BIG BAND NEWS

MARCH 2019

by Music Librarian CHRISTOPHER POPA

A SPECIAL

ALL-GLENN MILLER

ISSUE

NOW, THIS IS WHAT I’D

CALL A GREAT PRESENT,

AND JUST IN TIME FOR

THE ANNIVERSARY OF

GLENN MILLER’S BIRTH ON

MARCH 1ST!

A NEW COMPACT DISC OF

GLENN MILLER BROADCAST ACETATES

“THE CHESTERFIELD BROADCASTS” (SEPIA

1335) CONTAINS MORE THAN 20

WONDERFUL PERFORMANCES FROM 1940-

42, INCLUDING TOP HITS (“SKYLARK,”

“DELILAH,” “THE BOOGLIE WOOGLIE PIGGY”),

TWO EXAMPLES OF MILLER’S FAMOUS

“SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW,

SOMETHING BORROWED, AND SOMETHING

BLUE” MEDLEYS, PLUS SONGS AND

INSTRUMENTALS THAT HE NEVER

COMMERCIALLY RECORDED, SUCH AS

“AMAPOLA (PRETTY LITTLE POPPY),”

“HIGH ON A WINDY HILL,” “(I’VE GOT SPURS

THAT) JINGLE JANGLE JINGLE,” “BLUE

CHAMPAGNE,” “CHICKEN REEL,” AND MORE.

ADVANCE PUBLICITY FOR

THE CHESTERFIELD BROADCASTS

GLENN MILLER

AT THE CBS MICROPHONE, 1940

VOCALIST MARION HUTTON

IN A CHESTERFIELD PRINT AD, 1941

READY FOR THE BROADCAST

TO BEGIN?

GLENN MILLER AND ANNOUNCER

PAUL DOUGLAS CHECK THE SCRIPT

TEX BENEKE CHECKS HIS SAX

ONE OF THE TUNES

HEARD ON

THE CHESTERFIELD BROADCASTS

THIS IS ANOTHER

THE BAND SOUNDS WONDERFUL

THE TROMBONES (PAUL TANNER,

JIMMY PRIDDY, FRANK D’ANNOLFO,

GLENN MILLER)

BOBBY HACKETT SOLOS

RAY EBERLE, THE YOUNG MAN

IN THE ROMANCE DEPARTMENT

WITH GLENN MILLER SINGS

AND, OF COURSE, THE MODERNAIRES

(CHUCK GOLDSTEIN, BILL CONWAY, HAL

DICKINSON, AND RALPH BREWSTER)

ARE ALSO FEATURED

FOR CERTAIN SELECTIONS,

PAULA KELLY

BLENDS HER VOICE

WITH THE MODERNAIRES

DOROTHY CLAIRE SINGS, TOO

PLUS A SECOND NEW

MILLER CD NOW AVAILABLE

“THE ARRANGERS: JERRY GRAY” (SOUNDS

OF YESTERYEAR DSOY 2135) IS WHAT IS

PROMISED AS THE FIRST OF A SERIES OF

THREE PARTS, EACH FOCUSING ON A

DIFFERENT ARRANGER FOR GLENN

MILLER’S ARMY AIR FORCE BAND.

LINER NOTES ARE BY TONY EATON, A

MILLER EXPERT AND LONGTIME MEMBER

OF THE INTERNATIONAL GLENN MILLER

SOCIETY, WHICH OPERATED OUT OF

LONDON, ENGLAND UNTIL 2012. THE 20

SELECTIONS ON THIS CD INCLUDE “JEEP

JOCKEY JUMP,” “WHAT DO YOU DO IN THE

INFANTRY?,” “HOLIDAY FOR STRINGS,”

“THE TROLLEY SONG,” AND “RUSSIAN

PATROL” (AKA “MEADOWLANDS”).

AND A THIRD NEW

MILLER CD, TOO

A SOMEWHAT UNUSUAL TITLE COMPLETES

OUR MILLER CD TRIO FOR THE

ANNIVERSARY OF HIS BIRTH. “GLENN

MILLER’S BAND OF THE AEF: GLENN

MILLER’S LAST BROADCAST

RE-CREATED” (SOUNDS OF YESTERYEAR

DSOY 2139) ATTEMPTS TO PRESENT WHAT

MILLER PLAYED LAST BEFORE HIS

DISAPPEARANCE. THE ACTUAL

BROADCAST ACETATES FROM DECEMBER 8

AND DECEMBER 12, 1944 WERE, ACCORDING

TO PUBLICITY, NOT RETAINED BY THE

BBC, SO THE PRODUCERS HERE HAVE

TRIED TO USE THE SAME SONGS BUT

FROM DIFFERENT DATES. THE KEY WORD

IS “RE-CREATED.”