Product Details

• Directors: Will Cowan, John Sherwood
• Format: Black & White, NTSC, HiFi Sound, Dolby
• Language: English
• Number of tapes: 4
• Studio: MCA Home Video
• Run Time: 200 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• ASIN: B000AN7XHU
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #269,965 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

**** 4 VHS TAPES IN SEPARATE COVERS AND BOX **** FOR NEARLY TWO DECADES THE UNPARALLELED SOUND OF THE BIG BAND DOMINATED AMERICAN MUSIC. THE ENTIRE COUNTRY JUMPED AND JIVED TO THE SWINGING TUNES BELTED OUT BY THE BRASS HEAVY ENSEMBLES WHICH MADE MUSIC HISTORY IN THE NATION'S BALLROOMS, DANCE HALLS AND THEATERS. THOSE GOLDEN DAYS WHEN NAMES LIKE DORSEY, JAMES AND KRUPA DOMINATED THE HIT PARADE ARE CAPTURED HERE THROUGH RARE ORIGINAL FILM PERFORMANCES BY THE SWING ERA'S GREATEST MUSICIANS, BANDLEADERS AND SINGERS IN FOUR EMINENTLY COLLECTIBLE, ENDLESSLY PLAYABLE VIDEOCASSETTE VOLUMES. ****

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Four volumes of historic archival footage of the greats of the Age of Swing., December 5, 2005

By 

Mary Whipple (New England) - See all my reviews
(COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Swing - The Best of the Big Bands - The Complete Set of (4) (VHS Tape)

Though the "Swing Era" evolved between 1935 and 1945, the influence of swing continued well into the fifties and sixties, and in this collection of black and white film clips from the Universal Studios archives, many of the great names associated with swing are shown in undated concerts, probably (judging from their appearance) between 1945 and 1955. No narration interrupts the flow of music and film, just brief still photographs of the performers to introduce the various groups.

Several key orchestras and performers appear in more than one tape. Count Basie, Gene Krupa, Charlie Barnet, and Jimmy Dorsey appear on three tapes. Several others appear on two: Tommy Dorsey, Ray Anthony, Benny Carter, Harry James, Duke Ellington, Tex Beneke, and Stan Kenton. The formality of the orchestras in dress and posture emphasize that these were primarily dance bands, not concert showmen, with virtually all the movements choreographed so that particular band sections move together.

Single performances by Billie Holiday, young Nat King Cole, and a very young Sarah Vaughan are among the series highlights. Rosemary Clooney appears at age seventeen, and Lionel Hampton, Ralph Marterie, Woody Herman, Louis Prima, and Buddy Rich make single appearances. Early do-wop groups include The Hi-Los, The Ink Spots, The Mills Brothers, and The Skylarks, and some unique acts feature The Blackburn Twins with Marion Colby, Sugar Chile Robinson, Billy Daniels, and Teresa Brewer.

Showcasing the Big Bands, the major vocal stars, and the premier instrumentalists of the era, the series offers something for everyone with an interest in this period. Produced by George Paige in 1987, this collection offers a rare opportunity to see these musicians in action and is an important historical compilation. One hopes that MCA Home Video will recognize their importance to music history and makes them available in DVD before they are lost forever. n Mary Whipple