Glenn Miller: In the Mood
One Of the Kings Of Swing
While many people argued whether Goodman or Shaw was the better musician, nobody during the Swing Era could ignore that Glenn Miller left both of them in his wake once he hit the scene. Sure, the bespectacled, tight-lipped bandleader seemed more like the leader of a choir than a swing ...
Lionel Hampton: "Flying Home"
Second Balcony Jump
In his autobiography Malcolm X described the first time he heard “Flying Home. “People kept shouting for Hamp's “Flying Home and finally he did it. I had never seen such fever heated dancing. In his autobiography, Lionel Hampton tells the story of the time at the Apollo when a guy who had smoked ...
Tommy Dorsey: "Marie"
Brotherly Love
It all started, or rather ended, with a tempo change. The Dorsey Brothers Orchestra broke up when Tommy Dorsey abruptly walked off the stage during an engagement at the Glen Island Casino after an argument over the tempo of a tune. However, the seeds of discord had been planted long ago. The Dorsey Brothers, ...
Artie Shaw: "Begin the Beguine"
Dueling Clarinetists
During the Swing Era Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw were the clarinetists that reigned supreme and serious fans divided themselves into factions that loved one or the other. Goodman was the peddler of popular tunes who got the crowd on their feet, while Shaw was the musician's musician who preferred to make artistic statement ...
Duke Ellington: "Cotton Tail"
Part III in a series exploring the history of the Swing Era's greatest songs.
It Don't Mean A Thing
Unlike many big band leaders, Ellington was always uncomfortable with the swing music craze and had little to gain from it. For one thing, his distinctive musical imagination and complex arrangements were more appropriate for listening than ...
Count Basie: "One O'Clock Jump"
Part II in a series exploring the history of the Swing Era's greatest songs.
In the summer of 1937 Charlie Parker headed to the Ozark Mountains with a stack of Count Basie records and spent hours woodshedding, learning the solos of Lester Young note for note. Although Parker developed his own style out of this exercise, ...
Benny Goodman: "Sing, Sing, Sing"
Part I in a series exploring the history of the Swing Era's greatest songs.
The Paramount
Benny Goodman and his band arrived at the Paramount Theater on the morning of March 3, 1937 to find throngs of students waiting in line. Goodman had assumed that this engagement, which started at 8:30 in the morning and preceded ...
