A ghost band is a legacy band that performs under the name of a deceased leader. In rock and roll, it is a band that performs under the name of the band whose founders are either deceased or have left the band. Use of the phrase may refer to a repertory jazz ensemble, such as a Dixieland band, with a longstanding, historic name. But in the strictest sense, a ghost band is connected in some way to a deceased leader.
Gene Lees, Woody Herman's biographer, and several other sources attribute the coining of the phrase to Woody Herman, who used it to refer to successors of dance bands from the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. [1]
The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra is a ghost band with a twist: the name is new, but the band is closely identified as being the legacy of The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, and like the Mingus Band, is producing new works. Thad Jones, who had once been a trumpeter with the Count Basie Orchestra, led Count Basie's ghost band with critical acclaim. [2]
Ghost bands fall into three categories: (i) authorized, (ii) unauthorized, and (iii) unspecified. Authorized ghost bands fall into two sub-categories: (a) authorized under the will of the decedent and (b) authorized by agreement with the heirs, successors, and assigns to the rights of the name. Unauthorized ghost bands are those that exist in the face of opposition, or those that prevail in a legal challenge. Unspecified ghost bands subsist with no preference or will given. In this case, more than one band might subsist, and even remain unopposed if money is not an issue.[ citation needed ]
Ghost bands often do not have full access to unpublished, original music arrangements. In lieu of ghost bands, some leaders have opted to bestow their music and papers to academic institutions, in some cases, to music schools devoted to research, restoration, and repertory studies, and in other cases, to alma maters.
The phrase "ghost band" is sometimes viewed as an underhanded way (i.e., pejorative way) of saying that the ensemble is not the "real McCoy". Not being the "real McCoy" does not automatically mean "inferior." The current pool of virtuoso musicians, world-wide, is abundant. Moreover, ghost bands in recording studios are often composed of high-caliber musicians who might have otherwise been (a) unwilling to tour full-time, back in the day or (b) too expensive or (c) both. Willingness to embrace the phrase is mixed. Legacy bands – those that have grown new, distinct identities and have generated new works – value their roots; but they also appreciate recognition for their contributions to the art. From a branding perspective, some repertory big bands, such as the Glenn Miller Orchestra, embrace the phrase as a statement of commitment to the preservation of the original sound.[ citation needed ]
The Glenn Miller Orchestra has been performing for seventy-seven of the seventy-nine years since Glenn Miller went missing. In dance band and big band jazz idioms, ghost bands typically perform the repertoire of the original band. Exceptions, however, include the Mingus Big Band, which performs and records new works in the creative spirit of its founder, Charles Mingus. The examples of Miller and Mingus are, in a sense, the same because both are striving to preserve the original models.
The estates of some notable band leaders, such as those of Stan Kenton and Maynard Ferguson, specifically forbid ghost bands in their names. [3]
In classic rock/pop/R&B, a ghost band may refer to a group composed of musicians from newer generations and perhaps owned or led offstage by a secondary founding member who may perform, or may not even perform with the group as is the case with Blood, Sweat & Tears and The Platters. Many classic rock/pop acts still tour with musicians who were in the last stages of their success and weren't founding or crucial members of those acts, such as Little River Band. Other acts such as The Grass Roots, The Guess Who, The Temptations, and others are now led by a drummer, bassist, or other background rhythm musician or backing vocalist who had little to do with the unique original sound (as compared to a lead instrumentalist or lead vocalist who made the sound identifiable to fans). These acts typically play at festivals, casinos, cruise ships, clubs, theaters and small venues, typically billed with other similar acts in "oldies packages", and are essentially tribute acts in all but name only.[ citation needed ]
Jazz
Classic rock, R&B, and pop
A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and dominated jazz in the early 1940s when swing was most popular. The term "big band" is also used to describe a genre of music, although this was not the only style of music played by big bands.
Alton Glen "Glenn" Miller was an American big band conductor, arranger, composer, trombone player, and recording artist before and during World War II, when he was an officer in the US Army Air Forces. His civilian band, Glenn Miller and His Orchestra were one of the most popular and successful bands of the 20th century and the big band era. His military group, the Major Glenn Miller Army Air Forces Orchestra, was also popular and successful.
Swing music is a style of jazz that developed in the United States during the late 1920s and early 1930s. It became nationally popular from the mid-1930s. The name derived from its emphasis on the off-beat, or nominally weaker beat. Swing bands usually featured soloists who would improvise on the melody over the arrangement. The danceable swing style of big bands and bandleaders such as Benny Goodman was the dominant form of American popular music from 1935 to 1946, known as the swing era, when people were dancing the Lindy Hop. The verb "to swing" is also used as a term of praise for playing that has a strong groove or drive. Musicians of the swing era include Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Cab Calloway, Benny Carter, Jimmy Dorsey, Tommy Dorsey, Woody Herman, Earl Hines, Harry James, Lionel Hampton, Glenn Miller, Artie Shaw, Jimmie Lunceford, and Django Reinhardt.
The swing era was the period (1933–1947) when big band swing music was the most popular music in the United States. Though this was its most popular period, the music had actually been around since the late 1920s and early 1930s, being played by black bands led by such artists as Duke Ellington, Jimmie Lunceford, Bennie Moten, Cab Calloway, Earl Hines, and Fletcher Henderson, and white bands from the 1920s led by the likes of Jean Goldkette, Russ Morgan and Isham Jones. An early milestone in the era was from "the King of Swing" Benny Goodman's performance at the Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles on August 21, 1935, bringing the music to the rest of the country. The 1930s also became the era of other great soloists: the tenor saxophonists Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster and Lester Young; the alto saxophonists Benny Carter and Johnny Hodges; the drummers Chick Webb, Gene Krupa, Jo Jones and Sid Catlett; the pianists Fats Waller and Teddy Wilson; the trumpeters Louis Armstrong, Roy Eldridge, Bunny Berigan, and Rex Stewart.
Thaddeus Joseph Jones was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader who has been called "one of the all-time greatest jazz trumpet soloists".
Lester Willis Young, nicknamed "Pres" or "Prez", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and occasional clarinetist.
Gordon Lee "Tex" Beneke was an American saxophonist, singer, and bandleader. His career is a history of associations with bandleader Glenn Miller and former musicians and singers who worked with Miller. His band is also associated with the careers of Eydie Gormé, Henry Mancini and Ronnie Deauville. Beneke also solos on the recording the Glenn Miller Orchestra made of their popular song "In The Mood" and sings on another popular Glenn Miller recording, "Chattanooga Choo Choo". Jazz critic Will Friedwald considers Beneke to be one of the major blues singers who sang with the big bands of the early 1940s.
Lynn Seaton is a jazz bassist associated with bebop and swing.
Gary Smulyan is a jazz musician who plays baritone saxophone. He studied at Hofstra University before working with Woody Herman. He leads a trio with bassist Ray Drummond and drummer Kenny Washington.
Nathaniel Pierce Blish Jr., known professionally as Nat Pierce was an American jazz pianist and prolific composer and arranger, perhaps best known for being pianist and arranger for the Woody Herman band from 1951 to 1955. Pieces by Pierce were predominantly created for use in big bands.
Edward Joseph Bertolatus, also known as Eddie Bert, was an American jazz trombonist.
Jack Nimitz was an American jazz baritone saxophonist, nicknamed "The Admiral".
Bobby Jones was an American jazz saxophonist.
Roger O'Neal Ingram is a jazz trumpeter, educator, author, and instrument designer. He played trumpet for the orchestras of Maynard Ferguson, Woody Herman, Wynton Marsalis, Ray Charles, and Harry Connick Jr.
John Bernard Riley is an American jazz drummer and educator. He has performed with Woody Herman, Stan Getz, Milt Jackson, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, John Scofield, Bob Mintzer, Gary Peacock, Mike Stern, Joe Lovano, Franck Amsallem, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, John Patitucci, and Bob Berg.
The Jazz Knights was the jazz ensemble of the United States Military Academy Band stationed at West Point, New York; it was one of the premiere jazz ensembles of the United States Army Special Bands. Originally created in 1972, they carried the tradition of American Jazz and entertain the Corps of Cadets, the “JK's” were a professional big band rehearsing for the purpose of presenting jazz ensemble music. The ensemble's mission was to serve the United States Military Academy and the American public.
William George "Rams" Ramsay was an American jazz saxophonist and band leader based in Seattle. In 1997, he was inducted into the Seattle Jazz Hall of Fame, the top of eight Golden Ear Award categories presented annually since 1990 by the Earshot Jazz Society of Seattle. Ramsay performed on all the primary saxophones – soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone – as well as clarinet, and bass clarinet. Ramsay died on March 3, 2024, at the age of 95.
"It Must Be Jelly ('Cause Jam Don't Shake Like That)" is a 1942 jazz and pop song recorded by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra. The song was released as an RCA 78 single by Glenn Miller in 1944. Woody Herman also released the song as a single and as a V-Disc.
Melvin "Mel" Wanzo, also known as Melvin Wahid Muhammad was an American jazz trombonist. He is best known for his longtime association with the Count Basie Orchestra.
Melton "Shakir" Mustafa Sr. (November 23, 1947 – December 28, 2017) was an American jazz musician, music educator, and arranger who played the trumpet and flugelhorn.