Big Noise from Winnetka

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"Big Noise from Winnetka" is a jazz song co-written by composer and bass player Bob Haggart and drummer Ray Bauduc, who were members of a sub-group of the Bob Crosby Orchestra called "The Bobcats". They also were the first to record it, in 1938. That recording is remarkable for being an unusual kind of duet: at first Haggart whistles the melody and plays the bass, accompanied only by Bauduc on the drums; however, halfway through the drum solo, Bauduc starts drumming on the strings of the bass while Haggart performs the left-hand fingering, combining to create a percussive bass solo. Though the original version has only bass and drums (with the bass player whistling), many other arrangements have been performed, including one by the Bob Crosby big band with the band's vocal group, for which Gil Rodin and Bob Crosby added lyrics to the instrumental original.

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After the success of its initial recording, Haggart and Bauduc performed this number frequently for the rest of their careers, including in several films, most notably in 1941's Let's Make Music and 1943's Reveille with Beverly . The original recording was featured on the soundtrack of Raging Bull . Nick Nolte and Debra Winger danced to a version credited to Bob Crosby and the Bobcats in the 1982 film Cannery Row .

Composition

This was a spontaneous composition, created at the Blackhawk in Chicago in 1938. [1] When some of the band were late getting back from a break, Haggart and Bauduc started free improvising while they waited and "Big Noise" was the result. It was a joint composition, later formalized by arranger Haggart. Later, lyrics were written by Gil Rodin and Bob Crosby.

Winnetka, Illinois is an affluent North Shore suburb located approximately 16 miles (26 km) north of downtown Chicago.

Performances

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References

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  3. "Skokie Lifestyles and Entertainment - Skokie Review". Chicago Tribune .
  4. "What's In My Head Podcast: Patric Caird: Composer for Ed, Edd n Eddy! on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 2022-07-18.