BIG BAND NEWS

BY JAY AND CHRISTOPHER POPA JAN. 2021

WILL BIG BANDS GET BACK ON THE ROAD IN 2021? They’re ready and anxious to do so, that’s for sure. For example, The Glenn Miller Orchestra directed by Nick Hilscher, shown above, had in place a tour schedule starting on the 8th of this month and taking them into North Carolina, Florida, Alabama, Kentucky, Indiana, Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico, and California during January and February. Joseph Rubin, a talented musician and conductor, has done a great job producing what he calls “living history” productions, which bring big band music back to the stage in an authentic manner for a new generation of audiences. Last June he was going to present the sounds of Freddy Martin at the historic Palace Theatre in Canton, Ohio. But the coronavirus wouldn’t release its hold. We applaud trombonist Dan Gabel, leader of The Vaughn Monroe Orchestra during live concerts in 2017 and 2018, for his creativity in putting together a series of “Big Band Wednesdays” online streaming events, including a program this past October which feature little-heard original charts from the Monroe music library.

AT THE MERCY OF COVID-19 The famed Roosevelt Hotel, in business since 1924 at 45 E. 45th St. in , closed its doors at the end of 2020 due to the pandemic. Big band fans like Joe Enroughty, Perry Huntoon, David Hills, Tom Samuels, and many others will likely always associate the Roosevelt with the music of Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians. “Due to the current, unprecedented environment and the continued uncertain impact from COVID-19, the owners of The Roosevelt Hotel have made the difficult decision to close the hotel,” a spokesperson said. “The iconic hotel, along with most of New York City, has experienced very low demand, and as a result the hotel will cease operations.” Air Marshal Arshad Malik, the CEO of Pakistani International Airlines, which owns the hotel, was even more forthcoming: the hotel revenue was “in the negative in part because of debt servicing and unionization, as well as the dilapidated conditions of the building including infrastructure, guest rooms, and public areas. The coronavirus pandemic has only aggravated the declining business, which is estimated to increase revenue operating losses to $6 million per year.” There are rumors that the Roosevelt will be demolished and a new, 100-story supertall building will replace it, but what they could never rebuild is the musical history and enjoyment that the Lombardo band made on that site. Meanwhile, in Chicago, the noted Palmer House hotel, at 17 E. Monroe St., was facing a bank foreclosure. Wells Fargo Bank filed a lawsuit against Thor Equities because they were in default on its $333.2 million first mortgage. The Palmer House was constructed in 1871. Conrad Hilton purchased it in 1945. Thor Equities bought it in 2005. Similar to the Roosevelt Hotel, the Palmer House was associated with several famous bands, including Tommy Dorsey (with his new vocalist, Frank Sinatra), Shep Fields, Ray Noble, and Griff Williams.

ZIRPOLO CONTINUES AN IMPRESSIVE JOB Our friend Mike Zirpolo continues to do a great job with his educational “Swing & Beyond” blog (swingandbeyond.com). And recently he celebrated the 150,000th visitor to the blog and over 100,000 views on his YouTube channel. We were especially proud when he mentioned our website, and recalled time spent in Chicago during 2005 when the three of us attended a private rehearsal and then the public concert of some magnificent Artie Shaw music by Jeff Lindberg and The Chicago Jazz Orchestra at Chicago Public Library.

THAT’S WHAT WE CALL A REAL BASIE TWIST! To mark the 85th anniversary of the formation of the Count Basie Orchestra, a new jazz talent competition was presented in late 2020, sponsored by the Count Basie Estate. The competition invited amateur and professional musicians of all ages to create their own unique cover version, in any style, of one of three Basie tunes, One o'clock Jump, Jumpin’ At the Woodside, or Blues in Hoss’ Flat. Entries were judged by an elite panel, including Scotty Barnhart, the Musical Director of The Count Basie Orchestra since September 2013. The winner was Danny Jonokuchi & The Revisionists, a large ensemble that did a rousing rendition of One o’Clock Jump. The winner will receive mentoring by some of the judges panel and will re-record their Basie track in a professional studio. It will be officially released to the public in February.

HONORS FOR THE DORSEYS This coming March 25th, Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey will be officially inducted into the Central Pennsylvania Music Hall of Fame, a non-profit organization started in 2019. The event recognizes the best local acts of the past year and, in the case of the Dorseys, honors the best artists of all time who originated or have resided in the Central Pennsylvania area. NECROLOGY

Viola Smith, 107, d.10/21/2020 (a month shy of her 108th birthday). Drummer with Spitalny’s all-girl orchestra, ‘42-’54?.

Candido Camero, 99, d.11/7/2020. Bongos and/or drum with Gillespie ‘52 / ‘54 / ‘60 (“” LP) / ‘66; Kenton ‘54; and Ellington ‘56 (“” LP). Carl Hallstrom, d.2020. Collector, researcher, and producer (Al-Tone, Storyville, Jazz Unlimited, Tax).

Henry Holloway, 86, d.12/20/2020. Author and host of the South African radio broadcast “Swing, Sing and All That Jazz.”

Sammy Nestico, 96, d.1/17/2021. Trombonist with Barnet ‘46, T Dorsey ‘52, and composer and arranger for Basie ‘67-’84.

HAVE YOU SEEN OUR LATEST ADDITIONS TO bigbandalliance.com

Ready Reference: Bandleaders’ Music Publishing Houses Ready Reference: Most Popular Big Band Songs and Instrumentals, 1920-1954 Ready Reference: Popularity Contest and Other Polls Topics A to Z: Bring Back the Bands Topics A to Z: Happy Days on CBS-TV, 1970 Topics A to Z: Make Believe Ballroom and Other Disc Jockey Polls Topics A to Z: The Risks of the Road Collectors’ Checklists: Laserdiscs Brothers: Jay and Chris: Some of Our Favorite Writers Brothers: Jay and Chris: Some of Our Favorite Record Shops Brothers: Jay and Chris: Some of Our Favorite Disc Jockeys Brothers: Jay and Chris: Some of Our Favorite Brothers Image Galleries: The Band Bus, Then Until Now Image Galleries: Bandleaders with Dogs and Other Animals Image Galleries: Disc Jockey Jump Image Galleries: Go Greyhound (and Leave the Driving to Us) Image Galleries: Our Wish List

AND COMING IN NEXT MONTH’S NEWS AN ALL-CD ISSUE (15 TITLES!)