Denny Zeitlin solo piano concert in Oakland

DENNY ZEITLIN...Solo Jazz Piano....In an Evening of American Song Book & Jazz Standards, Original Compositions, and Free Improvisation, Celebrating his 50th Anniversary as a Recording Artist. Friday, December 6, 8:00 pm Piedmont Piano Company 1728 San Pablo Avenue (at 18th Street), Oakland CA Admission: $20 Tickets: Available at Door, but Reservations Recommended: 510 547 8188 "He is the jazz world's most visible Renaissance man---a full time practicing psychiatrist, a medical school teacher, and a world class jazz musician." LA Times A FEW REVIEWS OF DENNY ZEITLIN'S SOLO PIANO PERFORMANCES: “...he is an improvisational artist whose skills are so expansive that he can integrate everything he hears into the fabric of his soloing. In the best sense, in the manner that has always been true of jazz’s finest improvisers, Zeitlin constantly stretches the creative envelope, measuring himself only against the infinite demands of his music.” - LOS ANGELES TIMES “…Zeitlin delivered a riveting solo performance.” - NEW YORK TIMES “In supreme command of the keyboard, …he employs striking dissonances, he constructs extraordinary edifices of harmonics, he can be marvelously pianistic, with a velvet subtlety of touch. He is an original...Denny Zeitlin stretches jazz piano beyond any hitherto defined limits.” - SAN DIEGO UNION “…He didn’t show his brilliance through his technique (which he has), but through subtle improvisation, advanced and finely-tuned harmonic development, and a stupendous internal sense of meter. …Denny Zeitlin’s solo piano was the unpretentious highpoint of the festival.” - MUNCHNER MERKUR (Munich) Click HERE to order from Amazon: DENNY ZEITLIN--Both/And: Solo Electro-Acoustic Adventures For Audio Clips, Reviews, Video, and Purchase: http://www.dennyzeitlin.com/DZ_CDs_both-and.php Visit www.DennyZeitlin.com 2013 is a very special year for Denny Zeitlin. He turned 75, is celebrating his 50th year as a recording and internationally concertizing pianist/composer, and has just released "Both/And: Solo Electro-Acoustic Adventures," that revisits and extends his groundbreaking decade of work begun in the late sixties. After his recording debut on Columbia in 1963 as featured pianist on Jeremy Steig's "Flute Fever," Zeitlin went on to record four critically acclaimed trio albums for the label. Then, restless with the timbral limitations of the acoustic piano, he withdrew from public performance for several years, developing a pioneering integration of jazz, electronics, classical, rock, and avant-garde music. This music emerged in the early 70's with multiple recordings , culminating in the 1978 electronic-acoustic-symphonic score for "Invasion of the Body Snatchers." Zeitlin then returned to a focus on acoustic music recording and international touring, while keeping his ears tuned to developments in electronic music. Since the 90's and with the advent of the millennium, there have been exponential advances which make it more and more possible for a musician to create multi-layered music in real time, draw on vastly improved and expanded sources of sound, and more effortlessly record, overdub, edit, and mix performances. Denny found these hard to resist, and began to seriously revisit this area, upgrading his studio, and furthering his explorations of the electro-acoustic integration of jazz, classical, funk, and the avant-garde. In parallel, he continued acoustic solo piano and trio performance and recording with Buster Williams and Matt Wilson. As sole performer on "Both/And," Zeitlin has recorded a collection of original compositions created on multiple keyboards in real time, as well as by overdubbing element upon element to build complexly orchestrated pieces of music, featuring hardware and software synthesizers, digital samples, and sound altering devices. The only live acoustic instrument appearing on the album is his Steinway grand piano. While there are numerous written sections, improvisation is at the heart of this music, and it was one of Denny's goals to impart the feeling of players interacting spontaneously. Zeitlin believes this project drew on all the important musical experiences of his life—the composers and performers, regardless of genre, who have touched him most deeply. He hoped the compositions and performances would emerge as a broad and deep exploration of electro-acoustic possibilities. Initial critical acclaim from the jazz writers indicates that Zeitlin has accomplished his goal. Denny Zeitlin has recorded over thirty-five critically acclaimed albums; twice won first place in the Down Beat International Jazz Critics Poll; written original music for Sesame Street; and appeared on network TV, including repeats on the Tonight Show, and CBS Sunday Morning. Zeitlin’s lecture-demonstration “Unlocking the Creative Impulse: The Psychology of Improvisation” has been presented across the U.S. and in Europe. He has concertized throughout the U.S., Canada, Japan, and Europe, at colleges, jazz clubs, and major festivals; appearing with jazz greats such as Joe Henderson, Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, Tony Williams, Bobby Hutcherson, John Patitucci, John Abercrombie, Marian McPartland, Charlie Haden, David Grisman, Kronos Quartet, Paul Winter, David Friesen, Matt Wilson, Buster Williams and many others. Zeitlin was born in Chicago in 1938. His parents were both involved in medicine and music. He began playing the piano at age two, studied classical music throughout his elementary school years, and fell in love with jazz in high school — a made-to-order medium for his primary interest in improvisation and composition. He played professionally in and around Chicago while still in high school. In college and medical school, he combined jazz with formal study of music theory and composition with Alexander Tcherepnin, Robert Muczynski, and George Russell. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Illinois in 1960 and received his M.D. from Johns Hopkins in 1964. He is currently a psychiatrist in private practice in San Francisco and Marin County and an award-winning Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco.

Artie Shaw's Frenesi

Artie Shaw's 'My Heart Stood Still'

One of Artie Shaw's many great recordings Rodgers and Hart's "My Heart Stood Still." It was written in 1927 for the musical A Connecticut Yankee.

The Artie Shaw band recording was made in 1939.

Glenn Miller Orchestra report 'On the Road'

ON THE ROAD with your favorite bands. Brought to you by Glenn Miller Productions Inc., the owner and operator of The World Famous Glenn Miller Orchestra Big Band Newsletter #107 LATEST NEWS News From The Road Trivia Contest Other Big Band Tour Schedules  INFORMATION GMO Website    The Big Band Store    Like us on Facebook Check Out Our New Sale Items  Free Shipping in The U.S.  - No Minimum Purchase             Steppin' Out - Glenn Miller Orchestra  Now: $8.50 Was: $12.95   On The Air -  Glenn Miller Orchestra Now: $8.50 Was: $12.95 Dream The Pied Pipers Now: $7.50 Was: $9.99 Born To Swing! Buddy DeFranco Now: $7.50 Was: $9.95 Big Band Memories Bill Tole Orchestra Now: $8.50 Was: $13.95 In Concert Duke Ellington and His Orchestra Now: $7.50 Was: $9.99 The Very Thought of You - Lorri Hafer Now: $8.50 Was: $14.95   Dance In That Old Fashioned Way - Bobby Layne & his Orchestra Now: $8.50 Was: $13.95  You Belong To My Heart - Bobby Lanye & his Orchestra Now: $8.50 Was: $13.95      The Mood Is Love Jack Jones  Now: $7.50 Was: $9.95 Visit   The Big Band Store COLLECTOR'S CORNER Looking for something to buy, to trade, or to sell?  Do you have a question that we can not answer? Send the item or question to us and we will post it on The Collector's Corner page at the Glenn Miller Orchestra website for everyone to read, and to hopefully respond to.  To post a listing, please tell us what it is that you are selling, want to buy or trade, or whatever.  All items must be related to music and if we think something is inappropriate, we will not list it.  You must provide your email address and name (first name only is fine). Please note that we will post your items as a free service to you only.  We will not suggest prices for any items posted or help complete any transactions. To post a listing with The Collector's Corner, send your email toCollector's Corner. Visit the Collector's Corner today - maybe that special item you are looking for is listed News From The Road by Jonathan Rees January 2013 The band jumped back on the road, or rather the river, on December 28th to take a several day River Boat cruise down the Mississippi River.  The weather was chilly but the spirits and kindness of the guests and crew of the American Queen were warm and friendly. The American Queen is a beautiful steamboat and is the largest steamboat ever built.  It can support well over 500 passengers and crew, has six recreational decks, is over 400ft long, 89ft wide and has a large dining hall and concert hall.  The American Queen is a relatively new boat.  Its construction was finished in the mid 1990s.  While peacefully floating down the Mississippi in this luxurious river boat the band performed two concerts a night for three nights.  Our last night on the boat was New Year's Eve.  We helped bring in the New Year by playing a special late night concert for a crowd of crew and passengers who were energetically and happily dancing and welcoming in 2013.  It was a tremendous start to the New Year.  The band disembarked on New Year's Day to head for the warm weather and audiences in Florida.  Jan 2nd found us back on dry land giving our first performance of 2013 at Chipley High School in Chipley, FL.  On Jan 3rd we traveled to Gainesville, FL to perform at the Buchholz High School.  After Gainesville we left for Ocoee, FL where, over the next two days January 4th and 5th we would record the band's first album in nearly 10 years.  Starke Lake Studios was the sight for the recording.  The staff and facilities were excellent and the band was focused and ready to perform.  The recording session was highly successful.  We recorded over 15 songs with usually only two-three takes per song.  One of the exciting aspects of the recording session is how we recorded.  Everything was a live group take, just like how Glenn and the boys recorded in the 40s.  The sound captured by the studio was truly awesome.  As the band listened back to various takes throughout the day, there were often excited whispers passed back and forth expressing how pleased everyone was with the product.   Keep an eye out for our new album to be released some time in the spring of 2013.   On January 6th we performed at the Hilton Melbourne Rialto in Melbourne, FL.  We had a rare chance to meet a man who had performed with the Glenn Miller Orchestra.  His name was Joe Smith.  Joe was a saxophone player and it seemed fitting that the modern day saxophone section took a photo with Joe as he sat once again in the saxophone section.  You can see this photo on our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/glennmillerorchestra. We performed at Lake Mary High School in Lake Mary, FL on January 7th and experienced the rare pleasure to have a special guest artist sing a song with us.  Her name is Lucinda Howard and is a truly remarkable singer whose voice doesn't betray her age, which is that of a senior in high school.  Keep an eye out for her name in the future. Jan 8th we performed at the Laurel Manor Recreation Center at The Villages in Lady Lake, FL.  We played for a sold out and highly enthusiastic crowd.  This performance was particularly special for our piano player James Navan.  While in high school James had won the Bob Washington Scholarship presented by the Jazz Lovers Club of the Villages.  It was a scholarship meant to support future jazz artists which in this case not only supported James but also played a part in eventually bringing him back to the very people who had seen his potential and awarded him the scholarship.  The organization still remembered James and was greatly pleased to hear him perform with the Glenn Miller Orchestra. Jan 10th was our performance at the Wilson Center for the Arts in Jacksonville, FL.  This was a beautiful venue set on a small lake.  The serenity of the Florida Community College campus outside helped center the band and enabled them to put on an excellent concert. Jan 11th was another excellent performance this time at the Jabez Sanford Harlin Performing Arts Center in Evans, Georgia.  On Jan. 12th we performed at the Carolina Civic Center Historic Theater in Lumberton, North Carolina.   This is a classic historic theater house that first opened in 1928 and now through the hard work of Lumberton's citizens it has been saved, restored and is still a functioning theater for live art. On Jan 13th we found ourselves performing on another historic stage, this time at the Newberry Opera House in Newberry, SC.  This venue is incredibly beautiful both inside and out.  War monuments commemorating every American war since the Revolutionary War surround the opera house.  The hall has a vibrant sound and atmosphere that was filled with very appreciative audience.  Jan 14th we had a well-deserved day off in Florence, SC! The next day, on Jan 15th we performed at the Francis Marion University Performing Arts Center in Florence, SC.  This was a very modern looking hall.  Steel blue paneling, bright electric white lights and the sharp angles of the walls created a very dramatic looking performance hall.  The sound was excellent and the audience enthusiastic. Jan 16th another day off. Jan 17th had us performing at the Carolina Theater in Greensboro, NC.  This is a beautiful theater whose architecture is reminiscent of an ancient Greek amphitheater.  Terrifically impressive gold gilded columns framed the stage and a glimmering chandelier gently reflected soft white light throughout the hall.  While we played, snow was softly blanketing the city creating a beautiful white scene that greeted us at the end of the concert. The next day, January 18th, we traveled to the Grove Park Inn in Ashville, NC.  The venue is nestled in the hills of a truly beautiful area overlooking a particularly pretty view of the Appalachian Mountains.  This was a refreshing break from the urban landscapes of our past several concerts.  The performance was actually a dance and was a huge success.  The dance floor that was continuously crowded with a bustling and turning crowd of enthusiastic dancers. On January 19th we performed a double header at the Fountain Inn Civic Center in Fountain Inn, SC.  The venue was excellent and the audiences for both of our shows highly enthusiastic and appreciative. On January 20th we performed at the famous Spivey Hall in Morrow, GA.  The hall is not a giant hall.  It perhaps seats only 400 people however what it lacks in size it more than makes up for in beauty both sonically and visually.  The hall is absolutely stunning.  The warm egg shell color of the walls allow the glow of the marble encased silver pipe organ that rises 40 or 50 feet from the stage floor to the ceiling, to grab your attention and momentarily your breath when you first step into the room.  We are always influenced by our surroundings, be it the audience, the town, the hall... it's what makes each performance different and special.  The performance at Spivey Hall was an especially memorable one for the band because of the audience, venue staff, but especially because of the beauty of that hall.  It was an extreme pleasure playing in Spivey Hall. Jan 21st was a travel day.  We were headed south for some more sun and swing in Florida. The band enjoyed a fun dance party at the Naples Beach Hotel in Naples, FL on January 22nd.  The dancers enjoyed the songs and the feel of the banquet hall.  Jan 23rd- 26th found us at Busch Gardens in Tampa, FL.  Hippos, tigers, giraffes, hyenas... a list of only a few of our audience members while performing at the Stanleyville Theater.  We had a fantastic time performing at Busch Gardens.  We played three shows each day to what were often standing room only crowds.   During our down time we had a fun time exploring the park, be it riding coasters, watching the amazing animal exhibits or simply enjoying the positive and family-centric atmosphere of the park. On January 27th we performed at Lely High School in Naples, FL.  The venue and audience were both excellent.    Over the next two days we were forced to live a difficult life down in the Florida Keys.  One day there were at least four clouds in the sky....  We had a great time performing at the Marathon High School Performing Arts Center on Jan 28th and at the Island Community Church on Islamorada the next day on January 29th.  Both had excellent people helping to organize the performance and very appreciative audiences.  We will miss the keys.  Jan 30th was a travel day to take us back north and Jan 31st had us performing at Lemon Bay High School in Englewood, FL. January was a fantastic month full of a wide variety of performance types, venues and once again, brought us closer to so many of our fans.  Life on the road is not always an easy one, but having the opportunity to play this amazing music and seeing beautiful parts of the country (especially warm parts in these winter months) is something the band truly enjoys.  We look forward to seeing you at our next concert, wherever in the country or world that may be. You can keep track as to where in the country or world we may be at our website www.glennmillerorchestra.com and for those of you on Facebook, you can see pictures of the band and places we play as we travel by going to our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/glennmillerorchestra . Take care, and keep listening! The Glenn Miller Orchestra UPCOMING GLENN MILLER ORCHESTRA SHOWS 03/02/13  Richard E. Rauh Theater Hillman Ctr, Pittsburgh, PA                7:30 PM Concert 03/03/13  Capitol Theatre, Chambersburg, PA  3 PM Concert 03/04/13  The Academy Theatre, Meadville, PA  7:30 PM Concert 03/06/13  Lincoln-Way North High School, Frankfort, IL  11 AM Concert 03/08/13  Sunnybrook Ballroom, Pottstown, PA  7 PM Dance 03/09/13  Park Theatre, Cranston, RI  7:30 PM Concert 03/10/13  The Warner Theatre, Torrington, CT  3 PM Concert 03/12/13  Salle Albert-Rousseau, Quebec City, Canada, 8 PM Concert 03/14/13  Theatre Marcellin-Champagnat du College Laval, Laval, Canada                8 PM Concert 03/15/13  Salle Albert-Dumouchel, Valleyfield, Canada, 8 PM Concert 03/16/13  L'etoile Banque Nationale, Brossard, Canada, 8 PM Concert 03/17/13  Salle Andre-Provost, St-Jerome, Canada, 3 PM Concert 03/20/13  Centre Culturel de Beloeil, Beloeil, Canada, 8 PM Concert 03/21/13  Theatre du Vieux Terrebonne, Terrebonne,Canada 8 PM Concert 03/22/13  Theatre de la Ville - Salle Pratt & Whitney Canada, Longueuil,                Canada, 8 PM Concert 03/23/13  Theatre Hector-Charland, L'Assomption, Canada, 8 PM Concert 03/24/13  Salle Edwin-Belanger, Montmagny, Canada, 8 PM Concert 03/26/13  Theatre de la Ville - Salle Pratt & Whitney Canada, Longueuil,                Canada, 8 PM Concert 03/27/13  Salle J.-Antonio-Thompson, Trois-Rivieres, Canada,                8 PM Concert 03/28/13  Salle Pauline-Julien, Ste-Genevieve, Canada, 8 PM Concert 03/31/13-04/09/13  Crystal Serenity Cruise 04/12/13  Robidoux Theatre with The Diamonds, St. Joseph, MO,                8 PM Concert 04/14/13  Lake Michigan College with The Diamonds, Benton Harbor, MI,                7 PM Concert 04/16/13  Oak Glen School, New Cumberland, WV, 7:30 PM Concert 04/19/13  The Arts Center - Iowa Western Community College, Council                Bluffs, IA, 8 PM Concert 04/21/13  Jane Knight Auditorium - Kaskakia College, Centralia, IL                3 PM Concert 04/25/13  Onalaska High School - Onalask, WI, 6:30 PM Concert 04/27/13  A Center For The Arts, Fergus Falls, MN, 2 & 7:30 PM Concerts 04/28/13  Myles Reif Performing Arts Center, Grand Rapids, MN,                3 & 7:30 PM Concerts For more information visit: Tour Schedule Trivia Contest Be the first person to answer our trivia question correctly and win the Glenn Miller Orchestra's Steppin' Out CD from The Big Band Store. New Question:  Last month the Glenn Miller Orchestra recorded their first CD in many years. What was the name of the last recording made with Larry O'Brien and what year was it recorded in? GOOD LUCK!! Click here to answer: maureen@glennmillerorchestra.com Our last newsletter trivia question and answer: Question:  Glenn was an avid sports enthusiast.  Which football team hired him to play on their field in order to boost attendance? Answer:  The Brooklyn Dodgers football team. Congratulations to Dave from Green Valley, AZ who won a CD.    To view our complete Big Band online store click here: Big Band Store    Other Big Band Tour Schedules We do not confirm performances. Please contact the venue or artist for information.    The Harry James Orchestra - http://www.fredradke.com/ The Les Elgart Orchestra - http://leselgart.com The Four Aces - http://www.thefouraces.org The Nelson Riddle Orchestra - http://www.nelsonriddlemusic.com Jan Eberly - http://www.janeberle.com/home.html The Cab Calloway Orchestra directed by Calloway Brooks-http://www.cabcalloway.cc/Calendar.htm The Terry Myers Orchestra, a tribute to Benny Goodman-http://www.terrymyersorchestra.com The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra -  http://www.buddymorrowproductions.com/index.html Les Brown's Band of Renown - http://bandofrenown.com/ Jack Morgan and the Russ Morgan Orchestra -   http://www.russmorganorchestra.com/tours.html The Sammy Kaye Orchestra with Roger Thorpe -  http://www.sammykayeorchestra.com/schedule.htm The Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra with Bill Tole and Nancy Knorr -       http://www.jimmydorseyorchestra.com/itinerary.htm The Jan Garber Orchestra with Howard Schneider -http://www.jangarber.com/Schedule.htm The Pied Pipers - http://www.thepiedpipers.com/ Bobby Lanye & His Orchestra - http://www.bobbylayne.com/?page=2 Les DeMerle Orchestra featuring Bonnie Eisele -http://www.lesdemerlemusic.com/ Hunter Fuerste and his American Vintage Orchestra -http://www.hunterfuerste.com/ The New Gene Krupa Orchestra - http://berkmusic.com/krupa_hist.html The Count Basie Orchestra - http://www.basieband.com The Tom Daugherty Orchestra - http://www.tomdaughertyorchestra.com/ The Four Freshmen - http://www.fourfreshmensociety.com/events.htm Thw Woody Herman Orchestra directed by Frank Tiberi -      http://www.woodyherman.biz/main.html      Please e-mail Mike Brigola for information or call/write:      Wood Herman Orchestra & The Latin Giants of Jazz      1955 Sherman Street       Denver, CO 80203-1115       303-300-2500       303-300-2400 Fax The Artie Shaw Orchestra - Please call (781) 444-9900 for tour information The Blue Moon Big Band - http://www.bluemoonbigband.com/ Our list of subscribers is strictly confidential.  Your details have never been and never will be passed on to any third party.  Your privacy is greatly respected.

Mystical power of Frank Sinatra!

Here's our quote of the day;

“The girls loved Sinatra, but did the boys have a choice? Whether you were a boy or girl in the ’40s, you eventually succumbed to the mystical power of Sinatra. Many men were drawn to him through the ardent passions of their sisters or girlfriends.

Some were young servicemen who were grateful for the monthly cache of V-Discs that were dropped on the frontlines throughout the war. Sinatra was omnipresent on those discs.”

– from “Frank Sinatra: Teen Idol,” by Charles L. Granata, liner notes for Disc Two, Teen Idol: 1943-1949

            "The Way You Look Tonight"

Patty Andrews is gone

We remember Patty Andrews who at age 94 died yesterday in California. She was the last surviving member of the Andrews Sisters.

During a time when teenagers were doing the jitterbug and Uncle Sam was asking young men to enlist, The Andrews Sisters were America’s most popular female singing group. Patty, the youngest sister, was a loud and energetic blond who headed the group with her confident vocals. The middle sister was Maxene, a brunette, whose harmonic range gave the impression of four voices instead of three. Finally, completing the trio was the eldest, LaVerne, a strong willed red head with a witty sense of humor and an eye for fashion.

The Andrews Sisters versatile sound and range in genres explains their longevity in the music industry and popularity with people all over the world. They had major hits in nearly all types of music ranging from swing to country-western. This tremendous popularity did not stop in the music business. The trio could also be found performing in radio series, commercials, Hollywood movies and on Broadway.

Their own singing style was helped by the way their three voices blended together. “There were just three girls in the family,” Patty once explained. “LaVerne had a very low voice. Maxene’s was kind of high, and I was between. It was like God had given us voices to fit our parts.”

The girls got their start when Larry Rich hired them to go on tour with his 55 member troupe. In 1932 they stopped touring with Rich, but the girls continued to sing at fairs, vaudeville shows and club acts. While touring the girls worked hard on their craft and rehearsed daily, sometimes practicing in the back of their father’s Buick while driving to the next show.

After six years of living on the road the girls had their first major success with “Bei Mir” which sold 350,000 copies. The song held the Billboards No. 1 slot for five weeks. This achievement established The Andrews Sisters as successful recording artists and they became celebrities.

Their ascendancy coincided with the arrival of swing music in the late 1930s, and the Andrews Sisters’ style suited the new craze perfectly. Their aim was to reproduce the sound of three harmonising trumpets. “I was listening to Benny Goodman and to all the bands,” Patty once remarked. “I was into the feel, so that would go into my own musical ability. I was into swing. I loved the brass section.”

The sisters went on to record with many popular bands of the 1940s, including those of Glenn Miller, Jimmy Dorsey, Woody Herman and Goodman. They also recorded dozens of songs with Bing Crosby, including the million-seller Don’t Fence Me In, written by Cole Porter.

Such was the Andrews Sisters’ popularity that Universal signed them to a film contract, and between 1940 and 1944 they appeared in a dozen low-budget musical comedies. In 1947 they also featured in The Road to Rio with Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour.

While many of the sisters’ songs were rollicking and upbeat, they could also turn to wistful ballads like I Can Dream, Can’t I? which, with Patty taking lead vocal, became an American No 1 hit in 1950. Their versatility meant that, in the course of their career, the Andrews Sisters recorded more than 400 songs in all and sold more than 80 million records, notching up including several gold discs.

But although they continued performing together until LaVerne’s death in 1967, they became riven by bickering and disagreements.

The discord dated from 1952, when Patty married Walter Weschler, the sisters’ pianist. On becoming their manager, he demanded more money for himself and for Patty, greatly upsetting the other two sisters. The schism with Patty became public, and lawsuits flew between the two camps.

“We had been together nearly all our lives,” Patty explained in 1971. “Then in one year our dream world ended. Our mother died and then our father. All three of us were upset, and we were at each other’s throats all the time.”

Nor did the recriminations end when there was a revival of interest in the sisters when Bette Midler released a cover version of Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy in the early 1970s. Patty and Maxene appeared in a wartime comedy, Over Here!, in 1974, but while it ran on Broadway for more than a year, arguments with the producers led to the cancellation of a planned national tour, and the two sisters never performed together again.

Maxene toured as a solo act until her death in 1995. Patty also continued on her own, with appearances in Las Vegas and on television variety shows.

In 1947 Patty Andrews married Martin Melcher, an agent who represented the sisters as well as Doris Day, then on the threshold of her film career. When the couple divorced in 1949, Melcher became Day’s husband, manager and producer.

Patty Andrews’s second husband, Walter Weschler, died in 2010. A foster daughter survives her.

Glenn Miller Orchestra schedule January-March 2013

UPCOMING  SHOWS

01/28/13  San Pablo Catholic Church, Marathon, FL  7:30 PM Concert
01/29/13  Island Community Church, Islamorada, FL  8 PM Concert
01/31/13  Lemon Bay High School, Englewood, FL  7 PM Concert  

02/02/13  Schein Hall, Sanibel, FL 8 PM Concert

02/03/13  Neel Performing Arts Center, Bradenton, FL  2 PM Concert

02/04/13  Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater, FL  1 PM Concert

02/05/13  Naval Air Museum, Pensacola, FL  7 PM Concert

02/07/13  Strange Brew, Austin, TX  6 PM & 8 PM concert 

02/09/13  Quinlan Ford High School, Quinlan, TX  8 PM Concert

02/10/13  Cameron ISD Performing Arts Ctr., Cameron, TX 3 PM Concert

02/12/13  Herod Hall Aud, NW Oklahoma Univ, Alva, OK 7:30 PM Concert

02/13/13  La Rita Performing Arts Center, Dalhart, TX  7:30 PM Concert 

02/14/13  Quartz Mountain Resort, Lone Wolf, OK  7 PM Concert

02/15-02/16/13  Enid Symphony Hall, Enid, OK  8 PM Concert

02/19/13  Germantown Perf. Arts Center, Germantown, TN, 7 PM Concert

02/21/13  Church of The King, Mandeville, LA  7:30 PM Concert

02/22/13  Horse Shoe Casino & Hotel, Bossier City, LA  7 PM Dance

02/25/13  LYCC Paul Porter Arena, Gardner-Webb Univ, Boiling Springs,                  NC  7:30 PM Concert 

02/27/13  Cultural Arts Center, Glen Allen, VA  2:30 & 7 PM Concerts

02/28/13  Birdsong Theater, Suffolk, VA  7:30 PM Concert

03/02/13  Richard E. Rauh Theater Hillman Ctr, Pittsburgh, PA 

              7:30 PM Concert

03/03/13  Capitol Theatre, Chambersburg, PA  3 PM Concert

03/04/13  The Academy Theatre, Meadville, PA  7:30 PM Concert

03/06/13  Lincoln-Way North High School, Frankfort, IL  11 AM Concert

03/08/13  Sunnybrook Ballroom, Pottstown, PA  7 PM Dance

03/09/13  Park Theatre, Cranston, RI  7:30 PM Concert

03/10/13  The Warner Theatre, Torrington, CT  3 PM Concert

03/12/13  Salle Albert-Rousseau, Quebec City, Canada, 8 PM Concert

03/14/13  Theatre Marcellin-Champagnat du College Laval, Laval, Canada

               8 PM Concert

03/15/13  Salle Albert-Dumouchel, Valleyfield, Canada, 8 PM Concert

03/16/13  L'etoile Banque Nationale, Brossard, Canada, 8 PM Concert

03/17/13  Salle Andre-Provost, St-Jerome, Canada, 3 PM Concert  

03/20/13  Centre Culturel de Beloeil, Beloeil, Canada, 8 PM Concert

03/21/13  Theatre du Vieux Terrebonne, Terrebonne,Canada 8 PM Concert

03/22/13  Theatre de la Ville - Salle Pratt & Whitney Canada, Longueuil,

               Canada, 8 PM Concert

03/23/13  Theatre Hector-Charland, L'Assomption, Canada, 8 PM Concert

03/24/13  Salle Edwin-Belanger, Montmagny, Canada, 8 PM Concert

03/26/13  Theatre de la Ville - Salle Pratt & Whitney Canada, Longueuil,

               Canada, 8 PM Concert

03/27/13  Salle J.-Antonio-Thompson, Trois-Rivieres, Canada, 

               8 PM Concert

03/28/13  Salle Pauline-Julien, Ste-Genevieve, Canada, 8 PM Concert

03/31/13-04/09/13  Crystal Serenity Cruise, Boards in Miami

Glenn Miller and Charlie Spivak partners

More about Glenn Miller and Charlie Spivak:

It didn't hurt that one of Charlie's close friends was Glenn Miller, whom he could turn to for advice on being a bandleader, when Spivak organized his own group in late 1939.

"Well, he was backed by Miller. Miller financed the band," Stevens noted. "And they hired a lot of top-flight musicians like Davey Tough and Willie Smith and Nelson Riddle . . . and they were good arrangements with a pretty sound. He played pretty music."

A sweet trumpet didn't necessarily need a mute in it.

"No," Stevens (a singer with Spivak) agreed. "In fact, he tried at the beginning... he even invented a mute called the 'whispa' . . . mute. I think they thought it was going to create a new sound that people would... But it was a mistake because Charlie got a great sound with the open horn, and eventually ended up playing open-horn trumpet."

Dave Dexter, a music critic, convinced Spivak to discard the mute. Actually, Charlie was quite a versatile musician. He often blew 'hot' in the '20s and early '30s, and later pointed out that he enjoyed the blues.

"He was a good lead trumpet player. He didn't play like Harry James (he didn't play jazz), but he played great lead trumpet and that's what he really specialized ," Stevens said.

Charlie Spivak's band was owned by Glenn Miller?

Bandleader Charlie Spivak is remembered for playing a brilliant open horn, which press agents called the sweetest trumpet" in the world.

In reading about Charlie and his start as a bandleader, after a number of years as a sideman in Ben Pollock's band with Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman, plus Ray Nobles's band (created by Glenn Miller) and others, we are once again confronted with the question of "Who actually owned many of the Big Bands?"

Tommy Dorsey, for example, "loaned" Glenn Miller the funds to start his second band. The story goes that when Glenn went to pay Dorsey back....Tommy said "pay me back!...I bought a piece of your band!" Glenn politely said "no way."

Now we find Glenn in a reverse role with Charle Spivak. Glenn was one of Charlie Spivak's close friends, whom he could turn to for advice on being a bandleader. When Spivak organized his own group in late 1939, Glenn Miller not only helped select the band members, but also financed the band according to one of Spivak's singers, Gary Stevens.(died age 93 on 12/8/2009) .

Did Miller now own a piece of the Spivak band? Anyone have more info?

Shop for big band music: Memory Lane Shop

40th All Star Jazz concert in Madison New Jersey

NEW JERSEY JAZZ SOCIETY PRESENTS 40TH ANNIVERSARY ALL-STAR CONCERT DREW UNIVERSITY ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 27

Morristown, NJ – The New Jersey Jazz Society will celebrate its 40th Anniversary with an All-Star Jam and Reception at the Dorothy Young Center for the Arts at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey on Sunday, January 27 at 3:00 p.m. The concert was rescheduled due to Hurricane Sandy. The all-star celebration will feature 24 of the finest jazz musicians and singers on the scene today, all of whom have an association with the Jazz Society. Four groups of five to seven artists each will perform. The leaders of each ensemble will include cornetist Warren Vaché, trumpeter/vocalist Bria Skonberg, saxophonist Bob Ackerman and trombonist Emily Asher. The musicians slated to perform include vocalists Roseanna Vitro (2012 Grammy nominee), Nancy Nelson, Marlene VerPlanck and Pam Purvis; pianists Rio Clemente, Norman Simmons, and Tomoko Ohno; drummers Winard Harper, Sherrie Maricleand Jackie Williams, horn players Randy Reinhart, Peter Anderson, Will Anderson, Tom Artin, Dan Levinson; guitarist James Chirillo and bassists Nicki Parrott and Jon Burr. A wine and cheese reception will immediately follow in the rotunda and wings of the arts center where a collection of memorabilia from the 40-year history will be displayed and where the artists will join with the attendees while emerging jazz stars pianist Billy Test and guitarist Adam Lomeo entertain. Tickets are on sale through the NJJS website at www.njjs.org or by calling 908-273-7827. Tickets in advance are $30.00 for NJJS members and $35.00 for nonmembers. At the door, prices will be $5 more. Drew University is conveniently located on Route 124 in Madison and parking is free. Led by its first president Jack Stine of Pluckemin, the New Jersey Jazz Society was formed by a group of 18 jazz enthusiasts, who were regulars at the weekly jazz gigs at the Hillside Lounge in Chester. The mission of the Jazz Society is to promote and preserve the great American musical art form known as jazz through live performances and educational outreach initiatives and scholarships. The NJJS runs several major annual events, monthly performance socials at Shanghai Jazz in Madison and co-sponsors numerous other events throughout the year. It boasts nearly 900 members, publishes an award-winning magazine, conducts in-school jazz education programs, administers the American Jazz Hall of Fame and funds jazz studies scholarships at New Jersey colleges. The NJJS is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization and contributions are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Benny Goodman tribute at New Jersey Jazz Fest

Swing jazz is headed for Hackettstown, New Jersey's Centenary Stage in the form of a Benny Goodman Tribute from the Stan Rubin Orchestra.

Stan Rubin will  make his way to the Centenary Stage to lead the Benny Goodman Tribute on Saturday, January 12 at 8 P.M.,  when the Stan Rubin Orchestra arrives with  its 15 piece big band to launch the January Jazz Fest in Hackettstown.

Bandleader, conductor, and clarinetist,  the legendary Benny Goodman is  synonymous with swing and big band jazz orchestra. With a career spanning over 50 years, Goodman worked with such legendary jazz performers such as Bix Beiderbecke, Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, Mildred Bailey, Bessie Smith and countless others. His following of fans and music enthusiasts has kept Benny Goodman’s name and legend an ever-present staple in jazz and swing music.

Celebrating the life and music of Benny Goodman is the acclaimed Stan Rubin Orchestra featuring bandleader, Herb Gardner. Stan Rubin, widely known as the foremost preserver of the swing style, enjoys his strong roots in the state of New Jersey, from his early days at Blair Academy in Blairstown, to his graduation from Princeton University, where the jazz band he started when he didn’t make the basketball team was eventually invited to perform for Grace Kelly’s wedding to the Prince of Moraco, which changed everything for Rubin.

Rubin  has invested $300,000 of his own money into a library of swing, a collection of the arrangements played by the likes of Goodman, the Dorsey Brothers, Artie Shaw, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Harry James and a half-dozen others who swung America from the 1930s into the early 50s.
"The beauty of big-band swing is that it combines musical structure with improvisation, the hallmark of jazz, but swing doesn't abandon the melody like some modern jazz”– Stan Rubin
Bandleader Herb Gardner has performed with a renown roster of jazz luminaries, including Wynton Marsalis, Doc Cheatham, Max Kaminsky, Gene Krupa, Roy Eldridge and more.  He  toured with popular jazz performers Wild Bill Davison, Kenny Davern and Dick Wellstood.    While serving as co-leader of Vince Giordano’s Nighthawks, Gardner played at George Bush’s inauguration and Bill Clinton’s victory party.

Tickets for the Benny Goodman Tribute with Stan Rubin Orchestra are about $ 27.50 in advance, with discounts for seniors and students.   A January Jazz Fest “Flex Pass”, offered at $66,  is available for all three concerts, which includes The Kathy Kosins Trio tribute “To the Ladies of Cool” on January 19, and  The Hot Club of Detroit on Jan 26.

Tickets are available through the Centenary Stage Company box office at 715 Grand Avenue, open 1-5 p.m. Monday through Friday and two hours prior to each performance. Tickets may also be purchased online at www.centenarystageco.org or by calling the box office at 908-979-0900. The venue is about one hour west of Manhattan via U.S. 80.

The Singin' Rage is gone

The Singin' Rage Miss Patti Page has died. Clara Ann Fowler (November 8, 1927 - January 1, 2013), known by her professional name Patti Page, was one of the best-known female artists in traditional pop music. She was the best-selling female artist of the 1950s, and sold over 100 million records.
Page signed with Mercury Records in 1947, and became their first successful female artist, starting with 1948's "Confess".

In 1950, she had her first million-selling single "With My Eyes Wide Open, I'm Dreaming", and would eventually have 14 additional million-selling singles between 1950 and 1965.
Page's signature song, "Tennessee Waltz", recorded in 1950, was one of the biggest-selling singles of the 20th century, and is also one of the two official state songs of Tennessee. "Tennessee Waltz" spent 13 weeks atop the Billboard magazine's Best-Sellers List in 1950. Page had three additional No. 1 hit singles between 1950 and 1953, with "All My Love (Bolero)", "I Went to Your Wedding", and "(How Much Is That) Doggie in the Window".

Unlike most pop music singers, Page blended the styles of country music into many of her most popular songs. By doing this, many of Page's singles also made the Billboard Country Chart. Towards the 1970s, Page shifted her career towards country music, and she began charting on the country charts, up until 1982. Page is one of the few vocalists who have made the country charts in five separate decades.
When rock and roll music became popular during the second half of the 1950s, traditional pop music was becoming less popular.

Page was one of the few traditional pop music singers who was able to sustain her success, continuing to have major hits into the mid-1960s with "Old Cape Cod", "Allegheny Moon", "A Poor Man's Roses (Or a Rich Man's Gold)", and "Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte".

In 1997, Patti Page was inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame. She will be posthumously honored with the Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award in 2013. Source:Wiki

Health problems caused Page to write a sad-but-resolute letter to her fans late last year; "Although I feel I still have the voice God gave me, physical impairments are preventing me from using that voice as I had for so many years," Page wrote. "It is only He who knows what the future holds."
Page died on New Year's Day in Encinitas, Calif., according to publicist Schatzi Hageman.