Results for "Big Band"

Big Band

Charlie Spivak

Born: February 17, 1907

Charlie Spivak was a popular American bandleader and trumpeter, most prominent during the swing era (roughly 1933 - 1947). Born on February 17, 1907, Spivak's early career was spent performing with some of the period's top bands, including the orchestras of Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey and Glenn Miller as well as Bob Crosby's small Dixieland combo the Bob Cats. As a bandleader himself, Spivak became known as "The Man Who Plays the Sweetest Trumpet in the World" and drew favourable comparisons to Harry James, America's number one trumpet idol of the 1940s. Though he never achieved the same level of fame or critical aclaim as some of his contemporaries, such as Miller, James, the Dorseys or Benny Goodman, his records were consistently popular, especially during World War II

Russ Morgan

Born: April 29, 1904

Russell Morgan (born in Scranton, Pennsylvania on April 29, 1904) was an American swing-era big band leader, arranger, composer and trombonist best known for his radio show Music in the Morgan Manner and his composition "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", which he co-wrote with Larry Stock and James Cavanaugh in 1944. Morgan's musical career began in the 1920s, when his skills as an arranger brought him work with some of the era's top bands, including those of Fletcher Henderson and Paul Whiteman, then known as the "King of Jazz". He went on to lead a succesful "sweet" band himself and become a popular figure on radio in the 1930s and 1940s

Big Band Alumni

Active since: 2000

The Big Band Alumni is a 17-piece big band that features some musicians that are graduates of the greatest big bands of all time like Benny Goodman, Harry James, Stan Kenton, Woody Herman, Count Basie, Jimmy & Tommy Dorsey, and many others from the Big Band Era.

The Big Band Alumni is in its 25th year of existence. The band was created by musicians who were members of the big bands (largely) of the 1940’s who were responsible for the swing era. Over the 21 years there have been replacements. Like many big bands of the 40’s we also have vocalists who have always been younger than the original band members.

David Bode

Some are raised in New Orleans’ musical tradition. Others join it by force of will. David Bode, a New Orleans-born saxophonist and composer, felt the pull of his city’s timeless, creative spirit from childhood. But as the first musician in his family, connecting with it required desire and persistence. A graduate of the renowned Loyola University and University of New Orleans music programs, Bode, who first began performing professionally while in high school, has spent more than two decades performing, writing, and recording in New Orleans and beyond. He is a regular at his city’s famed music clubs, concert halls, and festivals performing with New Orleans High Society, the New Leviathan Oriental Foxtrot Orchestra, and the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, among many others, and is the leader of the David Bode Big Band. Good Hang, Bode’s first release as a leader, blends his eclectic musical sensibility into the classic sounds of big band jazz, resulting in an energetic debut.

Desi Arnaz

Born: March 2, 1917

Jessika Smith

Lew Stone

Born: May 28, 1898

Lew Stone was a prominent British bandleader, pianist, arranger and composer during the 1930s and 1940s, known for writing sophisticated arrangements for various dance bands (including his own) and popularising American jazz rhythms in Britain's own swing era. Although his name isn't as widely known today as that of, say, Jack Hylton's, some of his songs are still popular today, partly thanks to the television series Pennies from Heaven.

Carroll Gibbons

Born: January 4, 1903

Carroll Gibbons was a distinguished American-born pianist, bandleader and composer who became a defining figure in British Dance Band music during the 1930s and '40s. Best known for his elegant work with the Savoy Hotel Orpheans, Gibbons brought a refined jazz sensibility to popular music, blending American influences with a uniquely British charm. His smooth arrangements, stylish piano playing, and keen ear for melody earned him acclaim both in the UK and abroad. Gibbons also composed several enduring tunes, including “A Garden in the Rain”, leaving a lasting legacy in the world of light jazz and popular standards.

Tommy Tucker

Born: May 18, 1903

Tommy Tucker was a popular swing-era bandleader, pianist, accordionist and trombonist who led one of the most refined "sweet" bands of the 1930s and '40s. Born Gerald L. Duppler on May 18, 1903, in Souris, North Dakota, Tucker adopted his stage name during his rise in the Midwest dance band circuit. His orchestra gained national attention through novelty recordings for labels such as Columbia and Vocalion, and also by maintaining a polished, danceable style that contrasted with the hotter swing bands of the time. Though not a jazz innovator in the same way as Duke Ellington or Earl "Fatha" Hines, Tucker’s ensemble featured skilled sidemen and occasional jazz soloists, and his music remains a perfect example of the elegant ballroom tradition