The Best of the Big Bands
Volume 1

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"Once again, from out of the west - the beauty spot of California - the world famous Garden Room of the Hotel Claremont, high atop the Oakland/Berkeley hills, overlooking San Francisco Bay, just a few minutes drive from the city by the Golden Gate and around the nation, the music of Dick Jurgens and his Orchestra!"

The music of a generation, preserved for generations yet to come. It's the Big Bands at their best, live and on the air -- presented in this exciting collection from Radio Archives.

Dance music remotes from restaurants, ballrooms, hotels, and nightspots were one of radio's most enduring formats. First heard in the early 1920s, band remotes lingered on until the early 1970s as a feature of late-night programming. The remotes were usually unsullied by commercial sponsorship, and above all, they were live -- preserving the music with a fresh spontaneity that explodes past the confines of the more familiar - and often abridged - studio recordings.

Some of the broadcasts in this collection come from original network transcriptions; of particular interest is a series of previously unknown broadcasts from 1951, unearthed from a private collection and heard here for the first time in over fifty years. Others are taken from the Armed Forces Radio Service "One Night Stand" series which, from 1943 through the mid-1960s, preserved a vast cross-section of dance-band broadcasts using edited linechecks of original network broadcasts, pressed on vinyl for distribution to the troops overseas. Still other recordings are special transcriptions distributed by various government agencies to stations around the US as a way of meeting their public service obligations. But what all these recordings share is the fun and excitement of a uniquely American form of popular music. Enjoy them all in this tuneful ten hour collection.

Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra

Here's a rare example of "That Sentimental Gentleman's" weekly musical variety series for the Brown and Williamson Tobacco Company, on behalf of Raleigh and Kool cigarettes. It's an edited Special Services Division recording for the troops overseas, so you won't hear about Raleigh coupons or Willie the Penguin, but you will hear a prime example of the Dorsey band from its swinging mid-forties era.

The Tommy Dorsey Show (#25)
A Special Services Division rebroadcast of "The Raleigh-Kool Cigarette Program," with vocals by Skip Nelson, The Dorsey Sentimentalists, and announcer Truman Bradley.
Wednesday, June 23, 1943 - 30:00 - NBC/Special Services rebroadcast

Dorsey's postwar summer replacement series in Fred Allen's time slot, sponsored by Standard Brands, took a more variety-oriented format than his Brown and Williamson broadcasts -- with glamorous Hollywood personality Claire Trevor, a name not usually associated with jazz or swing, filling the guest slot on this AFRS rebroadcast.

Tommy Dorsey and Company, with guest Claire Trevor (#42)
Featuring drummer Buddy Rich, Charlie Shavers on trumpet, and vocals by the Dorsey Sentimentalists and Stuart Foster.
Sunday, July 8, 1945 - 30:00 - NBC, AFRS rebroadcast

Woody Herman and his Orchestra

Inheriting the remains of the famous Isham Jones Orchestra in the mid-1930s, Woody Herman was well known for decades for his adaptability and his musical curiosity. His first major band overtly emphasized African-American musical traditions at a time when the blues were rarely heard by white audiences. Later on, in the mid-forties, Herman's interest shifted to more contemporary forms of jazz -- and the 1944 broadcast is an opportunity to hear the famous Thundering Herd in its first incarnation.

"The Band That Plays the Blues" broadcasts from the Famous Door, New York City, with announcer Jack Costello and vocals by Woody and Carol Kaye.
Sunday, January 7, 1940 - 30:00 - NBC, sustaining

The famous "First Herd" in their opening night broadcast from the Cafe Rouge of the Hotel Pennsylvania in New York City.
Monday, August 21, 1944 - 30:00 - CBS, sustaining

Count Basie and his Orchestra

There isn't much you can say about the Count that hasn't already been said by anyone who loves big-band jazz at its best. From the thirties to the eighties, the Basie band was a joyous, swinging part of the big band scene. An added attraction in these two broadcasts is Basie alumnus Lester Young, returning to help out his old boss with his usual spine-tingling tenor sax work.

Two live NBC network broadcasts from the "Stars in Jazz" series, broadcast from Birdland in New York City with announcer Fred Collins.
Thursday, January 1, 1953 - 24:36 - NBC, sustaining
Tuesday, January 6, 1953 - 24:20 - NBC, sustaining

Charlie Barnet and his Orchestra

Getting its start as one of the bright young bands of the thirties, the Charlie Barnet Orchestra swung its way into the late fifties with a continuing emphasis on solid musicianship that kept the group feeling up-to-date.

The Barnet organization is heard here in two 1957 broadcasts from "The Charlie Barnet Show" produced by the United States Marine Corps with announcer Jimmy Wallington. Program #11 features Stan Kenton's popular vocalist June Christy and #12 features guest vocalist Lynn Franklyn.
1957 - 15:00 - sponsored by US Marine Corps Recruiting

Next, a live remote broadcast from the Hollywood Palladium, as rebroadcast by the AFRTS as One Night Stand #4966
November, 1959 - 30:00 - AFRTS

Bobby Sherwood and his Orchestra

Trumpeter/guitarist/pianist/vocalist Bobby Sherwood began his career as a highly valued studio musician, but moved on in the postwar era to front a short-lived band of his own -- an organization designed to showcase his many talents.

The Sherwood band is heard here in two live ABC broadcasts, originating from Tommy Dorsey's Casino Gardens in Ocean Park, California with announcer Vince Williams -- as rebroadcast by the AFRS as One Night Stand #1289 & #1296
Both January 1947 - 30:00 each - AFRS

"Shuffle Rhythm" carried this always-swinging aggregation out of Philadelphia in the mid-1930s and into the national spotlight. A former child prodigy and musical polymath who was equally at home in the classical and popular sectors, Savitt - often referred to as "The King of Sweet Swing" - featured distinctive, fast-paced arrangements of up-tempo tunes, along with a surprisingly expressive approach to ballads.

The Savitt band is heard here in two live 1944 broadcasts from Horace Heidt's Trianon Ballroom in Southgate, California, as rebroadcast by the AFRS as One Night Stand (Fill) #27 and #402.
Sunday, July 23, 1944 - 30:00 - AFRS 
Thursday, July 27, 1944 - 30:00 - AFRS

Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra

One of the major vocal personalities of the postwar era, Vaughn Monroe's trademark was his full-throated manner of singing romantic ballads -- and he parlayed his popularity into a long running second career as a commercial spokesman for RCA Victor products. The deep voiced bandleader and vocalist is featured in two broadcasts:

An uncirculated live ABC network remote broadcast originating from the Marine Ballroom, Steel Pier, Atlantic City, New Jersey with vocals by Vaughn Monroe, The Moon Maids, and The Moon Men.
Summer 1951 - 29:00 - ABC, sustaining

A live broadcast originating from the Hollywood Palladium with announcer Bill Ewing, originally broadcast on the CBS network and rebroadcast by the AFRS as One Night Stand #649. (NOTE: The AFRS announcer incorrectly announces the broadcast as originating from the Blackhawk Restaurant in Chicago.)
Tuesday, February 6, 1945 - 30:00 - CBS/AFRS rebroadcast

Dick Jurgens and his Orchestra

An excellent middle-of-the-road band, the Dick Jurgens orchestra was perfectly at home with comfortable dance arrangements -- but given the opportunity, it could also turn out a respectable bit of swing. "Here's That Band Again" in two live broadcasts featuring this popular musical organization:

A Mutual remote - unheard since its original broadcast - originating from the Trocadero Ballroom, Elitch's Gardens, Denver, Colorado, and a 1946 remote from the Garden Room of the Hotel Claremont in Berkley, California featuring vocals by Jimmy Castle, as rebroadcast by the AFRS as One Night Stand #1001.
Summer 1951 - 25:00 - Mutual, sustaining
Wednesday, May 15, 1946 - 30:00 - AFRS

Les Brown and his Orchestra

Long associated with Bob Hope, Les Brown's orchestra kept the big-band tradition swinging for decades -- adapting to new musical trends without ever losing its essential identity. The band's most famous graduate is longtime vocalist Doris Day, but boy singer Butch Stone is still associated with the Brown organization past the age of ninety, now singing with the band fronted by Les Brown Jr.

The swinging "Band of Renown" is heard in three unique broadcasts spanning the years 1944-1957:

The Victory Parade of Spotlight Bands (AFRS #371/Coke Program #526), features Les and his Band of Renown broadcasting from Woodrow Wilson General Hospital in Virginia, with vocalists Doris Day, Gordon Drake and Butch Stone.
Thursday, May 25, 1944 - 15:00 - Blue Network/AFRS rebroadcast

Part two of an uncirculated live broadcast from the Palladium, Hollywood, California, heard at the height of the bop craze - with song titles including "My Baby Likes to Bebop" and "Boptize." (Crazy, man, crazy!)
Sunday, July 4, 1948 - 15:00 - CBS, sustaining

Here's two for the price of one: Les Brown and his Band of Renown broadcasting from Hershey Park, Hershey Pennsylvania, followed by Johnny Richards and his Orchestra from Birdland in New York City, as rebroadcast by the AFRTS as One Night Stand #4413. Known primarily an arranger, Johnny Richards led a band which emphasized a modern approach to the big-band format, presenting intricately progressive music in a fully orchestrated form. It's not a mainstream big band by any means -- but an interesting look at how the music tried to adapt to changing tastes.
1957 - 30:00 - AFRTS

Orrin Tucker and his Orchestra

Orrin Tucker's greatest claim to fame remains his early-1940s recordings with squeaky-voiced vocalist Wee Bonnie Baker. But the band endured for decades beyond those landmark sides, and offers an interesting approach to sweet-but-not-too-sweet music for dining and dancing. This collection concludes with two uncirculated live network broadcasts, featuring "The Danciest Band in the Land" with vocals by Orrin Tucker, Scottee Marsh, and the Bodyguards.

The first, a Mutual remote from 1951, comes from the Trocadero Ballroom, Elitch's Gardens, Denver, Colorado, and the second is an ABC network broadcast from the Boulevard Room of the Stevens Hotel, Chicago.
Summer 1951 - 29:00 - Mutual, sustaining
1951 - 30:00 - ABC, sustaining