Favorite 'Big' Bands??

Self ^ | 12/31/01 | Freepers Comments

[maestro]

What 'Big' Bands have you enjoyed, 'live'??

[MVV]

Whatever happened to Harry? He was sooo cute and what a sexy voice, he tried his hand at acting, remember that love flick with the ever-bubbly Sandra Bullock?

Harry married a model and then decided to put his career on the back-burner to play homemaker hubby. What a foolish thing to do!

[the_doc]

Since I was not even alive during the big band era, I have not heard many big bands live. I heard Bill Basie on his final U.S. tour in the early '80s, however, and he will always be my favorite.

I heard Clark Terry perform with a big band in 1969, but it wasn't really his band. I have heard several other lesser performers in this kind of situation, all of them pretty entertaining, but no one as good as Clark Terry. (He also autographed my calculus book.)

I was raised on classical music and jazz, strictly LP stuff. For jazz, I mostly listened to combos (Brubeck, Mulligan, early Miles Davis, Chet Baker, Art Farmer, etc.), since these were more readily available on record albums. But I really preferred the big bands, especially Count Basie--and after Basie, Duke Ellington.

I also liked Woody Herman's revived orchestra in the '60s, and then Maynard Ferguson. Jimmy Smith, the jazz organist, also put out some really good big band records.

I never got into Buddy Rich for some reason.

[kitkat]

Would you give me the exact name of the album you mentioned? I bought a double CD of Glenn Miller music "remastered," and it sounded like a freight train with squeaky brakes. And, of course, all the store would do is give me another bad album off the shelf. They claim the distributor wouldn't give them credit for the returned album. They really get away with selling defective goods, don't they?

Does anyone here remember when you could go into a booth and listen to a record before you bought it?

Oh, and I have to tell all you 40's music lovers about my quest for a Cole Porter CD. The clerk was about 11 years old and when I asked if they had any Cole Porter she looked confused and kept saying, "Let's see--Cole Porter, Cole Porter." Then she brightened up and said, "Oh, he plays the guitar, right?"

[Tuscaloosa Goldfinch]

Harry Connick comes to B'ham every couple of years. We missed him this year, but his website has a listing of his concert schedule. He's certainly worth the effort to get tickets and travel to hear.

[maestro]

UR#55) Correct!!!I still think they represent the apex of American music.

It was the 'era' of genious painting 'great sounds & themes' of THE AMERICAN PEOPLE and their relaxation from daily HARD WORK with their 'loved-ones' in AMERICA'S GREAT CITIES' Hotels, Ballrooms, and GREAT NIGHT SUPPER-CLUBS!!!
A Great people's, Great Music!!!
EVERYONE 'did their part' in 'showing their cities & radio stations off' to the WHOLE foreign world!
WE DID IT!! 'we' did it!! We, together, IMPROVED THE WORLD!!
And, THAT FACT 'showed itself off' in Great Big Bands & Great 'America' (constructive) MUSIC!!!

Thanks for posting your experiences!

[maestro]

UR#49) 'Rick Brunetto' Big Band's gotta be real good!! Columbus, Ohio has a lot to say!!
Take your 'honey' out to, "Tuesday Nights at,'SPAGIO' restaurant-featuring, 'The Jim Master's Quintet Live'."
IMHO,........'Top-shelf'.....'LIVE'.

Thanks for posting!

[maestro]

UR# 65) LOL.............."Oh, he plays the guitar, right?"

LOL,........Thanks for sharing!

[maestro]

UR#33).......Yeah,......SO many good 'road bands' and 'hotel bands' way back 'when'.

Thanks for, Fletcher Henderson.
How about, 'Miff Mole'??

[maestro]

UR#63).......Oh, yeah!!

[TBP]

I'm too young to have seen any of them live, but I have a bunch of the albums (and a good site for that, BTW, is Primarily A Capella.) IMNHO, the very best of them is the great Glenn Miller. I can listen to Miller all day.

BTW, if you were to pick up the phone and dial (212) PEnnsylvania 6-5000, even today you would reach teh Pennsylvania Hotel in New York, where Miller played in NY.

[weegee]

I saw Lionel Hampton, I don't think that qualifies as big band, but he was still excellent.

I got to meet Lionel Hampton at a concert in Houston while he was in town for the 1992 Republican convention. My brother had volunteered for the convention. We saw him perform at a club and we were unable to get anything signed until my brother mentioned the convention and then we got warm greetings!

[maestro]

UR#72......Wow,...Same phone number,..........'cool'!!!
Thanks!

[maestro]

UR# 50) Agreed! ..........'Doc' is still, 'another-Oh-Great-one'!!!

[weegee]

Although Sun Ra died years ago, his band has gone on the road again. I caught two separate tours about a year apart and both shows were incredible. 17 piece jazz band with a leader, the members have played with everyone from Mingus onward, a number of the musicians are pushing their 70s.

I will say that their repetoir can vary widely from show to show and some concerts will undoubtedly be much better, Houston happens to be blessed with real good performances from these guys. When asked what they play, it can be anything from ragtime to Ellington to some of Sun Ra's 1950s cosmic compositions (like Interplanetary Galaxy and Rocket #9 Takes Off For The Planet Venus) and just a whole slew of jazz styles. The 2 CD singles collection gives an overview of every style Sun Ra's band ever touched on (some of the pieces are more experimental which I don't care for as much but then there are some great vocal group recordings that I had never heard).

[maestro]

UR# 57) YUP,......those were 'good' days for the Big Bands!!(featured by 'late-comers'!!)
(all were/are still, a 'great shew!'.)

[maestro]

UR# 62) ......you listened to the BEST!!

[maestro]

UR# 60).......yeah!!.......standing 'at the bandstand!'.

[tubebender]

Easy one! Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys

...yah, take it away Leon...