Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Suggestion Box
"Why not honor Lawrence Welk at your next Big Band Reunion?"
Lawrence's name has come up many times over the years. But after seeing the following 1971 clip from the Welk TV series, I'm not sure we could salute him and respect ourselves in the morning. Myron Floren, who introduces this version of a hit rock 'n' roll record and, incidentally, received a Golden Bandstand Award himself, seems choked up by the whole thing:
What a number!
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"I have an idea for a big band reality show. Maybe a battle of the bands, pointing out that in spite of no money, big bands are everywhere. I envision a documentary approach: meeting the musicians in each band and then watching them play as a unit. The right concept is out there somewhere. The Big Band Academy could be a good launching pad for such a project."
Great! All we have to figure out is how to get hot babes from New Jersey into it:
Monday, March 8, 2010
How's Your Stream? Streaming Audio, That Is
"Big Band Jump" is a weekly two-hour show presenting the sounds and stories of that wonderful era. Each week centers on a different theme or topic. Among the upcoming program titles are "The Boy Singers I," "The Boy Singers II," "Singers and Basie," "Tex Beneke Live" and the intriguing "Twins," a survey of varied performances of the same melody.
Once on the Big Band Jump homepage, click the "Listen On Line" link. You'll see a list of terrestrial radio stations carrying the show and, below that, easy instructions on how to hear the program via computer. Each installment is streamed four times during the week.
Don and his organization are at the forefront of the march to preserve big band music and we encourage you to support him.
Monday, March 1, 2010
'March' to the Beat
John's book, "When Swing Was the Thing: Personality Profiles of the Big Band Era," also continues to sell briskly a year out from its initial publication. For further information, take a look at the book's Amazon listing:
www.amazon.com/When-Swing-Was-
Thing-Personality/dp/0874620244
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Speaking of BBAA board members who have authored books recently, let us not neglect Van Alexander's "From Harlem to Hollywood: My Life in Music," also available through Amazon:*************
And while we're on a roll with hyperlinks, retired Hollywood studio trumpeter Ollie Mitchell enjoys the good life on Hawaii's Big Island when not having to heed tsunami warnings. He leads a group called the Olliephonic Horns, a non-profit corporation dedicated to increasing awareness of American music among island youngsters:www.olliephonics.com
By the way, what do you think? Ollie and John, separated at birth?
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Lastly, a blurb arrived a few days ago promoting a traditional jazz fantasy camp that will take place in New Orleans this August:
www.neworleanstradjazzcamp.com
We can't personally vouch for the camp, of course, and it is the first such undertaking by the people behind it. But it sure sounds like just about the most fun you can have without secreting bodily fluids.
Who Dat!
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