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88 of 89 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great bargain for music that may change your life!, March 3, 2004
If you're interested in listening to Glenn Miller and His Orchestra, this is the best single disc to buy (if you want to spring for a bit more, look into the two-disc "The Essential Glenn Miller"). Priced at a budget of $10.00, the CD actually contains most of the big hits you would want from a Glenn Miller album: "In the Mood," "String of Pearls," "Pennsylvania 6-5000," "I Got a Gal in Kalamazoo," "Moonlight Serenade," "Tuxedo Junction," and "The Chatanooga Choo-Choo." They all sound quite good as well, with minimal hiss and crackle. Usually, the RCA "Greatest Hits" of Jazz series are poor buys, containing music from only a fraction of the musicians' careers that in no way represents their `greatest hits' (the Count Basie album and Louis Armstrong albums are especially weak). But this CD actually delivers the goods: Glenn Miller was an RCA-Victor recording artist for most of his career, so the label was able to put the best of the best on this single CD. If you're new to Mr. Miller, or big bands and swing in general, here's a great and economic way to get started.The pieces on this album cover Miller's most successful period: 1938, when he formed his new band and suddenly became a sensation, to mid-summer 1942, when he joined the Army Air Force and formed a new military band. "King Porter Stomp" is the earliest recorded piece here, and shows Miller at his most jazzy. The latest recorded (July 1942) is the sweet, pretty number "That Old Black Magic" (with vocal by Skip Nelson & the Modernaires). In between is a treasure of riches of the big band era, many of which became famous morale-raisers during World War II. Glenn Miller's music was a crucial part of the soundtrack of American involvement in that conflict. "In the Mood," the infectious dance piece and probably the most recognizable big band melody ever, leads off this collection. Even today, this number gets everyone, from elementary school children to senior citizens, out on the floor. Everybody knows this piece, and everybody loves it. Another popular morale-raiser from the war is "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree," sung by Tex Beneke and the Texas Modernaires. The band also swings with great sophistication on numbers like "String of Pearls" (which shows off the cleverness of Glenn's arranger/composer Jerry Gray), bounces around on "Little Brown Jug," and gets down low and swingy on "Tuxedo Junction," which Glenn borrowed from bandleader Erskine Hawkins after he heard his band play a version of it. Glenn's great vocal group, Tex Beneke and the Texas Modernaires (along with Marion Hutton) also sing two of the most popular songs of the era: "I've Got a Gal in Kalamazoo" and "The Chatanooga Choo Choo." The band also plays some beautiful slow numbers on "Sunrise Serenade" and their theme song, the romantic "Moonlight Serenade." And don't forget the great start and stop number "Pennsylvanian 6-5000," which everybody loves to shout along with. Sadly, Glenn Miller did not live to see the end of the war he helped America get through: his plane was lost over the English Channel in December 1944. Glenn Miller, as others have pointed out, isn't music for just "the old folks." Young people are constantly falling under his spell, and his music is still enormously popular today with folks of all ages. This was part of Glenn's important appeal. He wasn't the best big band ever: there were many much harder swinging, jazzier bands around, like Count Basie's and Benny Goodman's. He wasn't a genius composer like Duke Ellington. He was only an average trombone player, not a virtuoso on his instrument like Tommy Dorsey on his trombone or Artie Shaw on his clarinet. But he achieved something important: he spread swing to all corners of the world, and to all ages, with his populist, happy, and fun style. His band members were incredibly talented, and they formed a tight group. They played pop music, certainly, but pop music that has transcended its era. And perhaps most importantly, the Glenn Miller Orchestra is a "gateway" band. His is often the first swing big band most people hear, and listening to them leads listeners into exploring this wonderful era in American music, when jazz was king. For me personally, Glenn Miller lead me to Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Artie Shaw, and through many twists and turns, to Miles Davis. I thank Glenn Miller immensely for that. So buy this CD: it's less than ten dollars! You might find yourself on a new musical journey, and one day you'll also thank Glenn Miller for opening the door to a whole new world of music.
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~ Benny Goodman
~ Various Artists - Jazz - Swing/Big Band
~ Various Artists - Jazz - Swing/Big Band
~ Artie Shaw
~ Benny Goodman
by The Glenn Miller Orchestra 
