Show Notes 4/30-5/3

Music: the Great Unifier

Artie Shaw was a first-generation American, born in Baltimore to Jewish parents from eastern Europe in 1910. His family moved to New Haven, Connecticut, when Artie was four years old. Growing up in New Haven in the years surrounding World War I, Artie felt the ugly and perplexing sting of Antisemitism. He wrote about it in his autobiography, The Trouble with Cinderella.  Naturally, being discriminated against was confusing to him as a child, and it embittered him throughout his adult life. But, his father would often remind him that, unfair and hurtful though it was, the situation was far better for the family than it had been in the former Russian Empire, where "things were not too good for the Jews." 

But in early 20th Century America, minorities didn't protest in the streets demanding change; they kept quiet, and flew "under the radar" to the greatest extent possible. After all, women had just won the right to vote in 1920. And, though limited by comparison to the white, Christian community, the lot of American Jews was still, in many ways, better than that of Blacks and others of color. Artie's parents were able to shrug and say, "It could be worse." But he never could. 

Artie Shaw's name doesn't come up when people discuss civil rights pioneers. But, in his own way, he made a difference. In 1938, his was the first "name" band to employ a Black vocalist - Billie Holiday. Her presence on the bandstand, seated in an evening gown next to Helen Forrest (who was Jewish), did more than raise eyebrows. It sparked open conflict between Shaw and many of the venue operators, who insisted that Billie appear on the stand only to sing her songs, and then disappear until called on again. Hotel ballroom and restaurant bosses demanded that she enter and exit the facilities through the kitchen or side entrance to protect the "sensibilities" of their patrons. And when management refused to let Billie stay at the hotels where the band was engaged, Shaw invariably took up her cause, even cancelling bookings in protest. After a year or so, Billie quit the band, acknowledging that it was an unwinnable uphill battle. Although she was grateful beyond measure for his support, she felt it was unfair to Artie and the rest of the band for her to continue. 

Artie Shaw was a man who found it impossible to work on any but his own terms. He chose his sidemen based solely on talent and temperament, without regard for their ethnicity or background. He willingly went through many of the same battles over his associations with trumpeter Roy Eldridge, saxist/arranger Teddy McRae,, and others. And when you hear the music his band made, you get it. Artie understood that human nature changes incrementally, and he took his satisfaction in knowing that he had made his choices based on what was best for his band, and best for the music. In hindsight, we can see now that he did more than employ some talented people and make some quality music; he had moved the needle. 

We will open this week's In the Mood with a sampling of the Artie Shaw band's most memorable sides, and I think it will be obvious to one and all why he was given the nickname, "The King of the Clarinet." But he was more than just a talented and successful musician; he was a man of integrity who lived his values.

Hour 2 starts off in a different direction, but one that you will find every bit as musically satisfying. We will spend a little more than 20 minutes savoring the sweet and utterly danceable sounds of Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians. Hailing from London, Ontario, this family-run band was a mainstay of the sweet-music scene for over fifty years. 

To me, Guy Lombardo was something of a miracle worker. He not only led a very successful Big Band for over half a century, working right up to the time of his death at age 75, but he did it working with his family. Now, I realize that some people might not find that terribly remarkable. But there are many others, and you know who you are, who would rather spend their lives swimming with piranhas. The Royal Canadians was a band made up of six family members and six to eight "outsiders," with even more family members filling various administrative roles behind the curtain and offstage. Guy's younger brothers Carmen, Lebert and Victor all played in the band; baby sister Rose Marie was one of the band's vocalists. Kenny Gardner, another of the band's singers, was married to one of the non-musical sisters. And yet another sister worked in the band's management office. Brother Victor (the youngest of the musical brothers) was frequently a thorn in Guy's side, clamoring for more authority and independence, and repeatedly quitting the band to start one of his own, only to return a few months later after his band crashed and burned. Guy welcomed him back into the fold time after time. 

Guy Lombardo and the Royal Canadians was one of the most successful musical franchises of the 20th Century. Their New Year's Eve broadcasts, first on radio from 1927, and then television beginning in 1954, were a North American tradition. So indelible, in fact, was the Lombardo imprint on New Year;s Eve, historians now acknowledge that he is personally responsible for the fact that we celebrate the holiday with the song Auld Lang Syne to this very day. It was Guy's choice as the band's traditional Midnight Song every year. 

So, we will enjoy some of this history-making band's biggest and most dance-worthy hits this week, including Humoresque, Enjoy Yourself, the Blue Skirt Waltz. and the mega-hit The Third Man Theme. Does this band swing? No. Will you mind? Not at all!

Additionally, this week's program delivers a sumptuous array of dancers' delicacies, including hits by Bunny Berigan, Charlie Barnet, Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Tommy Dorsey, Duke Ellington and more. Crosby will croon, Woody will woodshed, the Mills Brothers will harmonize, Goodman will Swing into Spring, and Ralph Flanagan will drop by to personally introduce one of his band's earliest hits.

Don't even THINK about missing this show! As always, I'll be there to conduct you through it all with my usual grace and aplomb(!) My only hope is that you will call a young band student you know and invite them to listen to the show with you. Our young players NEED to hear this music! 

So, leave us a comment or request, either here, or on our Facebook Page. Remember to be good to one another this week, and above all, 

Keep Swinging!

Scott 

Show Notes 4/23-26

Plenty of Room for the Squares

A famous hipster once observed, "Sometimes it seems like the squares are having all the fun." In the parlance of 1940s American Jazz, a "square" is a person who is un-hip, conventional, or old-fashioned. Squares are out-of-touch with current musical trends. Artie Shaw is hip; Sammy Kaye is square. Tommy Dorsey is hip; Wayne King is square. Harry James is hip; Russ Morgan is square. And that is where this week's In the Mood  finds us - at the intersection  of the hip and the square: the crossroads of Harry James (hip) and Russ Morgan (square).

I am confronting a dilemma that has nagged me for years, and it's all about the dichotomy of the hip and the square. Hot Music versus Sweet Music. You see, I love them both equally. But I've come to view my taste for sweet music as something of a guilty pleasure. I listen to a swinging hot dance number by Benny Goodman, and I just assume that everyone will find it as exciting and satisfying as I do. But when I listen to a bouncy, straight-up foxtrot by Guy Lombardo or a pop ballad from the Casa Loma Orchestra, I want to talk myself out of playing it on the show. "Oh sure," I think, "I like it, but nobody else will. Too corny. Too commercial."

Over the past several weeks, I've begun to eschew that line of thinking. I've played sweet numbers on the show by Guy Lombardo, Jan Garber, Freddy Martin and Hal Kemp. In the next few weeks, I even plan to play It Isn't Fair by Sammy Kaye, one of the most in-your-face commercial records of the 1950s. And one of the decade's biggest hits. I have to remind myself that, back in the Day, millions of people heard these sweet records, and they liked them. They liked hearing them, and they liked dancing to them. A lot. So it's no wonder that I enjoy hearing them. It's good music, just as the swing records are good music. So, I've begun to mix some sweet music into the show. 

And I think it's working. The sweet tunes provide some relief from the high-energy drive of those hot swing records. Maybe they're not as thrilling to hear, but they do make me grin like a damn fool when I hear that predictable beat, and the logical, familiar chord progressions. So, there's gotta be something there...right? I think so. That's why, going forward, you're going to continue to hear the pulse-quickening swing of the bands of Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, Count Basie, Artie Shaw and Duke Ellington. But you're also going to hear some of that businessman's bounce from Guy Lombardo, Vaughn Monroe, Eddy Howard, Ted Weems, and even some Paul Whiteman. But no Sammy Kaye, other than Daddy, It Isn't Fair, and The Old Lamplighter. The rest of his stuff is just too sappy! I mean, I gotta draw the line somewhere!

With that being said, we kick off the show this week with about 20 minutes of very high-quality sweet music from Russ Morgan and his Orchestra, a band that is sure to appeal to the "squares" in our audience. If you count yourself among the quadrangles, you will surely enjoy Music in the Morgan Manner. Sweet, snappy melodies, interestingly arranged with a distinctive style and an unmistakable dance beat. Morgan had a lot of hits in his long career, and some were jumbo-sized indeed. You will probably find yourself singing along with such familiar tunes as There'll Be Some Changes Made, There Goes That Song Again, and You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You. And once you hear an instrumental or two by this band, you will understand why it was such a favorite of the dancers from coast to coast. 

Harry James provides the springboard that launches Hour 2 this week. His great bands of the 1940s were always solid swingers. And Harry really knew better than most of the Swing band leaders how to handle a ballad. His trumpet technique was impeccable; he could rip and roar with the hottest players on the planet - but his honey-toned treatment of popular ballads was money in the bank. 

Harry was married to movie star Betty Grable, and together they made quite the dashing and glamorous Hollywood couple. She even famously sneaked a vocal on one of Harry's hit records, I Can't Begin to Tell You, under the pseudonym of Ruth Haag. The moniker was a combination of their two middle names. Was she a great singer? Who cares when you look like Betty Grable? We will play the recording on this show, so you can judge for yourself. You'll also hear some of Harry's biggest hits, both swing and sweet, including You Made Me Love You, I've Heard That Song Before, and the band's original theme song, Ciribiribin. 

In addition to our Spotlight features on Russ Morgan and Harry James this week, In the Mood brings you a generous selection of gems from the World's Greatest Record Library. We'll hear swinging 78 sides from Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw. John Kirby's Onyx Club Boys will bring us Undecided, Kay Kyser's Campus Kids will teach us a lesson in Friendship, and the Benny Goodman Quartet will bring down the house live at Carnegie Hall. We'll hear from some of the great singers of the Era as well, with Bing Crosby, Helen Forrest, Sarah Vaughan and Evelyn Knight and the Starlighters making appearances.

In all, another thoroughly enjoyable show, if I do say so. And, as always, I try to pack in as many interesting historical tidbits as practical. Maybe more. So please, call a young band student and invite them to listen to the show with you this week! Young players NEED to hear this music! And by all means, let me hear from you! Leave us a comment or request right here or visit our Facebook Page. Be kind to one another this week, and Keep Swinging!

Scott                      

Show Notes 4/16-19

Some Have Greatness Thrust Upon 'Em

As Shakespeare wrote, some men are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon 'em. Jimmy Dorsey falls into the latter category. Greatness was not on his To Do List. He would have been perfectly happy to sit back in the sax section of the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra, cracking wise and blowing killer solos, just as he had been for the last three years, while his brother Tommy ran the show. 

Ever since they were kids in Pennsylvania's coal country, Tommy had been the dominant personality and Jimmy had been the softer one. Quiet and affable, Jimmy was content to let Tommy get most of the attention. 

But, as is often the case with siblings, there were resentments. Jimmy took out his resentments with a steady stream of passive-aggressive wisecracks from the sax section during rehearsals and sometimes performances, all of it meant to exasperate Tommy. 

Of course, a pancake has two sides, no matter how flat. Tommy brought a lot of it on himself by being such a hard-driving hothead. He would yell at the guys for missed notes, and especially for errors counting time. His ten-minute harangues were legendary. Jimmy saw the needling as his way to bring Tommy down a peg in front of the guys. Finally, Tommy had had enough. He walked off the bandstand in the middle of a rehearsal at the Glen Island Casino in the summer of 1935, and the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra was no more. 

"Suddenly, everybody was looking at Jimmy, and he wasn't having it," said drummer Ray McKinley later. "But we finally brought him around." Jimmy reluctantly stepped in front of the band with a sheaf of new arrangements and a recording contract with Decca. The band was hired as the orchestra for Bing Crosby's weekly radio show, which originated in Hollywood, making Jimmy and the band available for appearances in Hollywood films. 

Over the next several years, the Jimmy Dorsey band stayed busy building a steady, if undistinguished, business. Bob Eberly had been singing with the band since 1936. Helen O'Connell joined in 1939. But they never sang together with the band on a record until a couple of years later. 

Then in the spring of 1941, came Amapola, the first of the pair's mega-successful duets. The record was a game-changer for the Jimmy Dorsey band. It was the first to use a formula that Jimmy would go to over and over to create hit after hit for the next several years. After Amapola, there was Green Eyes, Jim, Tangerine, and a handful of other #1 chart hits that featured their vocals, either singly or together. 

This is the period of the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra that we will celebrate on this week's In the Mood: the band's successes with Bob and Helen, as well as Bing Crosby, are included. 

For a reluctant bandleader, I have to say I think Jimmy Dorsey did all right. Eventually, he reunited with Tommy and joined his brother's band, playing distinctive solos from 1951-55. At that point, Jimmy reorganized his own band with a crop of excellent young players and the Artie Malvin Singers to tour the country playing proms and theater dates. This is the same band that recorded an album in 1956 and 57 that was released on Fraternity Records. It contained Jimmy's last big chart hit, So Rare. The tune was just reaching its peak on the Billboard charts when Jimmy died in June of 1957. We will hear some choice selections from the heyday of the Jimmy Dorsey band as we open this week's show. I think you will enjoy our picks.

Hour 2 kicks off with Ella Fitzgerald taking the Swingin' Spotlight for about 20 minutes of musical memories from the 1930s, 40s and 50s. We'll hear her groundbreaking performance of A-Tisket, A-Tasket with the Chick Webb band, plus a fine sampling of her best solo recordings for Decca and Verve. I think you will especially enjoy the classic scat vocals and her live performance of I Can't Give You Anything But Love from the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival. Honestly folks, it's just like being there if you close your eyes. It'll be a hip trip through some swinging, significant moments in Jazz.

Aside from the aforementioned Spotlight features on Jimmy Dorsey and Ella Fitzgerald, this week's In the Mood presents a satisfying smorgasbord of Swing. We'll hear Tommy Dorsey's trombone, Teddy Wilson's piano magic and Artie Shaw's clarinet live from the Blue Room of the Hotel Lincoln in New York City. Crosby will croon, Ziggy Elman will Zag, and Buddy Clark will harmonize with Doris Day. It's a star-studded once-in-a-lifetime show, so don't miss it! Lord knows, you'll have plenty of chances to catch it, with 9 broadcasts on 7 stations this week. For the full schedule, including live links to the stations' Live Streams, scroll the posts on our Facebook Page.

I figure, what's the point of owning these fabulous historical and cultural gems if you don't share them with the world? Besides, they are actually fun and educational to listen to, especially if you are a musician, singer, or performer. And if you're a showbiz history buff, you'll find plenty to love on this show every week.

Thanks for reading through all this drivel! I hope it somehow enhances your enjoyment of this week's show. Remember, please be kind to one another, and Keep Swingin', My Friends!   

Scott

      

     

Show Notes 4/9-12

Be what you are, wherever you are

A trumpeter and singer whom I sincerely admire, Jim Quakenbush, once responded to my question, "What are you going to do today," with, "Well, does a bird wake up and wonder what to do? No, it's gotta be a bird today. The only question is, where?" Jim is a guy who knows who and what he is. The only question in his mind is, "Where am I going to play today?" 

I think Jim shares this trait, this conviction of self, with Glenn Miller. Glenn was riding a wave of success in the early 40s. His band was phenomenally successful, and he was making incredible amounts of money. Glenn Miller was a consummate professional, a college-educated, formally-trained musician, by now deeply experienced in both trombone performance and arranging. And he had spent the last three years at the top of the Swing heap, reaping the rewards of his hard work and good luck. 

But life was changing; talented musicians were being plucked from his band by the Draft, and The War dominated the American landscape. So, late in 1942, Glenn walked away from all the commercial success, disbanded his outfit, and enlisted in the Army. The 36-year-old bandleader had already been turned down by the Navy, where his services were "not required." But Miller had a vision much more suited to the US Army. He saw himself in charge of what he called a "modernized Army band," with himself writing updated, modern arrangements of the traditional Army marching repertoire. After a few meetings and some negotiations,     he received the blessing of the brass, who commissioned him as a Captain and sent him to training with the Army Air Corps at Maxwell Field in Montgomery, Alabama. He was a community liaison in Special Services, and, in his off hours, gigged locally on trombone, playing on base and in town. After being transferred to New Haven, Connecticut, Miller assembled his Army Air Corps Band, populated by the finest sidemen in the band business, all of whom were swept into his band by the same Draft that once robbed it. 

Now ask yourself, Why? Why would a successful guy like Glenn Miller, too old to have to worry about getting drafted, mind you, why would this guy chuck it all and enlist? Not because he thought he'd be a great jeep jockey or gunner's mate. Like a bird knows it's a bird, Glenn Miller knew he was a musician, and he was answering the question, "Where?" He was a musician, yes. to the core. And he decided he'd be a musician in the Army. 

In 1943 and 44, the Army Air Force band played thousands of concerts, performances and shows for service personnel and the civilian public. One of the band's most powerful outlets was the NBC Radio series, I Sustain the Wings, broadcast live from coast to coast on Sunday evenings. NBC archived the dress rehearsals and the broadcasts on 16-inch glass-based transcription discs. These rare and incredibly fragile master recordings are the original source material for most of what we can now hear of this historic band. We will open the show with a representative sampling of these jazzy gems on this week's In the Mood. You will be impressed with both the sound quality of these performances and with the ingenuity and creativity of Miller's fresh arrangements of Army classics. And of course, it's all magnificently executed by an all-star band of America's best players of Draft age who were not 4-F. 

Hour 2 begins with about 20 minutes from the outstanding band of Jimmie Lunceford. Much of the Lunceford we have on file here happens to be on original 78 rpm shellac singles from the mid-30s to the early 40s. So, we will press Big Bertha into service; she's our 1935 RCA Type 70-A Transcription Turntable here in the World's Greatest Record Library. I'm always pleasantly surprised at how good these 10-inch original singles can sound. 

Jimmie Lunceford was the first public school band director in the Memphis school system, having earned his degrees at Fisk University. He started his first band with his student musicians and kept them working together long enough to get really good. It took a couple of years, but they were starting to land some pretty good gigs. Their big break came when they were booked into the famous Cotton Club, following in the footsteps of their idols Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway. Imagine being a kid trumpeter from Memphis like Tommy Stevenson, sticking with your high school band directer for a few years and winding up playing the Cotton Club! 

The Lunceford band was one of the most exciting of the Era, and their saxophone section was legendary, executing complex killer-diller arrangements with thrilling precision. Most of the arrangements were written by guys in the band, mainly pianist Ed Wilcox and trumpeter Sy Oliver. Tommy Dorsey thought enough of Oliver that he summoned him to his hotel room one morning and, while Dorsey shaved in the bathroom sink, he offered to double Oliver's salary if he'd join  his band. Sy's response was, "When do I start, boss?" We've selected some delightful sides by this seminal band for this week's show. And we've taken the utmost care to preserve the original sound of these historic recordings. Some of these records are approaching 75 years of age, but I think you'll be pleased with what you hear.

Besides our Swingin' Spotlight features on the Glenn Miller Army Air Force Band in Hour 1 and the Jimmie Lunceford orchestra in Hour 2, this week's In the Mood offers appearances from the best of the Big Bands of the 1930s, 40s and 50s, including Larry Clinton, Vaughn Monroe, an example of Sy Oliver's work with Tommy Dorsey, Charlie Christian with Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Harry James, Hal Kemp and others. We'll also hear from some of the great singers of the Swing Era, such as Eddy Howard, Lena Horne, the Ink Spots, Ella Fitzgerald and more. 

How do we do it? How can we bring you this top flight entertainment week after week at absolutely no expense to you, the listener? Simple. We just put the show together and send it out to the radio stations. They take care of everything else, I really don't know how it works. But if you like hearing In the Mood, please contact the station you listen to and let them know you're listening. It couldn't hurt!

Thanks for reading all this drool! Please feel free to leave us a comment or request, either here or on our Facebook Page. Call someone you care about, and listen to the show with them! It's a great way to combat cabin fever. And old folks will especially like this music! Be kind to one another this week, and Keep Swingin', my friends! 

                                

Scott

Show Notes 4/2-5

Do what you love

...and you'll never work a day in your life

Charlie Barnet was, by many accounts, a very lucky guy. Born into a well-to-do New York family, he could have pursued nearly any career. His mother and grandparents had it all set up for him to make a business success of himself, starting with an Ivy League education at Yale. 

But, by the time he reached his mid-teens, it was obvious to his mother that Charlie was headed in a different direction. He was mad about music and musicians. He listened faithfully to live radio broadcasts of the dance bands of the late 20s and early 30s such as Ross Gorman, performing at the Monte Carlo Club, and Charlie Johnson's group at Small's Paradise up in Harlem. She bought him a saxophone. 

I have in my 78 collection a few sides by the Vaudeville saxophone sextet called Six Brown Brothers. Some of these records I've had for decades. I was astounded to learn that Charlie Barnet actually took saxophone lessons from one of the Six Brown Brothers, Harry 

Voltaire. The things you learn studying music history! Charlie's ear proved so strong, however, that Voltaire was not able to teach him to read music well; that would have to wait until later.

In the early 30s, Charlie, barely 20 years old, would put together a band and try out for just about anything. He wound up leading a smattering of ad hoc groups aboard cruise ships, in cafes, clubs and hotels. After these exploits led him as far afield as Los Angeles, he decided to wrap up his remaining obligations on the West Coast and return to New York. He finally got into the band business as a leader. He put together a group of hand-picked guys, bought Jan Garber's old swing arrangements for $20, and started to look for bookings. 

The band business was well-known for its hassles, but Charlie bore it all with grace and enthusiasm. Unlike most of his fellow bandleaders, he did not rule with an authoritarian hand. He sought input from his sidemen - in matters musical and business-related. Truth be told, Charlie Barnet thought of himself as just another one of the guys. 

He did it until the economics of the business simply could not be made to work any longer. He disbanded in 1949, years after most of his contemporaries had thrown in the towel. Throughout the 1950s and into the 60s, Charlie would still put together a band now and then for a special occasion or appearance.

And why? Why would he devote his life to such a pain-in-the-neck business as this? Why would he hold on so long? Especially when he could have taken the easy road? Because he loved what he was doing. Absolutely loved it. That's probably why he was one of the most well-liked bandleaders by his employees and sidemen. He enjoyed every minute of every performance, every rehearsal, every hassle. And I think it shows in his music. 

We will listen to a fine sampling of Charlie Barnet's music on this week's show. In fact, we open Hour One with Make Believe Ballroom, the original theme to the original Make Believe Ballroom, hosted by Al Jarvis over L. A. radio station KFWB. The recording features a close-harmony vocal by the Modernaires, who would gain fame a few years later under the employ of Glenn Miller. From there, we move on to the glory days of the Barnet band, with big chart hits, and great examples of Charlie's work on the tenor, alto, and soprano sax. Listen and you'll hear how much he loves what he is doing.

Hour Two begins with a little over 20 minutes of superb musicianship from Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra. That's what Tommy himself delivered on a consistent basis, and he expected nothing less from his sidemen. Mistakes, especially mistakes counting time, were not tolerated. Tommy would often yell and scream at his players when someone would miss an entrance or, God forbid, come in early. Another of his favorite punishments was to fine guys $25 for making mistakes. A newly-hired guitarist remarked to his bandmates about the guitar sheet music he'd inherited from the band's previous guitarist. The music had handwritten notes all over it, including one large notation on a particular song that contained a stop chorus. The previous player had highlighted the stop chorus and drawn a red arrow to a bold note at the top of the page which read, "LOOK OUT! $25!"     

Tommy Dorsey probably deserves the distinction of having fired more players than any other bandleader. He once fired his entire trumpet section just 48 hours before an engagement. But, as we listen to the recordings that band made, we must admit that no band of the time had more perfectly matched section sound or more precise time. And of course, the Dorsey band had some of the best soloists in the business: Ziggy Elman, Fred Stulce, Don Lodice, Johnny Mince, Buddy Rich, and of course, Tommy himself. TD's trombone technique is legendary. His ability to play very high, very sweet, very long, connected phrases was unmatched. Listen as Tommy demonstrates his superb ballad style on the band's theme, I'm Getting Sentimental Over You. And his solo on What Is This Thing Called Love is an impressive demonstration of Tommy's matchless control. 

Tommy Dorsey had a great band, possibly the best of his day. Because he insisted on it. We bring you an outstanding selection of their best work on this week's show. And that's saying a lot. 

In addition to our Spotlight features on Charlie Barnet and Tommy Dorsey, this week's In the Mood brings you the best of the Big bands of the 1930s, 40s and 50s. We'll hear from Glenn Miller with a seldom-heard Jerry Gray original, Benny Goodman with his orchestra and sextet, Artie Shaw, hometown favorites the Auburn Knights, Count Basie, Duke Ellington and his Fmous Orchestra, Jack Teagarden, Kay Kyser,  and more. We'll also enjoy appearances by great singers, including Keely Smith, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, the Mills Brothers, the Andrews Sisters, and others. 

Now is a great time to reflect on the things you love in this life, and how we might go about putting more of those things into our daily lives. Think about Charlie Barnet, and remember...do what you love, and you'll never work a day in your life. 

Thanks for sticking it out to the end of this blog post! I hope you find these ramblings worth your while. As always, please feel free to leave us a comment or request, either here or on our Facebook Page. Be kind to one another this week, and Keep Swingin', my friends!

Scott