happy birthday to elliot lawrence...happy birthday to elliot lawrence born in philadelphia but a...
TRANSCRIPT
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BIG BAND NEWS
FEBRUARY 2019
by Music Librarian CHRISTOPHER POPA
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO
ELLIOT LAWRENCE Born in Philadelphia but a long-time resident of New
York City, Elliot Lawrence, one of the very last surviving
name bandleaders, celebrates his 94th birthday on the
14th of this month. “I’m still kicking, still going strong-
and still cranky,” he joked not too long ago. “I’m quite
worried about the music business today . . . It’s disaster
time for musicians. I don’t know how to change it.”
Lawrence gave up his touring big band in the late 1950s,
but found a new career for himself conducting,
composing, and arranging for musicals, soap operas, and
television award programs, including becoming the Music
Director for the televised Tony Award shows starting in
1966.
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TALENTS OF
ELLIOT LAWRENCE
PIANIST-BANDLEADER
COMPOSER
CONDUCTOR
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ELLIOT LAWRENCE
PLAYS GERRY MULLIGAN, 1955
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MORE BIG BAND BIRTHDAYS SAMMY NESTICO, arranger-composer, b. Feb. 6, 1924.
With Basie ‘67-’84. .
LES BROWN, JR., drummer-vocalist-son of bandleader Les
Brown, b. Feb. 15, 1940. Sang with his father’s band, then
upon Les Sr.’s death in 2001, took it over.
PEGGY KING, vocalist, b. Feb. 16, 1930. With Spivak ‘50;
Flanagan ‘51; J Gray “Stand By for Music” ‘55.
PETE CHRISTLIEB, tenor saxophonist, b. Feb. 16, 1945.
Tenor saxophonist with J Gray ’63-’64; Zentner ’65; Bellson
’67.
JOE LaBARBERA, b. Feb. 22, 1948. Drummer with
Herman “The Raven Speaks” LP ‘72.
MICHAEL BERKOWITZ, b. Feb. 23, 1949. Drummer and
leader of Krupa Orchestra beginning in 2003.
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NECROLOGY
DOLORES PARKER, vocalist, d.Dec. 17, 2018. With F
Henderson ‘41-’42 (as part of Rhythm Debs trio) / ‘45 (as
solo vocalist); Hines ‘46; Ellington ‘47.
URBIE GREEN, trombonist-bandleader, d.Dec. 31, 2018.
With Reynolds ‘42?; Strong ‘42?; Carle ‘45?; Savitt ‘45;
Krupa ‘47-’50; Herman ‘50-‘51 / ‘52 / ‘53; Lanin ‘54?;
Goodman ‘56 / ‘57; leader of T Dorsey Orch ‘66-’67.
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MEMORIES OF YOU
TRICKY SAM NANTON, b. Feb. 1, 1904. Trombonist with
Ellington ‘26-’45.
TONY GATTUSO, b. Feb. 2, 1917. Guitarist with Shaw
‘36-’37; Whiteman ‘38.
JOE MONDRAGON, b. Feb. 2, 1920. Bassist with Herman
‘46; Rich ‘56-’57.
SONNY STITT, b. Feb. 2, 1924. Saxophonist with Eckstine
‘45-’46; Gillespie ‘46.
STAN GETZ, b. Feb. 2, 1927. Tenor saxophonist with
Kenton ‘44-’45; Goodman ‘45-’46; Herman ‘47-’49.
SNOOKY YOUNG, b. Feb. 3, 1919. Trumpeter with
Lunceford ‘39-’42; Hampton ‘42-’43; Basie ‘45-’47 / ‘57-’62.
CHICO ALVAREZ, b. Feb. 3, 1920. Trumpeter with Kenton
‘41-’43 / ‘46-’51.
MANNY KLEIN, b. Feb. 4, 1908. Trumpeter with Whiteman
‘28; Dorsey Bros ‘33; Goodman ‘34; Shaw ‘40.
ARTIE BERNSTEIN, b. Feb. 4, 1909. Bassist with Nichols ’31; Dorsey Bros ’32-’34; Norvo ’33; Clinton ’37; Thornhill
’37; Goodman ’39-’41.
GIL BERNAL, b. Feb. 4, 1931. Tenor saxophonist with
Hampton ‘50-’51.
DON GOLDIE, b. Feb. 5, 1930. Trumpeter with Teagarden
‘59-’61.
HOWARD McGHEE, b. Feb. 6, 1918. Trumpeter with
Hampton ‘41; Kirk ‘41-’42 / ‘43-’44; Barnet ‘42-’43; Auld ‘44.
CONRAD GOZZO, b. Feb. 6, 1922. Trumpeter with I Jones ‘38; Norvo ‘40; Chester ‘41; Thornhill ‘41-’42; Shaw ‘42-’44; Herman ‘46 / ‘51-’57; Miller Orch-Beneke ‘47-’48; studio work for Crosby ‘47?-’51; J Gray ‘49-’53; Anthony 51-’58;
May ‘51-’64.
BERNIE GLOW, b. Feb. 6, 1926. Trumpeter with Shaw ‘45;
Raeburn ‘47 / ‘56 / ‘57; Herman ‘47-’49 / ‘50 / ‘53.
DON FAGERQUIST, b. Feb. 6, 1927. Trumpeter with Krupa ‘45 / ‘47-’49 / ‘50; Shaw ‘49-’50; Herman ‘51-’52; Brown
‘52-’56.
BUDDY MORROW, b. Feb. 8, 1919. Trombonist with Shaw ‘36-’37 / ”Recreates His Great ‘38 Band” Capitol LP ‘68; Duchin ‘37; T Dorsey ‘38; Whiteman ‘39; Crosby ‘40-’42; J Dorsey ‘45. Leader of own band. Leader of
T Dorsey Orch ‘77-’91.
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JOE MAINI, b. Feb. 8, 1930. Saxophonist with Rey ‘48;
Thornhill ‘51.
WALTER PAGE, b. Feb. 9, 1900. Bassist with Moten
‘31-’34; Basie ‘36-’42/ ‘46-’49.
PEANUTS HOLLAND, b. Feb. 9, 1910. Trumpeter with
F Henderson ‘41-’42; Barnet ‘42-’46; Redman ‘46.
FOOTS THOMAS, b. Feb. 10, 1907. Saxophonist with
Calloway ‘30-’43; Redman ‘43.
CHICK WEBB, b. Feb. 10, 1909.
Drummer / leader of own band.
TEX BENEKE, b. Feb. 12, 1914. Saxophonist –vocalist with Miller ‘38-’42; Heidt ‘42. Leader of Miller Orch
‘46-’50. Leader of own band ‘51-’00.
MEL POWELL, b. Feb. 15, 1923. Pianist–composer with
Goodman ‘41-’42; Miller AAF ‘43-’44.
BERNIE PRIVIN, b. Feb. 12, 1919. Trumpeter with ‘38-’39 / “Recreates His Great ‘38 Band” Capitol LP ‘68; Barnet ‘40-’41 / ‘43; Goodman ‘41 / ‘42 / ‘45-’46; Miller AAF ‘43-’45;
Hefti ‘54.
BUDDY CHILDERS, b. Feb. 12, 1926. Trumpeter with
Kenton ‘43-’50 / ‘52-’54; T Dorsey ‘51-’52.
LENNIE HAYTON, b. Feb. 13, 1908. Pianist-arranger with Nichols ‘27-’28; Whiteman ‘28-’30; arranger for Shaw
‘40-’41.
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JACK LESBERG, b. Feb. 14, 1920. Bassist with Spanier ‘40; Goodman ‘46 / ‘67; Teagarden ‘47; Armstrong ‘47 / ‘49; T Dorsey ‘50; McKinley ‘50 / ‘53; Butterfield ‘54 / ‘56-’57;
Hackett ‘63 / ‘69-’70.
TAFT JORDAN, b. Feb. 15, 1915. Trumpeter with Webb
‘33-’39; Ellington ‘43-’47; Oliver ‘50-’52?; Goodman ‘58.
CHARLIE FOWLKES, b. Feb. 16, 1916. Baritone
saxophonist with Hampton ‘44-’48; Basie ‘51-’69 / ‘75-’80.
BUDDY DeFRANCO, b. Feb. 17, 1923. Clarinetist with Fio Rito ‘42; Barnet ‘43-’44; T Dorsey ‘44-’45 / ‘45-’46 / ‘47;
Basie ‘50. Leader of Miller Orch ‘66-’74.
TADD DAMERON, b. Feb. 21, 1917. Arranger-composer
with Leonard ‘40-?; C Hawkins ‘47; Shaw ‘49.
REX STEWART, b. Feb. 22, 1907. Cornetist with
F Henderson ‘26 / ‘28-’33; Ellington ‘34-’45.
JOE WILDER, b. Feb. 22, 1922. Trumpeter with Hampton
‘46; Lunceford ‘47; Basie ‘53-’54.
JOHN CARISI, b. Feb. 23, 1922. Trumpeter with Miller AAF
‘43; Thornhill ‘49 / ‘50; McKinley ‘51-’52.
FLIP PHILLIPS, b. Feb. 26, 1915. Tenor saxophonist with Herman ‘44-‘46 / ‘72 at Newport, RI Jazz Festival / ‘78
Century LP; Goodman ‘59-’60.
DAVE PELL, b. Feb. 26, 1925. Tenor saxophonist with
Brown ‘48-’55.
MILDRED BAILEY, b. Feb. 27, 1907. Vocalist with
Whiteman ‘29-’33; Norvo ‘36-’39; Goodman ‘39.
ABE MOST, b. Feb. 27, 1920. Clarinetist-saxophonist with
Brown ‘41-’42 / ‘49?-’50; T Dorsey ‘46-’47.
LEO WATSON, b. Feb. 27, 1898. Vocalist with Shaw ‘37;
Krupa ‘38.
BEN WEBSTER, b. Feb. 27, 1909. Tenor saxophonist with Moten ‘31-’33; F Henderson ‘34; Ellington ‘35-’36 / ‘40-’43 /
‘48-’49; Calloway ‘36-’37; Herman ‘43.
LEE CASTLE, b. Feb. 28, 1915. Trumpeter with Shaw ‘36-’37 / ‘41-’42 / ‘50; T Dorsey ‘37-’39; Bradley ‘41; Dorsey Bros ‘53-’56; McKinley “Swingin 30s” LP ‘55.
Leader of J Dorsey Orch ‘57-’90.
JIMMY DORSEY, b. Feb. 29, 1904. Alto saxophonist-clarinetist with Whiteman 27-’28; Dorsey Bros ‘34-’35 / ‘53-’56. Leader of own
band.
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ITINERARIES
GLENN MILLER ORCHESTRA DIRECTED BY NICK HILSCHER
February 1, 2019, Cleveland Country Club, Cleveland, TN February 2, 2019, Andrew Jackson Hall, Nashville, TN February 5, 2019, Border Theater, Mission, TX February 6, 2019, Tobin Center, San Antonio, TX February 8, 2019, Orpheum Theatre, Memphis, TN February 10, 2019, BJCC Concert Hall, Birmingham, AL February 14, 2019, Texan Theatre, Greenville, TX February 15, 2019, Cultural Activities Center, Temple, TX February 16, 2019, Texas A&M Univ., Corpus Christi, TX February 17, 2019, private February 19, 2019, Ocotillo Perf. Arts Center, Artesia, NM February 23, 2019, Cheyenne Civic Center, Cheyenne, WY February 25-26, 2019, Boulder Dinner Theater, Boulder, CO
February 28, 2019, Lensic Perf. Arts Center, Santa Fe, NM
GLENN MILLER ORCHESTRA DIRECTED BY JAN SLOTTENAS
February 23, 2019, Folkets Hus, Ludvika, Sweden
GLENN MILLER ORCHESTRA DIRECTED BY RAY McVAY
February 1, 2019, The Mill, Sonning, Berkshire, England
GLENN MILLER ORCHESTRA DIRECTED BY WIL SALDEN
February 6, 2019, Konzerthaus, Dortmund , Germany February 7, 2019, Johanniskirsche, Magdeburg, Germany February 8, 2019, Empore, Bucholz, Germany February 9, 2019, Rudolk Oetker Halle, Bielefeld, Germany February 10, 2019, Theater Am Aegi, Hannover, Germany February 15, 2019, Alte Oper, Frankfurt, Germany February 16, 2019, Kornmarktkirsche, Muhlhausen February 17, 2019, Philharmonie Alfried Krupp Saal, Essen February 22, 2019, Zhukovsky, Russia February 23, 2019, Dubna, Russia February 24, 2019, House of Music, Moskau, Russia February 25, 2019, Archangelsk, Russia
February 26, 2019, Swerodwinsk, Russia
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NEW COMPACT DISCS
A 2-CD SET (SOUNDS OF YESTERYEAR DSOY 2133) CAPTURES HARRY JAMES AND HIS SWINGIN’ BAND LIVE
IN CHICAGO IN 1973 WITH VOCALIST SUNDI MARTINO AND DRUMMER LES DeMERLE. BESIDES FAMILIAR JAMES
FAVORITES, IT INCLUDES A NUMBER OF SONGS OR INSTRUMENTALS FROM THE 1960S, SUCH AS “LARA’S THEME,” “SOMETHING,” “MEDITATION,” “ON A CLEAR
DAY,” “GOIN’ OUT OF MY HEAD,” AND “WHAT ARE YOU DOING THE REST OF YOUR LIFE?.”
FOR THOSE WHO DON’T WANT TO BUY ALL 24 CDS OF “CONCERTS IN MINIATURE” BY STAN KENTON, HERE IS A
“SAMPLER (SOUNDS OF YESTERYEAR DSOY 2130).
A SAMPLING OF 56 OF LAWRENCE WELK’S CHAMPAGNE MUSIC SINGLES RECORDED FROM 1938 TO 1962 FOR
VOCALION, OKEH, DECCA, MERCURY, CORAL, AND DOT. THIS IS A 2-CD SET (ACROBAT ADDCD3285).
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A FEW NOTES ABOUT…
THE LEXINGTON HOTEL
It opened as the Hotel Lexington at 511 Lexington Avenue
(at 48th Street) in New York City in 1929, envisioned by the
architectural firm Schultze & Weaver, which also designed,
among others, the Waldorf-Astoria.
In the 1930s, the Lexington was operated by hotel industry
pioneer Ralph Hitz, who was the head of the National Hotel
Management Company, which also ran the Congress Hotel in
Chicago, the Adolphus Hotel in Dallas, and the Nicollet Hotel in
Minneapolis. Big band fans need only to hear those locations to
know that they were, at one time, hosts to the bands of Artie
Shaw, Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, and others.
But back to the Lexington. Last year, renovations of all six of
the specialty suites at the Lexington were completed, and one
was decorated with themed accessories inspired by the hotel’s
history, along with inspiration from the Jazz Age. That space
has been named the “Lady Ella Suite,” for Ella Fitzgerald, who
in the 1930s was vocalist with Chick Webb’s band.