4.0 out of 5 stars
Good, but not great, band, January 15, 2009
This review is from: What's Cooking Charlie (Audio CD)
Kiev born Charlie Spivak was one of the great lead trumpetersof the swing era; he led the trumpets in the bands of the Dorsey Brothers, Ray Noble, Glenn Miller and Jack Teagarden to name but a few before starting out on his own (with financial backing from Miller). His gorgeous, fat tone would have made him an ideal rival to Harry James (who was struggling to make ends meet), were it not for the fact that Spivak unwisely followed Miller's advice of featuring his horn tightly muted (to create a more intimate sound); James featured his open horn (which was not as beautiful as Spivak's by far) and stole Spivak's thunder; when Spivak realized his mistake it was too late; his carreer remained that of a bandleader with a good all round band but not one that was creatively innovative or startlingly original or even a hit maker, although the band enjoyed enough commercial succes to carry on well into the Fifties (unlike more diehard modernists like Boyd Raeburn). This collection focusses on the jazzier output of the band and it must be said, the results are very pleasant indeed; good arrangements, good material, very well played and good solos (Spivak's open horn being the centre of interest on a collection of Gershwin tunes, "Summertime" being the standout). There is hardly any musical development noticeable between 1941 and 1947, the influence of be-bop or cool jazz (of which his good friend Claude Thornhill was an exponent) is totally absent from these recordings.
Together with a Collectables cd which features his more commercial output this might fill a gap, but it is not an essential issue.
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