In the long history of jazz vocalists, there have always been a few who have been respectfully described as a 'singer's singer'. Some of them have been very well-known, but others have sort of flown below the radar. One that might qualify as the latter is Ethel Ennis, who is still entertaining fans after a … Continue reading A Singer’s Singer – Ethel Ennis
Category: Big Band
The REAL Eddy Duchin Story
Although his orchestra was enormously popular in its day, Eddy Duchin would probably not be a recognizable name to most current music fans except for one thing. A few years after his death, Hollywood star Tyrone Power portrayed him in The Eddy Duchin Story, a very colorful tale of his life that even today occasionally … Continue reading The REAL Eddy Duchin Story
The Talents Of Horace Heidt
Unlike most of the entertainers I've written about, swing-era bandleader Horace Heidt's talents didn't depend on his own musical abilities. Although he could play piano, he usually left the keyboard to others. And he was never really known as a composer or arranger, like so many of his contemporaries. But he did have two things … Continue reading The Talents Of Horace Heidt
And The Winner Is….Me
At least I hope so. I'm sort of setting aside the music stuff today (although I've still included a good tune below) because I wanted to report something. Random visitors will have no idea what I'm talking about, but regulars will remember that a few days ago I wrote that I was on the horns … Continue reading And The Winner Is….Me
Dave Pell – The Real Thing
I've mentioned before that I sometimes regret dumping all my old vinyl LPs in favor of CDs (most recently in Bye-Bye To Brubeck Bossa Nova). Another of those missing albums came to mind today. It was an odd-looking one -- transparent gold instead of black -- recorded by a bandleader that I assumed at the … Continue reading Dave Pell – The Real Thing
The Reluctant Crooner – Rudy Vallée
Yes folks, I'm writing about crooners again. It's a subject that has always fascinated me, and my interest has resulted in a number of articles that date all the way back to my Crooner Conundrum piece from four years ago. But today's subject -- Rudy Vallée -- was a different kind of crooner. For one … Continue reading The Reluctant Crooner – Rudy Vallée
Mr. Peanut Makes An Appearance
So I was listening to an album that I reviewed several years ago -- Cuban legend Juan Pablo Torres' Romantic Cuba -- and suddenly my ears perked up and I had a strong craving for peanuts. The reason? The last cut on the album is a medley that includes "El Manisero," a piece that's much … Continue reading Mr. Peanut Makes An Appearance
The Sweet Sounds Of Russ Morgan
Once in a while I like to feature one of the less-remembered bandleaders of the big band era, guys who might have been very popular at one time but lacked the lasting fame of a Glenn Miller or Tommy Dorsey. One who could be described in those terms was another trombonist, Russ Morgan, who had … Continue reading The Sweet Sounds Of Russ Morgan
Ginny Simms – From College To Kollege
Regular readers will recall that I often write about 'crooners' and 'songbirds' -- the vocalists of the big band era. In fact, if you put either word into the 'search' space on the left side you'll find lots of evidence of my fondness for them. That being the case, I thought maybe it was time … Continue reading Ginny Simms – From College To Kollege
The Long Musical Journey Of Pete Rugolo
It might be unfair to call TV's Richard Diamond show a Peter Gunn clone, because even though both shows featured private eyes and a jazz-laden soundtrack, Diamond actually predated Gunn. It's just that the latter seemed to have made a more lasting impression, at least in part because of Henry Mancini's music. Richard Diamond is … Continue reading The Long Musical Journey Of Pete Rugolo
Geezer Music Club 