometimes,
these kinds of things turn out to have been made by someone
in the audience, perhaps on a small cassette tape recorder,
probably just as a souvenir, though not very good quality at
that.) But this is absolutely enjoyable and Buddy chose a
mostly different (that is, not routine) playlist: Wind Machine,
Night Blood, Ready Mix, The Trolley Song, Winding Way, Harco
Shuffle, Just in Time, Loose, Love for Sale, Shawnee, Up
Jumped Spring, Why Bother?, Porgy and Bess, Twisted (which
features Cathy Rich on vocal), and Good News (lasting 31:14,
with Steve Marcus on tenor sax).
I only wish that my friend Clarence Hintze could have heard
this—he’d have loved it! Thank you, Cathy, for sharing it!
THE STAN KENTON ORCHESTRA /
TRINITY COLLEGE ENSEMBLES
“CONCERT IMPRESSIONS”
TANTARA T2CD-1134
From Bill Lichtenauer’s fine Tantara Productions CD label,
which is dedicated to the memory and preservation of Stan
Kenton’s music, this attractive 2-CD set presents three different
editions of the Kenton crew—1972, 1973, and 1976, live in the
Netherlands—as well as the Trinity College Big Band and
Symphony Orchestra performing music during two Kenton
tributes in London in 2004 and 2007.
Playing time for the Kenton disc is a generous 76:05, and
the previously-unreleased 11 tracks showcase his young
soloists as well as his up-to-date music library, with such pieces
as Inner Crisis, composed in 1973 by jazz pianist Larry Willis
and arranged by Bob Curnow; Send in the Clowns, written by
Stephen Sondheim for the 1973 Broadway musical “A Little
Night Music”; and Too Shy to Say, a Stevie Wonder song from
his 1974 chart-topping Motown album “Fulfillingness’ First
Finale.”
The disc by the Trinity College musicians expands the
Kenton concept to a symphony orchestra. While Artistry in
Rhythm, Malaguena, The Peanut Vendor, and so forth are
well-played as conducted by Bobby Lamb, you won’t mistake it
for an actual Kenton band.
The 16-page booklet, with notes by Michael Sparke, author
of the Kenton biography “This Is an Orchestra!,” and Jeffrey
Sultanoff, who wrote the book “Experiencing Big Band Jazz: A
Listener’s Companion,” comments about the music and is
illustrated with color photos of many of the Kenton band
members.
I admire Lichtenauer for his lifelong devotion to Kenton and
for giving others the chance to hear a sampling of that music.
RAYMOND SCOTT
“THE JINGLE WORKSHOP: MIDCENTURY
MUSICAL MINIATURES 1951-1965”
MODERN HARMONIC MHCD-015
An unusual offering of radio and TV advertisements
promoting instant coffee, bread, flour, cigarettes, dish detergent,
pop, beer, cough drops, automobiles, etc. etc., and created by
Scott who, rather than be content as a typical bandleader and /
or pianist and / or composer, spent many years during his life
taking a distinctly off-the-beaten-path.
So this is the first-ever collection of jingles and demos
produced by Scott, transferred directly from his personal master
tapes, which are held by the Marr Sound Archive at the
University of Missouri-Kansas City.
The sound quality is very good, with the 82 tracks on 2 CDs
timing mostly around one minute in length or less. It’s all
packaged like a small, 24-page hardcover book, with notes by
Scott devotee Irwin Chusid, photos, and more.
Among my own favorites are “Who Took the Beer?,” a
Hamm’s Beer jingle with a swinging music bed for an
announcer to add his voice to later; “Let’s Have a Sackful of
Krystals,” a catchy instrumental done for Krystal Hamburgers;
and the bouncing :59 “Hamm’s Beer Theme.”
Scott’s wife, vocalist Dorothy Collins, sings on a lot of the
other jingles and they really show how advertising was in the
period 1951-1965. I suppose they would probably seem corny
to the young, rap-infested public of 2020.
A huge boo-boo was made in someone’s thinking that Mel
Torme is the vocalist heard on the commercials titled “So Good,
So Fresh, So Southern,” “Better Get Some More Beer,”
“Melonball Bounce,” and “Good News-Here’s Hamm’s Beer.” I
assure you that it’s not Torme on any of those.
Otherwise, everything is well-done and presented. Let’s
hope the Marr Sound Archive shares more of its holdings.
BIG BAND ITINERARIES
COUNT BASIE ORCHESTRA
DIRECTED BY SCOTTY BARNHART
February 4, 2020—”Kinser Jazz Festival,” Welsh Auditorium,
Casper College, Casper, Wyoming
February 21, 2020—”Elmhurst College Jazz Festival,”
Hammerschmidt Chapel, Elmhurst College, Elmhurst, Illinois
TINY HILL ORCHESTRA
DIRECTED BY DAN STEVENS
February 2, 2020—Ranchero Village, Weslaco, Texas
February 9, 2020—Mission Bell, Mission, Texas
February 16, 2020—Casa del Sol, Donna, Texas
February 23, 2020—Texas Trails, Pharr, Texas
CHRIS DEAN’S SYD LAWRENCE ORCHESTRA
February 6, 2020—Lowther Pavilion, Lytham St. Annes,
Lancashire, England
February 27, 2020—Tivoli Theatre, Wimborne Minster, England
February 29, 2020—West Mersea Community Centre,
Colchester, England
GLENN MILLER ORCHESTRA-USA
DIRECTED BY NICK HILSCHER
February 3, 2020—Auditorium, Tallahassee Community
College, Tallahassee, Florida
February 4, 2020—Naval Air Museum, Pensacola, Florida
February 5, 2020—Chipley High School, Chipley, Florida
February 6, 2020—Dixon Center for the Arts, Andalusia,
Alabama
February 7, 2020—Princess Theatre, Decatur, Alabama
February 8, 2020—Nisewonger Performing Arts Center,
Greeneville, Tennessee
February 10, 2020—Thalia Mara Hall, Jackson, Mississippi
February 11, 2020—Robinson Performance Arts Hall, Little
Rock, Arkansas
February 13, 2020—Crockett Theatre, Lawrenceburg,
Tennessee
February 15, 2020—Texan Theatre, Greenville, Texas
February 16, 2020—Louis D. Brandeis High School, San
Antonio, Texas
February 17, 2020—Cullen Theatre at Wortham Center,
Houston, Texas
February 19, 2020—Casa del Sol Motorhome and RV Resort,
Donna, Texas
February 20, 2020—Texas A&M Corpus-Christi, Corpus
Christi, Texas
February 22, 2020—McSwain Theatre, Ada, Oklahoma
February 23, 2020—Majestic Theatre, Dallas, Texas
February 26-29, 2020—Boulder Dinner Theatre, Boulder,
Colorado
GLENN MILLER ORCHESTRA-SWEDEN
DIRECTED BY JAN SLOTTENAS
February 23, 2020—Folkets Hus, Ludvika, Sweden
GLENN MILLER ORCHESTRA-UK
DIRECTED BY RAY McVAY
February 9, 2020—Churchill Theatre, Bromley, England
February 16, 2020—Chelmsford Civic Hall, Chelmsford,
England
GLENN MILLER ORCHESTRA-EUROPE
DIRECTED BY WILL SALDEN
February 4, 2020—Oberreichsfeldhalle, Leinefelde-Worbis,
Germany
February 5, 2020—Stadeum, Stade, Germany
February 6, 2020—Kieler Schloss, Kiel, Germany
NECROLOGY
Jack Sheldon, trumpeter, 88, d.December 27, 2019. Played in
Mort Lindsey’s orchestra on “The Merv Griffin Show” for 18
years. Sheldon told the Los Angeles Times in 1991, “Merv’s
really been great to me. Through him I’ve got to work with
every bandleader ever known: Basie, Dorsey, Glenn Miller,
even Lawrence Welk.” Sheldon was on several Benny
Goodman albums including “Benny Goodman Swings
Again” (Columbia CL 1579 / CS 8379, 1961), “Live at Carnegie
Hall: 40th Anniversary Concert” (London 2PS 918~919, 1978)
and “the king: direct to disc” (Century CRDD-1150, 1978).
George Masso, trombonist, 92, d.October 22, 2019. Played
with Jimmy Dorsey and his Orchestra from 1948 to 1950, and
years later worked with Bobby Hackett and Benny Goodman
from 1973 to 1976.
Kenny Hing, tenor saxophonist, 83, d.February 19, 2019.
Joined Count Basie and his Orchestra in 1977 and stayed for
25 years.