On June 6th 1944, 76 years ago, a bunch of mostly American and Brit kids saved the world from Nazism and preserved the freedom we, now, seem so ready to relinquish. Danny Boy seemed the right mood and Glenn Miller the right orchestra for a salute to all those heroic members of The Greatest Generation who so willingly made the ultimate sacrifice for liberty and justice for all.
The Glenn Miller Orchestra Scandinavia, based in Stockholm Sweden, began operations July 1st 2010 with permission and authorization from Glenn Miller Productions in New York. The band is led by Jan Slottenäs and, arguably, offers the finest reproduction of the original Glenn Miller sound anywhere.
Moonlight Serenade (The video above) became Glenn Miller’s signature song … opening and closing each performance of the band. Below, Perfidia (Spanish for “perfidy”, meaning faithlessness, treachery or betrayal) is a throwback to the 1940s, replete with a vocal group that does The Modernaires proud. In The Mood (Just below that) is a familiar tune for anyone who has ever seen a World War II movie! While a frequently requested dance number for the Miller Band, it became closely associated with the war and the 40s era itself. GMO Scandinavia primarily performs in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland. These videos were recorded at the Vasterås Concert Hall in Sweden, during 2015.
Born in a London suburb, Cleo Laine showed early singing talent, which was nurtured by her Jamaican father and English mother. She gained recognition in both jazz and pop, becoming known for her scat singing, evidenced here in Crazy Rhythm.
In Don’t Talk about me When I’m Gone Cleo uses her more than 3 octave vocal range to subtle advantage. Her big break came when she met composer, saxophonist Sir John Dankworth in the 50s … they remained a team for most of her career..
Thad Jones’ composition Three and One was recorded by The Czech National Symphony Orchestra as part of its “Trumpet Summit” program, with the St. Blaise’s Bigband. Featured soloists were Bobby Shew, Randy Brecker and Jan Hasenöhrl, as brass and reeds shook the usually classical foundations of the historic Municipal House in Prague. You might think of them as “The Three Tenors” of jazz … with trumpets!
Cab Calloway was one of the most colorful and popular entertainers of the 30s and 40s. Calloway hit the big time with “Minnie the Moocher” (1931) … a number one song that sold more than a million copies. The tune’s famous call-and-response “hi-de-hi-de-ho” chorus was first improvised when Cab couldn’t remember a lyric and it became his signature phrase for the rest of his career. His abundant scat-singing was perfected with coaching from none other than Louis Armstrong, the master of non-lyric lyrics.
Move over Michael Jackson because Cab Calloway was more than just a singer and bandleader. His ‘dance’ moves, including early moonwalking, were so popular with the crowd that he became a regular at Harlem’s Cotton Club. Cab’s moves were accurately captured on film for a 1932 ‘Betty Boop’ cartoon, as demonstrated in the video below! Michael J. may have popularized such gyrations during the 60s and 70s but Calloway came first!
Frank Sinatra said Ella Fitzgerald was the best singer (male or female) he ever heard and the only one who made him nervous to sing with, because he had to be up to her standards. Two legends and only one word to describe them: Respect! Frank even lets Ella dominate their performances to showcase her greatness. He was always the gentleman. Talent like Frank and Ella are extinct now and nobody comes close to them … not then, not now.
It was 1967 and both singers were in their prime on That’s Why The Lady Is A Tramp! At one point they respectfully bow to each other, since hugging was not yet a public possibility … still they managed it, lyrically.
Frank may have met his match on Moonlight In Vermont and he knew it. You can tell by the way he looks at her while they’re singing. They sound so perfect, I wish they had made an album together.
When you find two people who ask the eternal question with such passion, with such tenderness and longing, is it fair to keep them apart? Rather than posting two videos, I thought I would at least join them lyrically as best I could into one … and ask Diana Krall and Seth MacFarlane to convey my sincerest wishes for a most healthy, happy and prosperous New Year! By the way, What Are You Doing New Years Eve?
Tony Bennett makes you want to slip on your galoshes and follow him into the snow with this rendition of Winter Wonderland. It features the Count Basie Orchestra and is certain to add Holiday spring to anyone’s step!
My Favorite Things is a classic song swung by a classic performer with a classic band. While the tune was written for a Broadway play, not as a Christmas song, the season wouldn’t be complete without it.
Her true versatility is on full display as Diana Ross moves seamlessly from R&B to jazz in the 1972 motion picture Lady Sings The Blues … the life story of the legendary Billie Holiday. My Man is one of the featured songs.
Riding atop the power of a big band, with All Of Me Diana shows she can swing with the best of them, in addition to melting your heart with her poignant approach to a ballad.
Give Me A Pig Foot And A Bottle Of Beer is a familiar Billie Holiday song that unquestionably distances Diana Ross far from her original Motown days with The Supremes.
God Bless The Child (That’s Got His Own) has been recorded by several top artists but NOBODY ever did it like Billie Holiday … although Diana comes pretty darn close. Another tune featured in Lady Sings The Blues.
Roy Hargrove is known as one of the top trumpet players in jazz for the past quarter-century. As an incisive trumpeter, doubling on flugelhorn, Roy was discovered by Wynton Marsalis in the 1980s. He embodied the brightest promise of his jazz generation, both as a young steward of the hard bop tradition and a savvy bridge to both hip-hop and R&B. His assertive sound embodied a tone that could evoke either burnished steel or a soft, golden glow. Here we have both.
Angels (Above), features the quintet with Roy Hargrove on trumpet, Justin Robinson on alto sax, Tadataka Unno playing piano, Ameen Saleem on bass, and Quincy Phillips playing drums.
I Remember Clifford (Below) displays Hargrove’s softer side, with the flugelhorn as a contrast to his big band backing.
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