Glen Gray & His Casa Loma Orchestra: Live at Meadowbrook Ballroom, Cedar Grove, NJ 1940 [Live]

Glen Gray & His Casa Loma Orchestra: Live at Meadowbrook Ballroom, Cedar Grove, NJ 1940 [Live]

Glen Gray & His Casa Loma Orchestra: Live at Meadowbrook Ballroom, Cedar Grove, NJ 1940 [Live]

ASIN: B00004UFAY

Track Listings
 
1. Theme: Smoke Rings - Glen Gray & The Casa Loma Orchestra
2. By the River - Glen Gray & The Casa Loma Orchestra
3. Indian Summer - Glen Gray & The Casa Loma Orchestra, Kenny Sargent
4. You're a Lucky Guy - Glen Gray & The Casa Loma Orchestra, Pee Wee Hunt
5. Honeysuckle Rose - Glen Gray & The Casa Loma Orchestra
6. Prelude in C Sharp Minor - Glen Gray & The Casa Loma Orchestra
7. On the Isle of May - Glen Gray & The Casa Loma Orchestra, Kenny Sargent
8. Save Your Sorrow (For Tomorrow) - Glen Gray & The Casa Loma Orchestra, Pee Wee Hunt
9. Tumbling Tumbleweeds - Glen Gray & The Casa Loma Orchestra, Kenny Sargent
10. Git Away Day - Glen Gray & The Casa Loma Orchestra
11. Theme: Somke Rings - Glen Gray & The Casa Loma Orchestra
12. Tuxedo Junction - Glen Gray & The Casa Loma Orchestra
13. How High the Moon - Glen Gray & The Casa Loma Orchestra, Kenny Sargent
14. Wham (Re-Bop-Boom-Bam!) - Glen Gray & The Casa Loma Orchestra, Pee Wee Hunt
15. It's a Blue Moon - Glen Gray & The Casa Loma Orchestra
16. What Is This Thing Called Love? - Glen Gray & The Casa Loma Orchestra
17. Yours Is My Heart Alone - Glen Gray & The Casa Loma Orchestra, Kenny Sargent
18. Stop! It's Wonderful - Glen Gray & The Casa Loma Orchestra, Pee Wee Hunt
19. No Name Jive - Glen Gray

Glen Gray & His Casa Loma Orchestra: Live at Meadowbrook Ballroom, Cedar Grove, NJ 1940,Glen Gray & The Casa Loma Orchestra,Jazz Band,Big Band,Big Bands,Jazz,Pop,Sweet Bands,Swing
Swinging Sounds of the Great Bands
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • good swing
  • Good performance but poor recording
  • Test your stereo rig with this!
  • I love the sound !
  • One of the best re-recordings of swing orchestra hits
 Swinging Sounds of the Great Bands
Glen Gray And Casa Loma Orchestra
Manufacturer: Eric Collection
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Styles | Music
Swing GeneralSwing General | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
Classic Big BandClassic Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
Contemporary Big BandContemporary Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Swing JazzSwing Jazz | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:
  1. More Sounds of the Great Swing Bands
  2. Smooth Sounds of the Great Dance Bands
  3. Shall We Swing?/Sounds of the Great Bands!
  4. Les Brown & His Band of Renown - Best of The Capitol Years
  5. Big Band Plays the Big Hits, Vol. 1/Up a Lazy River (Big Band Plays the Big Hits, Vol.

ASIN: B00000JNAY
Release Date: 1999-08-31

Tracks:

  1. Bugle Call Rag
  2. Leap Frog
  3. Take The 'A' Train
  4. Intermission Riff
  5. Night Train
  6. South Rampart Street Parade
  7. Ciribiribin
  8. New No Mane Jive
  9. Back Bay Shuffle
  10. Tippin' In
  11. Opus No.1
  12. Moten Swing
  13. Cherokee
  14. Jumpin' At The Woodside
  15. Study In Brown
  16. In The Mood
  17. 720 In The Books
  18. Woodchopper's Ball
  19. Flying Home
  20. The Elks' Parade

Album Description

'Swinging Sounds Of The Great Bands'- between 1957 and 1964, Capitol released a series of LPs entitled 'Sounds of the Great Bands' that featured Glen Gray & the Casa Loma Orchestra playing big hits of the swing era in their original hit arrangements in Full Dimensional Stereo! In other words, these albums were the most hi-fi big-band listening experience to date, and this fantastic collection selects 20 of the best tracks in the series. Includes 'Bugle Call Rag' performed in the style of Benny Goodman and more classics, from Eric Records.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars good swing .......2006-03-04

This is another of the great Glen Gray Cds and another happy experience of the wonderful times we had in the 1940s and 50s

2 out of 5 stars Good performance but poor recording.......2006-01-16

Yes, I agree with other reviewers here - this is a well performed selection of music. If only I could say the same about the recording quality, which sounds more like two channel mono than full dimensional stereo. There is practically no central information in the stereo soundstage and the general quality is quite thin with a sound which favours the upper frequencies.

Anyone who is used to listening to decent quality classical recordings or who has a halfway decent hi - fi system, is going to be rather disappointed. Why can't anyone produce decent big band recordings without resorting to a totally artificial sound balance?

5 out of 5 stars Test your stereo rig with this!.......2005-08-09

I have been a big band "swing" fan for lots of years. Problem is most of the original recordings are very poor by today's standards. The recording equipment of the day was just not up to the challenge. In particular, there is practically no bass whatsoever on many BB recordings. Even in the higher registers, many recordings sound flat or tinny. Try to get a decent rendition of "Opus One" and you'll know what I mean.

This album and its sequel, "More Sounds of the Great Swing Bands" are the cleanest, most robust big band recordings I have ever heard. Most of the cuts are covers of other BB theme songs, but they never sounded this good on vinyl.

Crank up your Bose system, or whatever you have, and be prepared to be thoroughly impressed. Your neighbors will be, also! And, if you want to impress your children with the power of great swing music, this would be the album to educate them.

"Leap Frog" sounds as good as it did live by Les Brown at the Carnation Pavilion at Disneyland, back when one could actually afford to go there to dance. Anyone remember those Saturday nights when you could buy a "dance only" pass after sunset?

In short, buy this album and the "More Sounds..." sequel, which I think actually sounds even better. I don't think you will be disappointed.

4 out of 5 stars I love the sound !.......2005-05-17

I must confess i don't reckon much to the 30s/40s casa loma sound.
Or most 30/40s jazz for that matter.

I'm curious as to who the 'hired guns' were to form this superior sounding band - sounds alot like billy may's boys (but who cares!)


The Casa Loma is a castle in Toronto where they played alot at originally back in the 30s. One of the first white jazz bands.
Glen Gray "Spike" Knoblauch was his actual name

Spike Knoblauch sounds pretty catchy actually !

4 out of 5 stars One of the best re-recordings of swing orchestra hits.......2004-12-09

"Stereo Recordings" of old swinging big band hits are pretty much a dime a dozen-or in most cases, $6.99 in the bargain section of the music store. Most of them are flat out awful, performed by some cheap, thrown together, no-name orchestra, complete with flat tones and lazy readings of the original music.

But not this album...this is as good as recreation as you're likely to hear. The tracks on this album are collected from recordings made in Capitol Studios in L..A., one of the great dynamic recording studios, between 1957 and 1964 and released under the name "Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra" on a series of popular LPs. The wide separation stereo sound and airy acoustics arouns the instruments sounds better than a lot of the more run-of-the-mill digital stereo recordings made today. Stereo was a point of pride back then!

Technically, this isn't the TRUE Casa Loma Orchestra. That unit formed in 1929 out of a Detroit band called the Orange Blossoms and was the first all-white professional swin band, paving the way six years later for Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, et al. They took their name from a hotel in Toronto where they played an extended gig and formed as a corporation with each member as a stockholder. Glen Gray was the bandstand leader and front man, but was never the true leader of the band and his name never appeared in front of the bands until years later on LPs. The band ceased to exist in 1942.

The band heard here is a studio recording group that Glen Gray brought together for the stereo LP series. And even though they aren't the TRUE Casa Loma Orchestra, the musicians on here are topnotch and graduates from some of the great big bands of the period. They do a superior job covering the numbers presented here. The arrangements are strictly those of the famous versions: if you're familiar with the Glenn Miller version of "In the Mood," you'll recognize here pretty much note for note, only in wide spread stereo.

Pretty much everything on here is great listening. The two pieces that particularly impressed me are "Cherokee" and "Jumpin' at the Woodside." The first is strongly identified with Charlie Barnet and his growling saxophone, but almost every cover I hear of his version falls miserably flat -- nobody can get the right boune and fury in their sound to match the origina. But the Casa Loma Orchestra here gets damned close to getting the job done, and this is the only cover I've heard that does justice to the original. As for "Jumpin' at the Woodside," one of Count Basie's big hits. the Casa Lomans almost sound exactly like Basie, and that's a tough thing to pull off.

The only piece on here that doesn't strictly follow the original orchestration is "New No-Name Jive," one of the original Casa Loma Orchestra hits. Glen Gray felt he could play around with it a bit.

The enclosed booklet provides details on each of the pieces, as well as comments from Glen Gray himself that were on the original LPs. Altogether, it's a nice package, and even though more expensive than someother re-recordings, it's the best one to get. Also check out the follow-up CD: More Sounds of the Great Swing Bands
Sounds Of The Great Bands - Volumes 1 & 2 (2-CD)
Average customer rating: Not rated
    		Sounds Of The Great Bands - Volumes 1 & 2 (2-CD)
    Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra
    Manufacturer: Collectables Records
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Styles | Music
    Swing GeneralSwing General | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
    Classic Big BandClassic Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
    Contemporary Big BandContemporary Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
    ASIN: B000R9U32E
    Release Date: 2007-05-29

    Tracks:

    1. Symphony in Riffs
    2. Begin the Beguine
    3. One O'Clock Jump
    4. Contrasts
    5. Cherokee
    6. Take the "A" Train
    7. After Hours
    8. Flying Home
    9. Song of India
    10. Snowfall
    11. Woodchopper's Ball
    12. 720 in the Books
    13. Boogie Woogie on St. Louis Blues
    14. String of Pearls
    15. Tenderly
    16. Elks' Parade

    Tracks:

    1. Blues on Parade
    2. Moten Swing
    3. Study in Brown
    4. Huckleberry Duck
    5. Jumpin' at the Woodside
    6. Boogie Woogie
    7. In the Mood
    8. Rancho Grande
    9. Star Dreams
    10. Prisoner's Song
    11. Tippin' In
    12. South Rampart Street Parade
    More Sounds of the Great Swing Bands
    Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    • More Great Sounds
    		 More Sounds of the Great Swing Bands
    Glen Gray & the Casa Loma Orchestra
    Manufacturer: Eric Collection
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Styles | Music
    Classic Big BandClassic Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
    Contemporary Big BandContemporary Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music
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    2. Smooth Sounds of the Great Dance Bands
    3. Shall We Swing?/Sounds of the Great Bands!
    4. A Band Is Born/Big Band Bash
    5. Got a Date with an Angel

    ASIN: B00006NSHB
    Release Date: 2002-11-26

    Tracks:

    1. Let's Dance
    2. A String Of Pearls
    3. Stardust
    4. Tenderly
    5. Begin The Beguine
    6. I Can't Get Started
    7. Boogie Woogie
    8. One O'clock Jump
    9. Moonlight Serenade
    10. I'm Getting Sentimental Over You
    11. Oh What A Beautiful Mornin'
    12. Redskin Rhumba
    13. Apple Honey
    14. Stars And Stripes Forever
    15. John Silver
    16. Boogie Woogie On St. Louis Blues
    17. I Left My Heart In San Francisco
    18. Embraceable You
    19. Song Of India
    20. I Can't Stop Loving You
    21. Blue Star (Theme From Medic.)
    22. Smoke Rings

    Album Description

    The original Swing arrangements in a Big Band STEREO Spectacular! Here's the sequel to our first Glen Gray CD (Eric #11506) with 22 more authentic arrangements. Digitally remixed in brilliant true stereo sound from the original sessions recorded by the top musicians of the big band era at Capitol's studios between 1957 and 1964. The sound is so good you'll think you're actually in front of the bandstand back in the Thirties! Almost 70 minutes of great music.

    Customer Reviews:

    4 out of 5 stars More Great Sounds.......2003-11-03

    I think this cd and it's companion first volume are a must for any big band fan. When these remakes were first released I recall that many reviewers were not to pleased with the results. When listening to big band music one usually has to make a trade-off between swinging spontaneity and qood sound quality, and this cd is no exception. Casa Loma was a pretty swinging band in the mid-thirties, but seemed to have mellowed out over the years. As a result these recordings sound a little dry and perhaps over-rehearsed. The band clearly lacked a propulsive rhythm section, when compared with the Harry James Orchestra in the fifites and the Basie band at any time. Nonetheless, it is great to hear the original charts (with very few and very minor changes) recorded with relatively modern equipment, and notwithstanding the engineer's apparent desire to favor the brass over reeds and bass. Pop this cd into your sound system and crank up the volume and you'll get a good idea of how the great bands sounded, and how much we have missed.
    Smoke Rings
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      		Smoke Rings
      Glen Gray , and Casa Loma Orchestra
      Manufacturer: Asv Living Era
      ProductGroup: Music
      Binding: Audio CD

      GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Styles | Music
      Classic Big BandClassic Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
      Contemporary Big BandContemporary Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
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      2. Linger Awhile
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      5. A Melody from the Sky

      ASIN: B000063TSN
      Release Date: 2002-05-21
      Swing Tonic: 1939-1946
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        		Swing Tonic: 1939-1946
        Glen Gray
        Manufacturer: Jasmine Music
        ProductGroup: Music
        Binding: Audio CD

        GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Styles | Music
        Swing GeneralSwing General | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
        Classic Big BandClassic Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
        Contemporary Big BandContemporary Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music
        Similar Items:
        1. Musical Nights
        2. And the Angel Sings
        3. Glen Gray / Casa Loma Orchestra 1939-1940
        4. Dardanella

        ASIN: B000MTEBHC
        Release Date: 2007-02-26

        Tracks:

        1. Prelude in C Sharp Minor
        2. It's Funny to Everyone But Me
        3. Memories of You
        4. Sometimes I'm Happy
        5. Breeze
        6. (The) Hour of Parting
        7. Sassin' the Boss
        8. Come and Get It
        9. Under a Blanket of Blue
        10. Watchin' the Clock
        11. By the River Saint Marie
        12. No Name Jive, Pt. 1
        13. No Name Jive, Pt. 2
        14. What Is This Thing Called Love
        15. In the Mood
        16. Last Night's Gardenias
        17. Little Brown Jug
        18. Tuxedo Junction
        19. Big Bad Bill
        20. You've Got Me out on a Limb
        21. Jimtown Blues
        22. Meet Me Tonight in Dreamland
        23. Soft Winds
        24. Rock Island Flag Stop

        Tracks:

        1. Mirage
        2. Hindustan
        3. High Society
        4. Swing Tonic
        5. Fifth Avenue Sax
        6. Birmingham Special
        7. Blackberry Jam
        8. Don't Take Your Love from Me
        9. Flat Third Jive
        10. Who Ray
        11. My Heart Tells Me
        12. Sitting on a Third Rail
        13. From the Blue
        14. This Heart of Mine
        15. One More Tomorrow
        16. I Walked In
        17. Robin Hood
        18. I Don't Care Who Knows It
        19. Maybe
        20. Integration Framework I Love Again
        21. Just an Old Manuscript
        22. Blue Rhapsody
        23. After You've Gone

        Album Details

        This Glen Gray Double CD Set Includes Many Tracks from Original 78 RPM Discs which have Previously Not Been Available on CD Before. Vocals by Eugene Baird and Skip Nelson and Trumpet Solos by Red Nichols, Bobby Hackett and Sonny Dunham.
        The Complete Okeh and Brunswick Hits
        Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
        • The first outstanding white big band
        		 The Complete Okeh and Brunswick Hits
        Glen Gray
        Manufacturer: Collector's Choice
        ProductGroup: Music
        Binding: Audio CD

        GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Styles | Music
        Swing GeneralSwing General | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
        Classic Big BandClassic Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
        Contemporary Big BandContemporary Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
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        1. Glen Gray & His Casa Loma Orchestra: Live at Meadowbrook Ballroom, Cedar Grove, NJ 1940

        ASIN: B00005KIXE
        Release Date: 2001-07-10

        Tracks:

        1. Casa Loma Stomp (La Danza De La Casa Loma)
        2. White Jazz
        3. Do The New York
        4. Blue Jazz
        5. Wild Goose Chase
        6. Under A Blanket Of Blue
        7. Weep No More My Baby
        8. Trouble In Paradise
        9. It's TheTalk Of The Town
        10. Heat Wave
        11. You're Gonna Lose Your Gal
        12. Dixie Lee
        13. You Have Taken My Heart
        14. Limehouse Blues
        15. Love Me
        16. Infatuation
        17. The Champagne Waltz
        18. The House Is Haunted (By The Echo Of Your Last Goodbye)
        19. Spellbound
        20. I Never Had A Chance
        21. Moon Glow
        22. Pardon My Southern Accent
        23. Out In The Cold Again
        24. Learning
        25. Two Cigarettes In The Dark

        Album Description

        Of 25 hits on this package, only about a quarter of them have appeared on CD! So for fans of that clean, Casa Loma sound, this package fills a gaping hole, which we've also helped to cement with liner notes and photos. 'Collectors' Choice Music'.

        Customer Reviews:

        4 out of 5 stars The first outstanding white big band.......2002-06-22

        The Casa Loma Orchestra started out as one of the great oddities of the music scene in the late 1920's. At the dawn of the great depression, they decided to model their sound after the great hot jazz bands of Duke Ellington and Fletcher Henderson rather than the sweet ballroom styles of contemporary white dance bands. They also incorporated the band, with each member holding shares of stock and receiving dividends based on the band's earnings. Needless to say, the band experienced very few changes in personnel over the years.

        The result was a remarkably polished and tight ensemble that blew furiously through barn-burners like "White Jazz" and "Limehouse Blues". The arrangements and original compositions by the band's guitarist, Gene Gifford, featured part writing for brass, woodwinds, and rhythm section that clearly provided the basis for instrumental arranging in the 1930's, and in doing so, laid the foundation for the big band era. While the Casa Loma Orch. did not have star soloists of the calibur of Bunny Berigan or Artie Shaw, they did have several capable players including reedman Clarence Hutchenrider and trombonist Billy Rausch, who modeled his playing on Tommy Dorsey's smooth trombone phrasing.

        But in addition to being a fine hot jazz outfit, Glen Gray was a realist and understood that in order to make it big he would also have to compete with white bands like Anson Weeks, Guy Lombardo, and Leo Reisman, who featured 'sweet' music. So the Casa Loma Orch. also became one of the finest interpreters of ballads, aided greatly by the romantic (if not sometimes overly campy) crooning of sax man Kenny Sargent. Sargent's voice propelled tunes like "For You", "Under A Blanket of Blue", and "I Never Had A Chance" into top hits.

        Naturally, the band's sweet numbers did not sit well with jazz fans, who considered them to be a sellout to commercialism. But the band, with its perfect mix of sweet and hot, became the number one band in America until it was unseated by Benny Goodman.

        Unfortunately, the Casa Loma Orch. was more adept at playing the older 'hot' style of jazz than the newer, more sophisticated 'swing' style, and though the Casa Loma Orchestra charted several more big hits during the 1930's, they were never serious competition for the great swing bands of Goodman, Count Basie, or Chick Webb. By the early 1940's, the glory days of the band were gone.

        This CD presents 25 hits recorded by the band during the days when they were at their peak - 1929 to 1934. The formatting of the CD seems to indicate that the tunes were chosen based on relative popularity and overall record sales. Unfortunately, this results in some of the band's finest jazz work ("I Got Rhythm", "Ol' Man River", "Panama", "San Sue Strut") as well as the band's theme song, "Smoke Rings" being omitted in favor of the pop tunes which sold more records.

        Aside from this minor complaint, this CD presents a good overview of the Casa Loma Orchestra during their most successful and influential period. The sound quality of the digitally-remastered selections is good. With Columbia's "Best of the Big Bands" CD featuring the Casa Loma Orchestra now out-of-print, this CD is my suggestion for a compilation to fill that void.
        Shall We Swing?/Sounds of the Great Bands!
        Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
        • I'm not generally a "split the difference" kind of guy
        • WOW, HORRIBLE
        • Billy May at his best!
        • Shall We Swing
        		 Shall We Swing?/Sounds of the Great Bands!
        Glen Gray
        Manufacturer: EMI Int'l
        ProductGroup: Music
        Binding: Audio CD

        GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Styles | Music
        Swing GeneralSwing General | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
        Classic Big BandClassic Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
        Contemporary Big BandContemporary Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
        JazzJazz | Imports | Stores | Music
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        5. Ray Sings, Basie Swings

        ASIN: B000089HBD
        Release Date: 2003-04-07

        Tracks:

        1. Hungarian Dance No.5
        2. Minuet
        3. Finale G Minor Symphony
        4. Humoresque
        5. Poet And Peasant Overture
        6. Melody In F
        7. D Minor Symphony
        8. Minuet In G
        9. Dance Of The Hours
        10. A String Of Pearls
        11. Lean Baby
        12. Take The 'A' Train
        13. Casa Loma Stomp
        14. Stardust
        15. No Name Jive
        16. Frenesi
        17. Collaboration
        18. The Mole
        19. Early Autumn
        20. King Porter Stomp

        Album Description

        Twofer combines two albums, 'Shall We Swing?' (1961) & 'Sounds Of The Great Bands In Latin', from one of the very best exponents of big band music, both are unavailable domestically. 20 tracks. EMI/Capitol. 2003.

        Album Details

        "shall We Swing" is a Collaboration Between Glen and Billy May who Arranged all of the Tracks on the Album. "Sounds of the Great Bands in Latin" is an Album Full of Well Known Tunes Given that Latin Feel.

        Customer Reviews:

        3 out of 5 stars I'm not generally a "split the difference" kind of guy.......2007-01-24

        But this may be a place to do so. The early 60s, when music had not yet been overrun and all opponents crushed by rock, was a time of oldsters trying hard to remain relevant while various newsters fought to be heard. There was a huge folk base, abundant jazz that was still readily available in your local record shop, a strong C&W contingent, Ed Sullivan staples, and various international sounds arriving daily. In 1963 most college-aged people would probably have heard of Chad Mitchell, Eydie Gorme, Woody Guthrie, Martha and The Vandellas, Dave Brubeck, Trini Lopez, Andy Williams, and Henry Mancini. Such variety would soon disappear.

        One of the hangers-on still churning out the goods was Glen Gray, a famous swing band leader who had a sensational arranger in Billy May. Together these two, and their crackerjack musicians, spilled out LPs that replicated the old sounds perfectly (and remember, those old sounds weren't as readily available in good quality as they are today) and meandered into "relevance." This is a combo of two relevant records, taking a pair of those early 1960s LPs and packing them on to one CD. You get 9 famous classical tunes performed in a perfect but cold swing style, and 11 swing classics infused with the newly popular Latin flavor.

        Though I recognize the excellence of both arrangement and playing, and have no qualms about re-imaging very familiar older material, I cannot warm up to this pair. Somehow the whole thing, including the tracks so highly praised in other reviews, is just a little chilly. Sterile. Packaged. Processed. I'm not sure. But the swing bands of the 30s and 40s, including Gray's Casa Loma Orchestra, had a fire and passion that just feels missing here. You got lots of samples...see if you like them. I don't hate it; I don't love it. Tepid music inspires a tepid response.

        1 out of 5 stars WOW, HORRIBLE.......2004-09-15

        Who in their right mind would add a latin beat to great swing music? Terrible. Just terrible.

        DO NO BUY IF YOU WANT WANT MUSIC THAT SWINGS

        5 out of 5 stars Billy May at his best!.......2003-04-05

        I've listened to many big band albums but this one remains one of my all-time favorites. The "Shall We Swing" selections are big band arrangements of great classical themes arranged by the incomparable Billy May. These arrangements are fantastic and the band he assembled was up to the challenge. This band has all the great 50's and 60's studio musicians from Hollywood such as Uan Rasey, Babe Russin, Conrad Gozzo, Skeets Herfurt, Don Fagerquist,
        Ted Nash etc. Just hearing "Poet and Peasant Overture" and "Hungarian Dance" is worth the price. Truly unique! Get it - you won't be sorry.

        The "Sounds of the Great Bands" are from Glen Gray's early 60's albums (and he did a lot of them) in which he did original arrangements of famous bands. No telling these from the originals. Even the solos are practically exact duplicates. Again these arrangments were played by Hollywood's finest.

        5 out of 5 stars Shall We Swing.......2003-04-04

        Billy May's arrangement of "Poet and Peasant Overture" alone is worth the price of this great album. Great big band; fantastic May arrangements. One of the finest big band albums I've ever heard!
        Glen Gray / Casa Loma Orchestra 1939-1940
        Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
        • glen gray/casa loma orchestra 1939-1940
        • the uncollected glen gray & the casa loma orchestra
        		 Glen Gray / Casa Loma Orchestra 1939-1940
        Glen Gray & the Casa Loma Orchestra
        Manufacturer: Hindsight Records
        ProductGroup: Music
        Binding: Audio CD

        GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Styles | Music
        Swing GeneralSwing General | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
        Classic Big BandClassic Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
        Contemporary Big BandContemporary Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
        CDs $7 - $10CDs $7 - $10 | Jazz General | Jazz | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music
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        All Bargain TitlesAll Bargain Titles | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music
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        1. Boneyard Shuffle
        2. Swinging Sounds of the Great Bands
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        4. Swing Tonic: 1939-1946
        5. Maniac's Ball

        ASIN: B0000017UA
        Release Date: 1992-09-28

        Tracks:

        1. Smoke Rings (Theme)
        2. Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams (Voacal: Kenny Sargent)
        3. Hindustan
        4. Hour of Parting
        5. It's Funny to Everyone But Me (Vocal: Kenny Sargent)
        6. Sometimes I'm Happy
        7. No-Name Jive
        8. Memories of You
        9. What's the Matter with Me (Vocal: Peewee Hunt)
        10. Little Brown Jug
        11. In the Mood
        12. Tuxedo Junction
        13. High Society
        14. Day In, Day Out (Vocal: Kenny Sargent)
        15. Meet Me Tonight in Dreamland
        16. Sassin' the Boss

        Customer Reviews:

        4 out of 5 stars glen gray/casa loma orchestra 1939-1940.......2005-08-16

        Of the recordings on this cd I really liked only 2 or 3, but I am satisified with those. I just skip the others.

        4 out of 5 stars the uncollected glen gray & the casa loma orchestra.......2000-02-16

        Splendid collection of one of the great swing bands of the thirties. Standouts in my opinion are the band's theme "Smoke Rings", exquisitely performed by the full band, trombonist Rauch and clarinettist Hutchenrider (and, as a bonus opossed to the commercially released 1937 recording, Pat Davis on tenorsax), "It's Funny to Everyone But Me","Day In, Day Out", sporting rich orchestal textures and a delicious version of that other Glenn's perennial hit, "In the Mood". Very good value for little money and a virtual must for the lover of "old" big bands.
        Legendary Bands of the '30s { Various Artists }
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          		Legendary Bands of the '30s { Various Artists }

          Manufacturer: Proarte
          ProductGroup: Music
          Binding: Audio CD

          GeneralGeneral | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music
          GeneralGeneral | Dance Pop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music
          GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Styles | Music
          Latin JazzLatin Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
          Swing GeneralSwing General | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
          Classic Big BandClassic Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
          Contemporary Big BandContemporary Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
          Vintage Dance BandsVintage Dance Bands | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
          Traditional Jazz GeneralTraditional Jazz General | Traditional Jazz & Ragtime | Jazz | Styles | Music
          New Orleans & Dixieland JazzNew Orleans & Dixieland Jazz | Compilations | Jazz | Styles | Music
          DixielandDixieland | Jazz | Styles | Music
          LoungeLounge | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music
          Orchestral PopOrchestral Pop | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music
          GeneralGeneral | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music
          Traditional PopTraditional Pop | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music
          NostalgiaNostalgia | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
          1930-19391930-1939 | Decades | Compilations | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
          Traditional Vocal PopTraditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music
          ASIN: B000008ACZ
          Release Date: 1993-01-29

          Tracks:

          1. Casa Loma Stomp
          2. Minnie the Moocher - Cab Calloway & His Orchestra
          3. Dream a Little Dream of Me - Ozzie Nelson & His Orchestra
          4. Sugar Blues - Clyde McCoy & His Orchestra
          5. It's Only a Paper Moon - Paul Whiteman Orchestra
          6. Blue Moon - Ray Noble & His Orchestra
          7. St. Louis Blues - Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians
          8. Merry-Go-Round Broke Down
          9. My Shawl - Xavier Cugat & His Orchestra
          10. Rippling Rhythm - Fields, Shep & His Rippling Rhythm Orchestra
          11. Heartaches - Ted Weems & His Orchestra
          12. Stormy Weather - Leo Reisman & His Orchestra
          13. Stop, Look and Listen - The Dorsey Brothers
          14. I'm Getting Sentimental over You - Tommy Dorsey
          15. Rap Tap on Wood - Jimmy Dorsey & His Orchestra
          16. Organ Grinder's Swing - Hudson-DeLange Orchestra
          17. My Reverie - Larry Clinton & His Orchestra
          18. Got a Date With an Angel - Hal Kemp & His Orchestra
          19. What's New (I'm Free) - Bob Crosby,
          20. Stompin' at the Savoy - Benny Goodman & His Orchestra
          Glenn Miller: Portrait
          Average customer rating: Not rated
            		Glenn Miller: Portrait
            Glen Gray
            Manufacturer: Past Perfect
            ProductGroup: Music
            Binding: Audio CD

            GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Styles | Music
            Swing GeneralSwing General | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
            Classic Big BandClassic Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
            Contemporary Big BandContemporary Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
            ASIN: B000057LGA
            Release Date: 2002-11-25

            Tracks:

            1. Little Brown Jug
            2. Moonlight Serenade
            3. Faithful Forever
            4. Speaking of Heaven
            5. Indian Summer
            6. It Was Written in the Stars
            7. Johnson Rag
            8. Ciribiribin
            9. Careless
            10. Oh Johnny, Oh Jonny, Oh
            11. In an Old Dutch Garden (By an Old Dutch Mill)
            12. This Changing World
            13. On a Little Street in Singapore
            14. Vagabond Dreams
            15. I Beg Your Pardon
            16. Faithful to You
            17. Blue World
            18. Ooh! What You Said
            19. Gaucho Serenade
            20. Sky Fell Down

            Tracks:

            1. In the Mood
            2. When You Wish Upon a Star
            3. Give a Little Whistle
            4. Missouri Waltz
            5. Beautiful Ohio
            6. What's the Matter With Me
            7. Say "Si Si" (Para Vigo Me Voy)
            8. Rhumba Jumps
            9. Stardust
            10. My Melancholy Baby
            11. Let's All Sing Together
            12. Rug Cutter's Swing
            13. Woodpecker Song
            14. Sweet Potato Piper
            15. Too Roamntic
            16. Tuxedo Junction
            17. Danny Boy (Londonderry Air)
            18. Imagination
            19. Shake Down the Stars
            20. I'll Never Smile Again
            21. Starlight and Music
            22. Polka Dots and Moonbeams

            Tracks:

            1. Say It
            2. Moments in the Moonlight
            3. Hear My Song, Violetta
            4. Sierra Sue
            5. Boog It
            6. Yours Is My Heart Alone
            7. I'm Stepping Out With a Memory Tonight
            8. Alice Blue Gown
            9. Wonderful One
            10. Devil May Care
            11. April Played the Fiddle
            12. Fools Rush In
            13. I Haven't Time to Be a Millionaire
            14. Slow Freight
            15. Pennsylvania 6-5000
            16. Bugle Call Rag
            17. Nearness of You
            18. Mister Meadowlark
            19. My Blue Heaven
            20. My! My!

            Tracks:

            1. When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano
            2. Million Dreams Ago
            3. Blueberry Hill
            4. Cabana in Havana
            5. Be Happy
            6. Angel Child
            7. Call of the Canyon
            8. Our Love Affair
            9. Crosstown
            10. What's Your Story Morning Glory
            11. Fifth Avenue
            12. I Wouldn't Take a Million
            13. Handful of Stars
            14. Old Black Joe
            15. Yesterthoughts
            16. Falling Leaves
            17. Shadows on the Sand
            18. Goodbye, Little Darlin', Goodbye
            19. Five O'Clock Whistle
            20. Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar

            Tracks:

            1. Ring, Telephone, Ring
            2. Make Believe Ballroom Time
            3. You've Got Me This Way
            4. Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square
            5. I'd Know You Anywhere
            6. Fresh as a Daisy
            7. Isn't That Just Like Love
            8. Along the Santa Fe Trail
            9. Do You Know Why?
            10. Somewhere
            11. Yes, My Darling Daughter
            12. Stone's Throw from Heaven
            13. Helpless
            14. Long Time No See, Baby
            15. You Are the One
            16. Anvil Chorus, Pts. 1 & 2
            17. Frenesi
            18. Mem'ry of a Rose
            19. I Do, Do You? (Do You Believe in Love?)
            20. Chapel in the Valley

            Tracks:

            1. Prairieland Lullabye
            2. Ida! Sweet as Apple Cider
            3. Song of the Volga Boatmen
            4. One I Love (Belongs to Somebody Else)
            5. You Stepped Out of a Dream
            6. I Dreamt I Swelt in Harlem
            7. Sun Valley Jump
            8. When That Man Is Dead and Gone
            9. Spirit Is Willing
            10. Little Old Church in England
            11. Perfidia
            12. It's Always You
            13. Spring Will Be So Sad (When She Comes This Year)
            14. Airminded Executive
            15. Below the Equator
            16. Boulder Buff
            17. Booglie Wooglie Piggy
            18. Chattanooga Choo Choo
            19. I Know Why
            20. Don't Cry Cherie

            Tracks:

            1. Cradle Song
            2. Sweeter Than the Sweetest
            3. I Guess I'll Have to Dream the Rest
            4. Take the "A" Train
            5. Peekaboo to You
            6. Angels Came Thru
            7. Under Blue Canadian Skies
            8. Cowboy Serenade (While I'm Rollin' My Last Cigarette)
            9. You and I
            10. Adios
            11. It Happened in Sun Valley
            12. I'm Thrilled
            13. Kiss Polka
            14. Delilah
            15. From One Love to Another (Danza Lucumi)
            16. Elmer's Tune
            17. Says Who? Says You, Says I!
            18. Orange Blossom Lane
            19. Dear Arabella
            20. Man in the Moon
            21. Ma-Ma-Maria (Fee-Dle, Ee-Dle-Lee, Fee-Dle, Ee-Dle-La)

            Tracks:

            1. This Time the Dream's on Me
            2. Dreamsville, Ohio
            3. Papa Niccolini (The Happy Coppler)
            4. Jingle Bells
            5. This Is No Laughing Matter
            6. Humpty Dumpty Heart
            7. Ev'rything I Love
            8. String of Pearls - Glenn Miller & His Orchestra
            9. Baby Mine
            10. Long Tall Mama
            11. Day Dreaming
            12. Moonlight Sonata
            13. Slumber Song
            14. (There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover
            15. We're the Couple in the Castle
            16. It Happened in Hawaii
            17. Moonlight Cocktail
            18. Happy in Love
            19. Fooled
            20. Keep 'Em Flying

            Tracks:

            1. Chip Off the Old Block
            2. Story of a Starry Night
            3. At the President's Birthday Ball
            4. Angels of Mercy
            5. On the Old Assembly Line
            6. Let's Have Another Cup O' Coffee
            7. Skylark
            8. Dear Mom
            9. When the Roses Bloom Again
            10. Always in My Heart
            11. Shhh, It's a Military Secret
            12. Don' Tsit Under the Apple Tree (With Anyone Else But Me)
            13. She'll Always Remember
            14. Lamplighter's Serenade
            15. When Johnny Comes Marching Home
            16. American Patrol
            17. Soldier, Let Me Read Your Letter
            18. Sleep Song
            19. Sweet Eloise
            20. (I've Got a Gal In) Kalamazoo

            Tracks:

            1. Serenade in Blue
            2. At Last
            3. Lullaby of the Rain
            4. Knit One, Purl Two
            5. That's Sabotage
            6. Conchita, Marquita, Lolita, Pepita, Rosita, Juanita Lopez
            7. Humming-Bird
            8. Yesterday's Gardenias
            9. Dearly Beloved
            10. Moonlight Mood
            11. Caribbean Clipper
            12. Here We Go Again
            13. That Old Black Magic
            14. Moonlight Becomes You
            15. Juke Box Saturday Night
            16. It Must Be Jelly ('Cause Jam Don't Shake Like That)
            17. I'm Old Fashioned
            18. Pink Cocktail for a Blue Lady
            19. Rainbow Rhapsody
            20. Sleepy Town Train
            21. Rhapsody in Blue

            Jazz Music:

            1. Going Home [Import]
            2. Gospel For JFP III
            3. Greatest Hits of All [Import]
            4. Guitar, Drums 'n Bass
            5. Hiroshima: Rising From the Abyss [Live]
            6. In Sights [Original recording remastered] [Import]
            7. In Touch
            8. Jammin' with Herbie
            9. Jazz in Film
            10. Keyboard King at Studio One

            Jazz Music

            Jazz Music