The Essential Glenn Miller [Bluebird/Legacy]

The Essential Glenn Miller [Bluebird/Legacy]

by Glenn Miller
The Essential Glenn Miller [Bluebird/Legacy]

The Essential Glenn Miller [Bluebird/Legacy]

by Glenn Miller

CD(Remastered)

$17.99 
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Overview

This double-CD set should not be confused with the similarly named mid-'90s, 47-song compilation from BMG, which was good in its time but is outclassed by this entry in Sony Music's (now Sony BMG's) Essential series. Wisely ignoring a by-release-date-order approach, producer Barry Feldman has instead opted for a track lineup that, plain and simple, sells the Glenn Miller sound to modern ears -- so the summer 1939 "In the Mood" is the first cut on the set, and "Moonlight Serenade," from four months earlier, is held back, to the last slot among the Miller commercial recordings, thus allowing the listener to meander delightfully across three years of hits -- across 1940, 1941, and the first half of 1942, zigging and zagging through various "hot" and "sweet" instrumentals and vocal numbers, alternately featuring Ray Eberle, Tex Beneke, Marion Hutton, and the Modernaires. The last seven slots on the second disc are reserved for sides that Miller recorded during the final two years of his life, leading the Army Air Force Overseas Orchestra, which show off the richer, lusher sound that he achieved as a bandleader serving the war effort during WWII. Modern listeners will probably be astounded to hear the Eberle-sung rendition of "Blueberry Hill" from 1940, so thoroughly has the song become identified with Fats Domino over the past five decades, but the real treat upon hearing this set is the sound quality -- the latest remastering brings out the internal detail of the arrangements on the Miller sides better than anyone has heard them since the day they were recorded on lacquer masters more than 60 years ago; you can actually make out the rhythm-playing, and the voicings of the reeds at the center of the Miller sound have never been more vivid. There are no surprises here, just incredibly sophisticated yet animated, and downright busy playing -- given the smoothness of the results -- that still seduces and overwhelms the listener nearly seven decades later. With his chestnuts "Little Brown Jug" and "Tuxedo Junction" at the head of the list; they're so clean and sharp here that it's refreshing to hear them once again, for the ka-gillionth time, sounding better and more rewarding than ever, and without a trace of noise; "Tuxedo Junction," in particular, on its middle section, sounds about 40 years newer than it would seem to have a right to. The liner notes are also excellent, endeavoring (and largely succeeding) at explaining an era of entertainment that is only known today from the late-'30s and early-'40s movies that are increasingly not shown on cable (and have all-but-vanished from broadcast television, except for a token presence on public TV stations). If the double-CD price is a little off-putting, it's worth the plunge anyway -- you may own 30 Miller CDs and still justify buying this set -- because no single disc can capture Miller's best. and his legacy as well -- and the box set is also a great way to become a fan, in case someone hasn't yet been sold on him, one listen to the playing -- as good as you'd find in any symphony orchestra this side of Vienna or Berlin -- and the arrangements (which were just hot enough to keep Miller relevant to jazz) will make the sale. ~ Bruce Eder

Product Details

Release Date: 06/28/2005
Label: Bluebird Rca / Rca
UPC: 0828766924121
Rank: 174018

Tracks

Disc 1

  1. In the Mood
  2. Tuxedo Junction
  3. Serenade in Blue
  4. Blueberry Hill
  5. (I've Got a Gal In) Kalamazoo
  6. Moon Love
  7. Over the Rainbow
  8. Stairway to the Stars
  9. Little Brown Jug
  10. A String of Pearls
  11. Juke Box Saturday Night
  12. The Woodpecker Song
  13. When You Wish Upon a Star
  14. Imagination
  15. The Booglie Wooglie Piggy
  16. Moonlight Cocktail
  17. A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square
  18. Blue Rain
  19. Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar

Disc 2

  1. Pennsylvania 6-5000
  2. Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree (With Anyone Else But Me)
  3. Elmer's Tune
  4. Chattanooga Choo Choo
  5. The Story of a Starry Night
  6. At Last
  7. American Patrol
  8. Fools Rush In
  9. The Nearness of You
  10. Blue Orchids
  11. Song of the Volga Boatmen
  12. Moonlight Serenade
  13. Over There
  14. The St. Louis Blues March
  15. Peggy, The Pin-Up Girl
  16. Along the Santa Fe Trail
  17. Mission to Moscow
  18. Medley: Londonderry Air (Danny Boy) /Shoo-Shoo Baby /The Way
  19. G.I. Jive

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Glenn Miller   Primary Artist,Trombone
The Glenn Miller Orchestra   Primary Artist
Glenn Miller & the Army Air Force Band   Primary Artist
Johnny Desmond   Vocals
Army Air Force Band   Guest Artist
Marion Hutton   Vocals
Dale McMickle   Soloist,Trumpet
Murray Kane   Vocals
Al Klink   Soloist,Sax (Tenor)
Ray Eberle   Vocals
The Modernaires   Vocals
Tex Beneke   Vocals,Soloist,Sax (Tenor)

Technical Credits

Barry Feldman   Compilation Producer,Reissue Producer
Steven Berkowitz   A&R
M. Gordon   Composer
Don Briggs   Announcer
Ryn Maartens   Design
David M.   Composer
J. Livingston   Composer
Ralph Wilkinson   Arranger
M. Davis   Composer
M.P. Curtis   Composer
Triana DOrazio   Packaging Manager
Nathan Sedlander   Product Manager
Glenn Miller   Composer
Manning Sherwin   Composer
William Johnson   Composer
Jerry Gray   Arranger,Composer
Bill Finegan   Arranger
Billy May   Arranger
Frank W. Meacham   Composer
Mack Gordon   Composer
Eric Maschwitz   Composer
Doug Pomeroy   Mastering,Disc Transfers
E.Y. "Yip" Harburg   Composer
Julian Dash   Composer
Matty Malneck   Composer
Harry Warren   Composer
Patti Matheny   Artist Coordination
Howard Fritzson   Art Direction
A.J. Lewis   Composer
P. Moore   Composer
Mike Plaskett   Liner Notes
Harold Arlen   Composer
Frank Signorelli   Composer
Erskine Hawkins   Composer
W.C. Handy   Composer
R. Evans   Composer
Ned Washington   Composer
Buddy Feyne   Composer
Mitchell Parish   Composer
Mel Powell   Arranger,Composer
George M. Cohan   Composer
Liz Reilly   Photo Research
Traditional   Composer
Paul McGrane   Composer
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