Big Band for Beginners

[ii-5-i]

Wildroot

Dear Root,

Your point is well taken. The true "Big Band Era" ended or withered away in the years immediately following WWII. I think we're talking about two different subjects. I was suggesting the accessability of the 2nd Testament Basie band is easier on the ears due to the charts of Wilkins, Hefti and Nestico. And at the risk of being "Crow Jim", the black bands of the "Era" swung much harder than the white bands. Don't tell me about Goodman because he had Fletcher Henderson as his primary arranger.

By the way, another great but usually overlooked big band leader and arranger was the great, great Benny Carter.

 

[jamespowers]

Did someone here forget about the Ink Spots? You know the guys who had the absolutely first music video on TV? Now they had rhythm. Swing Hi Swing Lo. Yeah, yeah. :cheers1:

Regards to all,

J

 

[Nonchalant]

The 'Other' Guys

Don't forget Bunny Berigan! Bunny Berigan was a gifted but hard-drinking trumpeter whose tragic life almost paralleled Bix Beiderbecke's. Berigan had a much more successful career as a sideman than as a bandleader, but his band's recorded sides were great. If you can find "I Just Can't Get Started", get it.. It's one of the great ballads of the Swing Era.


Andy Kirk (Like Count Basie, Kirk led another great Kansas City orchestra. Arranger/pianist Mary Lou Williams "The Lady Who Swings The Band" and crooner Pha Terrell were definite standouts.. Pha Terrell helped score the bands biggest hit in 1936 with "Until The Real Thing Comes Along")

Red Norvo (Smooth, innovative, XYLOPHONE jazz - definitely worth exploring.. Norvo also had a major asset in wife Mildred Bailey, who was undoubtedly one of the finest vocalists of her day)

Kay Kyser (A lot of his recordings are corny novelty numbers IMHO, but he was wildly popular. Still, he had a top notch orchestra, and they could swing with the best with them when they felt like it)


Woody Herman (Woody Herman had a long career to be sure, but my favorite Herman band was his 1937 orchestra.. "Can't We Be Friends" is a favorite)

Charlie Barnet (Barnet had a style similar to Ellington's - look for tunes like "Cherokee", and "Skyliner")

Jan Savitt (Known for his "shuffle rhythm" style.. His signature number was "720 In The Books")

Henry Busse ("Hot Lips")

Earl Hines ("Cavernism", "Skylark")

Clyde McCoy (A very underrated bandleader, and worth seeking out)


Joe Haymes (Haymes had a very good early swing band, before it was taken over by Tommy Dorsey in 1935)

Ozzie Nelson ("Jersey Jive" really swings!)

 

[mjbrekke]

Getting back to your original question, Mycroft, if I could only take one big band album with me to a desert island it would be Benny Goodman's Carnegie Hall Concert. A 2 disc set, so plenty of great music. They did sort of a "history of jazz" during part of the concert, so there are many styles represented. And Sing, Sing, Sing from that album is my favorite big band recording, period.

 

[ii-5-i]

Mr. "B"

I just remembered the proto be-bop big band of Billy Eckstine. Too bad it was only active during the recording ban. There are some air checks and "V" disks around you can play if you have a 16" transcription turntable. By the way, thanks for the pics of Bunny Berrigan's and Kay Keyser's bands. I'll try to upload some photos of my own later today.

 

[Gray Ghost]

Kay Kyser

Thanks Nonchalant for mentioning Kay Kyser. You just can't forget about Kay Kyser. He is one of my favorites, but I am biased. I am from his hometown of Rocky Mount, NC. He was entertaining the troops long before Bob Hope was. His mother was also the first woman in North Carolina to be a licensed pharmacist. I have a picture of my mother when she was 18 standing in front of Kyser Drug store on Main St in Rocky Mount. This was in I guess, 1948 or 49. :cheers1:

Gray Ghost

 

[Nonchalant]

Gray Ghost, you have every right be biased in favor of The Old Puh-Fessuh... Nowadays bands like Glenn Miller's & Count Basie's may be better remembered, but in the 1940's it was Kay Kyser who ruled the roost, popularity-wise. Kyser was a great entertainer! His band broke attendance records wherever they went, and Kyser starred in several films; as you well know.

I don't think it was ever reissued on CD, but Golden Era Records put out an excellent LP of Kay Kyser airchecks called "Kay Kyser & His Orchestra - The Swinging Side". I really enjoy it: no slow tempo songs, no gimmicky novelty numbers, just pure swing. The ''singing'' introductions to the songs by Kyser are fun to listen to in themselves (I think it was Kyser who invented this practice, BTW). Anyhow, the LP is well worth looking for. It shouldn't be too hard to find; in fact it turns up on eBay all the time.

 

[topcat]

Well Hello one and all, TC at your service.

Big Band Music. Ah ,what style that brought to the culture of the golden era.

For those looking to make the stride from hip to hep might I recommend to find a way to lay your paws on a book, simply titled "The Big Bands" by George T.Simon.With a forward by
Francis Albert Sinatra.There was a fourth edition reprint back in 1981.

A practical encyclopedia of Big Band history and BB info.

As with all genres of music the Big Band Sound has many different approaches. Paul Whiteman is a far cry from Gordon Jenkins. So the Big Band
world ain't so small that you won't have to do some investigating to find your particular favorite sound.

My particular favorite? I like any Big Band number that has backup vocalists such as the Modernaires,Pied Pipers,Starlighters, etc.

You can come to appreciate the Big Band sound as well by listening to albums
of Sinatra's, Martin's ,some of Cole's who utilized Big Bands for their recordings
as well as Big Band arrangers such as Billy May , Nelson Riddle, Gordon Jenkins
etc.

 

[Mr. 'H']

THis is a great CD! I have this one and you just cant go wrong with it!

http://www.townsend-records.co.uk/artist.php?artist=Boswell+Sisters+(The)&pType=music

=WR=

Thanks Root, I just ordered this and I can't wait.

 

[Gray Ghost]

Gray Ghost, you have every right be biased in favor of The Old Puh-Fessuh... Nowadays bands like Glenn Miller's & Count Basie's may be better remembered, but in the 1940's it was Kay Kyser who ruled the roost, popularity-wise. Kyser was a great entertainer! His band broke attendance records wherever they went, and Kyser starred in several films; as you well know.

I don't think it was ever reissued on CD, but Golden Era Records put out an excellent LP of Kay Kyser airchecks called "Kay Kyser & His Orchestra - The Swinging Side". I really enjoy it: no slow tempo songs, no gimmicky novelty numbers, just pure swing. The ''singing'' introductions to the songs by Kyser are fun to listen to in themselves (I think it was Kyser who invented this practice, BTW). Anyhow, the LP is well worth looking for. It shouldn't be too hard to find; in fact it turns up on eBay all the time.

Thanks. I need to find that LP. I am hoping to get a Kay Kyser day here in Rocky Mount. I was watching a movie with him in it this past saturday. I cant remember the name of it but he was playing a spy for the army. He had to pretend that he was upset with how the government treated him. He was making comments at a rally that he did not feel comfortable doing. The marine that was there told him if he did not like it then he can go back to the country he came from. Kay told him that he was just from Rocky Mount, NC. I thought it was great. They wrote that movie just for him. He was able to use his real name and where he was from. The excuse that that gave for him being kicked out of the army was that he had flat feet. In real life, I believe that I heard somewhere, that was the real reason that he could not enlist in the army plus his age. I could be wrong on the feet thing. I have heard that was the problem for Frank Sinatra not being able to join up. I also want to welcome Nonchalant to the Fedora Lounge. It is nice to find another Kay Kyser fan.

Gray Ghost

 

[nightandthecity]

the problem with recommending "big band for beginners" is the term covers quite a wide range of music, from very jazz to very pop. Personally I tend to the jazzier end of the spectrum and I'd recommend 1930s Ellington, Basie and Fletcher Henderson as a starting point - go for any "greatest hits" type CD.

 

[Radioflyer]

Thanks to those who made references to Kay Kyser. Kay made five movies that were actually pretty good...especially the ones with Ginny Simms in them. I'd love to locate all five on DVD if possible. I'll have to mount a search for them here shortly. Of course, Kay had a band 'stooge' in Ish Kabibble. Did any other bands have a 'stooge'?

rf

 

[Gray Ghost]

Thanks to those who made references to Kay Kyser. Kay made five movies that were actually pretty good...especially the ones with Ginny Simms in them. I'd love to locate all five on DVD if possible. I'll have to mount a search for them here shortly. Of course, Kay had a band 'stooge' in Ish Kabibble. Did any other bands have a 'stooge'?

rf

Ish Kabibble is hilarious. Radioflyer, I like your avatar and welcome to the lounge.:cheers1:

GG