And Thenn there was Glenn


Glenn Miller disappeared over the English Channel on December 15, 1944, but it wasn't until Christmas Eve that it was reported he wouldn't be doing his normal Christmas broadcast. The conspiracy theories are spectacularly ridiculous. The most logical explanation is carburator icing, because that's an actual real problem in aviation, unlike sending a Trombonist to personally negotiate a peace treaty with Nazi officials, which is not at all a logical war strategy. 

Anywho, do i expect much from Spinorama's tribute to Glenn Miller. Well, i mean, their tag line for the album is "[Glenn Miller's] music will live on and will be listened and danced to as long as popular music remains popular." Did Yogi Berra write that blurb? So no, i don't, but maybe some history first. 

Spin-o-rama is like the bottomest of the barrel in a proper corporate heirarchy of terribleness. Sister labels include such gems as Peter Pan, Parade, Prom, Rocking Horse, and other real confidence-inspiring brand names, all under the umbrella of Synthetic Plastics, headed by Newark, New Jersey's own Henry LaPidus. In 1961 old Henry decided to sell out to Premier Records and become king of budget label sales manager mountain. I think their slogan was something like "Wanna go cheaper? We're even cheaper than that!" 

But seriously, my noise floor is audible, the hiss on this record is practically a paid member of the orchestra. Who's orchestra? No clue, but definitely not Glenn Miller's. They aren't bad at all (this isn't Pickwick), there just aren't any personnel credits because this is all work for hire, gaps in studio time type stuff, part of "the Big Sound" series from Spinorama. 

Now aesthetically speaking, anyone born between 1964 and 2005 will inevitably imagine their octogenarian great aunt and uncle dancing at a random cousin's wedding while listening to it, or possibly Tom & Jerry cartoons, but once you expand your palate beyond that it's supremely enjoyable. Big Band Swing is freakin' great stuff, and Glenn Miller's arrangements are lovely across the board. Satchmo loved him so much he actually brought Miller's records with him on tour. Why? Because it's fun. Glenn was first and foremost a melodicist, and this stuff is super catchy without being corny or saccharine. 

Sure, there were people who didn't like him at the time, but even they'd tell you the quickest way to get an audience enthused is to open with a Glenn Miller arrangement. This stuff is so damned likable you either love it or hate that you love it. A Manhattan or a Sidecar would probably being more historically apropos, but rum was the most plentiful alcohol during WWII, so my 2/3 of a Cuba Libre (no lime) on a rainy Sunday afternoon is perfectly traditional. Join us tomorrow when we try mixing Country and Saxophone together. It's never a good idea to speculate about Mondays, but that's never stopped me before, so what could possibly go wrong?

Chet, Floyd, & Boots

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