AUGUST 2020 NEWS by JAY and CHRISTOPHER POPA

MAKE BELIEVE

BALLROOM TIME

Arguably one of the very best bands ever licensed by Glenn

Miller Productions, Inc., The Glenn Miller Orchestra—

Scandanavia directed by Jan Slottenas, has suspended

operations for the rest of the year due to the coronavirus

pandemic.

Just as the extreme situation has affected all of us in some

way, the Orchestra was unable to re-schedule any of its

performances. “The result is that the orchestra has no booked

commitments at all and the business is now closed,” Slottenas

explained. ”Officially, the ’Scandanavian Orchestra’ does not

currently exist.”

Because Slottenas and his musicians and vocalists are not

working at this time, they were unable to continue the terms of

their licensing agreement with Glenn Miller Productions, Inc.,

which includes paying a fee, so the agreement has been

canceled. Therefore, The Glenn Miller Orchestra—

Scandanavia has been removed from the listing of licensed

territories on the USA Glenn Miller Orchestra website.

“There are no permanent staff in the business,” Slottenas

continued. “The orchestra consists of freelance musicians

who are in practice employed for each playing occasion.”

BIG BAND Alliance

Slottenas is known for having his musicians play the music

correctly, including period phrasing. “For decades various

orchestra leaders have wanted to make their own mark on

Glenn Miller’s music, but I would argue that it can never

succeed and that there is no reason to do so either,” he

observed. “The music is at its best when it is played the way it

was originally intended to be played.”

We applaud Slottenas for his dedication to authenticity and

for the great achievement of his having lead such a fine Glenn

Miller Orchestra. We can only hope that, whatever shape

future concerts take (given social distancing and other factors)

that he will be back, someday, leading an official Miller band.

MOONLIGHT

BECOMES YOU

Meanwhile, in the USA, the following statement is at the top

of The Glenn Miller Orchestra’s website: “Please consider

making a donation to help the band operate during the global

pandemic. Help keep the music performed by The Glenn

Miller Orchestra alive until the band can resuming [ sic ]

touring once again.”

Their August 14th date in Chicago was cancelled, and, at

this writing, there are still dates listed for the band on the

website, such as Massillon, OH October 4th; and Boston

December 6th, but whether or not they will actually take place

is uncertain.

Also, a Glenn Miller Orchestra Fan Club was started on

May 1st, giving the band’s fans a chance to join at different

membership levels and enjoy digital downloads, virtual

performances, special interviews, and other content.

As the leader of The Glenn Miller Orchestra—USA, Nick

Hilscher, said, “We are so grateful to our fans each every day

for celebrating the big band tradition and the spirit of Glenn

Miller. If you just can’t get enough of that Miller sound and

want to leave your own legacy with the GMO, we’re

offering our two top subscription tiers the chance to have their

name printed in our next album with producer credit!”

LIVE BIG BAND MUSIC

The Coronavirus has also played havoc with the schedules

of other name big bands on the road, too. Until things can start

to get back to normal, please keep checking these and other

bands’ websites for any updates about their performances.

COUNT BASIE: thecountbasieorchestra.com

JIMMY DORSEY: thejimmydorseyrchestra.com

TOMMY DORSEY: buddymorrowproductions.com

DUKE ELLINGTON: dukeellington.com

JAN GARBER: jangarber.com

HARRY JAMES: harryjamesband.com

ARTIE SHAW: artieshaworchestra.com

NEW COMPACT DISC RELEASES

LILLIAN LANE SINGS WITH

TEX BENEKE AND THE GLENN MILLER BAND

“Come Rain Or Come Shine”

Sounds of YesterYear (UK) SOY 2200

CHARLIE BARNET AND HIS ORCHESTRA

“The Charlie Barnet Collection 1946-50”

2-CD Acrobat (UK) ADDCD3345

JO STAFFORD

“Four Classic Albums” incl. with Paul Weston

2-CD AVID (UK) AMSC1372

VARIOUS ARTISTS

“The June Hutton Collection 1945-55”

incl. with Artie Shaw’s Gramercy Five

2-CD Acrobat (UK) ADDCD3340

COUNT BASIE AND HIS ORCHESTRA

“Lullaby Of Birdland: At Birdland Vol I”

Sounds of YesterYear (UK) SOY 2198

VARIOUS ARTISTS

“Divas Of The Big Band Era: And The Angels Sing”

3-CD Dynamic DYN 3550

ALVINO REY AND HIS ORCHESTRA

“The Alvino Rey Collection 1940-50”

2-CD Acrobat (UK) ADDCD 3350

LOUIS JORDAN

“Choo Choo Ch’Boogie:

His 27 finest . . . 1939-1950”

Retrospective (UK) RTR 4374

VARIOUS ARTISTS

“The Art Lund Collection 1941-59”

with Benny Goodman and Harry James

2-CD Acrobat (UK) ADDCD3347

NEW BLU-RAY DVD RELEASE

TOMMY DORSEY AND HIS ORCHESTRA

“Girl Crazy”

Warner Bros. Archive Collection Blu-ray Disc

FROM THE FILES

HARRY JAMES

AUGUST 1947 METRONOME

GEORGIE AULD

AUGUST 1949 METRONOME

SPIKE JONES (WITH PETRILLO); DUKE ELLINGTON

AUGUST 1949 DOWN BEAT

ARTIE SHAW TRIBUTE WITH

JAMES LANGTON AND THE NEW YORK ALL-STAR BAND

FEATURING DAN LEVINSON ON CLARINET

AUGUST 26, 2018, MANASQUAN, NEW JERSEY

NECROLOGY

JOHNNY MANDEL, 94, d.6/29/2020. Arranger and / or

composer with Raeburn ‘45 (How Deep Is the Ocean); Rich ‘46

(The Song Is You); Herman ‘49 (Not Really the Blues); Shaw

‘49 (Innuendo); E Lawrence ‘50 (Deep Purple); Basie ‘53

Straight Life).

CLEVELAND EATON, 80, d.7/5/2020. Bassist with Basie ‘80-

’84; Basie Orchestras-Dixon / Jones / Foster / Mitchell ‘84-‘96?.

ANNIE ROSS, 89, d.7/21/2020. Vocalist with Hampton ‘53; LP

“Sing a Song of Basie” with Jon Hendricks and Dave Lambert

‘57; LP “Sing Along with Basie” with Basie ‘59.