Késsinnimek - Roots - Racines

SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY

by 
                            Louise Dubrule

Quite recently, we were making one of our all-too-frequent trips to the infusion clinic, and as it often happens, we were listening to a CD of Big Band music. We stopped for a light at a major intersection, and suddenly we were aware that we were being watched by the people in the car on our right, as well as the folks in the two cars on our left. Why? Well, we were drumming our fingers on the steering wheel and dashboard, and our heads were bobbing in time to a terrific beat. Surely, the strangers thought that these two seniors were either demented or suffering from some weird malady that caused them to bounce in rhythm! When the light changed, we drove off, laughing at what a picture we must have made.

We grew up with the music of the Big Bands that dominated the airwaves during the 1940s, and early 50s and we were able to recognize our favorite groups just by their particular sound. We bought big 78 rpm records and listened to them until they got too scratched to enjoy. Several of the bands stopped at Bayside on Lake Champlain on their way to or from their Montreal-Boston gigs, so we were familiar with the best.

To the purist, there is a definite difference between a band and an orchestra, but for the sake of time and space, please forgive me if I don’t make a distinction when I talk about the groups.

The bands fell into several categories. There were the big studio bands that played soft tunes for the popular singers or did the music for radio and early TV programs. Often, they recorded from hotel ballrooms. In this group fell Les Brown and his band of renown, Percy Faith, David Rose, Fred Waring and his Pennsylvanians, Don Voorhees, Skitch Henderson, Hugo Montenegro, and Nelson Riddle who was Frank Sinatra’s favorite orchestra leader after Frank became a recording artist on his own.

Some bands played ballads and romantic music. Here were Frankie Carle, Carmen Cavallero (Poet of the Piano), Russ Columbo, Ray Coniff, Les Elgar, Larry Elgar, Jack Teagarden, Eddie Duchin, Ray Anthony, Freddy Martin, and Billy Vaughn. Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians claimed that they played “the sweetest music this side of Heaven.” Technically, Jack Gleason’s orchestra didn’t come along until the early 50’s but I include him because his music was perhaps the smoothest and most elegant of all, and Bobby Hackett’s haunting trumpet had the power to mesmerize.

There were bands whose leaders were singers and entertainers in their own rights. Among this group was Phil Harris, Vaughn Monroe with his rich baritone singing his theme song “Racing with the Moon”, Cab Calloway, Bob Cosby and his Bobcats, Ozzie Nelson, and Rudy Vallee. Bunny Berigan wasn’t usually the vocalist with his band, but his rendition of “Can’t Get Started with You” was a real original, copied but never equaled.

Some groups had distinctive styles that defied categories. Shep Fields had ‘Rippling Rhythms’, Lawrence Welk played ‘Champagne Music’ and Spike Jones interjected sound effects in most selections. Leroy Anderson produced some entertaining pieces called “Sleigh Ride,” “The Typewriter Song,” or some featured outstanding trumpet solos. Louis Prima, a self-described ‘wild man,’ played all genres of music, and his wife Keely Smith was the vocalist. We remember her expressionless face, yet her voice told the story. Martin Denny was multi-faceted. Some of his music was straight-forward, but he did one album called “Taboo” that seemed to be full of jungle sounds and rhythms.

The jazz scene was best covered by Ken Burns in his many-part series for PBS, but I must mention Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, Ed ‘Fatha’ Hines, Fats Waller, Kid Ory and his Creole jazz, and Eubie Blake with rag. Leader of the pack was Duke Ellington who made “Satin Doll,” “Sophisticated Lady” and “Take the A Train” classics. Equally important was Count Basie who recorded “Jumpin’ at the Woodside” and “Blue Skies” to prove his versatility. Lionel Hampton showed what could be done with a vibraphone on “How High the Moon.” King Oliver claimed his music was the original Dixieland music. While Pete Fountain was not the leader of a particular group, his clarinet added to the genre in a significant way. Jazz was also the province of Woody Herman who staged several different groups over the years. Stan Kenton, Louis Bellson, Buddy Rich, and Bix Beiderbecke were among the best.

The Latin beat was the specialty of Xavier Cougar whose little Chihuahua dogs were a part of his stage persona. Tito Puente was in this group, as was Desi Arnaz before he became a big TV star with his wife Lucille Ball.

Jimmy Dorsey played clarinet and his brother Tommy preferred the trombone. For a while they were a duo, but when they each formed a separate band, Tommy took the spotlight with his theme “Getting Sentimental.” Frank Sinatra later gave Tommy credit for teaching him the phrasing and the breath control that became his trademark.

Artie Shaw was another clarinet man, and his liaisons with beautiful Hollywood women were nearly as notable as his “Begin the Beguine.” Harry James’ trumpet led his band and “You’ll Never Know” was his theme song. Let’s not forget that his wife was Betty Grable, arguably the most famous WW II pinup girl.

The title of ‘King of Swing’ is reserved for the one and only Benny Goodman. He fronted his band with a trombone and he played softer swing until a number called “Sing, Sing, Sing” became part of his repertoire. The piece was originally composed as a vocal by Louis Prima, but under Benny Goodman’s direction, it took on a life of its own when Gene Krupa sat down at the drums. Krupa’s drum solo became longer and more driving until in the final version the selection ran long enough to fill both sides of a 78 rpm recording. It stands as a truly unique experience.

In my mind, the term ‘Big Band’ is synonymous with Glenn Miller. Though he played a respectable trombone, his group featured a clarinet lead and they probably had more Number One hits than any other group. His music ranged from soft dance tunes like his theme “Moonlight Serenade” to the ultimate jitterbug “In the Mood.” He was in uniform during WW II and he was able to make the military march in unison with his arrangements like “St. Louis Blues.” His life and career were cut short when his plane went down over the English Channel. His style and orchestrations remained so popular that the Tex Beneke band took up Miller’s music and toured the United States for years after Glenn’s death. We had the pleasure of dancing to their great sound in Burlington, Vermont in the late 70s.

The vocalists that performed with the Big Bands later went on to become important recording stars on their own, and their enduring careers proved that they were not fleeting talents. Among the best female performers were Rosemary Cloony, Peggy Lee, and Doris Day. On the jazz scene, Sarah Vaughn, Ella Fitzgerald, and Billie Holiday set the standard. Though not recorded until the mid-50s, “At Last” by Etta James is a true wonder. The outstanding males included Perry Como, Nat “King” Cole, Dick Haymes, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and the timeless Tony Bennett. Clint Eastwood paid tribute to the past when he chose vocals by Dinah Washington and Johnny Hartman for the background soundtrack of his movie “Bridges of Madison County.”

The music that had been played by the various groups is still being recorded today. The rock and roll legend Rod Steward put out an album of standard tunes that he had learned from his father, and it became such a hot item that he has since recorded three more albums. The lush orchestrations remind us of a time when couples held each other when they danced, and the people could understand the words. The songs merely hint at what the era was all about: “Stardust,” “When I Fall in Love,” “You Go to My Head,” “Moonlight in Vermont,” “Blue Moon,” “The Nearness of You,” “Someone to Watch Over Me,” and “As Time Goes By” from the unforgettable movie “Casablanca.”

I’m not a fan of reality TV, but we happened to catch “American Idol” when Rod Stewart was the mentor for one segment. The contestants had to choose a number from one of Stewart’s Great American Songbook albums, and that evening’s performances were so beautiful and touching that the judges on the panel were blown away. Quality endures.

A couple of weeks ago, a civic group set up a grill and was selling bratwursts in a strip mall. The aroma drew me, as did the boom box putting forth a familiar Big Band number. There was a gentleman, graying at the temples, waiting his turn to make a purchase, and he was snapping his fingers and bobbing his head to the rhythms. I caught his eye and smiled knowingly. Sonny and Cher had it right: The Beat Goes On.

 

Késsinnimek - Roots - Racines
Copyright © 2003 & 2004 & 2005 & 2006 Norm Léveillée
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Created 1 Feb 2003