[Dixielandjazz] Charlie Barnet

[ROBERT R. CALDER]

September 10, 1939 for Barnet's THE DUKE'S IDEA  and THE COUNT'S IDEA. Charlie was just a jazz fan and his music didn't grow out of earlier white jazz but just took off at a happy time.  The Blackest white band  performance I know is  Artie Shaw's  SERENADE TO A  SAVAGE  (Edgar Battle, I think)
He did use Horace Henderson as an arranger early on, and Benny Carter. The original   SKYLINER  is a miracle of timing.  
Of course there were three Ellington numbers on the six-title date which included the ideas of the Duke and the Count, to be precise Judy Ellington numbers, for she was the Barnet band vocalist. 
It would be interesting to compile a list, or even a record recital, of things like THE DUKE'S IDEA,  Ellington pastiches. I seem to remember there was an early Lunceford one....  I remember well Don Albert's Texan band in DEEP BLUE MELODY, which was as I recall arranged by Lloyd Glenn, a Hinesish pianist then, who went into studio and R&B work and recalled slightly Jay McShann when he (Glenn) recorded with Tiny Grimes for the French Black & Blue label. 
Of course some members of this group may remember a performance (there may be more) on which as pianist with Kid Ory the by then California-based R&B pianist Glenn reecalls the 1940s by launching into Honky Tonk Train Blues as his solo on it might even have been SAVOY BLUES. A real curiosity 

Of course Charlie Barnet re-emerged to some point nearer 1970, with Willie Smith (died May 1967) on alto, and Clark Terry on trumpet.  And Barnet maybe especially impressive on soprano sax.



       
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