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.