BIG BAND
A big band is a type of musical ensemble typically consisting of rhythm, brass and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians. A standard
17-piece instrumentation evolved in the big bands, for which many commercial
arrangements are available. This instrumentation consists of five saxophones
(most often two altos, two tenors and one baritone),
four trumpets, four trombones (often including
one bass trombone)
and a four-piece rhythm section (composed o drums, acoustic bass od electric bass, piano and guitar).
In the 1920s the music of jazz began to migrate to a
big band format combining elements of ragtime, black spirituals, blues, and
European music. Duke Ellington, Ben Pollack, Don Redman, and Fletcher Henderson
sported some of the more popular early big bands playing hot music. These bands
contained burgeoning jazz stars and future big bandleaders like Coleman
Hawkins, Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, Red Allen, Roy Eldridge, Benny Carter,
and John Kirby.
The Big Band era is generally regarded as having
occurred between the years 1935 and 1945. It was the only time in history that
the popularity of jazz music eclipsed all other forms of music in the U.S.
Rightly or wrongly the appearance of Benny Goodman and his big band at the
Palomar in Los Angeles in August of 1935 is often referred to as the official
start of the Swing era.
The Legends - Part twelve
Glenn Miller
With his orchestra, bandleader Glenn Miller synthesized all the elements of big band jazz and gave
a generation of young people the perfect example of smooth sophisticated dance
music. Miller's popularity as a music maker began in 1939 and continued with
standards such as "Moonlight Serenade," "In the Mood," and
"Tuxedo Junction."
Miller was one of the most popular musicians of his
time. Moreover, he was extremely patriotic and took his personal definition of
"duty" very seriously. He used his power to create a successful
military band on his terms. Then, just as he finally convinced the military to
send his band to places where it could truly boost morale, he disappeared.
Rumors circulated almost immediately, but Miller's fate remains a mystery.
Alton Glenn Miller was born on March 1, 1904 in Clarinda, Iowa. His parents, Lewis Elmer and Mattie Lou (Cavender) Miller, raised four children. The family moved quite often during his youth, to places including North Platte, Nebraska and Grant City, Oklahoma. In the latter town, Miller milked cows at the age of thirteen in order to earn enough money to purchase a trombone. According to Geoffrey Butcher in Next to a Letter from Home, his mother was the "main strength of the family," and Miller inherited his strong character and love of music from her.
Miller did not, apparently, count on music to be his
career, because he finished high school and attended classes at the University
of Colorado. During his time in college, though, he continued playing the trombone
and worked briefly with Boyd Senter's band in Denver during the mid-1920s. The
lure of music proved too strong and Miller left the university after three
terms to try his luck on the West Coast.
Miller played with a few small bands in Los Angeles
until 1927, when he joined Ben Pollack's orchestra as trombonist and arranger.
This was a wonderful opportunity for Miller since Pollack's band was well known
and respected. Pollack and his musicians moved to New York, and Miller was able
to find so many opportunities to perform that he decided to strike out on his
own. In addition to playing the trombone, he did arrangements for Victor Young,
Freddy Rich, and many others. Miller felt optimistic enough about his
burgeoning career by 1928 that he decided to marry Helen Burger, a woman he had
met in his student days at the University of Colorado.
For the next ten years Miller gained experience by
organizing bands and arranging or playing for them. This included serving as
the trombonist and arranger for the Dorsey Brothers, as well as organizing a
band for the internationally famous Ray Noble, who had come to the United
States from Great Britain. Miller not only organized a band for him, he also
arranged and played for it. As Dave Dexter, Jr. related in Down Beat magazine,
"it was with Ray Noble's band that he first earned national
attention."
Despite his success with Noble, Miller wanted to have
a big band of his own, and turned down a lucrative job with the
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film company to work on this project. In March 1937,
Miller's dream became reality when he put together musicians such as Charlie
Spivak, Toots Mondello, and Maurice Purtill to form the Glenn Miller Orchestra.
Though Purtill soon left to play with Tommy Dorsey, the orchestra carried on
for the rest of the year, playing one-night stands in various cities.
In 1938, Miller temporarily suspended the band.
Purtill's absence brought about problems with the orchestra's rhythm section
that continued to plague its leader. The members were not meshing with one
another the way Miller had hoped. He wanted to achieve a full ensemble sound,
rather than spotlighting a soloist. Miller decided to reorganize, using only a
few of the band's original members. Later that year the Glenn Miller Orchestra
added singer, Marion Hutton, to its roster. By 1939, the band was playing to
standing-room-only crowds in New York City. They made radio broadcasts and
recordings, which did much to spread the Glenn Miller sound across the country.
Their most famous recordings included "Moonlight Serenade," "In
the Mood," and "Chatanooga Choo Choo."
In 1942, during the Second World War, Miller decided
to break up his orchestra in order to accept the rank of captain in the U.S.
Army Air Corps. He was past the age when he might expect to be called to service.
Nonetheless, Miller felt that he could and should do more to contribute to the
war effort than play on the radio, safe from the action. He did not want to use
his fame to excuse himself from what he felt was his patriotic duty. On October
7th, Miller enlisted in the army and invited members of his band to join him.
They declined.
Upon his induction into the Army Air Forces (AAF), Miller was named director of bands training for the Technical Training Command. He was initially thwarted from implementing some his more creative plans. Several months later, though, after helping to organize almost 50 other bands, he was permitted to form a band of his own.
Miller wanted to incorporate string instruments into
his band, in order to transcend the conventional sound of a dance band, which
usually only included brass, reed, and rhythm sections. This was a highly
innovative concept, and not all of the military bandleaders were open to his
idea. In fact, he was reprimanded for an interview he gave to Time magazine in
their September 6, 1943 issue, in which he criticized army band music of the
time. He asserted that it should be up-to-date, so that the soldiers could
enjoy it. He was also quoted as specifically criticizing the compositions of
Sousa, which were standards for the army bands. Naturally bandleaders who were
admirers of Sousa's works took offense. Miller later claimed he had been
misquoted, but the magazine declined to print a retraction.
In November 1943, Miller was released from his other
band responsibilities, leaving him free to concentrate on the growth and
development of his own band. He wanted an ensemble sound, so improvisation by
individual musicians was not tolerated. Miller also refused to give furloughs
for band members. He felt that they were living the easy life, compared to
soldiers out on the front lines. On the other hand, he was always willing to
help musically talented servicemen find their way into a band, if he could
manage it.
Miller again grew restless. His next mission was to
have the band sent to France. Once more, he met with opposition from the AAF,
not to mention the BBC, which was concerned about their weekly program featuring
the band. By November 15, he finally received approval.
Miller decided to fly to Paris to make arrangements
before the arrival of his band. A Colonel Baessell was leaving for France and
offered to let Miller ride along. They took off in a Norseman plane on the
stormy afternoon of December 15, 1944. The plane, the pilot, and its passengers
were never seen again. The plane never landed in France, according to flight
records; nor was any wreckage found. The most-widely accepted theory asserted
that the plane went down over the English Channel. Two months after his
disappearance the Bronze Star was presented to Miller's wife, in recognition of
his contribution to the war effort. On June 5, 1945, Glenn Miller Day was
declared in the United States as a national tribute.
Despite his untimely death at the age of 40, Glenn
Miller is remembered today not only for the beloved music he produced, but also
for his influence on the evolution and commercial success of swing, and for his
patriotic devotion in a time of war. Over the years, Glenn Miller's Estate has
supported incarnations of the Glenn Miller Orchestra, which still captivate
civilian and military audiences. In addition, several biographical books and a
film, The Glenn Miller Story (1953), have paid tribute to the life of this
great man and musician. Though the Big Band era has passed and the 100th
anniversary of Glenn Miller's birth occurred in March 2004, his music still
holds the same allure today that it did during his life. The melodies and
sounds of the Glenn Miller Orchestra charm audiences of all ages.
Here is my top 10 of his compositions:
1. "In The Mood"
2. "Chattanooga Choo Choo"
3. "Sunrise Serenade"
4. "Over The Rainbow"
5. "Boogie Woogie"
6. "A String Of Pearls"
7. "Pennsilvania 6-5000"
8. "Little Brown Jug"
9. "Oh So Good"
10. "Georgia On My Mind"
2. "Chattanooga Choo Choo"
3. "Sunrise Serenade"
4. "Over The Rainbow"
5. "Boogie Woogie"
6. "A String Of Pearls"
7. "Pennsilvania 6-5000"
8. "Little Brown Jug"
9. "Oh So Good"
10. "Georgia On My Mind"