Big Swing Thing: Show Notes 6/24-28

A Hamp for All Seasons

I guess anything goes when you're promoting an artist. Just this past week, I was putting a Lionel Hampton album on the hard drive when I decided to peruse the LP's liner notes while listening to it roll. The unnamed author described the process of song selection for the project, a 1958 Harmony label package entitled Hamp in Hi Fi. In this description, he makes the assertion that Hamp did not know how to read music, so certain steps had to be taken to help him get familiar with the tunes.

I would have to throw the bulls--t card on that one. Lionel Hampton was a highly-educated professional musician, not some seat-of-the-pants mallet whacker who just seemed to get incredibly lucky time after time after time. His musical education began at a private prep school for boys in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and continued in Chicago, where he received advanced musical training as a member of the Chicago Defender newsboys' band, in which he played trumpet, drums, flute and orchestra bells. He received a degree in music (not the honorary kind) from USC in Los Angeles in 1935. It would be extremely unlikely that the University of Southern California would award a sheepskin in music to someone who could not read music. But hey, it makes a good story, right?

So great was Hamp's talent, Benny Goodman gave him an extremely liberal contract when he hired Lionel in 1936. Uncharacteristically, Goodman agreed to allow Hamp to record and perform, independent of Benny's direction, with his own groups. In contrast, Harry James was not allowed to blow a note that was not directed by Benny. 

Hampton took full advantage of this freedom, assembling "orchestras" under his own name for concerts and record dates starting almost immediately after he came on board with Goodman. Hamp's enormous talent and inclusive leadership style brought out some of the biggest names in jazz to play in his groups. It was very common for the Hampton recording groups to contain top sidemen from many of the biggest name bands of the day. On one notable date, Coleman Hawkins, Chu Berry and Ben Webster were all in the reed section, and all three played solos. 

For me, this is what makes the Lionel Hampton sessions of the 1930s and 40s so exciting. We get to hear some of the top jazzmen of the Big Band Era, all relaxed and swinging freely, feeding one another, taking their cues from Hamp. Often, we hear musicians who would never have played together otherwise. 

And we shall hear a stout representative sample of these records on this week's In the Mood. The World's Greatest Record Library is blessed with a plentiful selection of these gems, and we will open Hour 1 with about 20 minutes of Lionel Hampton's best.

Hour 2 kicks off this week with a fine array of swinging sides from the great band of Charlie Barnet. On full display will be Charlie's unapologetic admiration for Duke Ellington and Count Basie. Although less-swinging white bands were making more money, the Ellington and Basie bands were universally held by musicians in the highest esteem. Charlie's band went so far as to imitate them openly, with Charlie playing in the image of Johnny Hodges, and Bill Miller emulating the Duke and the Count on piano. We'll spin some of the best examples, including The Duke's Idea, The Count's Idea and The Right Idea. You will be surprised and delighted by this swinging segment.  

In addition to these special features focusing on Lionel Hampton and Charlie Barnet, we'll bring you a superb set of swinging singles from some of the best Big Bands of the Era, such as Artie Shaw, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, Willie Bryant, Bert Kaempfert and many more. We'll even  take 6 or 7 minutes to appreciate the magnificent version of No Name Jive recorded for Capitol by Glen Gray and the Casa Loma reunion band in 1956.

Once again, let me remind you to call a young player or band student and invite them to listen to the show with you. They need to hear this music! They need to know how delightfully exuberant Big Band music can be...and there are no finer examples than those you will find on this show.

Thanks again for sticking it out to the Bitter End with me on this week's blog! I sincerely hope you enjoy this week's show. Be kind to one another this week, and above all...Keep Swinging! 

Scott                      

Why Do I Do This? Show Notes 6/10-14

We're on a Mission from God

Elwood & Jake Blues - 1980

It's one of the most famous movie lines ever: "We're on a mission from God." Elwood and Jake were out to save an orphanage in Calumet City, Illinois. They succeeded, and brought a lot of exciting music to the public in the process. 

Here at In the Mood, we're on a mission of our own: to bring the swinging music of the Big Bands to an audience thirsty for Jazz they can relate to. And perhaps the most important segment of that audience is music students in middle school, high school and college band programs around the world. 

If you've ever learned, or tried to learn, to play a musical instrument, you understand how important it is to play music you love. And Big Band Swing can provide that inspiration while demonstrating the principles of melody, harmony, chord progression, tempo and time. 

The Big Band Swing of the 1930s, 40s and 50s is, above all, fun music. It's fun to dance to, fun to listen to, and fun to play. Much of it is actually quite simple, even elemental. And the arrangements that are so familiar to many of us are still widely available in original and simplified form. 

All across the country, Big Band music is enjoying something of a renaissance as tribute bands such as the World-Famous Glenn Miller Orchestra maintain a busy touring, performing and recording schedule. Music educators are starting to catch on, too. More and more school band programs are adding a Jazz Band to their list of options for student participation. More and more Swing tunes are being made available in simplified arrangements for student musicians. And the kids are loving it. The supply of potential songs is enormous, and the music's appeal is timeless. 

Let a room full of band students hear a recording like the 1956 No Name Jive by Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra, or the Glenn Miller arrangement of In the Mood, and watch what happens when they realize, "Hey, we...I...could be playing this stuff!" 

The music of the Big Band Era clearly demonstrates the musical principles on which modern Jazz is founded. The music of Duke Ellington and Count Basie in particular obviates the connection between Jazz and the Blues. And the young players of today could have no more inspirational examples to follow than Harry James, Tommy Dorsey, Lester Young, Gene Krupa, Charlie Christian and Benny Goodman. These players and their contemporaries demonstrate the value of technical proficiency while providing truly accessible examples of improvisations that open new doors while respecting the melodic intent of a song. 

When people ask me why I do this show, this is the long-form answer I want to give them...but time and the situation rarely permit me to do so. Modern Jazz is an acquired taste, and, especially for young musicians, it can be intimidating and confusing. The Big Band Swing of the mid-Twentieth Century was originally intended to appeal to average people with an appreciation for melody and rhythm. It was really Jazz thinly disguised as Dance Music for the masses. The melodies were straightforward, usually built on the Major, Melodic Minor and Pentatonic scales, supported by chord progressions derived from those harmonized scales. 

Whether you're learning to play a brass, reed or wind instrument, a guitar, bass, piano or drum, once you have covered the basics and studied some of the appropriate classics, Big Band Swing is a natural first step into Jazz. And that's why I'm such a staunch advocate for this music. A program of Big Band standards is a sure-fire crowd pleaser at performance time. And this body of material contains a seemingly endless supply of inventive, engaging songs for the student musician. 

I've said all that to say this, and I say it at the beginning of every show: If you know a young musician in one of our high school or college bands, call them now and invite them to tune in. This show is as much for them as it is for those of us who were there and remember the music from our own personal experience.

This week's show is a perfect example of what I've been talking about. Hour 1 opens with about 20 minutes of sheer excellence from the bands led by drumming legend Gene Krupa. Any young student of the drums will be thrilled to hear what Gene and his band could do. We provide some excellent examples, such as Opus No. 1, Swing Is Here, and (a special treat for trumpet students) the Krupa band's treatment of After You've Gone, a showpiece for trumpet star Roy Eldridge. Hour 2 kicks off with a downshift into two-time Chicago Jazz classics by Eddie Condon and his All Stars, who faithfully deliver the early classics of jazz from the era of Bix Beiderbecke and Jack Teagarden in modern recordings from the 1940s and 50s. Their treatments of gems like Fidgety Feet and Jazz Me Blues (both included in this show) bridge the gap between improvisation and Arranged White Dixieland. I think it's also important to make the point that these guys started playing jazz together while still in high school in the 1920s.

This week's show also offers dancers' delights from Artie Shaw, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Fats Waller, Harry James, Charlie Barnet and many more. Bing will sing, Frankie Carle will tickle the ivories, and we'll hear what happens when Benny forgets to tell the guys when to call it quits. 

Lots of fun and excitement await our listeners young and old this week, so set a reminder to catch the show on your favorite station, and don't forget to call that young player you know and get them on board! Thanks for sticking it out to the bitter end with me here! Remember to be kind to one another this week, and above all, Keep Swinging!

Scott          

Fresh & Familiar: Stan & Bunny - Show Notes 6/3-7

A New Kind of Big Band

America was a dancing culture when Stan Kenton started his Big Band in 1941. When teens and 20-somethings went out on a Saturday night date, dancing was usually part of the plan. And why not? Talented musicians were everywhere, providing quality dance music for the masses in hotel ballrooms, night clubs, auditoriums, and in the thousands of dance halls that dotted the map. So popular was the dance culture that many ballrooms became nationally famous dance destinations due to the regular and frequent network radio broadcasts they hosted. Listeners across the country could hear their favorite dance bands holding forth in real time from storied spots like Frank Dailey's Meadowbrook, the Cocoanut Grove, the Aragon, the Trianon, the Glen Island Casino, the Palladium, the Savoy and countless others. If kids were pinched for cash (as usual), they could turn on, tune in, roll up the rug and dance at home for free. That's the reason that so very many of the popular songs of the day were recorded in strict dance tempo. Even beautiful, melodic ballads like Star Dust were originally recorded at Fox Trot tempo, which often killed the emotional impact of the song. 

All that began to change with the Stan Kenton band. Although this was originally a dance band, it quickly evolved into a band for listening, rather than dancing. Stan's music embraced modern harmonies, altered chords, and complex tempos that confounded most recreational dancers. Sure, the Kenton book contained danceable numbers like Tampico and Her Tears Flowed Like Wine, but there were also plenty of items like Unison Riff and Peanut Vendor that would clear a dance floor in moments. 

By so doing, Kenton ushered in Progressive Jazz, which concentrated on innovation in melody, harmony and tempo. It also provided new opportunities for improvisations that were tonally and rhythmically unpredictable. The result was often a sound that dancers found challenging, but musicians found freeing and inspiring. 

We'll hear some excellent examples of Stan's groundbreaking adventures in composition and arrangement on this week's show...along with some selections that demonstrate the band's ability to faithfully execute more traditional swing. Hour 1 begins with about 20 minutes' worth of Kenton gems that our listeners will find both challenging and satisfying. 

For a more familiar flavor, we'll jump back into the heart of the Swing Era with a generous selection of favorites from trumpet slinger Bunny Berigan's swinging bands of the 1930s. Bunny cut his teeth on Big Band Swing, and few (if any) players of the Era could match his fearless and driving solos. When Bunny took the spotlight, listeners and (especially) other players were left open-mouthed, thinking, "I can't believe he just did that!" 

Inspired though his playing was, Bunny was no leader of men. His heavy drinking was problematic, both personally and professionally. Playing in the Berigan band made men out of a lot of little bad boys who discovered their own limits and strengths on the road in his employ. But he developed a reputation for missing gigs, or showing up too plastered to play. 

Eventually,  alcoholism took a toll on his health, and he had to throw in the towel and go back to work for Tommy Dorsey, along with a handful of his best sidemen. But things continued to get worse. Tommy pleaded with him to clean up his act, but Bunny just couldn't overcome it. Eventually, Dorsey had to let him go. Bunny died of alcoholism in 1942 at age 33. A sad end to a brilliant talent and all-around lovable guy who simply couldn't outrun his demons. 

But Bunny left behind a legacy of impressive recordings that strongly hinted at even greater achievements to come. We will dive into the World's Greatest Record Library for a loving listen to some of his most memorable performances, including his 1937 masterpiece, I Can't Get Started, which lives in the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame.

As if these Spotlight features on Stan Kenton and Bunny Berigan weren't enough to satisfy any fan of the Big Band sound, this week's In the Mood brings you swinging delights from the excellent bands of Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, Ralph Flanagan, the Benny Goodman Sextet, Fletcher Henderson, Jack Teagarden, Count Basie, Charlie Barnet, and more. 

How do we do it? Well, you just leave that to us and stop asking so many questions.

Thanks for slogging it out with me here on the Show Blog! As always, we invite your comments and requests, either here or on our Facebook Page. 

Remember to reach out to a young player or band student and invite them to listen to the show with you. They NEED to hear this music!  

Please be kind to one another this week, and above all, 

Keep Swinging!

Scott