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Glenn Miller Orchestra | |
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Background information | |
Genres | Jazz, Big band |
Years active | 1956–present |
Members | Erik Stabnau, Jenny Swoish, Kevin Sheehan, Gary Meggs, Connor Baba, Ashley Hall, Chris Stein, Matt Gates, Joe Young IV, George Reinert III, Dave Ashley, Mike DeSousa, Byron McChord, Dean Schweiger |
Past members | Don New, Dan Riley, Tex Beneke, Ray McKinley, Lenny Hambro, Peanuts Hucko, Dick Lowenthal, Buddy Morrow, Jimmy Henderson, Dick Gerhart, Henry Mancini, Larry O'Brien, Chris Fortner, Derek Kwong, Lee Taylor, Walt Kross, Joe Rose, Bill Kotrba, Tim Pence, Cary Sheley, Steve Bleifuss, Andrew Burdick, David Bobroff, Terry Frenz II, Steve Molloy, Mike Manthey, Graham Breedlove, Jeff Wilfore, Alex Norris, Joe Weber, Rudy Petschauer, Jeremy Manasia, Tom McDonough, Tim Albright, Gary Tole, Clifford Shibly, Jack Sperling, Beat Kaestli, Dale Orris, Nick Hilscher, Bill Barbour, Dave Ryan, Robbie Hioki, Doug Cook, Barry Springer, Bill Barrett, Mike Duva, Julia Rich (vocal), Charlie Lee, Jeff Hughes, Roscoe Myers, Wally Besser, Darrell Hendricks, Larry Newman, Steve McCallum, Clayton Lucovich, Holbrook Riles III, Joel Linscheid, Jon Rees, Tom Smith, Jonathan McQuade, Nigel Yancey, Dylan Schwab, Patrick Hession, Seth Lewis, Shawn Williams, James Navan, Betty Grable, Buck Clayton, Hoagy Carmichael, Art Tatum, Dominic "Nick" Barulli, Elliot Scozzaro, Karl Stabnau, Abdullah Ebrahim, Hayden Mapel, Ron Mills, Patrick Sheehan, Louie Leager, Gil Scott Chapman, Dan Gabel, Brad Black, Natalie Angst (vocal). |
Website | www.glennmillerorchestra.com |
The Glenn Miller Orchestra is a band formed after the loss of Glenn Miller, named in memory of him and the original Glenn Miller Orchestra.
There was a short revival of a band named Glenn Miller Orchestra in the 1940s.
Glenn Miller broke up the original Glenn Miller Orchestra in 1942 to join the United States Army Air Forces and lead the Major Glenn Miller Army Air Forces Orchestra. Miller died in 1944. in 1946, Miller's widow had a new band formed under the name Glenn Miller Orchestra, led by Miller's saxophonist and vocalist Tex Beneke. [1] [2]
Many members of Miller's Army Air Forces Orchestra joined the band, which until 1948 featured a large string section as had Miller's Army Air Forces band (but unlike the original Glenn Miller Orchestra). The band was successful, but Beneke didn't like having to follow Miller's old arrangements precisely. The Miller estate wanted a band that was primarily associated with Glenn Miller, playing the Glenn Miller songs in the "Glenn Miller style." By 1950, Beneke and the Miller estate parted ways and the band dissolved. [3] [4] Beneke formed his own band, "Tex Beneke and His Orchestra: Playing the Music Made Famous by Glenn Miller" [5] [2]
There was a second revival of the name Glenn Miller Orchestra in 1956, which has continued well into the 21st century. It is this version with which this article is primarily concerned.
After the release of the successful film The Glenn Miller Story , Miller's widow invited Ray McKinley, who had assumed leadership of the Major Glenn Miller Army Air Forces Orchestra 1945, to lead a new Glenn Miller Orchestra. McKinley recruited Will Bradley as featured trombonist, and they remained with the Miller band until 1966.
The Glenn Miller Orchestra has recorded and performed under various leaders, from 1956 to this day. Clarinetist Buddy DeFranco became the musical director in 1966. [6]
Larry O'Brien served as director of the World-Famous Glenn Miller Orchestra from 1981 to 1983 and from 1988 to 2010. [7]
Singer Nick Hilscher became the director of the touring band in 2012, replacing previous director Gary Tole. Saxophonist/vocalist Erik Stabnau became music director in August 2021.
The Glenn Miller estate has authorized other bands to perform as "The Glenn Miller Orchestra" internationally. These groups are based in England, Europe, and Scandinavia.
Current as of 2022 [8]
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.
"In the Mood" is a popular big band-era jazz standard recorded by American bandleader Glenn Miller. "In the Mood" is based on the composition "Tar Paper Stomp" by Wingy Manone. The first recording under the name "In the Mood" was released by Edgar Hayes & His Orchestra in 1938.
"Chattanooga Choo Choo" is a 1941 song written by Mack Gordon and composed by Harry Warren. It was originally recorded as a big band/swing tune by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra and featured in the 1941 movie Sun Valley Serenade. It was the first song to receive a gold record, presented by RCA Victor in 1942, for sales of 1.2 million copies.
Glenn Miller and His Orchestra were an American swing dance band formed by Glenn Miller in 1938. Arranged around a clarinet and tenor saxophone playing melody, and three other saxophones playing harmony, the band became the most popular and commercially successful dance orchestra of the swing era and one of the greatest singles charting acts of the 20th century. As of 2024, Ray Anthony is the last surviving member of the orchestra.
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.
Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band, or simply The Big Phat Band, is an 18-piece jazz orchestra that combines the big band swing of the 1930s and 1940s with contemporary music such as funk and jazz fusion. The band is led by Gordon Goodwin, who arranges, composes, plays piano and saxophone. Since its origin, the Big Phat Band has received several Grammy Awards and many Grammy nominations.
Lewis Burr Anderson was an American actor and musician. He is widely known by TV fans as the third and final actor to portray Clarabell the Clown on Howdy Doody between 1954 and 1960. He famously spoke Clarabell's only line on the show's final episode in 1960, with a tear visible in his right eye, "Goodbye, kids." Anderson is also widely known by jazz music fans as a prolific jazz arranger, big band leader, and alto saxophonist. Anderson also played the clarinet.
Leonard William Hambro, known as Lenny Hambro, was a journeyman jazz musician who played woodwinds, primarily alto saxophone, with a host of bands, orchestras, and jazz notables from the early 1940s through the mid-1960s, and continued as a session musician, music producer, booking agent, and entertainment coordinator through the mid-1990s. Early in his professional career, Hambro spelled his name "Lennie" but changed it to the former spelling in 1954, although he was occasionally referred to as "Lennie" in the press as late as 1957. Hambro broke into the profession with Gene Krupa in 1942. However, he is best known for his time as manager and assistant band leader with the New Glenn Miller Orchestra under the direction of Ray McKinley. He was well known in the Latin Jazz community and was closely associated with Chico O'Farrill.
Miles & Quincy: Live at Montreux is a collaborative live album by American jazz trumpeter Miles Davis and conductor Quincy Jones. It was recorded at the 1991 Montreux Jazz Festival and released by Warner Bros. Records in 1993.
"Tuxedo Junction" is a popular big band song recorded by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra, becoming a No. 1 hit in 1940. The music was written by Erskine Hawkins, Bill Johnson, and Julian Dash and the lyrics by Buddy Feyne. The song was introduced by Erskine Hawkins and His Orchestra, a college dance band previously known as the Bama State Collegians. RCA released it in 1939 and it climbed to #7 on the American pop charts.
XXL is the second studio album by Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band, released on September 23, 2003. It includes guest performances by saxophonist Michael Brecker, Brian McKnight, vocal group Take 6, clarinetist Eddie Daniels, and singer Johnny Mathis.
"(I've Got a Gal in) Kalamazoo" is a #1 popular song recorded by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra in 1942. It was written by Mack Gordon and Harry Warren and published in 1942. It was featured in the musical film Orchestra Wives and was recorded by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra, featuring Tex Beneke, Marion Hutton and The Modernaires, who released it as an A side 78 in 1942, 27934-A. The B side was "At Last".
Klüvers Big Band is a Danish big band. It was formed in 1977 by a group of young music students under the leadership of Jens Klüver. Since then the orchestra has worked with a long line of international and Danish soloists. It has recently toured in Europe with Kurt Elling.
The Crew Chiefs were a vocal group popular in the 1940s, known for accompanying Tex Beneke, Glenn Miller, and Ray McKinley. Member Artie Malvin co-wrote the song "I'm Headin' For California" with Glenn Miller in 1944.
"Sunrise Serenade" is a jazz song written by Frankie Carle with lyrics by Jack Lawrence. It was first recorded in 1939 by Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra with Carle on piano as Decca 2321. It soon became Carle's signature piece. Glenn Miller released a famous recording of it a few months later, arranged by Bill Finnegan, with "Moonlight Serenade" on the backside.
"I'm Headin' For California" is a 1944 song composed by Glenn Miller and Arthur Malvin and performed for radio broadcast. The song was released in 1946 as a 78 single by the Glenn Miller Orchestra led by Tex Beneke. The song was Glenn's last composition.
"Caribbean Clipper" is a big band and jump song recorded by Glenn Miller and his Orchestra in 1942. The song was composed by Jerry Gray with lyrics by Sammy Gallop. The song was part of a number of songs—including "Sun Valley Jump", "Here We Go Again", "The Spirit Is Willing", "The Man in the Moon" and "A String of Pearls"—written by Gray, a member of the Glenn Miller Orchestra as an arranger, specially for Glenn Miller, who recorded it in 1943. The song was registered with the United States Copyright Office on October 23, 1942, by the Mutual Music Society.
Glenn Miller is a compilation album of phonograph records released posthumously by bandleader Glenn Miller and His Orchestra. Released in 1945 on RCA Victor as a part of the Victor Musical Smart Set series, described on the front cover as "An Album of Outstanding Arrangements on Victor Records", the set was number one for a total of 16 weeks on the newly created Billboard album charts. The album, also known under the title Glenn Miller and His Orchestra, was certified Gold in July 1968 by the RIAA.
Pure Gold is a 1975 compilation album of 10 studio recordings by Glenn Miller and his Orchestra recorded between 1939 and 1942 by RCA Victor. The recordings were all originally issued as 78 RPM records on the RCA Bluebird and Victor labels and was certified Gold by the RIAA. The album was originally issued on LP and compact disc in reprocessed (fake) stereo sound; in 1988, RCA remastered the album in original monophonic sound for its second CD reissue. The album was also reissued on LP that year under a new catalog number (7648-1-R) and inexplicably omits two tracks, both of which appear on the reissued CD.