Dear Big Band Fans:

In keeping with the current trend, our newsletter has morphed into a blog. This gives me the flexibility to add items as they occur rather than waiting for the calendar page to reach a new month. 

As new entries are added, I'll retain older entries to accommodate those who don't regularly visit our website.

David Miller 

June 26, 2008

The White Cliffs of Dover

In my entry of June 18 I mentioned a forthcoming documentary called "The White Cliffs of Dover," drawing upon an immensely popular Glenn Miller recording featuring a vocal refrain by Ray Eberle. It can now be seen at www.youtube.com by inserting "Jan Eberle" in the search line. Ray's daughter does a nice job singing the song and Jack Million is the spittin' image of Glenn. Well worth watching!

June 18, 2008

Clarinda Revisited

"Where do I begin....?" That line from The Theme from "Love Story" has pounded through my head over the past 24 hours as I've tried to imagine how to capture the excitement surrounding the Glenn Miller Festival, held in his hometown of Clarinda, Iowa. Well, here goes, starting with a few vignettes:

• Dai Kimoto, director of the Swing Kids band from Switzerland, chats in Japanese with a few members of the Tamana Girls High School Band from Clarinda's sister city in Japan.

• Members of the Glenn Miller band surprise their leader, Larry O'Brien, with flowers on the occasion of his 75th birthday (which Larry said was a bit premature).

Larry O'Brien's wife Judy stands aside as he acknowledges birthday flowers.

• Members of the Jack Million band from Belgium posed for a group photograph with Glenn's birthplace home in the background.

• Two clocks hang on the wall of the Clarinda High School cafeteria, one of them indicating Tamana time, ten hours different from local time.

• Sad word that arranger Bill Finegan died June 4th. When I was in Connecticut last month with Leroy Anderson's son Curt, Curt volunteered to arrange a telephone interview with Bill. I didn't follow through in time --- a lost opportunity to chat with a giant of the Big Band Era.

• Jack Million and a fellow trombonist imitating the sound of the airhorn on the Clarinda fire truck that followed behind them in the Saturday morning parade.

• The Tamana girls bowing, grinning and waving their arms at the audience after each solo.

The festival had already gone on a full day by the time I arrived Friday evening. At 8:00 pm I parked my car on 15th Street, just a  block away from the city square. A temporary bandstand had been erected, with about 300 chairs in place facing the stage. A military band was scheduled to play that evening, but we were told they had been deployed elsewhere. No matter, because they were ably replaced by the Swing Kids and the Jack Million band.

As the Swiss kids were setting up, I spotted Marvin Negley, president of the Glenn Miller Birthplace Society. While he munched on a fast-food delicacy I inquired about a letter that GMBS members had received the week before. The letter informed us that they were in the beginning stages of a campaign to raise funds for the Glenn Miller Museum. Land behind his home had been purchased and cleared. Now they were poised to solicit the financial support needed to turn this dream into a reality. I told Marvin I would do all in my power to publicize their efforts on-air and on this website.

Both concerts were a delight. The Swing Kids ranged in age from 11 to 17. Four of the youngest girls --- two on trombone, two on trumpet --- amazed me with their proficiency on their instruments. Jessica, a petite blonde (but then at 11, all kids are petite, right?) played the solo by Bobby Hackett on A String of Pearls just like the man who originated that glorious string of notes over 60 years ago.

The Jack Million band, too, was a thrill to listen to. These musicians are superb masters of their instruments. Under the direction of Jack (real last name: Coenen), they never missed a beat and played with contagious enthusiasm. I was privileged to hear them twice more and continued to marvel at their musical artistry. At the farewell picnic on Sunday evening I told Jack I felt like tossing all my Glenn Miller recordings, because they couldn't match the elegance of the performances of his band. Jack found this a preposterous idea, but I insisted I was blown away by his orchestra.

This band has worked out an ingenious routine tfor their performances. On the wall behind them was projected footage from the two movies the Glenn Miller band appeared in, "Orchestra Wives" and "Sun Valley Serenade." As the original band was seen in the movie (but with the soundtrack on mute), the live band played the notes in perfect sync with the action in the film. If Glenn Miller lifted his trombone to play some licks, Jack Million did so, too. If Ray Eberle sang to Lynn Bari, on stage Geralt van Gemert sang to Ellen Bliek. Very clever, and the full-house audience loved it.

At the Saturday night dance held in the high school gymnasium, the Jack Million orchestra included vocals by Jan Eberle, Ray's talented daughter. Two audience favorites were songs her father made famous with the original Miller civilian band --- The White Cliffs of Dover and Humpty-Dumpty Heart. These songs are included on the latest Jack Million CD, released just a couple of weeks ago. Appropriately, it's called "In the Mood for Glenn Miller, Volume 2."

The Glenn Miller orchestra under the direction of Larry O'Brien did their usual fine job of working through the Miller songbook, with vocals by Julia Rich and Ryan Garfi. I was pleased to see that Larry has added new material to the band library. One of my favorite Miller instrumentals is Billy May's The Spirit is Willing. A pair of trumpeters did themselves proud reproducing the original Bluebird record that featured an interplay between Billy with a mute and another band member (Johnny Best perhaps?) on open trumpet.

I interviewed both Jan Eberle and Jack Million for a future broadcast. In addition to sampling of their fine music, we'll discuss a documentary now in the final stages of production. Entitled "The White Cliffs of Dover," it will include footage of an American military cemetery located in Margraten, the Netherlands. I'm anxious to see the film and will spread the word whenever it's released in the U. S.

At the farewell picnic I chatted with Brooks Tegler, one of two Americans in the Jack Million band. Brooks is headquartered in Washington, D. C. As the band's drummer he proved a solid contributor to the occasion --- a real crowd-pleaser. He told me he had met three out of the four members of the Benny Goodman Quartet, lacking only the leader himself. I told him I had met only one of them --- the King of Swing himself. That led to stories about Goodman that could have kept us amused all evening but for the fact that The Hour of Parting had arrived.

Two future episodes of "Swingin' Down the Lane" were spawned by the weekend festivities. Program #1362, scheduled for broadcast September 16, will include interviews with Jack Million and Jan Eberle. Two weeks later, Program #1364 will review the entire weekend and include recordings by the Swing Kids and the Glenn Miller Orchestra under Larry O'Brien's direction.

I'll schedule a third episode, too. In the high school library I found a page from the Saturday Evening Post announcing winners in a reader poll to name the All-American Dance Band. There was no date on the magazine excerpt, so I can only take an educated guess as to the year the poll was conducted. I'm going to guess 1942. Program #1365 will feature the 14 winners in that poll, including, of course, Glenn Miller..

Clarinda High School cafeteria                                            Jan Eberle interviewed by David Miller

Jack Million with David Miller

June 5, 2008

Coming Up: Louis Jordan Centennial

July will mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Louis Jordan in Brinkley, Arkansas. This milestone will be marked by a series of events. The U.S. Postal Service will issue a stamp in his honor. An original musical revue about Jordan's life will be presented at Little Rock's Wildwood Park for the Performing Arts, and a documentary film is in its late development stages. 

On Monday I interviewed Stephen Koch, whom I credit with re-introducing the public to this remarkable musician. Stephen is the son of a disk jockey. He heard Jordan records while just a young boy and was captivated by the music turned out by the Tympany Five. Now, years later, he has amassed an enviable collection of Jordan recordings. He has researched the Jordan story thoroughly, drawing on several conversations with Louis' widow. Over the past few years he has staged a series of Louis Jordan festivals including music from various groups intent on keeping the Jordan heritage alive.

In the course of our conversation, I asked Stephen Koch if he had a favorite Jordan recording. He responded with Rock Doc, recorded in 1957 or '58. I'm not familiar with it, having concentrated my personal collection on Jordan's earlier period. If I can find the music, I'll present Stephen's favorite on my upcoming program.

Program #1351, Louis Jordan Centennial, will be broadcast the week of July 7.

May 29, 2008

Glenn Miller Festival

Jan Eberle called this morning to inform me that she was mailing the just-released CD of the Jack Million band from Belgium, which features Jan on at least one track --- I'll know more when I receive it. Jan added that the band, which is led by Jack Coenen, will appear for the third time at the annual Glenn Miller Festival in Clarinda, Iowa. Once again she will appear with the band, singing songs made famous by her father, Ray Eberle, long-time vocalist with the Miller civilian band.

Jan Eberle

"It sounds like a great weekend," I told Jan. "Almost wish I were going to be there, too!" I had covered the Festival three times before, and I knew what a stellar event it was. But I'd have to interview Jack Coenen by phone instead, I told Jan.

No sooner did I put down the receiver when it came to me. Why not attend? I fished out the latest issue of "Miller Notes," the newsletter sent to members of the Glenn Miller Birthplace Society. I saw that they have once again put together a magnificent program. In addition to the Jack Million band, there'll be concerts by:

• Tamana Girls High School Band from Japan

• Swing Kids from Switzerland

• Bill Shepherd Big Band from Des Moines

• Larry O'Brien and the Glenn Miller Orchestra

Of course Larry O'Brien's band always pleases --- a well-rehearsed group who have faithfully recaptured the Glenn Miller sound. The girls from Japan are amazing musicians. I've seen the band twice and marveled at their ability to play both classical numbers and big band swing. It's all the more amazing when we realize that there's 100% turnover every four years due to graduation.

I played a cut or two by the Swing Kids last year, after my friend and fellow disc jockey Max Wirz from Switzerland told me about them.

I'm not familiar with the band from Des Moines but applaud them for keeping the big band sound alive in the Hawkeye State.

Bottom line: Within two hours I had a Mapquest route laid out (556.11 miles, 8 hours and 37 minutes), a room at a Clarinda B&B and tickets for each concert.

I'm SO glad Jan called. It'll be good to see her in person, and I also hope to run into listeners to "Swingin' Down the Lane" while I'm in town.

Some informative websites: For information about the festival, http://www.glennmiller.org. To learn more about the Jack Million band and hear an excerpt from their bandbook, http://www.jack-million.com. Jan Eberle's website is http://www.janeberle.com

May 24, 2008

Pat Longo

I received an e-mail from Pat Longo today alerting me to his new website. Sure enough, it's a knock-out! Lots of photos, lots of music and interesting videos, including an interview with the maestro.

I had hoped to interview Pat in person in June, but that'll have to wait till another time and place. Once a year Pat takes on the assignment of assembling a band for the annual reunion of the Big Band Academy of America. As former saxman with Harry James, Pat is well qualified to lead Southern California's finest studio musicians in a romp through the big band library.

Information about the reunion, scheduled for Sunday, June 1, is available on our website. Just click on "Swingin' Getaways" for details. Tickets are still available, I'm told. The banquet will be held at Sportsman's Lodge, Studio City, California.

May 22, 2008

Leroy Anderson Revisited

I was thrilled to receive a package from Kurt Anderson, son of the famous composer. Kurt has sent along a CD containing spoken introductions by his father to ten of his compositions. He also sent the original cast album of "Goldilocks," the only Broadway musical for which Leroy Anderson composed the score. Between these two pieces of material I now have more than enough compositions to fill a second hour. I've scheduled "Leroy Anderson Revisited" for broadcast the week of August 19.

I discovered an amusing website that promotes a musical program suitable for bands and orchestras of all levels of expertise. It's called "That's So Retro." The photo below,, showing Kurt Anderson, was taken from that website. Note the pictorial allusion to two famous Anderson compositions.

"The Typewriter" and
"Syncopated Clock"

May 17, 2008

Gala Fundraiser

April 24, 2008

Big Bands Alive and Kickin'

What a privilege today to sit in on a master class!  From now on, when someone asks me whether the big bands will ever come back, I'll just tell them to rest assured. Nothing to worry about. The 19-piece Little Rock Central High Jazz Ensemble is a marvelous group of youngsters. Today they worked under the direction of a visiting professor, Dr. Ronald C. McCurdy, who is chairman of the Jazz Studies Department and Professor of Music in the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California. He's also a first-class jazz trumpeter.

Master Class at Little Rock Central High School

Dr. McCurdy --- can I call him Ron? --- worked with the kids in the jazz ensemble for an hour and a half. He started off with a thought-provoking summary of jazz history, tracing its roots back to the nineteenth century.  Then he demonstrated by example the fine art of improvisation. Soon every member of the band took his turn trying out some original hot licks.

This evening the jazz ensemble played a concert at a local church. The sanctuary was filled to the brim with school personnel, friends and family of band personnel --- and one lone big band blogger. The band blew me away with their interpretation of Sammy Nestico's arrangement of Fly Me to the Moon, two Ellington pieces and assorted other very ambitious charts. Ron McCurdy dazzled the audience with his proficiency on several trumpet solos. All in all it was a delightful day of jazz.

Yes, big bands have a brilliant future. They're not going to disappear so long as their are talented youngsters taking up music training and inspiring teachers like Ron McCurdy to lead them.

Ronald C. McCurdy, Ph.D.

Pullin' Out All the Stops

We've heard the expression a thousand times. "We're going all out. We're pullin' out all the stops." Never has that metaphor taken on more meaning than when we visited the chapel at the United States Naval Academy. Our guide told us that the chapel organ is the second largest in the country, with 2,700 pipes! We had the good fortune to hear a concert on the organ by Monty Maxwell, the Naval Academy's Director of Instrumental Activities. As the photo below shows, the organ has dozens of stops, those white circular knobs on either side of the multiple keyboards. Somehow Professor Maxwell managed to work the foot pedals, range his fingers over the five keyboards and still find time to pull out as many stops as each musical selection called for. An amazing demonstration of musical virtuosity!

Mr. Monty Maxwell at the Naval Academy chapel organ

"If the chapel organ is the second largest, which is the biggest?" one of my companions asked. Our guide, a retired Navy man, said with a wry smile, "West Point!"

April 23, 2008

Eubie Blake

I've just returned from an extended weekend in Baltimore, which I found to be a great tourist destination. The Inner Harbor was teeming with revelers of all ages, their numbers swelled by spring break celebrants plus the fact that the New York Yankees were in town.

My group held a reception at the Maryland Historical Society which, I learned, is the repository for Eubie Blake's collected papers. Blake was a most influential composer of the 1920's. He wrote the music for the 1921 revue "Shuffle Along," which produced I'm Just Wild About Harry. A couple of years later he wrote Memories of You, with lyrics supplied by Andy Razaf.

Blake lived to be 100. I saw him in performance on one occasion. Bill Cosby was doing a one-man show in Houston. He delighted the audience by calling on Blake to come on stage to play Memories of You. Blake was in his 90's at that time.

The Historical Society has a display devoted to Blake. It includes a bronze bust, one of his batons, a pair of glasses and a handwritten score for "Shuffle Along." More information about the exhibit and collection is found on the society's website.

April 2, 2008

Gala Evening Coming Up

It's official! We're going to have a blast! For several years I've been lecturing at LifeQuest, a Little Rock non-profit dedicated to bringing enrichment courses to the 55+ set. As a special fundraiser, I'll host a program of music and dance from the Big Band Era. I've worked with my partners before, and I'm confident they'll please all in attendance. The Bob Boyd Sounds, a quintet led by a marvelous pianist, have literally hundreds of songs in their playbook. While they play we'll have the pleasure of watching the Louis Bianco Dance Group. "Latin Louis" has actually traveled to Buenos Aires to take lessons in the authentic Argentina tango. He and his troupe are skilled in all kinds of dances from the waltz to the Lindy Hop. As for me, I'll keep things on a light note with some of my most challenging big band trivia questions.

If you're anywhere near Little Rock on Thursday, May 15, it will be well worth your while to make reservations for the evening of dining, dancing and great music. You'll be contributing to a good cause as well!

The telephone number is listed on the poster. For folks outside Central Arkansas, it's (501) 225-6073. Hope to see you there!