[Dixielandjazz] Glen Miller's death

Tue Jul 11 17:49:22 PDT 2006

Pat brings up some interesting questions or at least further thoughts.

The only band leader that I know of who did an early retirement was Artie Shaw.  So I don't think he would have retired.  If he didn't quit what do you think he would have done Adapt or die?  The other possibility would have been a new sound or a mix (Swing Rock with a lead clarinet? or  Do wop with 5 saxes)

I agree that swing like anything else wouldn't have lasted forever but it didn't last very long as compared to other styles such as rock which is still with us although modified greatly.  Swing, or more accurately what we call the big band era, as Miller knew it almost died with him outlasting him only a short time.

Was the big band era killed by economic times, changing tastes or electronics?  The economy didn't tank and if anything did fairly well in the 50's.  

Sinatra and Armstrong adapted with new tunes and style enhancements and continued to give their fans great shows all the way up till their deaths.  Would Miller have done the same?  Personally I think so.  He had an immense following but with no one to follow they just went away and other leaders, while there were many greats, didn't have the charisma of Glenn Miller.  I'm sure that many of you might disagree but I would be interested in hearing your thoughts.

By the time I got old enough and good enough to be in a big band they had all pretty much died in my area.  I had a fairly large collection of Glen Miller and other big bands records and I think I was in the last generation to dance to their music. My mother actually made me take dancing lessons so I could swing dance and do all the ballroom dances.

Maybe if he had lived, things in music would have taken a different turn but I guess we'll never know.  A more interesting question is what would have happened if the Guitar hadn't been electrified?  If you accept the premise that Rock and Roll came about just at the time that modern electronics was born then was R & R a natural outgrowth of the electronics age? (most likely yes)   If that is true then is the demise of non electronic music on the horizon.  Will someday the people look at a Trumpet or Sax in the same way we view a Greek Lyre and wondered what they sounded like?  For those of you who have Band In The Box tell it to compose a tune.  Once and a while it actually comes up with something fairly good.  Is this the direction of music?  Thankfully not yet but times they are a changin'.
Larry Walton
St. Louis
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: patcooke77 at yahoo.com 
  To: Larry Walton Entertainment - St. Louis ; 1-DIXIELAND JAZZ POST 
  Sent: Tuesday, July 11, 2006 2:23 PM
  Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Glen Miller's death

  Larry asked...

  >Would Glenn Miller have made the transition into Rock and Roll or faded into the has been oblivion of so many other music stars?  Did his death lock in the Swing Era like nothing else could?  If he had lived would the swing and big band era have died when they did?<

  1.  He would have retired, but there would be (and are) several bands doing one-nighters calling themselves the Glenn Miller Band, and playing his charts.

  2. As much as any band could, but no one could keep it going forever.

  3. Yes

  Pat Cooke

  ----- Original Message ----
  From: Larry Walton Entertainment - St. Louis <larrys.bands at charter.net>
  To: 1-DIXIELAND JAZZ POST <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
  Sent: Tuesday, July 11, 2006 11:58:52 AM
  Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Glen Miller's death

  I only wonder if anyone
    has ever heard of another credible story of Glenn Miller's
    death

  Marty
  Your friend may be referring to a history channel program (History's Mysteries most likely) that aired some time ago and truthfully I don't remember the story accurately but I believe they ascribed one scenario of his death to a possible friendly fire incident.  History abounds with conspiracy and alternate histories of events.  If that did happen you could hardly expect the pilot or who ever did it to paint a trombone on his plane.  Now if he had been a Soprano Sax or Banjo player?????

  Speaking of revisionist history, the more interesting questions are:  Would Glenn Miller have made the transition into Rock and Roll or faded into the has been oblivion of so many other music stars?  Did his death lock in the Swing Era like nothing else could?  If he had lived would the swing and big band era have died when they did?
  Larry
  St. Louis
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