VOLUME 123 JUMP NEWSLETTER JULY-AUGUST, 2009 change the station. We can’t stand it. It’s like putting ARRANGER PROFILE - J E R R Y C R A Y salsa on traditional Italian pasta. The public might have known Jerry Gray better if he had The original letter from Mr. Andrews was two and been selected to lead the postwar Miller Estate Orches­ a half pages long so we hope his core message has tra. Even though he was the final conductor of the been preserved. Music is, in the minds o f radio wartime Miller military band after Miller’s death, the producers, for listening and not for dancing. (Are estate felt he didn’t have the public recognition. Tex we in serious trouble here?) Beneke, a vocal and sax solo star, was hired instead, and Jerry Gray went to work in the Los Angeles radio and John Hossfeld In the summer of 1994 my wife and 1 recording studios and continued to be relatively un­ Novato, CA stayed for a few days at the Empress known while others cashed in on the Miller fame.

Hotel in Victoria, Jerry Gray was a behind-the-scenes creator of some of British Columbia the most successful Big Band recordings of all time. It and one night we was Jerry Gray who arranged ’s found a nice res­ most renowned recording, BEGIN THE taurant on the B E G U I N E .When Shaw broke up the band, Jerry street behind the Gray was hired by , turning out a string of hotel. We were best-selling records including Miller’s first official entertained by “gold” record, . It Diana Krall and was Gray who also arranged the top Miller hits, TUX­ her trio. EDO JUNCTION, and ANVIL CHORUS as well as both composing and arranging the Miller re­ About ten years cordings of STRING OF PEARLS, PENNSYLVANIA ago I found an al­ 6-5000 and I DREAMT I DWELT IN HARLEM. bum of Gersh­ win songs titled When Miller entered the service he requested and got “Frances Jerry Gray’s services as arranger and assistant conduc­ Gershwin: For tor. Many of his included the 21 man George and Ira” string section of the expanded Air Corps organization. recorded in 1973. The liner notes indicated that, “The It was Gray, along with Ray McKinley, who co-wrote younger sister, Frances, had a professional career of her perhaps the most famous of the military band’s arrange­ own as both a singer and a dancer.” It’s no wonder her ments, ST. LOUIS BLUES MARCH. daughter Alexis Gershwin would be carrying on in the family tradition! Thanks to Hagen Williams for his Generoso Graziano was the son of a Boston music review of the new CD. teacher, so it was ordained he would learn a musical instrument, and learn he did becoming a violin prodigy Eugene Schulze One of my friends has been soloing with the Boston Junior Symphony, but by age Beach Haven, NJ singinga line from asongover 18 in 1933 he was leading his own orchestra. He and over: “... .she’s cuter than never returned to classical music although some of his Venus and what’s more she’s got arms.” We can’t come arrangements for the Miller military band were nearly up with the title of the song that line comes from. Can symphonic. It was 1936 when Gray became first you help? violinist with the then new band known as “Art Shaw and hisNew Music.” Within ayear he was arranging for We didn 7 know either, even though the tune for the band, turning out notable sounds including the the recited line was recalled. Took a day for the Billie Holiday accompaniment to ANY OLD TIME and dawn to break: LOVE IS JUST AROUND THE fresh instrumentals such as CARIOCA and SOFTLY CORNER, (any cozy little corner). AS IN A MORNING SUNRISE. His tenure with Artie

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