Results for "Glenn Miller"

The Modernaires

Active since: 1934

Formed in the mid-1930s, the Modernaires began as a male vocal quartet known for their tight harmonies and polished sound, initially gaining attention through radio broadcasts and studio work. Their big break came in 1941 when they joined forces with bandleader Glenn Miller, adding Paula Kelly as the female lead and completing the signature lineup. With Miller, the group became a cornerstone of the swing era, contributing to classics like “Chattanooga Choo Choo” and “Juke Box Saturday Night.” Their smooth blend and rhythmic precision helped redefine vocal jazz, bridging the gap between pop sensibility and jazz sophistication in an era dominated by big bands.

Emilio Solla: Uncovering Music Already There

by Dean Nardi
February 26, 2025

In the '40s, the jazz scene was dominated by bebop with its roots in swing music, formerly the purview of the big band era. Trios and quartets became the combo of choice for players such as Charlie “Yardbird" Parker and Thelonious Monk, who took the harmonies of the old jazz and superimposed them on chord substitutions, ...

Glenn Miller: Holiday Season Radio Broadcasts

December 25, 2024

There's something about Glenn Miller's holiday broadcasts that seem timeless. Miller, of course, fronted two bands: His stateside orchestra from 1938 to early fall 1942 and then his Army Air Force Band from the late fall of 1942 to December 1944, when he perished over the English Channel flying from London to Paris. The latter band ...

USAF Airmen of Note: Aim High/The 2024 Jazz Heritage Series

by Jack Bowers
November 15, 2024

Aim High, recorded as part of the 2024 Jazz Heritage Series, is the forty-sixth album by the U.S. armed services' premier jazz ensemble, the Airmen of Note, founded in 1950 to honor the tradition of Major Glenn Miller's Army Air Corps dance band, which entertained the troops during World War II until Miller's untimely death in ...

Scrolling Down the Leaderboard

by Monk Rowe
October 5, 2024

Glenn Miller: Chesterfield Broadcasts, 1940-42

October 1, 2024

If you want to know what America's home front felt like during World War II, listen to Glenn Miller. I know that's an odd thing to say, but that's what an old timer told me one afternoon when my parents had a party at our house. I had mentioned my interest in the big bands, and ...

Mere Noisemakers

by Troy Hoffman
July 13, 2024

Drummers used to be predominantly known as mere noisemakers (not musicians) coming out of the Vaudeville-era, where percussionists were seen as background tools. They often carried out sound effect cues, sent from studios to theaters, for silent films. This left drummers with the responsible task of mimicking the sounds of hurricanes, car crashes and thunderstorms from ...

Etienne Charles: Creole Orchestra Featuring René Marie

by Chris May
June 12, 2024

Trinidad-born Etienne Charles has been fortunate in his associates during his development as a jazz musician. One of the first friends he made on arrival in the U.S.A. in the early 2000s to study at Florida State University was faculty member Marcus Roberts. Among much else, the pianist taught Charles the importance of keeping in touch ...

Doug MacDonald: Big Band Extravaganza

by Richard J Salvucci
August 11, 2023

Some reviewers have been known to complain that contemporary big bands can do most anything but swing. Like all generalizations, there is some merit to the observation. But, like all generalizations, the occasional exception falsifies it. Looking for a big band that pushes all the right buttons? Look no further. Doug MacDonald's “desert jazz" band is ...

One of the Boys in the Band: Discovering my Dad

by George Gozzard
July 21, 2023

George Gozzard was the baby of a pretty large family the jazz trumpeter Harry Roy Gozzard raised. Harry was one of those great working musicians we heard about in the 1930s and through the 1950s who played jazz and dance band gigs interchangeably. These were the days of months long (if not longer) engagements musicians would ...