50 Years on Stage
Ib Glindemann | edel-Mega (2002)
This handsome two–disc set celebrates the long and distinguished
career of Danish bandleader / composer Ib Glindemann who formed his
first band while studying at the Royal Danish Conservatory and has been
one of his country’s most eminent maestros ever since. Disc 1, recorded
in concert at the Esbjerg Koncerthus in December ’01 with Glindemann’s
present orchestra, is evenly divided between instrumentals and vocals by
guest artist Gitte Haenning who is much better at interpreting American
popular songs than many other European singers we’ve heard. The band
itself is moored securely in the middle of the road, performing themes
associated with Woody Herman (“Four Brothers”), Glenn Miller (“Red
Wing,” “Tuxedo Junction”), Gene Krupa (“Leave Us Leap”), Ellington
(“Don’t Get Around Much Anymore”) and Kenton (Bill Holman’s definitive
arrangement of “Stompin’ at the Savoy”) while German–born Haenning
sings a pair of standards (“Bewitched,” “Stormy Weather”), Neal Hefti’s
“Li’l Darlin’,” J. Wood’s “My Kinda World,” her father Otto Haenning’s “What
Is Life without Music?” and a medley of her delightful “hits,” mostly Danish
but including Jerome Kern / Oscar Hammerstein’s “I’ve Told Every Little
Star” and Nat Russel’s “I’m Not Too Young to Sing the Blues.” Tenors
Mads Ole, Jesper Løvdal, Ole Olsen and baritone Jan Harbeck are the
soloists on “Four Brothers,” while others heard to good advantage along
the way include trumpeters Henrik Bolberg (“Russian Lullaby,” “Li’l
Darlin’,” “Leave Us Leap,” “Tuxedo Junction,” “Savoy”), trombonist
Flemming Sjølund (“Red Wing,” “Leave Us Leap”), tenors Olsen
(“Russian Lullaby,” “Leave Us Leap”) and Løvdal (“Red Wing,” “Leave Us
Leap,” “Savoy,” “Don’t Get Around Much”). The disc has a definite
“concert–hall” sound with broad reverb but it’s not so pronounced as to be
unsettling.
As the more generously timed Disc 2 surveys Glindemann’s career from
1952–2002, a few words about that seem in order. After graduating from
the RDC in 1956 as a trumpet player / composer he was engaged by
theatre director Stig Lommer to lead a sixteen–piece band at the National
Scala Theatre in Copenhagen, marking his debut as a professional
bandleader. Also that year Glindemann began composing music for films,
ballet and the theatre including a new version of Shakespeare’s The
Tempest that had its premiere in Dallas, Texas. He has also written a
trumpet concerto (the second and third movements of which are heard on
Disc 2) and a symphony. From 1964–68 Glindemann served as director
of the Danish Radio’s New Dance Orchestra, which later became the
Danish Radio Big Band (and is now the Danish Radio Jazz Orchestra),
and for the next twenty–six years wrote music for films while traveling
around the world before returning to the big–band scene in 1994 and
forming his present orchestra, which has been hugely successful playing
music from the books of such legendary bands as Basie, Ellington,
Kenton, Herman, Goodman, Dorsey, Krupa, Shaw and others. Disc 2 is
mainly instrumental but does include four vocals, by Monica Zetterlund
(Cole Porter’s “Love for Sale” with its seldom–heard introductory verse),
Otto Brandenburg (“Er Det Mon Sandt?”), Irina Stranger (“Shiny
Stockings”) and Dicte and Claus Hempler (“You’re the Boss”). The disc’s
twenty–three tracks were obviously recorded at various times but if the
dates are provided in the booklet they are in Danish, so we’ll let that pass.
[Trombonist Sjølund wrote to let us know about a number of booklet
errors but (aside from the omission on Disc 1 of drummer Ole
Givsgaard!) they are negligible and don’t affect the music.] The second
disc boasts a handful of well–known guest soloists — trumpeter Idrees
Sulieman, tenor Ben Webster and baritone Sahib Shihab (“All on Board,”
obviously recorded in the late ’50s, as it features the New Radio
Orchestra), tenor Stan Getz (“Cherokee”) — and some home–grown
artists whose names were not unknown to us including Bolberg, Løvdal,
Sjølund, trumpeter Allan Botschinsky, alto saxophonist Rolf Billberg, tenor
Jesper Thilo and trombonist Vincent Nilsson. Three selections (“Miss
April,” “Adams Theme,” “Gosh”) appeared first on movie soundtracks. As
was Glindemann’s style, much of the rest is an inspired blend of Jazz and
dance music with the latter predominating on “Holiday Romance,” “Siesta
Serenade,” “Tea at the Ritz,” “Bolberg in Blue” and Ray Heindorf’s
“Melancholy Rhapsody.” The Jazz is more prominent on Glindemann’s
compositions “Afternoon Amble,” “All on Board,” “Billy’s in Town,” “Little
Brown Les,” “Coast to Coast,” “Flemming’s at the Bone” (spotlighting
Sjølund’s muted trombone) and “Swing Shoes,” as well as on Ray
Noble’s “Cherokee,” which is driven by Getz’s cyclonic tenor but sounds
like it was recorded in a phone booth. Gorm Hovaldt is showcased on the
second (andante) movement of Glindemann’s concerto for trumpet and
orchestra, Knud Hovaltd on the faster, Latin–influenced third movement.
While not everything on this anthology can be described as “classic,”
much of the music is interesting and some of it is outstanding. Best of all,
it gives one a chance to get to know — through his music — one of
Denmark’s most renowned bandleaders, the remarkable and
multi–talented Ib Glindemann.
Contact:
www.edel–mega.com .
Track listing: Disc 1 — Russian Lullaby; Stormy Weather / Music That Makes Me
Dance; Four Brothers; Bewitched; Red Wing; Li’l Darlin’; Leave Us Leap;
Gitte Haenning medley; Tuxedo Junction; My Kinda World; Don’t Get
Around Much Anymore; What Is Life without Music?; Stompin’ at the Savoy;
Stormy Weather (57:44). Disc 2 — Afternoon Amble; Miss April;
Adams Theme; Manhattan Strut; Holiday Romance; All on Board; Love for
Sale; Billy’s in Town; Siesta Serenade; Little Brown Les; Melancholy
Rhapsody; Cherokee; Andante con Sentimento; Allegro Spagnùlo; Er Det
Mon Sandt?; Coast to Coast; Tea at the Ritz; Gosh; Flemming’s at the
Bone; You’re the Boss; Shiny Stockings; Bolberg in Blue 2002; Swing
Shoes (76:54).
Personnel: Ib Glindemann, conductor, arranger, with various orchestras including the
present one — Jens Søndergaard, alto sax, clarinet; Mads Ole, alto, tenor
sax; Ole Olsen, Jesper Løvdal, tenor sax; Jan Harbeck, baritone sax; Egon
Petersen, Henrik Bolberg, Flemming Hansen, Jens Gotholdt, Perry
Knudsen, trumpet; Peter Jensen, Flemming Sjølund, Kim Aagaard, Rolf
Mandix, trombone; Klaus Löhrer, bass trombone; Torben Kjaer, piano; Ole
Ousen, guitar; Marc Davis, bass; Ole Givsgaard, drums. Guest vocalist on
Disc 1 — Gitte Haenning.
Style: Big Band
Published: November 01, 2002
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