April 4, 2018

78 RPMs 5: Glenn Miller And His Orchestra ~ Moonlight Serenade

side 1 
78 RPM 10" Shellac disc


On April 4, 1939, Glenn Miller recorded what would becom his theme song, Moonlight Serenade. It is an American swing ballad composed by Miller with lyrics later added by Mitchell Parish.    

The recording used a clarinet-led saxophone section, which is widely considered the classic Miller style. Miller studied the Schillinger technique with Joseph Schillinger, who is credited with helping Miller create the "Miller sound", and under whose tutelage he himself composed Moonlight Serenade.    

In the UK, Moonlight Serenade was released as the A-side of a 78 on His Master's Voice, with American Patrol as the B-side. However, in the US, Moonlight Serenade was on the B-side with Sunrise Serenade as the A-side.  



side 1 
78 RPM 10" Shellac disc& sleeve 


Sunrise Serenade is a jazz song written by Frankie Carle with lyrics by Jack Lawrence. It was first recorded in 1939 by Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra with Carle on piano as Decca 2321. It soon became Carle's signature piece. Glenn Miller released his famous recording of Sunrise a few months later, arranged by Bill Finnegan, with Moonlight Serenade on the backside (Bluebird 10214).      
       


side 2 
78 RPM 10" Shellac disc& sleeve

 
Frank Sinatra sang Moonlight Serenade on his album, Moonlight Sinatra, which was released in 1965 on Reprise Records. Each and every song title on the album had the word "Moon" in it. The album was arranged and conducted by Nelson Riddle. But the most beautiful interpretations have to be by Ella Fitzgerald and Thelma Houston.   

Then came disco! The Ventures (1976),  Tuxedo Junction (1978) and the Charlie Calello Orchestra (1979), gave it the get-down-and-boogy beat while Bobby Vinton, who reached number 97 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1976, did a samba-tempo disco complete with strings doing weird things. Laurin Rinder and W. Michael Lewis followed along in the same vein a year later. Deodato, who predated them all in 1974 and reached number 18 on the Billboard Easy Listening Chart, had a mellow disco-funk tempo that was kind of nice while going to sleep.    

The intro to the song by Mina has to be the weirdest one ever; it does go into a traditional tempo with a great clarinet during the instrumental.                 


Glenn Miller - May 16, 1942
Ad on page 27 of Billboard magazine
photographer unknown
 
        
Moonlight Serenade has been covered by Barry Manilow, The Airmen of Note of the U.S. Air Force with Air Force Strings, Charlie Haden, Marc Reift, Chet Baker with The Mariachi Brass in 1966, Santo and Johnny, Carol Burnett, Toots Thielemans, Count Basie and his Orchestra with vocals by Helen Humes in 1939, Benny Goodman and his Orchestra, Cab Calloway, The Modernaires, Gene Krupa and his Orchestra, Freddy Martin and his Orchestra, Bert Kaempfert, Ray Conniff, Mina, Dick Todd on RCA Bluebird, Geoff Love and His Orchestra, Lloyd Gregory on solo guitar, Dick Hyman, Maxwell Davis and his Orchestra, Tony Evans, Los Iracundos, Los Indios Tabajaras, David Rose of The Stripper fame, Richard Himber, Fi Dells Quartet, Waikikis, The Universal-International Orchestra conducted by Joseph Gershenson, Oleg Lundstrom, Charlie Byrd, Taco whose big hit was Puttin' On the Ritz, Alix Combelle, Richard Vaughn, Lisa Ono, Eddie Maynard, Simone Kopmajer, Hamburg Philharmonia, Frankie Capp, Dave, Robert Banks Trio, Karel Vlach, Transatlantic Swing Band, the Frankie Condon Orchestra, The Romantic Strings, Paul Mauriat, Tommy Leonetti, Johnny Desmond, the Boston Pops under Arthur Fiedler had to ham it up a little, John Williams, and Keith Lockhart, J.P. Torres and the Cuban All Stars, Tex Beneke and His Orchestra, the Manhattan Jazz Orchestra, Urbie Green, Bob Mintzer, Laura Fygi, Max Greger, Mario Pezzotta and His Orchestra, 101 Strings, AndrĂ©s Ramiro and His Orchestra, The Hiltonaires, Big Warsaw Band, Pep Poblet, Ray Anthony, Cheryl Bentyne, jazz trumpeter Bobby Hackett in 1965, The 12 Cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic, Joe Loss, Ted Heath, Lawrence Welk, Henry Mancini, James Last, Michael Maxwell and His Orchestra, John Blair, Ray Eberle, Enoch Light, Modern Folk Quartet, Buddy Emmons on steel guitar, The Rivieras, a 1950s Doo Wop group whose recording reached number 47 on the pop charts in 1959, Yasuko Agawa, George Melachrino, German bandleader Kurt Edelhagen, Oscar Rabin, Henry Jerome and his Orchestra as a 45 single, Decca 25545, Kurt Elling, Syd Lawrence, Archie Bleyer, Mantovani, and the rock band Chicago as a 1995 3 inch CD single in Japan and on the big band album Night & Day Big Band, Robson & Jerome. Even Carly Simon tried to give it a shot.              
          
        
         
       
Tracklist:

Side 1:
Sunrise Serenade, written by Frankie Carl

Side 2:
    
Moonlight Serenade, written by Glenn Miller
   
Companies, etc.

    Manufactured By – RCA Manufacturing Co., Inc.

Notes:

Fox Trots

Label variation: Another versions exists with "For best results use Victor Needles." printed on the labels.
This version does not have this message.

Recorded on July 1, 1939
Barcode and Other Identifiers

    Matrix / Runout (Label A): B-10214-A
    Matrix / Runout (Label B): B-10214-B
    Matrix / Runout (Runout Side A): :B-10214A
    Matrix / Runout (Runout Side B): B-10214B

Glenn Miller And His Orchestra ‎– Sunrise Serenade / Moonlight Serenade
Label: Bluebird (3) ‎– B-10214
Format: Shellac, 10", 78 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1939
Genre: Jazz
Style: Big Band


Viewfinder links:     
       
Chet Baker         
Count Basie         
Arthur Fiedler       
Ella Fitzgerald           
Gene Krupa        
Mina - Salomé       
Frank Sinatra     
John Williams       
       
YouTube links:     
       
Glenn Miller & His Orchestra -    
                    Moonlight Serenade           
                    Sunrise Serenade                  
Frankie Carle ~ Sunrise Serenade - 1953 RCA Victor 78       
Glen Gray & The Casa Loma Orchestra - Sunrise Serenade (1939)  
Moonlight Serenade       
       Ella Fitzgerald          
       Thelma Houston     
       Frank Sinatra         
       Ray Anthony          
       Arthur Fiedler  
       The New Ventures ~ disco (1976)                
       Tuxedo Junction ~ disco (1978)      
       Charlie Calello Orchestra
       Rinder & Lewis ~ disco (1978)             
       Bobby Vinton       
       Deodato      
       Mina    
         
       

"I haven't a great Jazz band and I don't want one." 
                        ~ Glenn Miller  


       
Styrous® ~ Wednesday, April 4, 2018             
          
        
















No comments:

Post a Comment

PLEASE NOTE: comments are moderated BEFORE they are posted so DO NOT appear immediately.

Thank you.