Video of the Week #30

This is a soundie of the Glenn Miller Orchestra playing "In the Mood" in 1946. It's a great example of big band choreography. The band is led by Tex Beneke. Miller died in a plane crash in 1944. Beneke is the saxophonist on the left. I don't know the Miller band well enough to identify the other soloists.

The October Downbeat has an article on the Glenn Miller Orchestra, still "the busiest band in America." They play one-nighters around the country, 48 weeks a year. A young musician can make about $30,000 a year; veteran band members make more. Of course, there's not much opportunity for creativity. The charts must be played exactly as written in the '30s and '40s. "It can't be Miller meets Coltrane," says one band member.

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The Soundies #11 (Count Basie)

The Soundies #4 (Jimmie Lunceford)