Customer Reviews

Swing: Best of Big Bands 3 [VHS]

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Continuing this series of archival footage from the Universal Studios vaults, producer George Paige features eleven of the stars of the swing era (mid-1930s to mid-1940s) and the ten years immediately following it, including six new acts. Jimmy Dorsey, Duke Ellington, Harry James, Gene Krupa, and Charlie Barnet have all been featured in Volumes I or II (with Krupa and Barnet featured in both Vols. I and II), and gain further exposure here, as they are joined by Billy Daniels, Les Brown, Freddy Martin, Count Basie, Teresa Brewer (a surprise to me), and The Ink Spots. The video includes:

*Jimmy Dorsey (clarinet)--"Sweet Georgia Brown" and "South Rampart Street," with Jimmy playing at breakneck speed and holding one of the longest high notes ever recorded.

*Billy Daniels (vocalist)--"Them There Eyes" and his trademark song, "That Old Black Magic. Daniels's ability to sing with his soaring vibrato and to flirt, bop, and dance on stage, while never letting his ear-to-ear grin leave his face, is almost creepy.

*Les Brown (saxophone)--"Turkey Hop," elegant interpretations by an elegant band.

*Freddy Martin--"La Tempesta," a spectacular showpiece which features twin pianos in an eminently danceable Latin tune, and "Do Do Do," in which Martin plays sax, accompanied by violins, spotlighting six singers from the band, singing in harmony.

*Duke Ellington (piano)--"History of Jazz," a three-minute collage of music ranging from Dixieland to boogie and swing, and "Violet Blue," a romantic, bluesy treatment in which soprano Kay Davis vocalizes, her lines echoed by Johnny Hodges on sax.

*Harry James (trumpet)--"Brave Bulls," featuring James in a trumpet solo of incredibly fast pace, as he captures the Spanish flavor of this orchestral jazz piece, before dipping into swing. "I've Got a Crush on You" showcases Gail Robbins, an alto whose a capella presentation is so sexy that Marilyn Monroe could have taken lessons from her for the JFK birthday song!

*Count Basie (piano)--"Red Bank Boogie," one of Basie's wildest performances.

*Teresa Brewer (vocalist)--"Old Man Mose (Is Dead)," a real surprise to me. Here she sticks with her catchy, squeaky-voiced style, but her energy and enthusiasm are directed into swing, including some dance--a complete change of pace from the pop style of "Richochet Romance" that many of us associate with her.

*Gene Krupa (drums)--"Stompin' at the Savoy" and "Melody in F." In the former he plays as part of a trio, which looks bigger because of the photography--featuring the shadows of the various members playing on the backdrop. In the latter, his exuberant style and sensational solo are unforgettable.

*The Ink Spots, the original do-wop group--"If I Didn't Care," their biggest hit, which has sold 19 million copies since 1939, and "In a Shanty in Old Shanty Town," which continues their tradition of having the solo tenor or baritone line echoed by a bass narrative in subsequent stanzas.

*Charlie Barnet (soprano sax)--The bluesy "Smooth Sailing" and "Murder at Peyton Hall," two numbers which are visually fascinating because of the montages of various musicians from different angles, including the crisscrossing of trombones and their shadows.

Volume III continues the excitement of the first two volumes but adds to it musically, emphasizing the stunning musicianship of the various stars and giving them a chance to record it for posterity. As good as the first two volumes are, I like this one best of all. One can only hope that MCA will release this collection in DVD soon! n Mary Whipple

If your a big-band swing era fan this 4 tape collection is for you. Tommy Dorsey, Mills Bro's, Ellington, Glen Miller Band, Ink Spots, Gene Kuppa , The Count and more. Filmed in the late 50's in B&W looks and sounds great. An era of music when musicians actually played musical instruments.