From Claude Bolling...his impeccable Big Gand, with great vocalists...
Listen to it ALL...IF YOU LIKE BIG BANDS...SELECTION OF GREAT TUNES...AND SOME VERY FINE BAND VOCALISTS. GREAT SWINGIN MUSIC TO BLAST THE FAMILY OUT OF BED, TILL THEY'RE MOVIN OUT DE DOOR! I'm not elevating this group above Kenton, Buddy Rich, Basie, Ellington or their predecessors. But Bolling's Band has been a noted one...like Johnny Dankworths, for years
Stinkin' civilians? Those guys are thinkin' on the ONE, tryin' ta play on the two and four.
Where be da SWING?
Man, that St. Louis Blues arrangement belongs to Capt. Glenn Miller, Army Air Corps and after '47, it belongs to USAF Bands.
When they knew about The Swing, man. 110% swing.
Check out the phrasing of the Trumpet Section on the Intro in the original:
And the tradition continues to this day:
The original score sheet, in Glenn Miller's hand, is still in the library archives of HDQTRS USAF Band, Wash. DC, "St. Louis Blues March" - and just about each of the various USAF field jazz bands also have not only copies of the original, but *many* rearrangements, arrangements done for Concert Bands, still swingin' hard, arrangements for Drum and Bugle Corps - all penned by USAF personnel in the "arranger" slots.
"Music is your fulltime job."
Concert Bands, Jazzbands, Rock Bands, Country Bands, Singing Groups, Orchestras, String Qurtets, String Ensembles, Bluegrass Bands, you name it, the United States Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Bands consist of some of the best musicians on the planet today. A good goal for the young musician looking for a career in music, music and music, provided they study hard and pass the audition. Capn' Miller made Jazz the basis of the old Army Air Corps bands and almost swinglehandedly created this condition of unbelievable level of excellence in performance.
When yours truly was a young guy in the USAF hdqtrs bands, whenever we would hit DC, we'd hit Georgetown and find this young guy, an Army Corporal, holdin' court at the drum set somewhere, when in town. Some kid whose name was Steve Gadd.
Great videos, Mac. I was in the 528th AF Band, at Scott AFB, quite a few years before the video, for almost 4 years. It has always been a pretty good field band. When I was stationed in Japan, our band was sent to Viet Nam, for 10 days to entertain. the troops. Pres. Nixon, was flooding the country with entertainment. We were a day behind The Bob Hope Show. A General's daughter was singing with us. At times it was a scary trip. We would be bussed to the concert site during the day and have to be flown out at night back to Ton Son Nhut AFB, Saigon. I have wonderful memories of my 21 years in the AF Band program. If there any vets of the AF Bands on this forum, we are having a reunion next June, in Williamsburg, VA. Check out this link: http://www.afmusic.org/ Later, Ray
Forgot to mention, I still remember my part on the St. Louis Blues March. You're completely right about the swing.
Last edited by raymb1; 01/09/1408:47 AM.
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