"Square" Doesn't Even Begin to Cover It
Before the advent of Swing, popular music in the United States was designed to appeal mainly to the dead. If you've ever listened to pop music from the 1920s, you've heard the dreck. Pretentious tenors and baritones rolling their "Rs" as they sing Tin Pan Alley songs about how they miss their old home Away Down South in Alabamy. Then there are the songs along the lines of Whatever Happened to that Old Gang of Mine? There were the romantic love ballads such as Jeanine, I Dream of Lilac Time. Oh, there were dance bands that played smooth waltzes and stiff fox trots...even peppy one-steps and two-steps. But none of it "swung."
By the end of the 20s, young folks were thirsty for more than bathtub gin; they needed a new style of music that could express their pent-up energy, their zest for life, their desire to have a good time. In the early 30s, a few of the Black dance bands like Duke Ellington, Jimmie Lunceford and Fletcher Henderson were playing a smooth, flowing fox-trot with a "dotted quarter" syncopation that brought dancers to the floor like a magnet. It also inspired rhythmic solos from the musicians that covered a whole new range of expression. White kids started to hear these bands on the radio and in dance halls. And even more importantly, white musicians were paying attention. They were also paying the admission fees to hear these bands in person. The aforementioned Black bands were held in very high esteem by white players who were in the know.
Benny Goodman had this figured out before almost any of the other white bandleaders. He bought Fletcher Henderson's book, and hired Fletcher to write new arrangements for his band. Almost immediately, Benny was leading "The" cutting-edge Swing Band on the scene. There was a year or two (1934-35) when Swing, or simply, "hot music," as it was called before widespread use of the term "Swing," was a tough sell. But then came that night of August 21, 1935, at the Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles, when the kids went crazy and rushed the bandstand, nearly causing a riot in their fervent embrace of Swing. Little did Benny know that these kids had been listening to his late-night radio broadcasts from the Midwest, and couldn't wait to hear the band swing out in person.
When Swing hit, it hit big. Within a matter of months, all the major bands were having their books re-arranged in Swing time. By early 1936, Swing was the Thing, and Goodman was the King. It was noting short of a pop music revolution that started in a few of the best Black bands. But it took a white performer with the wide acceptance of a Benny Goodman to really put it over on a national level. And Benny did it when almost no other white bandleader would even consider it.
And Gene Krupa was there for all of it.
Benny had hired Gene Krupa back in 1934, in the early days of his band. Gene was the drummer who helped bring forth the Swing revolution, listening to Zutty Singleton and Baby Dodds for inspiration. By the time of the Goodman band's landmark Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert in January of 1938, Gene was a star. And he now felt constrained by Goodman's vision for his band. Gene wanted the freedom to explore new musical territory with a band of his own. Also, Benny was a strange guy who could be very hard to work for.
So, early in 1938, Gene struck out on his own, putting together an excellent band that always showed up very well-rehearsed and ready to play good Swing. Even the band's earliest recordings are impressive. And Gene was playing it to the hilt, engaging audiences with lots of physicality and movement on the stand. Some of the magazine critics chided him for playing it so big, but the public lapped it up.
I always thought Gene had the looks of a Hollywood leading man, and I wondered why he hadn't tried his hand in the movies. And then I saw him in Ball of Fire with Barbara Stanwyck and Gary Cooper. It was a little bizarre. His movements were jerky and ungraceful, and he gave off a kind of a "wild man" vibe. He ended up coming off more like Cosmo Kramer than Cary Grant. But I digress.
We'll enjoy some tasty treats from Gene and his band this week, covering both his pre-war and post-war periods. We'll spin some of the sides Anita O'Day cut with the band, and include some solid Swing and even a little light Bebop from the mid-40s. We hear from Gene's great sidemen too, like trumpet star Roy Eldridge and tenor saxist Charlie Ventura.
Hour 2 kicks off with about 20 minutes of great memories of Bing Crosby. We cover some of his earliest solo hits from the 1930s, movie songs from the 40s and memorable pop hits from the early 50s. Of course, Bing was there throughout the Big Band Era, but he wasn't actually part of a band after 1929 when her left Paul Whiteman's employ and went solo. He did make numerous personal appearances and a handful of records with his little brother Bob Crosby's band, and some of those were sizable hits. He also made a few successful records with his old drinking buddy Eddie Condon when both were signed to the Decca label in 1949-50.
We begin with the famous Take B of St. Louis Blues, recorded by Bing with the Duke Ellington orchestra in 1932. It's a jazzy side of Bing that we saw less and less of over the next several years. We play our Brunswick 78 of his breakout hit Just One More Chance from 1931, along with some of his monster hits from the 40s. You might even hear a hilarious duet with Bob Hope.
Besides these delightful Spotlight features on Gene Krupa and Bing Crosby, we'll offer swinging sides from Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington (a Double-Play!), and Glenn Miller's Army Air Force Band. We've found a great example of Jack Leonard delivering one of his trademark vocals with the Dorsey band shouting the patter lyrics behind him (NOT the one you're thinking of), as well as a Boppish version of Tuxedo Junction from Harry James and his new 1947 Sextet. Besides Bing, we'll hear from great singers like Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Prima, the Andrews Sisters and more.
Thanks for hanging out with the In the Mood blog! I hope it contributes to your appreciation for the music and to your enjoyment of the show.
Remember to call a young music student and invite them to listen to the show with you this week! They NEED to hear this music! Be good to one another, and above all, Keep Swinging!
Scott
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