The big bands are back
in a new and exciting way!
JULY 2009 "BIG BAND NEWS"
compiled by Music Librarian CHRISTOPHER POPA
The editorial contents of the collector's edition includes historical "Chords & Discords" and "Riffs," such as a 1941 letter to the editor from Lawrence Welk, in which he objects to the comment that Jimmy Dorsey's record of Maria Elena has no competition, despite the fact that Welk, Wayne King, and Abe Lyman also did it; a 1937 mention by Sharon Pease, "Andy Kirk's Pianist Also Brilliant Arranger," about the talents of Mary Lou Williams, "Which One is Gene Krupa?," showing a picture of the drummer next to one of young Louis Bellson, who "wins $5 for having his photo printed alongside his name leader double"; and a 1955 Leonard Feather report about singer Joe Williams, "Basie's Got a Blues Bawler Again, and Everyone's Starting to Rave Over Him."
There's also a number of articles reproduced from the magazine's vast "Archives," including ones about Duke Ellington ('Wait for the Breaks,' Sept. 1939); Stan Kenton ("Sure, I Helped to Wreck the Dance Biz," May 19, 1950); Jimmy Dorsey ("Pleasing the 'Cats,' Customers at Same Time is Tough!," Nov. 1937); Bunny Berigan ("Swing 'No Flash-in-Pan' Says Berigan," May 1938); Louis Armstrong ("'Bop Will Kill Business Unless it Kills Itself First,'" Apr. 7, 1948); Louis Prima ("Backstage With Louis Prima and Keely Smith," Feb. 19, 1959); and Lionel Hampton ("Lionel Hampton in Action," Apr. 2, 1959).
To top everything off, there's a brand new feature by John McDonough about the covergence of the rise of DownBeat with the popularity of Benny Goodman, "Benny, Meet DownBeat. DownBeat, Benny."
WISHING YOU A HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Doc Severinsen, trumpeter (Fio Rito '45; Barnet '47-'49; S. Donahue '48; T. Dorsey '50), b.Jul. 7, 1927.
Rusty Dedrick, trumpeter (Stabile '38-'39; Norvo '39-'41; Thornhill '41-'42 and '46-'47; McKinley '46),
b.Jul. 12, 1918.
Roc Hillman, guitarist (Dorsey Bros. '34-'35; J. Dorsey '35-'40; Kyser '40-'47) - composer, b.Jul. 13, 1910.
Buddy Moreno, vocalist (Griff Williams '40?; Jurgens '40-'42; James '43-'44), b.Jul. 13, 1912.
Larry O'Brien, trombonist (T. Dorsey Orch. '61-'65) - leader (Miller Orch. '81-'83 / '88- ), b.Jul. 15, 1933.
Danny Bank, saxophonist (Barnet '42-'44; Goodman '45-'46; Whiteman '47; Shaw '49-'50), b.Jul. 17, 1922.
Kay Starr, vocalist (Crosby '39; Miller '39; Venuti '39-'42; Barnet '43-'45), b.Jul. 21, 1922.
Gloria DeHaven, singer (Savitt '42) - actress, b.Jul. 23, 1925.
Ronny Lang, saxophonist (Ennis '47; Brown '49-'90? [ not continuous ]), b.Jul. 24, 1927.
Peter Duchin, son of Eddy Duchin and pianist - bandleader, b.Jul. 28, 1937.
Hank Jones, pianist (Kirk '45; Shaw '53-'54; Goodman '56-'58), b.Jul. 31, 1918.
NECROLOGY
Dee Dee Bellson, 48, a singer and daughter of Louis Bellson and Pearl Bailey,
d.Jul. 4, 2009.
Bob Pring, 84, trombonist (Goodman '61 / '85-'86; Beneke '61 / '62 / '63 / '64), d.Jul. 8, 2009, "complications
after heart surgery."
Kellie Greene, 75, pianist-vibraphonist (Anthony '63), d.Jul. 13, 2009.
George Russell, 86, arranger - composer (Carter '44; Gillespie '47 Cubana Be and Cubana Bop; Shaw '49 Similau),
d.Jul. 27, 2009, Alzheimer's disease.
SUMMERTIME... AND THE LISTENING IS EASY
Ray Anthony, "Let's Go to Town Vol.2," Sounds of Yester Year ( UK ) DSOY 788
[ companion release to DSOY 782 ].
Roy Eldridge, "Tour de Force," Fresh Sounds ( Fr ) FSR-CD 1638 [ = Verve LP MG V-8212
"Tour de Force: The Trumpets of Roy Eldridge, Dizzy Gillespie, Harry Edison" ].
Duke Ellington, "Live in Warsaw," Gambit 69323 [ 1971 appearance in Poland ].
Woody Herman, "Live with the First and Second Herds," Mr. Music MMCD-7021
[ 17 tracks performed in 1946-48 ].
---, "Songs for Hip Lovers," Fresh Sounds ( Fr ) FSR-CD 550 [ = Verve LPs MG V-2069 "Songs for Hip
Lovers" (which was reissued on CD in 1999 as Verve 314 559 872 ) and MG V-2096 "Love Is the Sweetest Thing Sometimes"
+ Verve 45pm 10053 I Wonder / House Built On a Strong Foundation ].
Harry James, "Kitty Kallen with the Harry James Orchestra: Songs of World War Two,"
Soundcraft SC-9001.
Stan Kenton, "Live From Canada," Mr. Music MMCD-7022 [ 21 selections, performed in Canada in 1952 ].
Gene Krupa, "Live From the London House," Mr. Music MMCD-7020 [ 14 tunes by the Krupa
Quartet in Chicago 1958-60 ].
Freddy Martin, "Freddy Martin Volume 2: Sweet Serenades," Audiophonic 90503 [ 2-CD set of
Standard transcription performances made in 1944-47, incl. Serenade for Strings, Sleepy Lagoon, Cornish Rhapsody, The Breeze
and I, Louise, others ].
Glenn Miller, "Live 1941 - 1942," Soundcraft SC-9002 [ 13 tracks previously issued on various Jazz Hour CDs,
and one of the songs (What Are You Doing New Year's Eve) is actually by Kay Kyser, not Miller ].
Louis Prima, "Keely Smith with Louis Prima on Ed Sullivan's TV Show January 5, 1964,"
Soundcraft SC-9000.
Buddy Rich, "West Coast All-Star Sessions," Fresh Sounds ( Fr ) FSR-CD 552
[ = Norgran LPs MGN-26 "The Swinging Buddy Rich" (10") / MG N-1052 (12") and MG N-1086 "This One's for Basie" + Norgran
78 rpm 126 Bongo, Bass and Guitar (all titles reissued on CD in 2005 as part of Mosaic MD7-232 "Argo, Emarcy and Verve
Small Group Buddy Rich Sessions") ].
Charlie Ventura, "High On An Open Mike," Progressive PCD-7148 [ = 1977 LP Famous Door HL 115
"Chazz '77" by "The New Charlie Ventura Sextet" with Urbie Green (trombone), Milt Hinton (bass), others ].
various artists, "Duel of the Dance Bands," Sounds of Yester Year DSOY ( UK ) 789
[ with Tex Beneke and Ralph Flanagan, each playing Bali Hai, Nevertheless, Charmaine, etc. ].
NEW DVD
Cab Calloway, "The Singing Kid," Warner Archive Collection.
OUTDOOR AND OTHER BIG BAND PERFORMANCES
Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra directed by Bill Tole: Jul. 31, Dover Downs Casino, Dover, DE.
Woody Herman's Thundering Herd directed by Frank Tiberi: Jul. 9, "Midsummer Night
Swing," Lincoln Center, New York, NY.
Harry James Orchestra directed by Fred Radke: Jul. 11, "Battle of the Bands," Grand
Theatre, Quebec, Canada; Jul. 12, "Battle of the Bands," Place des Arts, Montreal,
Canada; Jul. 13, Ottawa, Canada; Jul. 14, Wilmington, VT.
Hal McIntyre Orchestra directed by Don Pentleton: Jul.1, "Cape Cod Jazz Festival,"
Wequessette Inn, Chatham, MA; Jul.4, Mt. Washington Hotel, Bretton Woods, NH
[ two shows ].
Glenn Miller Orchestra directed by Larry O'Brien: Jul. 7, The Pavilion, Old Orchard Beach,
ME; Jul. 8, Hanover Theatre, Worcester, MA; Jul. 9, The Colonial Theatre, Pittsfield,
MA; Jul. 11, "Battle of the Bands," Grand Theatre, Quebec, Canada; Jul. 12, "Battle
of the Bands," Place des Arts, Montreal, Canada; Jul. 16, Hoover Auditorium, Lakeside,
OH; Jul. 17, Holt High School, Holt, MI; Jul. 19, Fredonia Opera House, Fredonia, NY;
July. 20, ArtPark, Lewiston, NY; Jul. 22, Lake Anna Park, Barberton, OH; Jul. 23, Duncan
Plaza, Massillon, OH; Jul. 24, Foellinger Theater, Fort Wayne, IN; Jul. 26, Evans
Amphitheatre, Cleveland Heights, OH; Jul. 27, Coney Island Park, Cincinnati, OH;
Jul. 28, Bluefield Performing Arts Center, Bluefield, WV; Jul. 30, Carlyle Club,
Alexandria, VA; Jul. 31, Turf Valley Resort & Conference Center, Ellicott City, MD.
Russ Morgan Orchestra directed by Jack Morgan: Jul. 12, Indiana Roof Ballroom,
Indianapolis, IN.
LOMBARDO BOAT LAND-LOCKED
One of Guy Lombardo's speedboats, the award-winning Tempo VII, built in 1955, was supposed to get a new home, since city officials in London, Ontario, Canada shuttered its Lombardo Music Centre & Museum in 2007. Tempo VII was to be moved to the estate of wealthy classic-vehicle collector Steve Plunkett, but when he was asked to pay the $100 towing fee, he changed his mind and called the request insulting. So, for now, the fate of Tempo VII, once called "the sweetest boat this side of Heaven" (a play on words of Lombardo's musical tag line), remains undecided.
LOVE ME A LITTLE LITTLE
There's a new biography, Stormy Weather: The Life of Lena Horne (New York City: Atria Books, 2009), which reveals that Horne had an affair with Artie Shaw which lasted a couple months during 1941.
"I'd had a crush on some music that he played, for instance his great recording of 'Star Dust,'" she admitted.
When Shaw was asked in 2004 whether he and Horne had dated, he responded to author James Gavin, "That's not the word for it!"
At John Hammond's suggestion, Shaw went to hear her one night in June 1941, when she was appearing at Cafe Society in New York City.
"She was a very pretty girl; everybody was after her," Shaw explained. "I liked her looks, and I thought her singing was OK. Nothing wrong with it."
He invited her to sing two songs, Love Me a Little Little and Don't Take Your Love From Me, on a record date at Victor on the 26th of that month.
"Lena was not really an artist; she was a girl singer. But she sang in tune, so I put her on a record," Shaw stated.
Apparently, Horne was hoping for more than that.
"She wanted to marry me," Shaw recalled, "and I told her it would be the end of our careers. Paul Robeson wanted her, but she didn't want to go with a black guy."
In 1947, Horne married musician Lennie Hayton - ironically, the man who had arranged Shaw's version of Star Dust.
MORE NEW IN-PRINT AND / OR ONLINE
Van Alexander, "Final Notes: Henry 'Butch' Stone (1912 - 2009)," [ AFM Local 47, Los
Angeles, CA ] Overture, p.13 [ personal remembrance of Stone, who died May 19, 2009 ].
John Robert Brown, "Review: Artie Shaw: The Complete Spotlight Band 1945
Broadcasts," Jazz Journal, Jul. 2009, pp.30-31 [ positive, informed comments ].
Jody Callahan, "Jimmie Lunceford added to Beale Street Walk of Fame," Memphis [ TN ]
Commercial Appeal, Jul. 19, 2009 [ Lunceford's name was engraved on a large, 20-lb. music note which is to be
installed in the concrete just outside Handy Park in August ].
Tony Eaton, "Fact or Fable? 'GM Conspiracy' Re-ignites Debate," [ Glenn Miller Society ]
Moonlight Serenader, Number 322 / 2nd Edition 2009, pp.1-3 [ A review of Hunton Downs' book,
The Glenn Miller Conspiracy: The never-before-told true story of his life - and death, by Miller expert Tony Eaton. Eaton's careful
and thorough analysis makes note of, in part, military historian Charles Whiting's research into the Ardennes Offensive and other
operations which the Allied High Command undertook in late 1944. With these revelations only now coming to light, Downs'
scenario about what really happened to Miller becomes, according to Eaton, "perhaps, more understandable and, perhaps, more
feasible" ].
"Glenn Miller torturato dai nazisti a Parigi, nuova ipotesi sulla morte del jazzista Usa,"
adnkronos.com/IGN, Jul. 22, 2009.
"Glenn Miller ucciso dai nazisti per boicottare la pace," Il Secolo Xix.it /
ilsecoloxix.ilsole24ore.com, Jul. 22, 2009.
Von Philipp Hedemann, "Folterten deutsche Soldaten Glenn Miller zu Tode?," bild.de,
Jul. 20, 2009.
Phil Holdman and Warren Ketter, "A Singing Legend Talks with the Browsers," The Great
Escape! / dixieswing.com, Issue No.14 Jul./Aug. 2009 [ the second portion of a transcript of a telephone
interview with band vocalist Bea Wain; previously appeared in the June 1993 edition of the Browsers Notes ].
Greg Jordan, "Glenn Miller Orchestra promises time-tested, all-natural entertainment,"
Bluefield [ WV ] Daily Telegraph, Jul. 25, 2009 [Orchestra director Larry O'Brien comments about the band's
performances nowadays ].
Caroline Jowett, "Books: Why Glenn Miller Deserves An Honour," [ London, England ]
Daily Express / express.co.uk, Jul. 19, 2009 [ author Hunton Downs says that Miller died "while taking part in
a sensational top-secret mission that is still the subject of a cover-up." Downs comments, "In my view he was an exceptionally
brave man and the part that he played in the war should be widely known." ].
Peter B. King, "Guitarist Pizzarelli still has that swing," Pittsburgh [ PA ] Post-Gazette,
Jul. 28, 2009 [ Pizzarelli (Monroe '43 / '46-'52; Goodman '67 / '69 Reader's Digest / '70 / '71 / '72 / '73 / '74 / '75 /
' 77 / '79 / '80 / '81 / '85) is now age 83 ].
Bob Knack, "Captain Miller Saves a Life," The Great Escape! / dixieswing.com,
Issue No.14 Jul./Aug. 2009, p.1 [ about how Glenn Miller helped to get Henry Mancini assigned to a World War II
military band instead of going to gunnery school to become a combat tail gunner ].
Michael Millar, "Los Angeles Trombone Legend Dick Nash: Winner of 2008 ITA Award,"
International Trombone Association Journal, Jul. 2009, pp.52-59 [ incl. a conversation with Nash
(S. Donahue '47; Beneke '50; May '53) ].
Richard Palmer, "Woody Herman: The Final 20 Years: Part two of an appraisal of the
recorded work 1962-82," Jazz Journal, Jul. 2009, pp.6-7.
"Profiles: From the Band Busters to Bebop, Bye Bye Birdie, and Beyond," [ University
of Pennsylvania ] Penn Gazette, Jul./Aug. 2009 [ update on Elliot Lawrence, a member of Penn's class
of 1944 ].
Jack Redmond, "Final Notes: Henry 'Butch' Stone (1912 - 2009)," [ AFM Local 47, Los
Angeles, CA ] Overture, p.13 [ personal remembrance of Stone, who died May 19, 2009 ].
"Russ Morgan Orchestra to play at Hudson Green Aug. 2," Hudson [ OH ] Hub-Times,
Jul. 25, 2009.
Charles A. Sengstock Jr., "Music Alfresco: Chicago's Summer Music Oases," Intermezzo,
Jul. 2009 / Vol.69 No.6, pp.14-16 [ briefly traces the history of famous outdoor venues including Midway Gardens
and various roadhouses ].
Harold Smith, "He Got Two Words From BG," The Great Escape! / dixieswing.com,
Issue No.14 Jul./Aug. 2009, p.4 [ the two-word response which Smith, a young clarinetist, got when he asked Benny
Goodman a question in 1945 ].
Matt Soergel, "Ponte Vedra Man Helped Put the Swing Into the Glenn Miller Orchestra:
Seven Decades Later, Bass Player Trigger Alpert Reflects on Time with Band,"
[ Jacksonville ] Florida Times-Union / californiachronicle.com, Jul. 12, 2009 [ Alpert is now
age 92 ].
Roland Taylor, "Miller's Mighty Service Band: The ensemble in focus," [ Glenn Miller
Society ] Moonlight Serenader, Number 322 / 2nd Edition 2009, pp.8-11 [ A continuing
chronological study, now into June 1944 ].
send feedback about July 2009 "Big Band News" via e-mail
return to "Big Band News" directory
go to Big Band Library homepage
HAPPY 75TH ANNIVERSARY TO DOWNBEAT
In 1934, DownBeat magazine began publication, and this month it celebrates those 75 years with a special issue that includes quite a few big bands.
What will first grab your attention is the collage of past covers, including such bandleaders as Harry James, Les Brown, Dizzy Gillespie, Coleman Hawkins, Ray Anthony, and Glenn Miller. A fold-out leaf adds Paul Whiteman, Jack Teagarden, Artie Shaw, Billy Eckstine, and Red Norvo. (In fact, go to DownBeat.com to see larger versions of all of those vintage covers.)
