[Dixielandjazz] Re: "In the Mood Sax Solo"

[LARRY'S Signs and Large Format Printing]

I really don't know Steve.  Maybe someone else knows if the Miller solos
were written by him or if one of the guys played them and then they were
transcribed.

If you think you can read try, an arrangement of "The broken Record" based
on In The Mood.  The story is that a kid learned how to play the tune on an
old phono but unfortunately his record was cracked.  It switches into all
sorts of meters adding and subtracting beats and as I recall different
sections play beats off at times.  It's actually tough for us to play who
can play the tune in their sleep.  It's a reading monster.

I agree that the tunes are boring and have little jazz quality about them.
I think that most popular music isn't written with Jazz in mind and solos
and jazz arrangements come later.  Pop is all about the buck and it hasn't
changed.  Miller was no different.

I feel sorry for the artist who has 10 or 15 or more hits.  Actually even
one counts.  Those guys are caught in a twilight zone like atmosphere where
they aren't allowed to do anything else but their hits.  If Miller had lived
another 30 years how many times do you think he would have had to play In
the Mood?  I think he would have grown to hate it.

We have a one hit wonder here in town.  Bob  Kuban has turned his one hit
(The Cheater) into a fairly good business and I don't think he minds playing
it over and over because of the bucks.  Bob was one of the early proponents
of using Sax, Trumpet, Trombone as accent instruments in a rock band.  The
horn parts are really no brainers but very loud and boring but the young
people still like him and he is still doing well..
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steve barbone" <barbonestreet at earthlink.net>
To: "LARRY'S Signs and Large Format Printing" <sign.guy at charter.net>; "DJML"
<dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Wednesday, June 22, 2005 9:30 PM
Subject: "In the Mood Sax Solo"


> LARRY sign.guy at charter.net wrote:( Polite Snip about In the Mood Sax Solo)
>
> > I don't know
> > actually but the Miller solos may have been played by someone and
> > transcribed.  I think that the reason a lot of guys don't play the
written
> > solo that's in the mood is the range used.  It goes from the top of the
horn
> > to the bottom and those Bb two octave skips at any kind of tempo
requires
> > two things: a good player and a perfectly functioning horn along with
some
> > other considerations.
>
> Could also be that the original solo was done by two different sax
players,
> each playing part of it.
>
> In any event, regarding Glenn Miller; He is up there with Lombardo in my
> book. Wonderful music, but boring arrangements for the musicians to play
and
> very little jazz.
>
> Cheers,
> Steve
>