Ella Fitzgerald - A 100th Birthday Celebration

Ella Fitzgerald was born on April 25th 1917 100 years ago. She is one of the greatest jazz vocalists in jazz history and she got her start singing with the big bands. It seems as if every jazz radio station or podcast is doing some sort of tribute to Ella so I thought I would get mine in. On today's show we will be listening to some of the many side she recorded with the Chick Webb orchestra as well as some of the sides she recorded with her own big band. In between numbers we'll also learn about the woman they called "The First Lady of Song."   Here is a short biography of Ella from Encyclopedia Brittanica:

American singer who became world famous for the wide range and rare sweetness of her voice. She became an international legend during a career that spanned some six decades.

Singing in a style influenced by the jazz vocalist Connee Boswell, Fitzgerald won amateur talent contests in New York City before she joined the Chick Webb orchestra in 1935; Webb became the teenaged Fitzgerald’s guardian when her mother died. She made her first recording, “Love and Kisses,” in 1935, and her first hit, “A-Tisket, A-Tasket,” followed in 1938. After Webb’s death in 1939, she led his band until it broke up in 1942. She then soloed in cabarets and theatres, toured internationally with such pop and jazz stars as Benny Goodman, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, the Mills Brothers, the Ink Spots, and Dizzy Gillespie, and recorded prolifically.

During much of her early career she had been noted for singing and recording novelty songs. Her status rose dramatically in the 1950s when jazz impresario Norman Granz became her manager. From 1956 to 1964 she recorded a 19-volume series of “songbooks,” in which she interpreted nearly 250 outstanding songs by Richard Rodgers, Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Duke Ellington, Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, and Johnny Mercer. This material, combined with the best jazz instrumental support, clearly demonstrated Fitzgerald’s remarkable interpretative skills. Although her diction was excellent, her rendition of lyrics was intuitive rather than studied. For many years the star attraction of Granz’s Jazz at the Philharmonic concert tours, she was also one of the best-selling jazz vocal recording artists in history. She appeared in films (notably Pete Kelly’s Blues in 1955), on television, and in concert halls throughout the world. She also recorded a number of live concert albums and produced a notable duet version of Porgy and Bess (1957) with Armstrong. During the 1970s she began to experience serious health problems, but she continued to perform periodically, even after heart surgery in 1986, until about 1993.

Fitzgerald’s clear tone and wide vocal range were complemented by her mastery of rhythm, harmony, intonation, and diction. She was an excellent ballad singer, conveying a winsome, ingenuous quality. Her infectious scat singing brought excitement to such concert recordings as Mack the Knife: Ella in Berlin and was widely imitated by others. She won 12 Grammy Awards and several other honours.

Sinatra - The Dorsey Years

Hello again. As some of you might know, I am a saxophonist. Recently I had the privilege of playing in a big band backing a gentleman that sang all of Frank Sinatra songs. What fun it was. So that got me thinking that I haven't played much of Frank's recordings with Tommy Dorsey. The show for this weekend is the remedy for that. These are some of the great recordings that the Dorsey band made during the years of 1939 to 1942 with vocals by Frank Sinatra.  Here is an except by Phillip D. Attenberry:


In 1940, Tommy Dorsey lured Sinatra away from James and launched him on the road to stardom. The Dorsey years (1940-42) are often hailed as seminal in Sinatra's development, but Yank Lawson, who watched young Frank from the trumpet section, disagreed. "I don't think Sinatra learned much with Dorsey," Yank told me in 1992. "His talent was already developed when he got there. He became so famous during those years because Dorsey had a good publicity machine, knew how to package him and had the money to do it right."
Sinatra himself disagreed. In a famous interview with Arlene Francis in 1977, Sinatra credits Dorsey with teaching him how and when to breathe for maximum effect. Adele Girard Marsala, who worked occasional dates with Dorsey and Sinatra, told me much the same thing in a 1993 interview. "Frank's phrasing was definitely influenced by Tommy Dorsey," she told me. "I never had any love for Tommy Dorsey, but it's a good thing Frank joined him when he did. Dorsey was the smoothest player in the business, and after falling under his influence, Sinatra became the smoothest singer."

Whether it was packaging or artistic blossoming (probably some of both), Tommy Dorsey made a star of Frank Sinatra. But musically speaking, the importance of these years had more to do with what was going on back stage. Dorsey, who had the best musical organization in the country in 1941, boasted three of the best arrangers: Sy Oliver, Paul Weston and Axel Stordahl. Oliver was the top swing arranger and Weston the top ballad man, with Stordahl a close second. From them, Sinatra discovered the importance of good arrangements. When Weston left to pursue his own career, Stordahl began working with Sinatra. That turned out to be one of the two or three most important developments in his entire career.

Sinatra's recording of "Polka Dots and Moonbeams," which was probably arranged by Weston, represents his best work of the period. As usual, the melody is established by the smooth legato of Dorsey's trombone (supplemented by a few bars of Babe Russin's tenor sax) before young Frank, sounding more like a tenor than a baritone, delivers Johnny Burke's poetic lyric about a "frightened" wallflower discovering a "pug-nosed dream." Sinatra was a master of vibrato during these years, making it, at times, sound like a controlled tremor, as in the phrases, "May I have the next one?" and "Was I the perplexed one?" The timidity of the speaker is registered beautifully in Sinatra's voice inflections. It's no wonder the bobby-soxers wanted to caress him in the back of a Studebaker.

Looking back, it is amazing how brief Sinatra's stint with Dorsey actually was, from January 1940 to September 1942. As would so often be the case with Sinatra, what started so promisingly ended unpleasantly. In fact, Sinatra's career is characterized by a series of failed relationships, with women, with record companies, and with musicians. And yet even though his break with Dorsey was messy, it was neither man's fault. Clearly, Sinatra's popularity mandated that he strike out on his own. Equally clearly, the tough-minded Dorsey was determined to squeeze as much profit from Sinatra as he could. A fight ensued over Sinatra's contract, which bound him to Dorsey well into 1943. Because Sinatra left early, Dorsey continued to collect part of Frank's salary. Sinatra, who had learned a thing or two about publicity from Dorsey, used the press advantageously. The bobby-soxers rose up in protest and carried picket signs: "Dorsey Unfair to Frankie." The fan magazines loved it. So did the lawyers. It was uncomfortable for a while, but sanity prevailed, as it usually does in such things. Sinatra bought out his contract from Dorsey and paid stiffly for it. Now he was his own man, and--in taking Axel Stordahl with him--he shoved one last burr in Dorsey's saddle.

Charlie Spivak - A Master Trumpeter

This week's show is a belated birthday salute to a great trumpeter and bandleader, Charlie Spivak. Charlie was an exceptional trumpet player who, despite having been around jazz musicians all his life, rarely improvised. I recorded a show on the Spivak Orchestra several years ago and decided a few weeks ago to revisit his band. He was a member of several top name big bands before launching one of his one. Glenn Miller was one of his backers. We will be listening to some of the early original recordings that feature Charlie's wife, vocalist Irene Daye. These are some great sides by a Big band leader and a trumpet master.

Here is a short biography of Charlie that I found on Allmusic.com written by Scott Yannow:

Despite coming up in the jazz world and spending his life around jazz musicians, Charlie Spivak rarely improvised and was most notable for his pretty tone. He moved to the U.S. with his family as a small child and grew up in New Haven, CT. Spivak began playing trumpet when he was ten, gigged locally as a teenager, and worked with Don Cavallaro's Orchestra. During most of 1924-1930 he was with Paul Specht's Orchestra, primarily playing section parts where his tone was an asset. Spivak was cast in the same role with Ben Pollack (1931-1934), the Dorsey Brothers (1934-1935), and Ray Noble. He worked in the studios during most of 1936-1937 and then had stints with the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Tommy Dorsey, and Jack Teagarden. Spivak formed his own band in November 1939 (financed by Glenn Miller) and, although his first orchestra failed within a year, his second attempt shortly after was more successful; in fact, Spivak became a major attraction throughout the '40s and he kept his band together until 1959.



Spivak lived in later years in Florida, Las Vegas, and South Carolina, putting together orchestras on a part-time basis, staying semi-active up until his death at the age of 75. Among his better recordings were his theme "Let's Go Home," "Autumn Nocturne," and "Star Dreams." Charlie Spivak, who recorded as late as 1981, was married to singer Irene Daye (who was formerly with Gene Krupa's Orchestra).

Larry Clinton

On the show this week we will be learning about and listening to the music of the late Larry Clinton. Larry was trumpet player who was also a gifted arranger and composer. Along with vocalist Bea Wain, his band was one of the most popular of the late 1930's. Some of his originals include, A Study in Brown, The Dipsy Doodle and My Reverie. Clinton's band was predominantly a recording group that also played college proms and hotel ballrooms. Larry broke his band up when World war II began. He resumed his band, after serving as a pilot during WW2, in 1945. These are the original recordings by Clinton orchestra.  Here is a little biography that I found on Wikipedia:

Clinton was born in Brooklyn, New York. He became a versatile musician, playing trumpet, trombone, and clarinet. While in his twenties, he became a prolific arranger for dance orchestras; bandleaders Tommy Dorsey, Jimmy Dorsey, Glen Gray, Louis Armstrong, and Bunny Berigan all used Larry Clinton charts.

His first stint as a bandleader was from 1937 to 1941, and he recorded a string of hits for Victor Records. The Clinton band's repertoire was split between pop tunes of the day ("I Double Dare You," "Summer Souvenirs," etc.), ambitious instrumentals penned by Clinton (the most popular, "A Study in Brown," begat four sequels in different "colors"), and swing adaptations of classical compositions. This last category swept the industry, and orchestras everywhere were "swinging the classics" by adding pop lyrics to melodies by Debussy and Tchaikovsky. His version of Debussy’s "Reverie", with vocalist Bea Wain, was particularly popular. Entitled "My Reverie", his version peaked at #1 on Billboard's Record Buying Guide in 1938.

Clinton's band was predominantly a recording group that also played college proms and hotel ballrooms. On the strength of Clinton's record hit "The Dipsy Doodle," Vitaphone and Paramount Pictures signed the band to star in three 10-minute theatrical films. All were filmed in New York.
In 1941 Clinton and his band appeared in six short musical films, designed for then-popular "movie jukeboxes." (The films were ultimately released as Soundies in 1943.) This was one of his last jobs as a bandleader; he quit the music business upon the outbreak of World War II, and joined the United States Army Air Forces. A rated pilot, he rose to the rank of captain, was stationed with the Air Transport Command in Calcutta and China during Hump airlift, and was a flight instructor with the 1343rd Base Unit.
He resumed his musical career and enjoyed further success as a bandleader from 1948 to 1950. He remained active in the music business – often leading a studio band for pop singers like Barry Frank – until 1961. He died in 1985 in Tucson, Arizona, at the age of 75.

I hope you enjoy this look at the music of Larry Clinton.