I want to cut right to the chase and write about Glenn Miller’s musical style that still has sentimental meaning just as it did during the second world war back in the ’40’s. Two things I love about old music:
Jazz and military march-jazz infused themes like Glenn Miller’s take on one of my personal favorites, St. Louis Blues. A song, that had been sung many years before by an unknown artist, Al Bernard. That’s not to say Al Bernard wrote the song, per se, but he’s got a way of singing the lyrics that equals to Billy Murray. Both were Edison artists from the Roaring Twenties. One thing will always remain consistent in the older style of music, the times in which the artists themselves lived and what they sang about.
Glenn Miller, I discovered his music while on a search for another big band era leader that I had been wanting to locate since I was thirteen. That of big band drummer, Gene Krupa. As it turned out, my search would take me years since I had no idea what format these artists recorded on be it a 33 1/3, 45 and whatnot.
Since my [then] young impressionable mind had no idea that 78 records could be bought for a dime a dozen back in 1990, I really didn’t know who or what to specifically ask for. Mind you, I couldn’t even pronounce Gene Krupa’s last name at one time. And I had no idea what he even looked like. Ah, yes… pre-internet days when a person had to turn over a record from a local music shop (remember those places?) or the likes of a junk store, antique store.
Back then my walls weren’t decorated with clean cut individuals. Had I a bookshelf, it wouldn’t have been crammed full with books on early Jazz, dances of the Roaring Twenties, Vernon and Irene Castle, or even the likes of any back issues of Mid-Week Pictorial to satisfy my curiosity for silent film stars of the teens-1920’s.
Glenn Miller, when I caught word of this man sometime in 2011 after I moved back home, I had to find out more about him. He fell into the category that appeals to me now as an adult.
Will the real Glenn Miller ever be found on record? I had to sort through countless re-makes, cover-artists that either, played the songs too fast with shallow vocal abilities. And sometimes other versions just sounded like a washed up lounge lizard that signed a ninety nine year contract for the likes of MGM Grand on the Vegas strip.
It was very difficult for me to find original material that Glenn Miller was known for. The internet helped and I soon read about what record label, what time era the records were produced that I could find Glenn Miller on. Armed with a shopping list, I embark to several thrift stores in one day.
.99 cents, .75 cents, and sometimes $2 for a single Bluebird 78 is the going rate I paid for some of these 78’s. Several years before 78’s didn’t have much re-sale power on the used market. Oh, they could be melted down into a “chip and dip” bowl. But who wants to eat off of shellac? Not me, thank you very much.
Glenn Miller’s music is sentimental. I love it and can’t say enough about it. I loved the movie, The Glenn Miller Story when I caught it playing at my local theater some time ago. It was a sentimental love story with a tearjerker of an ending.
Glenn Miller’s music adds a twist on a big band era sound. It’s upbeat, never dull, and easy on the nerves for lack of a better expression. I’m not going to say easy to dance to because I never learned how to dance all that great not even in my younger days. I would have been relentlessly teased if I showed at those dances with a Glenn Miller 78 had I known of him back then.
String Of Pearls, Little Brown Jug, In The Mood, St. Louis Blues March just to rattle off a few are good songs. I always thought that Glenn Miller was taken away too soon. He had talent and knack for reviving the old music that was known as “early Jazz” before the big band era came along.
