Happy birthday to GLENN MILLER

[Eyeball]

Happy birthday wishes go to bandleader, trombonist and swing era icon Glenn Miller, born March 1, 1904 in Clarinda, Iowa. Glenn Miller's reign as the most popular bandleader in the U.S. came late in his career, but after his disappearance in 1944 over the English Channel, that late peak would earn him and his music a permanent place the consciousness of America. Though his music isn't much appreciated by jazz fans, who often have a preference for music which allows more improvisation and didn't care for the highly polished and disciplined MIller sound, Miller's distinctive sound would produce many hit songs that remain definitive examples of swing, and brought the genre to a level of commercial acceptance that was never duplicated.

Though he was not generally thought of as a great trombonist, MIller was a great leader. His band introduced the scoring device of having a clarinet lead over a saxophone section, his orchestra often featured stronger and more innovative material than rival bands, and at it's best, the band ranked up with Artie Shaw's as one of the hardest-swinging white bands at the time.

Miller grew up in the Midwest. He started out playing mandalin, then switched to the horn. In 1915, after his family moved to Grant City, MO, he joined the town band and took up the trombone. He played in the school band while in high school in Fort Morgan, CO. After graduating in 1921, he joined the band of Boyd Senter, but later quit to go to college at the University of Colorado. After a year of school, he would leave and join Ben Pollack's band as a trombonist-arranger, mostly arranging the sweet side of Pollock's book, leaving in 1928 to move to New York to work as a session player and arranger. He joined Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey's Dorsey Brothers Orchestra soon after it was formed as a trombonist and arranger, where he stayed for a year, leaving to help organize an American band for British bandleader Ray Noble, which would makes its debut at the Rainbow Room in New York. During that time, Miller studied theory and music composition with mathematician and pianist, Joseph Schillinger, who also taught George Gershwin.

In 1935, Miller recorded under his own name for Columbia Records using a pickup band made up of musicians from Ray Noble's orchestra, producing a top 10 hit with the instrumental "Solo Hop" that summer. Miller wouldn't organize a permanant touring band until he signed with Brunswick in 1937, but was not a success and disbanded in 1938, reorganizing in a few months later with several key members, including Tex Beneke and Ray Eberle, and signing to the Bluebird label. Though success was still not with the band, Miller kept things together until the summer of 1939, when the band began it's breakout engagement at the Glen Island Casino in New Rochelle, NY. A major venue with a radio wire, the band would get extensive exposure. Miller would release a string of hit songs, such as "Moonlight Seranade" and "Wising Will Make it So" teaturing vocalist Ray Eberle. Miller would go on to have 17 top 10 hits in 1939.

Success led to many opportunities for Miller. He was the star of the radio series "Chesterfield Moonlight Serenade" in 1939, he began an extended engagement at the Café Rouge at the Hotel Pennsylvania in New York in December 1940. In 1940, Miller would ad more key players to his orchestra, including musicians Billy May, Ray Anthony and Bobby Hackett, the vocal group, the Modernaires and arranger Jerry Gray, who arranged many of the orchestra signature songs. Miller would have 31 top 10 hits in 1940, including instrumentals "In the Mood" and "Tuxedo Junction," "When You Wish Upon a Star," "Imagination," "Fools Rush In (Where Angels Fear to Tread)," featuring vocalist Ray Eberle and "The Woodpecker Song" featuring Marion Hutton, making him the most successful recording act that year. In 1941, Miller would have 11 top 10 hits, making him the top recording artist for the second year in a row. Among the his was "Chattanooga Choo Choo," from his first film, Sun Valley Serenade, which featured vocals by Tex Beneke and the Modernaires with Paula Kelly. The success would continue into 1942, with many more hit songs, including "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree" and a second film, "Orchestra Wives."

But 1942 would also spell the end of Miller's reign over popular music. Miller would register for the draft, arranged an officers commission and joined the Army Air Force on September 10. Two weeks later, he played his final date with his orchestra, and then disbanded it. He was appointed Director of Bands for the Army Air Force Technical Training Command. He organized the Glenn MIller AAf (Army and Air Forces) Orchestra which would play military camps and war bond rallies, and well as feature on a weekly radio program called "Sustain the Wings." He took his band to Great Britain, where they continued to perform for the troops and on radio programs. The orchestra caused a musical sensation in Britain, by being better than anything heard in Britain at that time.

On December 15, 1944, Miller went to France in advance of his orchestra, when his plane disappeared over the English Channel. A year later, he was officially declared dead and posthumously given the Bronze Star.

Miller died at the young age of 40, but while gone, he was never forgotten. First Tex Beneke, and later Ray McKinley, would lead ghost bands, several albums of reissued and unrealeased songs and airchecks would be released in every decade and continue to sell enough albums to be certified gold records. James Stewart starred in "The Glenn Miller Story," a partially fictionalized account of Miller's life, released in 1954, with the movies soundtrack reaching number one.

Interesting Glenn Miller trivia: The song Pennsylvania-65000 was then, and still is, the number to the Penn Hotel in New York.

Miller and the AAF band arrived in London during the Blitz. He insisted the band be rebilleted outside of London, which they were. That night, Sloan Court, the bands London quarters, was destroyed.

Miller caused a stir at the BBC, insisting upon tripling the number of microphones. The BBCs response? Setting up the additional equipment, but not connecting it.

In 1989, a band called Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers used a sample of Miller's "In the Mood" on their single "Swing the Mood" which would go on to be a gold record, further demonstrating that the popularity of Miller's music still endures.

BESSIE SMITH 2003

Sources:
All Music Guide
Joseph Schillinger biography
The Musichound Guide to Jazz
Jazz: The Rough Guide

[Bob the Builder]

It's amazing how many put Miller down in the Lindy scene.
Which is a pitty as there is a lot of interesting sides of Glenn Miller.

[Eyeball]

It's amazing how many put Miller down in the Lindy scene.
Which is a pitty as there is a lot of interesting sides of Glenn Miller.

GM is put down for many reasons...too many of them based in ignorance and lack of appreciation for anything other than pulse-pounding music; typical of the Lindy scene.

There are very valid reasons not to like certain aspects of the Miller ouvre, but most people rarely cite them.

Chumpiest thing is that there is a lot of Miller stuff that Lindy fans would like, but they have little idea what it is.

Oh, well......their loss.

[fredo]

GM is put down for many reasons...too many of them based in ignorance and lack of appreciation for anything other than pulse-pounding music; typical of the Lindy scene.

Oh, well......their loss.

wow. that's pretty annoying.

I'm glad there are people out there who understand lindy hoppers well enough to speak for everyone.

It's too bad, because I actually enjoyed reading the Glenn Miller piece.

[Eyeball]

GM is put down for many reasons...too many of them based in ignorance and lack of appreciation for anything other than pulse-pounding music; typical of the Lindy scene.

Oh, well......their loss.

wow. that's pretty annoying.

I'm glad there are people out there who understand lindy hoppers well enough to speak for everyone.

It's too bad, because I actually enjoyed reading the Glenn Miller piece.

Thanks, Fredo. I do my best. Who said you were weak?

[GemZombie]

There are a lot of GM tunes, maybe even a majority of them, that are in the 'pop' category, or perhaps a little too "sweet" for some of us to really enjoy dancing to. The predominance of these songs, and the fact that some of our most disliked songs are GM tunes (is there any dancer that doesn't groan when he/she hears the GM version of In the Mood?) does probably give GM a bad taste in our mouths.

Having said that, there is definitely some good danceable stuff from him. His version of Jeep Jockey Jump is the definitive version to me, for example, and many of his live recordings really jump.

Look, not all bands and songs of the "Swing Era" are suited for what Lindy Hoppers like to dance to, and for the most part that's the discussion here.... I wouldn't make much more of it than that.

[zzzzoom]

I read that a contemporary musician friend of Miller's said that he was a really terrific guy but that his music was terrible . . . and that it was too bad it couldn't have benn the other way around.

I have a couple Miller tracks that I regularly dj, but most dancers would not say, "Ah, yes, that's Glenn Miller". The commercial sound that he found defininitely is not popular with dancers . . . but one of the best surprises that I made in delving into swing music is that he recorded some really swinging sides that are really good.

[Eyeball]

There are a lot of GM tunes, maybe even a majority of them, that are in the 'pop' category, or perhaps a little too "sweet" for some of us to really enjoy dancing to. The predominance of these songs, and the fact that some of our most disliked songs are GM tunes (is there any dancer that doesn't groan when he/she hears the GM version of In the Mood?) does probably give GM a bad taste in our mouths.

Having said that, there is definitely some good danceable stuff from him. His version of Jeep Jockey Jump is the definitive version to me, for example, and many of his live recordings really jump.

Look, not all bands and songs of the "Swing Era" are suited for what Lindy Hoppers like to dance to, and for the most part that's the discussion here.... I wouldn't make much more of it than that.

I'm glad there are people out there who understand lindy hoppers well enough to speak for everyone.

[Campus Five]

I thought it was funny that when I heard "Slip Horn Jive", I thought it sounded like Shaw, and then I found out it was arranged by Jerry Gray, who arranged for Shaw. Same thing with "Glen Island Special" and the fact that it was arranged by Eddie Durham.

[GemZombie]

That's a good point. Often it depends on who arranged things.

[djstarr]

anyone care to recommend some Glenn Miller CDs that swing hard? Because of his popularity and the fact that a lot of his hits are quite "sweet", it's tough to dig through the CD bins and find anything worthwhile. [feel free to call me either ignorant or lazy ] I bought Glenn Miller Gold when I first started DJ'ing and the only thing I remotely wanted to spin was the Song of the Volga Boatmen and I don't think I even carry that any more.

I'd love to have some Glenn Miller that is lindy hop approved so that when I get a request for some or for In the Mood etc. I can play an alternate choice for them.

[Campus Five]

The Spirit is Willing has a good number of songs. Then again, you might just look to itunes to Cherry-pick.

[Mr Awesomer]

Glenn Miller is a twist on the 80/20 rule.
When 80% of the material is crap you tend to ignore/forget about the 20% that's good.

[JesseMiner]

Looking through my DJ collection, I only have two Glenn Miller albums that I DJ from (and that's after listen to a LOT of Miller):

Rare Broadcast Performances From 1943-44 (Amazon link)
The Spirit Is Willing (Amazon link)

Some killer swinging songs on both!

Looks like you could fill out your Glenn Miller collection used from amazon.com for under $6 (after shipping). Now's that's a bargain!

Jesse

[djstarr]

THANKS!