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Glenn Miller: In the Mood

Read "Glenn Miller: In the Mood" reviewed by David Rickert


One Of the Kings Of Swing

While many people argued whether Goodman or Shaw was the better musician, nobody during the Swing Era could ignore that Glenn Miller left both of them in his wake once he hit the scene. Sure, the bespectacled, tight-lipped bandleader seemed more like the leader of a choir than a swing band, but his keen arranging skills and ear for melody ensured that at least every other tune he recorded seemed like the anthem of ...

892

Lionel Hampton: "Flying Home"

Read "Lionel Hampton: "Flying Home"" reviewed by David Rickert


Second Balcony Jump

In his autobiography Malcolm X described the first time he heard “Flying Home. “People kept shouting for Hamp's “Flying Home and finally he did it. I had never seen such fever heated dancing. In his autobiography, Lionel Hampton tells the story of the time at the Apollo when a guy who had smoked too much marijuana launched himself from the second balcony when the band played the song, apparently in the mistaken belief that he could “fly ...

885

Tommy Dorsey: "Marie"

Read "Tommy  Dorsey: "Marie"" reviewed by David Rickert


Brotherly Love

It all started, or rather ended, with a tempo change. The Dorsey Brothers Orchestra broke up when Tommy Dorsey abruptly walked off the stage during an engagement at the Glen Island Casino after an argument over the tempo of a tune. However, the seeds of discord had been planted long ago. The Dorsey Brothers, Jimmy and Tommy, were legendary scrappers who, despite their love for one another, constantly found themselves in heated arguments. After this final blow-up, Jimmy ...

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Artie Shaw: "Begin the Beguine"

Read "Artie Shaw: "Begin the Beguine"" reviewed by David Rickert


Dueling Clarinetists

During the Swing Era Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw were the clarinetists that reigned supreme and serious fans divided themselves into factions that loved one or the other. Goodman was the peddler of popular tunes who got the crowd on their feet, while Shaw was the musician's musician who preferred to make artistic statement that people listened to.

While both left their mark on the time period, nobody felt the tension between art and entertainment like ...

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Duke Ellington: "Cotton Tail"

Read "Duke Ellington: "Cotton Tail"" reviewed by David Rickert


Part III in a series exploring the history of the Swing Era's greatest songs.

It Don't Mean A Thing

Unlike many big band leaders, Ellington was always uncomfortable with the swing music craze and had little to gain from it. For one thing, his distinctive musical imagination and complex arrangements were more appropriate for listening than jitterbugging. He was more interested in exploring a wide range of moods and emotions than the dance bandleaders, who rarely composed their own music. ...

589

Count Basie: "One O'Clock Jump"

Read "Count  Basie: "One O'Clock Jump"" reviewed by David Rickert


Part II in a series exploring the history of the Swing Era's greatest songs.

In the summer of 1937 Charlie Parker headed to the Ozark Mountains with a stack of Count Basie records and spent hours woodshedding, learning the solos of Lester Young note for note. Although Parker developed his own style out of this exercise, Young's playing had a profound influence on his initial approach. But Parker wasn't the only one; there were plenty of artists who devoted time ...

1,277

Benny Goodman: "Sing, Sing, Sing"

Read "Benny Goodman: "Sing, Sing, Sing"" reviewed by David Rickert


Part I in a series exploring the history of the Swing Era's greatest songs. The Paramount Benny Goodman and his band arrived at the Paramount Theater on the morning of March 3, 1937 to find throngs of students waiting in line. Goodman had assumed that this engagement, which started at 8:30 in the morning and preceded a Claudette Colbert picture, wouldn't be that big of a deal. But when the band appeared on the slowly ...


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