The following video is from the late 1950s or early 1960s. By the time the performance was recorded, the Big Band Era had been dead and gone for at least a decade; however, this all-star group - including Count Basie, Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins, Joe Wilder and Roy Eldridge, among others - indicates that there were still musicians who could dish out some electrifying swing. Here's "Dickie's Dream" (look closely, and you'll see a couple of well-known onlookers, namely Jimmy Rushing and Billie Holiday).
Update: I did a little research, and found out the above session was filmed in 1957.
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5 comments:
Merry Gulligan pops up like a Jack in the box.
Looks like a teenager but was 30 in '57.
Nice tune!
Circa 1975 my dad took us to Disneyland for a big band and swing thing they did. The headliner was Stan Kenton, Dad's all time favorite. We also had Les Brown, Ella Fitzgerald, and dare I say Benny Goodman? Anyway Kenton stood out to this 15 year old with his horn section, it blew me away.
Jonah: That sounds wonderful.
A friend's older brother dug out his 1960s record collection (which I used to borrow back then) and alongside Dylan and Rolling Stones was Stan Kenton, maybe 'experiments in jazz'. Stan stayed hip, not like over-rated Gil Evans but with real musical ability and insight. Before the 'genres' took over in the 70s we listened to everything.
Also, remember when every musician and band had their own recognisable sound?
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