MARCH 2017
BIG BAND NEWS
by Music Librarian CHRISTOPHER POPA
SYMPOSIUM IN SWING, NO.3:
Since there already was a King of Swing, publicity for
legendary musician Artie Shaw [1910-2004] called him the
King of the Clarinet. And that seems to have been an
appropriate choice, for Shaw played the clarinet brilliantly, as
well as (or better than) anyone else. He was, with a beautiful,
full clarinet tone, not only a master of a melody, but, with that
intelligent, probing mind of his, a master of music.
While Id pick among my own all-time personal favorite
recordings Shaws swinging Softly As in a Morning Sunrise
[Bluebird, 1938], the uplifting My Heart Stood Still [Bluebird,
1939], the consummate Out of Nowhere [Bluebird, 1939], and
splendid Tabu [Victor, 1945], I like just as much his eloquent
and elegant ballads such as Moonglow [Victor, 1941] and
Dancing in the Dark [Victor, 1941].
In New York Notes: A Journal Of Jazz In The Seventies
(Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1976), critic Whitney Balliett, of the
New Yorker magazine, wrote that His [ Shaws ] solos,
whether embellishments of the melody or full improvisations,
were faultlessly structured. He had a way of playing the
melody that invariably suggested that this is the way it should
sound. And he was right. If the melody had any excess
weight he eliminated a note here, a note there. If it was on
the skinny side he added flourishes or moved down to the
chalameau register, which tends to make every note sound
wise. He impressed his melodic approach so thoroughly on
certain tune that when they surface anew one automatically
hears Shaws rendition.
So it is with Artie Shaws extraordinary record of Moonglow
(Claro de Luna), arranged by Lennie Hayton [1908-1971] and
including, along with Shaw and the 13-member conventional big
band, a 9-piece string section. To me, its a perfect rendition
unlike so much music from the Swing Era, its not a series of
riffs, but, instead, a majestic, lyrical performance.
It opens with a dreamy, 4-bar introduction by the strings and
the trombone section. Then Shaw plays a ravishlingly beautiful
statement of the theme, touching everywhere from introspection
to joy, for about 24 bars. Then the saxophones come in,
punctuated by the brass, at first open and then muted. The
saxes (steered by Les Robinson) play a sweeping 16-bars,
followed by memorable solos from a piano (Johnny Guarnieri)
and trombone (Jack Jenney). All the while the bass (Jud
DeNaut), guitar (Al Hendrickson), and drums (Nick Fatool) usher
things along, but, again, this is a high-class ballad treatment, not
a swinging, riff-laden instrumental. With a key change, the
ensemble and Shaw finish things off taking the dynamics from a
shout down to a sigh.
Each of Shaws bands had a different face, Balliett
observed. The Begin the Beguine outfit was tight and springy;
it was a snappy Ford coupe. The Frenesi band, with its
bouffant strings and walk-along tempos, was gentle and subtle,
and it had an unmistakable jazz persuasion. It was also a
peerless dance band. The 1945 band, with Roy Eldridge, was
the closest Shaw came to an out-and-out jazz group. It was a
disciplined, swinging, straight-ahead band.
Shaw himself might disagree on that last point, naming his
49 band among his best, too, though the public evidently did not
support its existence.
Yet, throughout his entire musical career, he left a recorded
legacy that, while smaller than some other bandleaders, holds
up remarkably well. The music from all of his bands remains
Shaws gift to all of us.
You put something on a record, in a studio, and its going to
follow you around for the rest of your life, he remarked, decades
afterwards.
By the way, Artie Shaw himself called the ensemble that he
made Moonglow with a helluva band.
And referring to his clarinet playing, he said I wanted to
make an instrument that sang. It became a supremely musical
voice that not only sang, but spoke to me on a variety of levels,
and it still does!
The 1956 Shaw reissue compilation, Moonglow (RCA Victor
LPM-1244), pictured above, was one of the first big band
records that my brother, Jay, and I saw in our local public
librarys audio-visual department (thank you!), and as I recall, not
long afterwards Jay found the original Shaw 78 rpm of Moonglow
(Victor 27405) at a second-hand store.
REVIEWS AND PREVIEWS
COMPACT DISC OF THE MONTH
various artists
The Big Band Cavalcade Concert
Music Boutique CD-R
Well, since RCA (and now, Sony-BMG) showed no interest
in reissuing this on a compact disc, My Music Boutique has
granted our wish, and I thank them! Originally it was a
2-record set (RCA CPL2-0362) taped in 1972 during
a nostalgic tour of one-nighters starring Freddy Martin,
Bob Crosby, Frankie Carle, Margaret Whiting, and a
group of veteran big band sidemen. Selections include
some Dixieland jazz from Crosby, a bunch of classically-
inspired hits from Martin (including a medley), and Carles
own compositions Sunrise Serenade and a live performance
of his Carle Boogie that Frankie once agreed with me
he liked best of all of the versions of that tune.
various artists
Jazz Steps Out: Rare Masters From The Masters Of Jazz
Sounds of YesterYear (UK) DSOY 2054
These are recordings made as radio-only transcriptions
by Count Basie and His Orchestra on December 2-3, 1962
and Duke Ellington and His Orchestra on March 27, 1959.
The Basie portion, mostly arranged by Dick Vance,
includes Basically Blue, Evil Weevil, Splash, and Wash.
They were on the LP Basie (Sesac N-5101).
The Ellington tunes were on an album titled Ellington
Moods (Sesac N2701~02) and include Fat Mouth,
Frou-Frou, Jamaica Tomboy, and She Was a Tinkling Thing.
various artists
Well Git It!
Sounds of YesterYear (UK) DSOY 2055
Sure, its sort of a nice, old-fashioned-looking cover,
and, yes, I understand that some of the same sidemen
are on each portion of the recordings, so theres some
common links to all of it. But I dont think that theres any
point in this release, as all of this material has been
out on CD before. The Byrne-led performances are on
Hits of Glenn Miller and Tommy & Jimmy Dorsey in
Stereo (Sepia 1160), with great sound, the original
artwork, and color photos from the sessions. The Oliver
recordings were issued as half of an indifferent Montpellier
CD (MONTCD 079) titled Lets do it, with Skip Martin
given the balance of the disc. So if you buy this new
release, itll show that you arent paying attention.
And neither is Sounds of YesterYear!
Now since I was taught that if you cant say
anything nice, dont say anything at all, heres my thoughts
on the rest of Sounds of YesterYears current releases:
