On December 15, 1944, Alton Glenn Miller died aged 40. He was musician (trombone), composer, arranger, and big-band leader, working in the swing era. Leading the best known big band, in the period 1939 – 1942, he was the best-selling recording artist, with 16 number-one records, and 69 top ten hits (more than Elvis Presley and the Beatles in their careers). Three of his compositions were inducted into the “Grammy Hall of Fame” – in 1983 “In the Mood”, in 1996 “Chattanooga Choo Choo”, and in 1991 “Moonlight Serenade”.
Tag Archives: big band
David Bartholomew
On June 23, 2019, David Louis Bartholomew died aged 100. He was a musician (trumpet), bandleader, composer, arranger, and record producer, active in various musical genres, including rhythm and blues, big band, swing music, rock and roll, New Orleans jazz, and Dixieland. In his induction into the “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame”, he was cited as a key figure in the transition from jump blues and swing to R&B and as “one of the Crescent City’s greatest musicians and a true pioneer in the rock and roll revolution.” His biggest success as a composer was in the partnership with Fats Domino producing some of his greatest successes. In the mid-50s they wrote more than forty hits for “Imperial Records”, including Ain’t That a Shame. Bartholomew’s other hit songs include I Hear You Knocking, Blue Monday” I’m Walkin’, My Ding-A-Ling, and One Night. He was a member of the “Songwriters Hall of Fame”, the “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame”, and the “Louisiana Music Hall of Fame”.
Jaco Pastorius: Invitation
In December 1983, “Warner Bros” label released “Invitation” the third Jaco Pastorius album. It was recorded at various venues during a tour of Japan, featuring his “Word of Mouth” big band, and was produced by Jaco Pastorius.
Personnel:
- Jaco Pastorius— electric bass
- Peter Erskine– drums
- Othello Molineaux– steel drum
- Don Alias– percussion
- Jean “Toots” Thielemans– harmonica
- Bobby Mintzer– soprano and tenor saxophone
- Mario Cruz– soprano and tenor saxophone, clarinet, alto flute
- Randy Emerick – baritone saxophone, clarinet
- Alex Foster– alto, soprano and tenor saxophone, clarinet, piccolo
- Paul McCandless– tenor saxophone, oboe, English horn
- Randy Brecker– trumpet
- Elmer Brown, Forrest Buchtel, Ron Tooley – trumpet
- Jon Faddis– trumpet
- Wayne Andre– trombone
- Dave Bargeron– trombone, tuba
- Peter Graves – bass trombone, co–conductor
- Bill Reichenbach– bass trombone
- Peter Gordon, Brad Warnaar – French horn
Track listing:
- Invitation – Bronisław Kaper
- Amerika – traditional
- Soul Intro/The Chicken – Jaco Pastorius, Pee Wee Ellis
- Continuum – Jaco Pastorius
- Liberty City – Jaco Pastorius
- Sophisticated Lady – Duke Ellington, Irving Mills, Mitchell Parish
- Reza/Giant Steps/Reza (reprise) – Jaco Pastorius, John Coltrane
- Fannie Mae – Buster Brown, Clarence Lewis, Morgan Robinson
- Eleven – Miles Davis, Gil Evans
James Last
On June 9, 2015, Hans Last aka James Last (also known as “Hansi”) died aged 86. He was composer and big band leader, best known for his “happy music”, an upbeat, easy-listening covers of classical music, polka, rock, pop and soul hits with his big band. His work was denied by the music critics but the audience loved his music, especially in United Kingdom and in his native Germany. In his five decades long career, Last released more than 190 albums and sold more than 80 millions album copies worldwide, becoming the most successful commercial big band leader after the second World War Two.
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