The Palomar

Big Band Venues: SunnyBrook, from Swimming to Swinging

milliondreamsago@gmail.com (George Spink) — Sat, 26 May 2012 21:05:00 +0000

by Jeff Karpinski

A good thesaurus is a prerequisite for anyone writing about SunnyBrook Ballroom. Famous, iconic, legendary, historic - none of these are enough to describe a building that's been a part of the music world since another Memorial Day 81 years ago.

SunnyBrook is just outside of Pottstown, a small city on what was once the main road between Philadelphia and Reading. One of Pottstown's more prominent citizens was Ray Hartenstine, a builder and contractor who constructed many homes and businesses as Pottstown expanded following WWI. In the early 1920s he married Sara Rebecca Kepler, heir to the 200-year-old SunnyBrook Farms dairy. Yes, she really was Rebecca of SunnyBrook Farms!

Theirs was both a romantic and a business partnership. In 1926 the Hartenstines opened a swim club and picnic area and named it SunnyBrook Park afte the farm. Ray was nothing if not an astute businessman; as deflation set in during the Depression he was able to fund construction of a dance pavilion on the grounds of the swim club.

SunnyBrook Park pool

SunnyBrook Pool with dance pavilion in the background

Less than two months after ground-breaking in April 1931 SunnyBrook Ballroom opened to the public. The local newspaper, the Mercury, effusively reported that it "… ranks with the finest to be found anywhere in the East." Over 1000 patrons showed up on that hot Decoration Day to listen and dance to the music of the now-forgotten Bosch Radio Band led by Joe LaFrance.

SunnyBrook quickly attracted many of the early Big Bands including Isham Jones' orchestra and Glen Gray's Casa Lomans. Patrons loved the enormous maple dance area with almost 500 m² of uninterrupted floor space under a high vaulted ceiling that provided great acoustics almost everywhere.

SunnyBrook Interior with original ceiling drapery

Ray effectively became an impresario as business expanded. He looked for orchestras and performers who were just starting out but showed major promise. According to The SunnyBrook Ballroom by Tom Sephakis, by 1934 he had already booked Ben Bernie, Kay Kyser, Ozzie Nelson, Eddy Duchin, Fred Waring, and Mal Hallet just to name a few - and those were in addition to established leaders like Guy Lombardo and Paul Whiteman. The former construction-firm head was now being called "the dean of big band ballroom operators".

It's hard to know if his motives were financial, social, or both, but Ray also recognized the drawing power of many black performers even among the mostly white-bread residents of southeastern Pennsylvania. As early as 1932 he booked Blanche Calloway, Cab's sister, then the great heigh-de-ho man himself. They were soon followed by Noble Sissle, Fletcher Henderson, Jimmie Lunceford and Don Redman. By the late 1930s very few eyes blinked when buses carrying the Count Basie or Duke Ellington orchestras pulled up to SunnyBrook's door.

Ray leveraged different factors to solidify SunnyBrook's place in the rapidly-expanding Swing Era. As a businessman he knew the importance of personal relationships. Many of his contacts with both agents and musicians developed into true friendships over the years. That gave him an entrée to make sure that bands appearing elsewhere on the East Coast also made a stop at SunnyBrook. The ballroom's proximity to several east-cost cities combined with (for the time) good highway and rail access made it easy to arrange a suburban detour.

SunnyBrook hit the national spotlight in 1935 when Life magazine covered a performance by Hal Kemp's band as part of its "Life Goes to a Party" series. Ray was still looking for bands on the way up rather than established names but by now the schedule included Artie (then just "Art") Shaw, Ray Noble, Bunny Berigan, Jan Savitt, and notably Benny Goodman at the start of the tour that was to lead to The Palomar Ballroom.

Because this is ThePalomar blog and there's so much more history to talk about, it seems like a good point to take a break until next time when I'll discuss SunnyBrook in its heyday and today.

Jeff Karpinski
King of Prussia, Pennsylvania
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Paula Kelly Cole Has Died

milliondreamsago@gmail.com (George Spink) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 05:20:00 +0000

Our friend, Alan Glasscock, posted the following very sad news about Paula Kelly Cole on Facebook about an hour ago:

"I am saddened to report that Paula Kelly Cole (Paula Kelly Jr.) passed away peacefully at 8:25pm (PST), according to her sister, Julie Dickinson Lancaster.

For those of you who did not know Paula, she was the daughter of two of the greatest vocal group singers of all time, Paula Kelly Sr. and Hal Dickinson, founders of The Modernaires. The Modernaires were long associated with the Glenn Miller Orchestra, racking up dozens of hit recordings before embarking on a solo career which took them into radio, television and motion pictures.

Paula Jr. took over her mother's place as lead singer in The Modernaires in the late-'70s, a position she held until just a few months ago when she was sidelined due to surgery on her vocal cords. Sister Julie stepped in to sing lead, and Ginger Berglund was brought on board to fill out the quartet. Paula Jr. became ill about a week ago with a brain aneurysm, followed by other complications, and was removed from life support earlier this afternoon, with family at her bedside.

I can say will all certainty that Paula was one of the most gracious, cheerful and funny people I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. She was full of enthusiasm for big band music (my kind o' people!), and I enjoyed many conversations with her over the past few months. Her only concern she expressed to me as of late was worrying about not being able to sing again after her surgery. That is no longer a concern of hers, as she is surely singing in an all-star vocal group above!

Paula, R.I.P. dear lady."

Paula and I often exchanged emails, usually about the big bands, sometimes about specific songs, and sometimes just to say "Hello." She was a fine sweet person whom I shall miss very much....

George Spink
Moderator - The Palomar
Los Angeles, California
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The Glenn Miller Orchestra returns to SunnyBrook Ballroom

milliondreamsago@gmail.com (George Spink) — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 00:11:00 +0000

by Jeff Karpinski

Past, present, and future came together last month when two legends met as the Glenn Miller Orchestra and its new music director Nick Hilscher appeared at the famed SunnyBrook Ballroom in Pottstown, PA. Fans had a double dose of Miller magic that day, with both an afternoon and an evening performance. I had the honor of attending the afternoon concert to take photos and meet several of the musicians as part of this month’s feature on ThePalomar.

As always the band’s presentation was spectacular. They opened as Glenn might have, with the full-length arrangement of Moonlight Serenade followed by In the Mood. Maestro Hilscher announced that the afternoon’s performance, while shorter, would be “pure Miller” rather than a mix of older and newer tunes. With that, they launched into Tuxedo Junction and a whole host of evergreens. It wasn’t all million-sellers, though: Julia Rich gave us a rousing version of That’s Sabotage from the film Orchestra Wives, and later Nick Hilscher sang as they performed a lush rendition of one of my favorites, the seldom-heard This Time the Dream’s On Me.

My brother is a music professor, and we’ve sometimes talked about what it means to “play music” as opposed to “playing the notes”. When I interviewed Dr. Norman Leyden, one of the top arrangers for Glenn’s AAF Band, he too discussed feeling the music and in particular understanding just what went – and goes – into the sounds of the Swing Era. Suffice it to say that under Nick Hilscher’s leadership this is the Glenn Miller Orchestra. If Glenn is looking down from above I’m sure he’s proud.

Here’s the full set of tunes the band performed that afternoon:

Moonlight Serenade (opening theme)

In the Mood

Tuxedo Junction

At Last (Nick Hilscher, vocal)

Little Brown Jug

That’s Sabotage (Julia Rich, vocal)

I Know Why (Julia Rich)

String of Pearls

Stardust

Pennsylvania 6-5000

This Time the Dream’s on Me (Nick Hilscher)

Chattanooga Choo Choo (Nick, Julia, and the Moonlight Serenaders)

Perfidia (Julia Rich and the Moonlight Serenaders)

Kalamazoo (Nick, Julia, and the Moonlight Serenaders)

American Patrol

Moonlight Serenade (closing theme)

… and some pictures and one video capture. The weather that day was quite cloudy so the quality may be a bit less than optimal).

The entrance to SunnyBrook Ballroom

Julia Rich singing I Know Why

In the Mood

Kalamazoo

String of Pearls

Finally I’d like to give special thanks to Nick Hilscher and Julia Rich for their kindness in letting me meet them after the concert, to trombonist John Tyler who also handles the orchestra’s web presence and has been great to work with, and to Tom Oehme of SunnyBrook who gave me entrée to the ballroom and introduced me to several of the people whose efforts went into bringing everything together smoothly.

Next month I’m planning to talk more about SunnyBrook itself, what it was, what it is now, and where it’s headed in the future. Till then -

Jeff Karpinski
King of Prussia, Pennsylvania
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An Evening with Max Raabe und das Palast Orchester

milliondreamsago@gmail.com (George Spink) — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 17:36:00 +0000

by Jeff Karpinski

A couple of weeks ago I had the special pleasure of attending a performance by Max Raabe und das Palast Orchester who took us back to the German popular music scene of the early 1930s. OK, it's a few thousand miles away from Frank Dailey's Meadowbrook or Elitch's Garden but for me it was fascinating to hear how popular music of that time sounded in one of the music capitals of Europe.

The Palace Orchestra isn't quite a swing band but it isn't quite a European cabaret orchestra either. Maestro Raabe has a dozen musicians including the reeds, brass, and rhythm of a big band but adds a tuba as well as a single violin. It's really difficult to describe the evening except to say that Max Raabe is a consummate showman with a true feel for the music of that long-gone time. The musicians are elegant in tails or gowns, and the bandstand is laid out as if they were in a posh Berlin music hall. Maybe it was because their appearance here was in Philadelphia's nearly century-old Merriam Theatre, but it wasn't hard to imagine being back in that short period when popular jazz in Germany was happy and free.

Based on videos of performances in other countries, about half of his typical program comprises German popular songs from roughly 1930 to 1936 while the rest is tailored to his audience's country. For us Yanks that meant Gershwin and Tin Pan Alley, a couple of tunes from Disney films, and familiar swing-era ballads such as My Prayer and Blueberry Hill. He also paid homage to the legendary Komedian Harmonisten (Comedian Harmonists), a wildly popular vocal sextet that was destroyed by Nazi officials who feared their satire.

So rather than try to put music into words, I'll let Max Raabe und das Palast Orchester sing and play for themselves!

Jeff Karpinski
King of Prussia, Pennsylvania
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The Men Behind the Music: Deane Kincaide

milliondreamsago@gmail.com (George Spink) — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 01:08:00 +0000

by Jeff Karpinski

Don't worry; in a couple of months I'll return to following the careers of more AAF alumni. For this month I'm picking up an earlier thread to look at the career of another of the Men Behind the Music - the arrangers and composers who were so important to the music of the Swing Era but who didn't often share the spotlight.

Deane Kincaide could be described as an instrumental polymath. He was a native Texan but grew up in Illinois. There he became proficient on the piano, flute, trombone, and tenor sax while still in his teens. After some local gigs he played throughout the Midwest and by his early twenties he had already notched time with Wingy Manone and the famed "incubator" band led by Ben Pollack.

The Ben Pollack Orchestra

In 1935 he joined Bob Crosby's reed section. He began writing arrangements for the saxes and soon moved up to staff, and then chief arranger. The Crosby band was falling out of favor as tastes moved away from Dixieland jazz to swing. Kincaide's charts not only brought back its popularity but also helped fuel a broader revival of interest in New Orleans jazz. Among other sides he co-arranged South Rampart Street Parade with Bob Haggart, and both arranged and soloed on Royal Garden Blues.

The Bob Crosby Band

Other bandleaders soon took notice. He left Bob Crosby to work with Woody Herman but returned after a short time. On the other hand Tommy Dorsey was never afraid to treat music as a business; in 1938 he permanently raided the Crosby group for Kincaide as well as trumpeters Charlie Spivak and Yank Lawson. Tommy used Deane's talents to the fullest. In addition to playing in the sax section he contributed many of the band's most popular charts from that time including Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, Boogie Woogie, Hawaiian War Chant, Stop, Look, and Listen, and March of the Toys. The Dixieland skills he had honed during the Crosby years shone in several arrangements for the Clambake Seven, most notably Twilight in Turkey.

In 1940 Deane Kincaide left Tommy Dorsey. For a while he effectively "vagabonded", writing arrangements for any number of major bands including Glenn Miller and Tommy's brother Jimmy. In 1942 he joined the Navy where he was assigned to a band led by Hal Kemp's former vocalist Saxie Dowell. In 1944 the group was posted to the newly-commissioned carrier USS Franklin. As anyone familiar with WWII naval history will know, in March 1945 Franklin came under heavy Japanese attack. The band members joined their combatant colleagues to rescue as many victims as they could and helped keep the ship from sinking.

After the war Kincaide joined Ray McKinley's new band. He spent most of his time arranging although Ray occasionally featured him on tenor and baritone. In 1950 he left to do studio work, then renewed his earlier (and very short) Glenn Miller connection when he worked with McKinley a second time as both arranger and again a performer in the newly reconstituted Glenn Miller band.

"Mac"

In his later years he toured with his old friend Yank Lawson, wrote TV themes, and arranged for Jackie Gleason and for the Tonight Show Orchestra. In the 1970s and 80s he lived in Florida where he performed and arranged for the Top of the World jazz club at Disney World. He retired in 1981 after a long and storied career. In 1992 Deane Kincaide was called to an unlimited engagement with the Concert in the Sky.

Jeff Karpinski
King of Prussia, Pennsylvania
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Tommy Dorsey: The Sentimental Gentleman of Swing

milliondreamsago@gmail.com (George Spink) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 01:15:00 +0000

by George Spink

"I'm Getting Sentimental Over You" (Theme Song)
by Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra

Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra (circa 1941)

1.	I'll See You In My Dreams Tommy Dorsey with Jack Leonard	11.	Embraceable You Tommy Dorsey with Jo Stafford
2.	Street Of Dreams Tommy Dorsey, Frank Sinatra, Pipers	12.	For You Tommy Dorsey with Jo Stafford
3.	*I'll Never Smile Again* Tommy Dorsey, Frank Sinatra, Pipers	13.	Manhattan Serenade Tommy Dorsey with Jo Stafford
4.	On The Sunnyside Of The Street Tommy Dorsey, The Sentimentalists	14.	Let's Get Away From It All Tommy Dorsey, Jo Stafford, et. al.
5.	Swingin' On Nothin' Tommy Dorsey, Sy Oliver, Jo Stafford	15.	But She's My Buddy Chick Tommy Dorsey with Charlie Shavers
6.	There Are Such Things Tommy Dorsey, Frank Sinatra, Pipers	16.	Friendship The Dorsey Family (Mountain Division)
7.	Hawaiian War Chant Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra	17.	How About You? Tommy Dorsey with Frank Sinatra
8.	Annie's Cousin Fanny The Dorsey Brothers	18.	*I Guess I'll Have To Dream The Rest* Tommy Dorsey, Frank Sinatra, et. al.
9.	Yes, Indeed! Tommy Dorsey, Sy Oliver, Jo Stafford	19.	*Lonesome Road* Tommy Dorsey with His Orchestra
10.	Dolores Tommy Dorsey, Frank Sinatra, Pipers	20.	Marie Tommy Dorsey with Jack Leonard

Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey grew up in the coal mining area of Shenandoah, Pa. Their father worked in the mines, taught music, and led the local band. He taught Jimmy and Tommy how to play cornet, then taught Jimmy alto saxophone and Tommy trombone. Their father taught them very well. The Dorsey boys became excellent musicians.

Like other brothers, the Dorseys often fought. Jimmy, the timid one, could tee off Tommy with a simple statement or question.

On May 30, 1935, the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra was playing at the prestigious Glen Island Casino. This was a band that their friend Glenn Miller helped them to assemble. Miller did most of the band's arrangements and also played trombone.

Tommy, who was conducting, beat off the tempo for "I'll Never Say Never Again." Jimmy, playing in the sax section, called out, "Isn't that a little too fast, Mac? Let's do it right or not at all."

"All right!" Tommy shouted! "We won't do it at all!" Tommy turned and walked off the stage. The Dorsey brothers went their separate ways until 1953.

During the next decade, Tommy outscored Jimmy hit for hit, dollar for dollar, but both did very well. Tommy had a strong business sense, which enabled him to live very comfortably. His Long Island mansion even had a 50-foot-long Lionel train layout in the basement—something Frank Sinatra really admired. Years later, Sinatra built one that surpassed Tommy's on his estate in Rancho Mirage, Calif., in a specially designed building resembling the train station in Ramsey, N.J. Sinatra modeled it not on Tommy's but on the larger layout in the Lionel Trains showroom in New York City circa 1949.

Tommy's acute business sense dovetailed nicely with his musical genius. He insisted on top talent for his band. Looking back, you'll find more than 50 jazz legends passed through his band during the decade of 1935-1945, the Swing Era.

Just as Tommy knew how to present his instrumentalists, he knew how to showcase his vocalists. For example, listen to any of his songs with Jo Stafford and The Pied Pipers, or Frank Sinatra, together or solo, and you'll see how very well Tommy provided a terrific musical backdrop for them.

There is a story trumpeter Charlie Shavers told about how Tommy could not tolerate incompetence. Shavers related how Tommy once kept a piano player around whom he couldn't stand, just to make the guy's life miserable. Dorsey also had a generous side, too, often paying personal expenses, such as medical bills, for his sidemen and their families.

Dorsey impressed everyone with his marvelous playing. Sinatra always credited Dorsey for teaching him, by example, about breath control and phrasing. Tommy inhaled through the side of his mouth while the last of his previous breath passed through his horn. Listening to his recordings, one after another, attests to this remarkable technique.

Tommy often drew material from unusual sources. Listen to the band swing "March Of The Toys" from Victor Herbert's 1903 operetta "Babes in Toyland" or "Rollin' Home" from the "Largo" for Anton Dvorak's "New World Symphony." Swingin' the classics was fairly common during the Swing Era, but no one ever did it better than Dorsey. Another unusual source was Spike Jones, who had a real genius for hiring excellent musicians to play some of the funniest music this side of heaven. Spike's 1942 recording of "Chloe" was a blockbuster. Tommy had Bill Finegan arranged it for his band, and once again Dorsey had another hit on his hands.

Winnowing out musicians became a Dorsey trademark. By 1940, Dorsey featured top talent from other bands. Buddy Rich came over from Artie Shaw's band, trumpeter Ziggy Elman and lead sax player Hymie Schertzer from Benny Goodman's, and Frank Sinatra (replacing Allan DeWitt, who had recently replaced Jack Leonard) and Connie Haines from Harry James. Joe Bushkin took the piano chair. Bunny Berigan, one of the stars of the early Dorsey band, returned to the trumpet section for a few months while he was in between leading his own bands.

Tommy and his band turned out one hit after another, often rivaling and sometimes surpassing Glenn Miller's on Your Hit Parade. Among Tommy's biggest hits were Sy Oliver's originals, "Well, Git It!" and "Yes, Indeed!" and Sy's arrangements of "Swanee River" and "Deep River," plus many of Frank Sinatra's numbers, including "I'll Never Smile Again," "This Love Of Mine," 'There Are Such Things," and "Without A Song," Jo Stafford's "Embraceable You" and "For You," and a string of hits by Jo Stafford and The Pied Pipers.

One of the best records Jo Stafford and The Pied Pipers recorded with Tommy Dorsey was "Blues In The Night" in March 1942, but it would not be released for more than 20 years because of an argument later that year.

Jo Stafford was still a member of The Pied Pipers, but she often sang solos. She and The Pied Pipers had a blow-up on Thanksgiving Day 1942 with Tommy Dorsey at a Portland, Ore. train station. At issue: Who had given a redcap the wrong direction? The upshot: The Pied Pipers and Jo Stafford left Tommy Dorsey, never to return.

"Opus One " by Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra

Unlike many other big band leaders, Tommy kept his band together during the late 1940s as vocalists replaced big bands in the public's eye. Jimmy tried to keep his band going, too. In 1953, after their celebrated break-up 18 years earlier, The Dorsey Brothers reunited. During their 18-years apart, Tommy had been one of Jimmy's biggest fans. He often brought his musicians and friends to hear Jimmy's band.

They made a successful transition to television in the mid 1950s, hosting one of my favorite hours every week. Then, in November 1956, Tommy died suddenly. He was only 51 years old. A few months later, Jimmy died. It was the end of the Dorsey Era—and what an era it had been!

George Spink
Moderator - The Palomar
Los Angeles, California
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Goodbye, Etta James

milliondreamsago@gmail.com (George Spink) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 22:37:00 +0000

by Jeff Karpinski

Last week's passing of Etta James has prompted me to take a time-out from posts about the Swing Era, and join George in saying goodbye to a remarkable talent. Etta James not only successfully bridged the styles of blues and rock, she also introduced a new generation of listeners to songs from the jazz and swing years. In addition to making At Last as much her own song as it was Glenn Miller's, she put her own stamp on tunes previously associated with Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald. Another Swing Era composition, A Sunday Kind of Love, was originally performed by Fran Warren with Claude Thornhill's band and became almost as big a hit for Etta as had At Last.

It's been both interesting and enlightening talking to musically-minded friends about her passing. I've had the same experiences as George - some were utterly convinced that At Last was her composition, that she had premiered it, or both. The fact that it and A Sunday Kind of Love were originally big-band hits came as a surprise. But my take is simple. There can be good versions and bad versions of a song, but there's rarely a one-and-only. Her talent brought those songs and many more to a whole new group of fans.

Etta, you loved jazz, you loved the blues, you loved R&B. You sang them as only you could, and we were blessed to hear you. Now you're out there in the front row of the Heavenly Choir. Farewell, and fare well, Ms. James!

Jeff Karpinski
King of Prussia, Pennsylvania
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Etta James (Jan. 25, 1938 - Jan. 20, 2012)

milliondreamsago@gmail.com (George Spink) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 22:56:00 +0000

by George Spink

The music world is mourning the passing of Etta James, who died today in Riverside, CA at the age of 73. In her later years, thanks to the use of her 1961 recording of At Last in the 1988 film Rain Man, Etta James enjoyed the success that had eluded her in her earlier years.

At Last - Etta James

Because I have been collecting big band records all of my life, I knew that At Last had been written by Harry Warren and Mack Gordon in 1941 for Glenn Miller and His Orchestra. You can hear a brief refrain of the song in Miller's 1941 film "Sun Valley Serenade" and an extended version of it in the opening sequence of the band's 1942 film, "Orchestra Wives." The vocals are performed by Ray Eberle and Pat Friday, whose voice is dubbed for Lynn Bari's in the film. "At Last" became one of the biggest hits for Glenn Miller and His Orchestra and to this day is regarded as one of Miller's greatest numbers.

At Last by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra
with Ray Eberle and Pat Friday (dubbing for Lynn Bari) on vocals.

Following the 1988 release of Rain Man, Etta James' 1961 recording of At Last took on a life all of its own. Etta sang it beautifully, becoming one of the biggest hits of 1988 and of the entire decade that followed. You heard Etta James' recording in many other movies and on TV shows, such as Melrose Place, throughout the 1990's. Etta made the song her own.

By 1990, I was living in Los Angeles. I attended a party in the Rancho Park neighborhood near Century City in 1992 hosted by a woman who had an extensive collection of CD's and a great sound system. I gave her a CD of Miller's music entitled Glenn Miller in Hollywood, which not only contained Miller's extended version of At Last but his other songs from his two films. She lived only three blocks from 20th Century Fox Studios. She was thrilled that this music had been recorded so close to her home!

At my suggestion, the first song she played was At Last. She loved it! Then she played Etta James' version. She had no idea the song had been written almost 50 years earlier for Miller and his Orchestra. Her party guests asked us about the Miller version, unaware that this was a song from another era.

Etta James touched all of us by her fondness for At Last. It is fortunate that the last two decades of her life brought her more success than she had ever known before.

We shall miss you, Etta. Rest in peace! You are in good company!

George Spink
Moderator - The Palomar
Los Angeles, California
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So! What's new?

milliondreamsago@gmail.com (George Spink) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 17:29:00 +0000

Well, the answer is not a lot!

In spite of my personal efforts to promote big bands on our local community radio station on the internet it's been a difficult past year.

Here in the UK big band music is still only heard by small pockets of enthusiasts and unfortunately many of those are dropping off this mortal coil due to age.

I have manage to have a total of four listeners on one of my shows (we are able to monitor numbers world wide) which can be very depressing.

In a effort to attract more listeners I resorted to the practise of including some items that would truly make the prurists jump up and down in rage!

No matter, although, at the moment, due to some management upheaval in the recording studio we shall hopefully return with more one hour programmes later this year. Probably from a new station name but still on only the internet due to difficult UK licences.

Meanwhile, best wishes to those that did catch a broadcast over the twenty two weeks and thank you.

Lionel Leighton
Worthing
West Sussex
My correct email address is lionel@harmony177.plus.com

My website for other information is
www.sunnyworthing.co.uk

The current radio site is www.worthingonlineradio.com but may not be for much longer.

My thanks and best wishes to George Spink.

Big Band Theory

milliondreamsago@gmail.com (George Spink) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 00:47:00 +0000

by Jack Fortes

There’s a Big Bang theory that has to do with the origin and evolution of our universe (and a TV sitcom).

Then there’s a Big Band theory that has to do with the kind of music that was featured at the recent 20th annual Big Band Hangar Dance in tiny DeLand, Fl. (population 20,000) with the Benny Goodman Tribute Orchestra performing.

That’s where THIS is going—why several hundred people would buy tickets to hear (and dance to) music first popular in the 1930s and 1940s, (also known as “Swing,”) as is the case with the Hangar Dance.

Considering just two big bands out of the many that were popular in that era—Benny Goodman and Glenn Miller—their music is alive and thrilling today.

Goodman continued playing into his 70s, up until his death of a heart attack in 1986. His music was featured in a 2010 documentary narrated by Dustin Hoffman.

Terry Myers, a clarinetist as was Goodman, and his 17 piece orchestra-- legally called “The Benny Goodman Tribute Orchestra”-- play “Moonglow,” “And the Angels Sing,” “Jersey Bounce” and many other tunes from the Goodman “charts” or library.

"Don't Be That Way"
Benny Goodman and His Orchestra

And Glenn Miller? The most famous critic and author of many books on big bands, including the best--“The Big Bands”—the late George T. Simon, said: “Of all the outstanding popular dance bands, the one that evokes the most memories of how wonderfully romantic it all was, the one whose music people most want to hear over and over again, is the band of the late Glenn Miller.”

Moonlight
Serenade/I Know Why
by Glenn Miller and his Orchestra with Pat Friday and John Payne
from "Sun Valley Serenade" (1941)

The top bands, in addition to Miller and Goodman, are generally credited to have been Artie Shaw, Tommy Dorsey, and Harry James. Others included Les Brown, Count Basie, Jimmy Dorsey, and Guy Lombardo.

So, what is the Big Band Theory? The view here is that it involves pretty ballads—love songs with words one could understand; up-tempo tunes for “Lindy” dancing or “jitterbugging,” Latin tunes and waltzes. EVERYONE could dance to one of those genres, and they are held in sweet memories today.

Jack Fortes
DeLand, Florida
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After the AAF Band, Part 2

milliondreamsago@gmail.com (George Spink) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 19:12:00 +0000

by Jeff Karpinski

Last month I started to write about the later careers of some of the less well-known musicians who performed in Glenn Miller's legendary Army Air Forces Orchestra. In this second installment I'll take a look at a few more:

Like many other AAF alumni, drummer Frank Ippolito (yes, the band had two drummers because Mac also led the Swing Shift group) spent time with the postwar band led by Tex Beneke. By the 1950s he had switched over to mostly studio work and became involved in the New York percussion scene. A man named Bill Mather had operated a drum shop there for years. It was actually far more than just a store; it was a place where top-line percussionists like Gene Krupa and Lionel Hampton congregated to practice, to learn from each other, and to have Mather build custom equipment for them. Mather died in the early 1960s and Frank Ippolito was called in to preserve the late owner's legacy. He was initially reluctant because he didn't have any business experience but soon went beyond even what Bill Mather had accomplished. Frank Ippolito's Professional Percussion Center occupied 3 stories of a building on Eighth Avenue and offered not just the usual sales and service but also custom instrument manufacturing. It also boasted studios where nearly every major percussionist of the 1970s took or conducted master classes. The story ended sadly though, when Frank passed away in 1978.

Cellist Maurice Bialkin was another AAF alum who split his postwar career between classical and popular music. He briefly performed with the CBS and NBC Symphonies and was first cellist with the Brooklyn Philharmonia. Later he settled into studio work and teaching. During the 1960s and 70s he backed Tony Bennett, Perry Como, Astrud Gilberto, and Nina Simone as well as being a featured musician in a number of Broadway performances. Interestingly the personnel on several of his recording sessions featured other Miller alumni like Dale McMickle, Murray Kane, and George Ockner. Marice Bialkin performed less regularly after than and lived to the grand age of 91.

Fred (Alfred) Aulwurm was a member of the violin section. After the war his career was almost exclusively in classical music. He returned to his home town of Oak Lawn, Illinois to perform and teach. In 1964 he led the formation of the Southwest Symphony, a regional orchestra based in Oak Lawn. He remained its conductor until his retirement in 1990.

Jeff Karpinski
King of Prussia, Pennsylvania
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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

milliondreamsago@gmail.com (George Spink) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 23:47:00 +0000

A Charlie Brown Christmas - The Vince Guaraldi Trio

On behalf of the members of The Palomar, I wish each and everyone of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

George Spink
Moderator - The Palomar
Los Angeles, California
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What came AAFter?

milliondreamsago@gmail.com (George Spink) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 00:48:00 +0000

by Jeff Karpinski

When Captain Glenn Miller began selecting performers for what would become the spectacular Army Air Force Orchestra he was guided by the lessons learned in forming his two civilian bands. He knew all too well that despite the Air Force's access to some of the best-known names in jazz and classical music, an orchestra comprising only superstars would probably meet the same fate as his 1937 band, doomed by egos and differing views of the band's direction. Instead he began with a core of experienced players including a few members of what we now call the civilian band, then fleshed it out with a larger group of talented but less-established musicians who could be melded into a cohesive organization.

In looking back over the orchestra's final lineup, I realized that I wasn't familiar with the later careers of many of that second group of musicians. For all of the AAF members who were or became "household names", there were at least as many whom I knew very little about. That curiosity led me to the topic of this post and some planned future writings as well. In each one I'll pick 3 or 4 performers and try to track down a few tidbits about their later work, wherever the research leads me.

Bobby Nichols was one of my favorite musicians in the AAF band. He had a wild trumpet style that sometimes blew beyond even the broader and more swinging boundaries established for the AAF Band. After the war he retained some form of Miller connections for much of the remainder of his career, playing for two years with Tex Beneke, then going with Ray McKinley's early postwar band, and eventually working with both the Sauter-Finegan Orchestra and the revived Glenn Miller Orchestra with, again, Ray McKinley. He continued to play his swinging trumpet into the early 1960s but remained a sideman. Based on available biographical information, by the middle of that decade he had slipped into almost complete obscurity.

Violinist Dave Sackson split his later career between classical, pop, and jazz He performed with Jascha Heifitz, edited various violin works, and became the premier interpreter of American composer Henry Cowell's string compositions. On the flip side he backed Harry Belafonte on several 1954 recordings, and was the concertmaster for 2 albums by the Coltranes, John's Infinity (1972) and Alice's Reflections on Creation and Space (1973).

Vince Carbone was noted for his gutsy tenor sax, played with a split-reed style that presaged early rock-and-roll by nearly a decade. Like Bobby Nichols he continued with the postwar Beneke band for a couple of years as well as recording with Billy May and Tito Puente. By the 1950s he had moved into management. He was Tommy Dorsey's personal manager and handled many other famous entertainers including Bob Newhart, the Smothers Brothers, Al Hirt, and Frank Sinatra Jr. In addition he was active in preserving historic aircraft from the WWII era so he never lost touch with his early AAF experiences.

Let's see what I can find for next month's post. Keep 'em flying!

Jeff Karpinski
King of Prussia, Pennsylvania
Email Me

Just Thinkin'

milliondreamsago@gmail.com (George Spink) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 12:06:00 +0000

I may be a bit young (HA!) to do this, here. I'm 62.

My earliest musical memory is sitting on a very high metal stool in my grandmothers kitchen, listening to Les Paul & Mary Ford's "I'm Sittin' on Top of the World." On that same morning radio show, I heard Frank Sinatra's new record, "I've Got the World on a String." That would make it 1953-ish. Music I still enjoy, today.

I credit my mom for my first interest in music, as she always had the
radio on, and I remember Art Hellyer, Howard Miller, and many other folks "selling" the great music of that era. Later, I had 13 years of Hammond Organ lessons. Even now, when I attend Church, my fingers are "playing" the hymns, along with the organist.

1953 was a great year for Eddie Fisher that included his first number
one hit, "I'm Walking Behind You (on your wedding day)", with the orchestra of Hugo Winterhalter. In about 1960 I really heard the words to that song for the first time. The lyrics end like this; "If things go wrong, dear, and fate is unkind Look over your shoulder, I'm walking behind." Today, Eddie would be arrested for being a stalker.

That year, Eddie also recorded, "O My Papa" that went to #1. I remember him singing that on his tv show. That tv show featured comedian "Lonesome" George Gobel, singer, Gisele Mackenzie and introduced a new dancer, named Mary Tyler Moore.

The big news story that year was the inauguration of the new President, Dwight David Eisenhower.

Tom Jurek
Grand Rapids, MI
Email Me

Hello

milliondreamsago@gmail.com (George Spink) — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 22:49:00 +0000

Hello. I'm new here. Thanks to Tony Agostinelli for letting me know about this blog. I am the leader of the Stan Kenton Alumni Band that actually still gets on the bus and tours all over the country. I look forward to chatting with others who love big band music.

Mike Vax
Dewey AZ
Email Me
Big Band Jazz

Moderator's Note: We welcome Mike Vax to The Palomar!

Mike Vax leads his own big band, known as the Mike Vax Big Band, and the Stan Kenton Alumni Band. You can read about both on the above web site.

You can also read about Stan Kenton and His Orchestra on our big band web site, Tuxedo Junction. Just follow this link:

http://www.tuxjunction.net/stankenton.htm

Enjoy!

George Spink

Remember Our Veterans on Nov. 11

milliondreamsago@gmail.com (George Spink) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 08:01:00 +0000

When I attended St. Leonard's grammar school in Berwyn, Illinois during the late 1940's and early 1950's, our nuns taught us to remember the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in the year 1918.

That was the time and day and month when World War One came to an end.

At 11 a.m. on Nov. 11th, my classmates and I and our nun stood at attention. We faced east. Each of us placed our right hand over our heart and prayed silently for all who died during World War One.

On Nov. 11, 1918, the war to end all wars was finally over, but at a very high cost to every nation who fought in World War One. It meant that, at long last, Johnny would soon come marching home....

When Johnny Comes Marching Home
Glenn Miller and His Orchestra
with Marion Hutton, Tex Beneke, and The Modernaires

Today, when it is 11 o'clock where you live, please pause and say a prayer for all who died during that horrible war. Then say a prayer for our service men and women who are fighting in Afghanistan and elsewehere -- and for those who have died for us there and in other wars.

This video will show you some things about another war, World War Two, that you might not have seen before.

Here's a photo of me during February 1944 taken outside our family home in Berwyn, Illinois, nine miles southwest of downtown Chicago. My Uncle Bob was serving in the Navy on the U.S.S. Bennington aircraft carrier in the Pacific. My Aunt Ruth worked at Illinois Bell in neighboring Cicero. And I was fighting the war my own way, often wearing my own sailor suit on special occasions. I was about three-and-a-half years old when my mother took this picture of us.

Aunt Ruth was still single and lived with my parents and me, as did Uncle Bob when he was home, and my Aunt Dorothy. Those were the days when families really stuck together. Aunt Ruth began collecting records (78's) in the late 1930's. Today, I have them, cherish them, and keep them safe on shelves in a spare closet.

Here are a few songs from World War Two that were played often by Major Glenn Miller and His Army Air Force Band, performed here by the United States Air Force Airmen of Note:

I Sustain the Wings

American Patrol

The Army Air Corps Song

Over There

With My Head in the Clouds

Annie Laurie

Tail End Charlie

Long Ago and Far Away - Bobbie McCleary and The Crew Chiefs (Vocalists)

Here's a web page of mine that has what I think are a good selection of songs from World War Two:

World War Two Playlist

I hope you will enjoy it -- and again, think about all of those who gave their lives so that me may live as free men and women. If you lived through World War Two, have some Kleenex handy....

George Spink
Moderator - The Palomar
Los Angeles, California
Email Me

Beryl Davis (March 16, 1924 - October 28, 2011)

milliondreamsago@gmail.com (George Spink) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 23:44:00 +0000

Moderator's Note: Our big band friend, Robert Robb, sent the following obituary information about the late Beryl Davis. -- George Spink

British-born Beryl Davis, whose eight-decade career included singing with Maj. Glenn Miller, Bob Hope and Frank Sinatra, died last Friday, Oct. 28th. She was 87.

Tommy Dorsey and Beryl Davis

The daughter of English band leader Harry Davis, she spent her formative years traveling with his Oscar Rabin/Harry Davis Band and was the band's featured singer by age eight. At age 12, she was booked with the Quintet of The Hot Club of France, which featured Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli. Here she is with Django in 1939:

After touring for three years and multiple recordings, war broke out. She and Grappelli returned to England, and were joined by a young pianist by the name of George Shearing. That group performed in London clubs throughout the blitz.

Later, she rejoined the Davis/Rabin band and had her own BBC radio show. She soon came to the attention of Captain Glenn Miller and, on August 17, 1944 -— the day he was promoted to Major -- Beryl began singing with his band. She was the only British civilian ever officially attached to the Eighth Air Force, taking her orders directly from General James Doolittle. Her last broadcast with Miller was on December 12, 1944 at the Queensbury Club, and her final number was "I'll Be Seeing You." Three days later, Miller took his fateful flight over the English Channel.

After the war, Bob Hope invited her to come to the States to appear on his radio show. Six weeks after her American debut, she was preparing to return to England when Frank Sinatra invited her to join him on "Your Hit Parade" as his singing partner, leading to featured spots with Benny Goodman, Vaughn Monroe, David Rose and many others.

In 1948, she married Hollywood radio and television personality Peter Potter, who was host of "Peter Potter's Platter Parade" and later, the Emmy-winning nationally-broadcast "Jukebox Jury." The couple had three children and divorced in 1965. In 1954, Davis, along with friends Jane Russell, Connie Haines and Della Russell, performed a little-known gospel song entitled "Do Lord" for a church benefit. They recorded the song and it immediately went Gold, selling two million copies. Rhonda Fleming later replaced Della.

Russell and the group continued recording and performing their gospel-inspired show in the nation's top nightclubs and casino showrooms. As a solo act, Beryl performed in theaters and concert venues around the globe, and was a regular guest artist at music festivals and events honoring Reinhardt and Miller. She also performed on multiple cruise ships, including Princess Cruises, where she was known as "The First Lady of Song" for over 30 years.

She was long admired and respected by the many Big Band musicians with whom she worked. She was preceded in death by her life partner of 35 years, record executive and concert producer Buck Stapleton, in 2003. They were longtime residents of Toluca Lake, California, where she served as Honorary Mayor. The couple also resided in Palm Springs, California, where she received her star on the Palm Springs Walk of Fame.

On November 11, 2000, she was a special guest at the groundbreaking ceremonies of the National WW II Memorial in Washington, DC, where she sang "I'll Be Seeing You," by then her trademark song. Dignitaries that day included President Bill Clinton, who personally commended her performance at a post-event reception. She is survived by her children, Bill Moore, Merry Moore and Melinda Moore Garber; her sister, Lisa "Cherry" Davis; and grandchildren, Shannon Moore and Asher Ferguson. Funeral services are planned for 12:30 p.m. on Friday, November 4,2011 at Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills, Church of the Hills. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Alzheimer's Association(alz.org)

For additional information, please contact family representative Greg Purdy at 760-808-3650 or gmpurdy@dc.rr.com.

Moderator's Note:

Here are three songs by Beryl Davis from the war years:

I'm Old Fashioned
Beryl Davis with Geraldo and His Orchestra

Milkman Keep Those Bottles Quiet
Beryl Davis with The Squadronaires

Skylark
Beryl Davis with Geraldo and His Orchestra

There are several videos of Beryl singing recently with the Bill Baker Big Band at the Glenn Miller Festival at Twinwood, Bedfordshire, England. You'll have to watch them on the YouTube web site because these videos are not allowed to be posted elsewhere. Just follow this link:

Beryl Davis and Bill Baker Big Band

George Spink
Moderator - The Palomar
Los Angeles, California
Email Me

My interest has not diminished

milliondreamsago@gmail.com (George Spink) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 15:28:00 +0000

Hi, it's been a long while since I last posted on the Palomar. This was due to a long period of ill health and other events leaving little time.

No matter, I've kept an eye on things from time to time and recently mentioned on the Swingera Yahoo! Group that I've got a Big Band Sounds programme on internet radio here in Worthing (the UK one in West Sussex).

It contains from week to week much of the usual big band content that others provide except that I often move away from the expected to offer a item of comedy from the likes of Spike Jones, Billy Cotton, Stan Freberg and others.

Vocals are featured provided enough big band backing makes it of interest.

I was placing a playlist on the Swingera Yahoo! Group and on Facebook, but I've been told I must not do this as it is against the license requirements here in the UK with regard to PPL.

I suspect in the USA things are a little more easier. Are they? It would be interesting to know.

My show goes out at www.worthingonlineradio.com at 9pm GMT ( 21:00hrs UTC) on Sundays and repeated on Wednesday same time.

I hope this has been of interest to you big band fans and many thanks to George Spink for keeping the Big Band Music alive.

Here in the UK it's not easy to find tuneful music where most of the time the pop music industry dominates and much of it relies on image instead of "can you whistle or hum it?"

Thank you for you time. Hope you can find time to listen.

Best wishes to all,

Lionel Leighton
Worthing
West Sussex
United Kingdom

Moderator's Note: Welcome back, Lionel! It's good to hear from you again! Please feel free to write anything you like about the big bands, the Swing Era for The Palomar.

George Spink - Los Angeles
Email Me

The Influence of Jean Goldkette

milliondreamsago@gmail.com (George Spink) — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 00:43:00 +0000

Jean Goldkette

by Jeff Karpinski

My previous feature on the Casa Loma Orchestra noted that it owed much of its success to the bandleader and impresario Jean Goldkette. His career has much in common with many other early names in what was referred to as "white jazz" back in the 1920s: First, his name is now almost forgotten, yet he was one of the so-called "incubators" who shaped the early careers of many better-known performers. Second, he was another immigrant who got his start in classical music but switched careers during the jazz explosion of the 1920s and 1930s.

It's hard to pin down Jean Goldkette's early life because both he and other family members regularly reinvented their biographies. His French first name and German family name would mark him as a probable product of the Alsace region of northern Europe, but most sources state he was actually born in Greece in 1893 to parents of Russian and Danish origins. He studied classical piano before emigrating to the US in 1910 or 1911. By the early 1920s he had settled in the Detroit area and made a name for himself as both a bandleader and booking agent.

The Victor Recording Orchestra

His own band recorded for Victor as the Victor Recording Orchestra (this was of course before the merger with RCA). During the period from 1924 to 1927 it contained a panoply of young musicians who either became stars then or who went on to later fame. At one point or another, Frankie Trumbauer, the Dorseys, Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang, and most famously Bix Beiderbecke performed under his direction. And as an agent, he promoted McKinney's Cotton Pickers as well as molding The Orange Blossoms into the Casa Loma Orchestra.

McKinney's Cotton Pickers

The bands he led or promoted were usually much larger than the 5 or 6 members typical of many groups at the time. According to at least a few authors, Jean Goldkette's influence went beyond just the men he made famous; he was one of the main forces in establishing what we now consider to be the template for a Big Band's instrumentation.

Jean Goldkette Orchestra -- "An Old Italian Love Song"

Goldkette's own orchestra fell on hard times during 1927 and was absorbed by Paul Whiteman's group. Jean continued to work as a booking agent and served as musical director of the Detroit Athletic Club. Additional financial problems forced him to leave the jazz world and return to classical performances. By 1939 he was back on his feet and founded the first incarnation of the American Symphony Orchestra. He worked in and around the New York area for many years after that but never regained his early influence. His stylings were featured in Billy Wilder's Some Like It Hot which led to Goldkette making a forgettable "comeback" LP in 1959. He passed away in 1962.

Jeff Karpinski
King of Prussia, Pennsylvania
Email Me

Injun Summer

milliondreamsago@gmail.com (George Spink) — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 06:59:00 +0000

Indian Summer
Glenn Miller with Ray Eberle

Indian Summer is a very special time. Many states in the Midwest, on the East Coast, and especially in New England are ablaze in beautiful autumnal colors during October. Leaves are falling to the ground. In those cities, towns, and villages that still allow the burning of autumn leaves, no aroma is more enchanting. I'm sure you've been humming the many songs about autumn, such as "Those autumn leaves...." and so on.

One of my favorite memories of autumn is John T. McCutcheon's beautiful illustration called "Injun Summer." My father read it to me in the Chicago Tribune on the last Sunday before Halloween, just as his father had read it to him when he was a boy. You see, the Trib first published it in 1907! It appeared on the front cover of the Sunday Tribune Magazine for many decades. And the Trib syndicated it to other newspapers from coast to coast! Chances are, you remember "Injun Summer," too.

But a few years ago, the Trib stopped publishing "Injun Summer." Why? Because a few Trib execs were afraid the illustration might offend a few Native Americans. The Trib bigwigs didn't care that by no longer publishing "Injun Summer" they would offend many hundreds of thousands of readers who looked forward to "Injun Summer" every year.

Well, I'm not afraid of offending Native Americans. Moreover, I bet most Native Americans would enjoy "Injun Summer" as much as everyone else!

You can read and enjoy "Injun Summer" on my big band web site, Tuxedo Junction. Just click on this link to do so:

http://tuxjunction.net/injunsummer.html

Enjoy!

And finally, for the first time since 1992, the Chicago Tribune published a small version of "Injun Summer" on Sunday, Oct. 16th. You can view it by clicking on this link:

Injun Summer

George Spink
Moderator - The Palomar
Los Angeles, California
Email Me

A Night at The Palomar with Anita O'Day

milliondreamsago@gmail.com (George Spink) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 22:41:00 +0000

"A Night at The Palomar"

Presents the life and the music of

Anita O'Day

Miss Anita O'Day

with our featured guest

Miss Ginger Berglund

The show is live at 9PM EST.

Call in to join in the fun at 917-889-7819.

A Night at The Palomar with Anita O'Day

Your host,

Spencer "Wolf" Smartt
Dallas, Texas
Email Me

Art Hellyer Now on Internet Radio

milliondreamsago@gmail.com (George Spink) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 21:33:00 +0000

My Chicago buddy Art Hellyer is now hosting an Internet radio show that will show you why he has been so popular in the Windy City for more than half a century. You can hear Art's new show by following this link each Sunday from 1:00pm-2:00pm Central Daylight Savings Time:

http://www.arthellyer.party934.com/

Here are a couple of videos that will whet your interest in Art:

These videos came out a couple of years ago when Art's book, Wake Up, Chicago!, was published. I have posted these two and six more on YouTube for your enjoyment.

I'm really glad that Art can now be heard weekly on the Internet. Please tune in whenever you can! I know you will love Art's show!

George Spink
Moderator - The Palomar
Los Angeles, California
Email Me

A Night at The Palomar with Miller on Mondays

milliondreamsago@gmail.com (George Spink) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 18:21:00 +0000

A Night at The Palomar

Presents

"Miller on Mondays"

Monday October 3rd, 2011

9PM EST

This month the Panel of Experts

will discuss

The "NEW" Glenn Miller Orchestra

and his music recorded in 1938

Call in and join in the conversation!

Call in line is 917-889-7819

Show can be heard live at:

The Big Bands on Yester Year Radio

Your Host

Spencer Smartt

The Big Bands on Yester Year Radio

Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra

milliondreamsago@gmail.com (George Spink) — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 22:50:00 +0000

by Jeff Karpinski

As my childhood fascination with the Swing Era expanded beyond the Dorseys, Shaw, Miller, and Ellington I soon discovered the music of Glen Gray's Casa Loma Orchestra. It didn't hurt of course that my favorite radio station WRCV used selections from the Casa Loma library as part of their "bumper music", to use today's terms, and that a couple of the station's DJs were fans of the orchestra as well. It took me a long time in those Net-less days to discover just why the band was called the Casa Loma Orchestra but the answer turned out to be as interesting as the music.

The Casa Lomans had started out way back in 1927 as a Detroit-based group called The Orange Blossoms that was sponsored by the legendary Jean Goldkette (aha! - another topic for another day. See how it works?). A short while later the Orange Blossoms landed an eight-month engagement at Toronto's famous Casa Loma Hotel. Casa Loma ("Hill House" in Spanish) had been built as the residence of a wealthy financier and at the time of its construction was the largest private home in Canada. By the 1920s it had been converted to a 5-star hotel whose luxury was known around the world. The Orange Blossoms matched the hotel's luxury with their elegant tuxedos and (usually) refined demeanor.

After leaving the Casa Loma Hotel the band decided to change its name to that of the hotel. They also adopted a particularly unusual business model by operating the band as a fully-established corporation. Musicians held stock in the band as well as serving as its board of directors. Performers were expected to follow a set of rules of behavior commensurate with the probity of Casa Loma Hotel itself. In keeping with the band's corporate operations its music director was elected from among the musicians rather than "owning" the band as most leaders did. Its first leader was violinist Hank Biagini but the de facto director was its saxophone player Glen Knoblaugh.

It was once said of Arthur Fiedler that he "looked like a conductor from central casting" and the same was true of "Spike" Knoblaugh. His handsome face and pencil mustache gave him the look of a 1930's movie star, and on stage he wore a tux as if he'd been born to it.

The only problem was the name. "Knoblaugh" derives from the German word for garlic and no matter what else, a nickname like "Spike" hardly fit the band's image. The nickname went, his middle name replaced the last name, and "Glen Gray" joined Casa Loma on the marquee. For a while he continued to play in the sax section but in 1937 the musicians overwhelmingly asked him to become the leader in name as well as in fact.

The Orchestra played a mixture of swing and ballad tunes like many other bands of the time. Arranger Gene Gifford targeted his charts at performers like trumpeter Sonny Dunham, trombonist Pee Wee Hunt, and clarinetist Clarence Hutchinrider. The ballads did better than the swing numbers because the musicians' creativity and looseness sometimes fell victim to the band's strict operating rules. Nevertheless they had a number of jazz hits including No Name Jive, Casa Loma Stomp, and Maniac's Ball. They were regularly featured on the Camel Caravan radio show where the languid tune Smoke Rings became their theme.

The band remained popular and continued to turn out sets of attractive, danceable recordings despite being eclipsed by the bigger-name groups that weren't constrained by a corporate format. By the war years most of the original members had left, leading to dissolution of the corporation and reorganization on more standard lines with Glen Gray owning both the band itself and rights to the Casa Loma name. It was joined by the now barely-remembered vocalist Eugenie Baird whose strong alto voice complemented the group's evolving style. The Casa Lomans continued to perform and record all the way until 1950 when they too fell victim to changing economics and musical tastes.

But it was not the end of the Casa Loma Orchestra! During the mini-revival of interest in swing during the mid-1950s Capitol Records lured Glen Gray out of retirement to make a series of LPs featuring both original members of the Casa Loma Orchestra plus some of the best studio musicians of the day. The new band hit store shelves in 1956 with the album Casa Loma in Hi-Fi.

The debut album was followed by more re-recordings of the original band's hits as well as a few more contemporary songs. The discs sold surprisingly well which led Capitol to fund a second series called Sounds of the Great Bands. The new Casa Lomans recreated dozens of the most famous songs of the Swing Era ranging from more of their own tunes to the aforementioned Dorseys, Shaw, Miller, and Ellington as well as lesser-known bands like Bennie Moten and Bob Crosby.

Even though they were classed as "nostalgia albums" the Sounds series sold so well that Capitol offered to fund the group as a touring band. Gray however had come to like the comforts of retirement and approaching the age of 60 had little desire to go on the road again. He did agree to front the studio Casa Loma group for more LPs but by this point it seemed that the bean-counters were trying to over-milk the concept. Capitol had them record two LPs called Today's Best and More of Today's Best that featured arrangements of current pop tunes (e.g. More, I Wanna Be Around) performed as if they had been written and arranged in the 1930s. A second and rather more strained series featuring Latin-flavored arrangements of Swing-Era standards was to follow

but Gray was now suffering from the cancer that took his life too soon at age 63. Arrangers Larry Wagner and Billy May led the studio group to finish out the albums, then disbanded. By the mid-1960s the Casa Loma name and music belonged to history.

Jeff Karpinski
King of Prussia, Pennsylvania
Email Me

Bob Wills - The King Of Western Swing

milliondreamsago@gmail.com (George Spink) — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 23:44:00 +0000

Re-posted by request

When I was growing up in the southern Appalachian mountains of Tennessee during the late forties and the early fifties, my mother was one of the hippest swingers of the time (not the same as “swingers” of today!). She could really bop to Benny Goodman and was as good as they came when it came to dancing to swing. Mom also liked country music because that was the music she grew up with.

My dad was a dyed-in-the-wool country and western music lover. When he wasn’t driving a coal truck delivering coal to the TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) or running moonshine to Atlanta or Augusta, Georgia, he spent his time working part-time at the local radio station playing the latest country music hits of the time. Now don’t let me mislead you here. Radio stations in rural Tennessee during that period would let just about anyone with the nerve get on the radio and be a DJ.

What he loved about that job was getting to meet those that were out on the road promoting their own songs by delivering their own records to the radio stations personally and asking the DJ on the air to play their records. One of his proudest moments was when Hank Williams came to his little station and asked my dad to play his music. He still has a picture of Hank and him in front of that little radio station holding Hank's new hit record with their arms over each others shoulders.

Dad was a pretty good guitar player and singer in his own right at the time and spent many weekends at the local Juke Joints playing and singing with his little four-piece band. But I think his most favorite music, that of which mom liked the most, was playing the music of his all time favorite Bob Wills. That was the “Swing” that my dad enjoyed.

James Robert (Bob) Wills (1905-1975) was born in Kosse, Texas in 1905 and was considered to be the father of what we all know as “Country Swing”. Bob’s father and grandfather taught young Bob to play the fiddle and the mandolin at a very young age. Bob spent much of his youth picking cotton and listening to cotton picker’s songs.

During the 1920’s, "Jim Rob," as he was called at the time, became a barber as his trade, married, and moved first to Roy, New Mexico then to Turkey, Texas ( can you imagine living in a place called Turkey?). Soon Jim Bob grew restless and moved to Fort Worth to pursue a career in music. It was while performing in a medicine show in Fort Worth that he learned comic timing and some of the famous "patter" he later delivered on his records.

Wills made his professional debut as a blackface singer along the lines of Al Jolson who was also a big hit during this time. Bob was a big fan of Bessie Smith and once rode 50 miles on horseback just to see her perform live.

Wills formed The Wills Fiddle Band in 1930 when Milton Brown joined his group as lead vocalist. Brown brought a sense of innovation and experimentation to the band. They became the “Light Crust Doughboys” sponsored by the makers of Light Crust Flour. Bob was despised by his superiors at the flour company because they considered his music as "hillbilly music."

Wills and his best friend, Tommy Duncan, his then lead singer, left the Doughboys in 1933 after Wills had missed one show too many due to his sporadic drinking, which finely lead to his death in 1975.

Bob Wills continued throughout the years adding to his band the music of the times and of the south where he played. I could go on with page after page about the music and the man. However, you can read up on the life of Bob Wills at Wikipedia and other internet sites about his life.

My dad, now in his early 80’s, lives in Denver with his wife, Rosemary, whose brother was a songwriter in Nashville. He wrote a couple of songs for Buck Owens during the 1960’s. They still talk about Buck when he was rising to fame in Phoenix and the many friends that they knew over the years in country music like Chet Adkins and Ernest Tubb. Dad and Rosemary were friends with other country music greats like Merle Haggard and Wayland Jennings who they also met in the 1960’s in Phoenix through Buck.

When I was growing up my old man often had his friends over to play their music, drink and sing their songs. To me, they were just a bunch of country singers trying to make it big in the country music business. I didn’t think much about it at the time, but as the years have passed by, I’ve looked back at the time they spent out on the patio and wish I had paid more attention to who they all were.

The one thing they all seemed to say back then was that the greatest of them all, when it came to showmanship, was the king himself, Bob Wills. How I wish we could have known him!

I want to thank my dad for those great memories and for the love of country music that he instilled in me. I also want to wish him and all fathers a belated happy Fathers Day! Thanks, dad.

Spencer "Wolf" Smartt
Dallas, Texas
Email Me

From the 1974 album Fathers and Sons featuring songs by both Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys and Asleep at the Wheel:

Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys

San Antonio Rose
Trouble in Mind
Miss Molly
Time Changes Everything
Big Beaver
Can't Go On This Way
The Convict and The Rose
Roly-Poly
Back to Tulsa
New San Antonio Rose

Asleep at the Wheel

Choo Choo Ch'boogie
Jumpin' at the Woodside
Miss Molly
Blood-Shot Eyes
Dead Man
Don't Ask Me Why (I'm Going to Texas)
The Kind of Love I Can't Forget
Last Letter
Our Names Aren't Mentioned (Together Anymore)
You and Me Instead