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pop/jazz orchestral music of the '40's-'60's - jazzboCR - 16-01-2015
Take my hipster creds and throw'm in the trash with this stuff...but Lordy, do I love it! Let's start with:
Neal Hefti Film scores and arrangements for and playing with such as Count Basie and Woody Herman. Quite the trumpet player too, though he gave that up in the late '50's to focus on writing. A big influence on players like Miles Davis and Charlie Parker. Wrote in both the Pop and Jazz idioms successfully. Had his own orchestra now and then but had much more success working with others. A Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neal_Hefti
Some tunes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jWXXWDEdCs << a light remix of 2 of his better tunes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx3aoB6I5YY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuxgcQWOc3o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oNDdyPC4Ak
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTNwTOZyMKM
Les Brown Bandleader and song writer ( he has at least partial credit in 1620 songs, often as lyricist*). Led bands for 60+ years. His Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Brown_(bandleader)
Some tunes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXknqXi9Hdo << Always worked well with vocalists
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLiVK64NIrM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pf3W0az82Pk
BONUS: full album: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2-u2V14RtE
* Here's a list: http://www.lyrics.com/lesbrown
pop/jazz orchestral music of the '40's-'60's - jazzboCR - 18-01-2015
Billy Butterfield Band leader and superior all-'round horn player. From age 50 and on, he was in an enhanced trio called The World's Best Jazz Band. His brief wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Butterfield His discog--the 2-stars are the soppy sentimental--but even they offer his beautiful tone: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Butterfield
Some tunes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dZ23aib45Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsDKxLlTsXA << see why he fit so well in a Dixieland outfit?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jv_eiJ25AYs << Fats Waller would've been pleased to play this with him
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNc5IxX63AU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9eQXEJXEf4 << had a fruitful relationship with Ray Conniff
pop/jazz orchestral music of the '40's-'60's - jazzboCR - 19-01-2015
George Auld A 2nd-tier player. An early junkie in jazz and one who introduced a lot of jazz players to heroin. He was also a heckuva player and bandleader, and did a lot of side work in both writing/arranging and playing. He even played some R&R. His Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgie_Auld
Some tunes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcVz3Jl4SJE << an earlier version, when he still played straight-up jazz (melodic though)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tanFCDqtFUs << Had a beautiful, thick tone
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BFwbNrq3Gg << What we do to stay relevant/of-the-minute...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjORxGVzMDA << w/Les Brown-what he's really about, when given the space/ a chance to shine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AG0qW6TFdCE&list=PLF-oZUivMDBbbuKAHA0SSsG3LS15LddMF << 24 individual cuts of a stellar group playing some hot pop arrangements of good tunes. Look at those names!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-Y2GQeG_ao << A thick slice of '60's cheesy wonderfulness << rockabilly/surf-Hawaiian and it works so well
pop/jazz orchestral music of the '40's-'60's - jazzboCR - 20-01-2015
Charlie Ventura Tenor sax Had middling success with his own big band but with smaller groups and as a sideman with others, he was special. Employed the vocal duo Jackie Cain & Roy Kral for a long time. Called it "Bop for the People" though he was really a swing player. Quite the showman in concert and club. His Bio: http://www.allmusic.com/artist/charlie-ventura-mn0000101628/biography His lengthy and rich Discog: http://www.allmusic.com/artist/charlie-ventura-mn0000101628/discography
Some tunes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBtPl-KRRt8 << W/Cain/Kral
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSx-zZWX-Hs << "Bop for the People" exemplified
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1Ivw9ybZ6k << Tone, imagination and a great sense of fun
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wGiYOkv0l4 << I deliberately picked a vinyl, unreconstructed version--you get what they got in 1950
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zI_aehVieqM << These folks had a long and productive career q.v.
pop/jazz orchestral music of the '40's-'60's - jazzboCR - 21-01-2015
Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra Existed from 1927 and didn't tour after 1950 (still recorded as a studio outfit 'til the early '60's). A democratic/co-op outfit as the players were stockholders, and "bad apples" were bought out by the group and ejected. The ork name came from a Toronto hotel. A Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casa_Loma_Orchestra Their Discog is mildly interesting but Mr. Gray had a few discs on Capitol re-creating the sounds of other Big Bands. Here's one such: http://www.allmusic.com/album/solo-spotlight-mw0001349923
Some Tunes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0SPauuiFmE << love the dancing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdvw3ijpZQo << No Name Jive
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10E0KeVoLeI << ...a couple by a later version of the Ork...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rA99x8-HyW0 <<...shows what a swing orchestra can do with later material--in a word: terrific
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QKi6v2R-6k << backing a great trumpeter, Jonah Jones
pop/jazz orchestral music of the '40's-'60's - jazzboCR - 22-01-2015
Rob McConnell and Boss Brass Just barely includable here (it was formed in 1968) but I like them so much, I squeezed the rule. A big Big Band (up to 22 members at times) and so given the right arrangement, they could and did play anything...and they always had the right charts. A Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_McConnell A Discog--the only 2-star is really better than that:
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/rob-mcconnell-mn0000279968/discography Mr. McConnell died a few years ago so no native site--here's a tribute site (nice vids on it).:
http://www.mjq.net/bossbrass/
Some tunes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9BUPvvWk3s << Notice the valve 'bone player? See this about that #
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZtUZ3HqosA << a kind of 2-fer--them playing in the Basie style
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waE1jtH9CZY << Lovely version of a haunting song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSJ6zhHD8c0 "Pensive" indeed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ev0ePCLkKBo They did a whole album with Phil Woods. For more on "New Bird", ##
NOTE: This isn't here just so I could include a Canadian band--they stand with any group anywhere, any time. If Mel Torme thinks they're badass, they're in the Pantheon...That said, if somebody will tell me about similar-quality aggregations from the UK, Australasia, Germany, Japan or elsewhere, please let me know.
# Interesting discussion about valve vs. slide trombone: http://tromboneforum.org/index.php?topic=53646.0
## Mr. Woods has had a varied, interesting career: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Woods
pop/jazz orchestral music of the '40's-'60's - jazzboCR - 22-01-2015
Ray Anthony Trumpeter, bandleader, TV music show host. Middle-of-the-road stuff mainly--he could hard-charge sometimes but a lot of Glenn Miller cover discs also. Nice tone and personality to burn. Looked a lot like Cary Grant. A Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Anthony His discog is 50 years, but only 1 or 2 outstanding albums:
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/ray-anthony-mn0000405113/discography His Site: http://www.rayanthonyband.com/ << at 93, he's still alive but doubt he plays much
Some tunes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTKKCvIu4co << Not just the song; the suite--I'd never heard the whole thing before--big tonal palette used to great effect
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbU-KBsw01M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLKe6aM0x2E << The sweeter side and what he's remembered for
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8J5g1Jo0Ys << ...and this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13Gj5VZXvb0 << Don't you love cornball music?
pop/jazz orchestral music of the '40's-'60's - jazzboCR - 23-01-2015
Les and Larry Elgart These brothers essentially kept swing alive 'til the early '90's. Les retired in '64; Larry kept going for decades more. Les' Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Elgart No AMG listing--his stuff is too intermixed with his brother's stuff. Died in '95 but still has an ork with his name and a Website: http://www.leselgart.com/ Larry's Wiki--evidently the stronger, more commanding of the two: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Elgart and http://www.allmusic.com/artist/larry-elgart-mn0000129317 A combined discog from 1965 on but search each for a bunch of good stuff: http://www.allmusic.com/artist/les-larry-elgart-mn0000210107/discography
Ya-ya done with; now some tunes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfRKVXrK7yE << All the Latino commenters liked it a lot...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQXfoSuHwak << Ditto. Commenter Kirk Schmidt puts you in the picture of the times.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFbEKj-iPPc << I love this song, even this syrupy version. Try Charlie Barnet's--that so cooks! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsDXnYKkdqw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMUAa5tt-6U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNpxtZhe1HU << always a haunting song
Hooked on Swing Series--3 discs hooking great swing tunes together in medley form--works very well and gave Larry Elgart a second shot. The one to get: http://www.allmusic.com/album/hooked-on-swing-best-of-hooked-on-swing-mw0000624256
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHANNkKBSNU << New music; old vid--works well
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFIumCtDVQw << Could do without the clapping
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tz9MNX7dfl8 << Surely you remember this?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdUoq17aUXs
Larry Elgart did other "Hooked on" series including the Beatles << I only said this so if anybody "Searches" the Beatles here, this will come up, to everybody's bafflement.
pop/jazz orchestral music of the '40's-'60's - jazzboCR - 25-01-2015
OK, we've gone from conventional swing to pop to jazz and now...exotica. It's a general term used for either conventional pop overlayed with unconventional instruments and and animal sounds to totally zany offerings. 2 best exemplars are Martin Denny and Esquivel! though Les Baxter and some others did nice things in this genre.
Martin Denny Made a living playing those conventional songs in a quasi-Pacific Island mode along with Latinesque and other modes ("lounge music"). Got into the sound by accident but spent 40+ years riding that pony. Quite fun stuff and and an influence on many--2 split-off groups also (Arthur Lyman's and Julius Wechter's). His Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Denny and l-o-o-ng interview with him: http://www.danacountryman.com/Denny/Denny1.html His Discog (compilations are the way to go w/Mr. Denny): http://www.allmusic.com/artist/martin-denny-mn0000311074/discography/compilations
Some tunes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJK2LwD_nEY <<the song that started it all. Perked up your night, right?--seeing men in skirts, I mean. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWESMyBfqys
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5owZr9vP7c << Nifty vid though not to every taste... Wonder what movie it's from?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djacfrVYtzQ << His take on a classic tune
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AE3KU64mwBY <<...and another
Esquivel! Always spelt his name with the exclamation point. Piano child prodigy. Mexican of Basque heritage. Some of his stuff was so advanced, so far ahead of its time it took 40 years for 1 of his discs to be released...and it was Lou Reed pressuring RCA even then. Merely zany? Or genius? Your call. Called himself "The King of Space-Age Bachelor Pad Music". * His Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Garc%C3%ADa_Esquivel His discog of compilations--the place to start but each piece was so different, it can be tough picking the one.
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/esquivel-mn0000198923/discography/compilations
Here's something different--a 21-piece current ork playing his music: http://www.orchestrotica.com/
Some tunes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eczE9pAEHo4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NglD0H-cps
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coFd6ZMpri8 << Brings something new to even warhorses like this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jFxu-_tb-A << Weird just for the sake of being weird?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4SlbKF-t10
* Designed to appeal to Neal Caffrey kinda guys (though with shorter hair, befitting the times): https://www.google.com/search?espv=2&biw=1258&bih=815&tbm=isch&imgil=OzyMbw_2wWd4wM%253A%253BowzH69cL0FNivM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fthemonsieur.com%25252F2011%25252F09%25252F05%25252Fwhite-collar-style-dress-like-neal-caffrey-style%25252F&source=iu&pf=m&fir=OzyMbw_2wWd4wM%253A%252CowzH69cL0FNivM%252C_&usg=__YGV2vJS3sMbkbEOUgaiyOvwBYdQ%3D&ved=0CDcQyjc&ei=OzXEVMnbDtCCgwS0gIT4DQ&q=neal%20caffrey%20with%20hat%20pics#imgdii=_&imgrc=CRqHfDnTnq4oGM%253A%3BkRF72FlCqJAaGM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252F25.media.tumblr.com%252Ftumblr_lhbp6p3miS1qfqfsbo1_500.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fjeremyrenners.blogspot.com%252F2011%252F01%252Fwhite-collar-neal-caffrey-shirtless.html%3B466%3B700
BONUS: The disc that sat in a can for 40 years: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVnD5Y2G97A
pop/jazz orchestral music of the '40's-'60's - jazzboCR - 25-01-2015
Vanguard Jazz Orchestra A continuation band, having started as the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra in '66. They've had a continuing gig at NYC's premier jazz club and have recorded some excellent sides of lesser-known composers. Here's a Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thad_Jones/Mel_Lewis_Orchestra Here's a discog, illustrating my point (McNeely/Brookmeyer): http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-vanguard-jazz-orchestra-mn0000921033/discography Their Site (opens with music...): http://www.vanguardjazzorchestra.com/
Some tunes (they've consistently had NYC-area's best players so pay no attention to the era--it's the charts and the execution that matter):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbHS1m1v6V8 << Adventurous but not outre
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzSL_jYtBzQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PI9bigolLLA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6dXYB_FleY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Oriz_zcqxU << Love the song title. Commenter 1 (Marshall Ignas) has it right, not least because Mr. Weiskopf is on fire!
BONUS: a full hour+ concert from '09: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvV11smAJ-c
SEMI-BONUS: a 1/2 hour including arguably the best 'bone player of our generation, the late Bob Brookmeyer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GWhmRWqIyM