The Five Pennies

by | Mar 25, 2024 | Sextet, Soundtrack

I had forgotten what a completely enjoyable movie “The Five Pennies” can be, until I rediscovered it a few nights ago. It’s a semi-biographical 1959 musical, starring Danny Kay as jazz cornet player/bandleader Loring “Red” Nichols. “Red” is a determined musician who leaves his small town home in Ogden, Utah and moves to the big city, seeking fame and fortune. The story is funny, yet poignant, and supremely entertaining … with a soundtrack that will knock your musical socks off! The cast is topped off with icons like Louis Armstrong, Shelly Manne, Bob Crosby, Ray Anthony, and Johnnie Ray. While Danny Kaye practiced for months to accurately simulate playing the cornet, it was the real “Red” Nichols who provided all the cornet playing in the movie.

Below are a pair of musical scenes from “The Five Pennies.” Top most is a spirited interplay with Satchmo Armstrong on When The Saints Go Marching In (aka Battle Hymn of the Republic). Beneath that, Glory, Glory Hallelujah is a trumpet/cornet duet between Kaye and Armstrong. Finally, at the bottom is a performance of Maple Leaf Rag by the real “Red” Nichols.

“Red” Nichols and his Five Pennies playing Maple Leaf Rag on Lawrence Welk’s New Year’s Eve television show, December 29, 1956.

Sun Valley Serenade

by | Aug 19, 2023 | Big Band, Stuff, Vocal Group

The Glenn Miller Orchestra appeared in only two movies, the first of which was “Sun Valley Serenade” in 1941.  Chatanooga Choo-Choo (top) and a colorized version of In The Mood (lower) are both from that film.  “Chattanooga Choo-Choo” features a lot more than just the band, with performances by the Nicholas Brothers, The Modernaires, Dorothy Dandridge, and skating star Sonja Henie.  The song, which was nominated for a best song Oscar, was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1996, and was awarded the first Gold Record for sales of 1.2 million.

“In The Mood” was one of the best known tunes of the 1940s and was the biggest hit of Glenn Miller’s career … helping to make him the top bandleader in the world!  By the way, the other movie that featured the Miller Band was called “Orchestra Wives” the following year, in 1942.

Steppin’ Out With My Baby – Fred Astaire

by | Apr 4, 2021 | Big Band, Holiday, Soundtrack

Here’s a scene from the 1948 movie Easter Parade that is guaranteed to please any Fred Astaire fan and make a fan out of anyone who isn’t already!  Astaire was unquestionably one of the greatest entertainers of all time, but as you watch him perform you realize that, as a dancer, he also had to be an extremely well conditioned athlete. Along with Easter eggs, chocolate bunnies and marshmallow Peeps … Easter Parade, Fred Astaire and Judy Garland are musts for your Easter Holiday basket.  Though loosely defined as jazz, this bit of cinema magic demands that we toss away the dictionary, at least for one day every year!

Moonglow And Theme From Picnic – (Soundtrack)

by | Nov 28, 2020 | Orchestral, Soundtrack

Take the 1933 song “Moonglow”, popularized by The Benny Goodman Quartet, blend it carefully with the theme from a 1955 Academy Award winning movie … then add Kim Novak and William Holden, and you have the recipe for a genuine box office blockbuster!  This is the famous dance scene from “Picnic” that was considered so daring and erotic for a movie of that day.

While not strictly a jazz tune, the music [written by George Dunning and scored by Morris Stoloff] became highly popular, and to this day remains one of my favorite songs … and the movie one of my favorite films.. By merging the two songs a truly unique sound was achieved and the combination was successfully recorded by a variety of artists from both the pop and jazz idioms.

The Fabulous Baker Boys

by | Dec 6, 2019 | Solo/Duo, Vocal

The Fabulous Baker Boys is a movie about two guys and a girl, that play against one incredible jazz-based soundtrack!  Toss in some sibling rivalry and you have a motion picture that feels good no matter how many times you see it.

Michelle Pfeiffer does all of her own singing … and is quite a nice surprise, considering we previously only knew her as a most enjoyable actress.   Jeff and Beau Bridges play some of their own piano, although Dave Grusin does most of the keyboard work with the Bridges brothers very convincingly miming it.

Music flows from one end of the story to the other and the plot is a sound one, especially if you happen to have grown up with an obverse brother or sister … or just had a really close best friend.  Here’s a small sample.

That Ain’t Right – Fats Waller & Ada Brown

by | Sep 27, 2019 | Lighter Side, Vocal

In a scene from the 1943 film “Stormy Weather” Fats Waller and Ada Brown perform with legendary dancer Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, drummer Zutty Singleton, bassist Slam Stewart, Trumpeter Benny Carter and singer Lena Horne, just to mention a few.  The film is considered one of the best Hollywood musicals with an African-American cast. It was viewed as a primary showcase of some of the top Black performers of the time, during an era when actors and singers of color rarely appeared in lead roles in mainstream movie productions,