[Dixielandjazz] Charlie Barnett

[Marek Boym]

I wonder.
Goodman had "his own sound," but did his band?  Same goes for Dorsey -
his band's sound changed when he engaged Cy Oliver.  Still, Dorsey's
might have been the best white band.  True, I listen to BG and Shaw
much more, but both the leaders were among the very best jazzmen, and
neither had a vical group to go with it!  The only white band I know
that had "its own sound" was Miller's, but it wasn't always very
jazzy.
Cheers

On 28/01/2008, Stephen G Barbone <barbonestreet at earthlink.net> wrote:
> >  "Marek Boym" <marekboym at gmail.com>
> >
> > The other day I was listening to my old reel-to-reel tape recorder.
> > one record ended, and the next one sounded like Ellington to me.  I
> > looked at the papar, and lo and behold - it was Barnet!  Even when not
> > so Dukish, the band still sounded much more like the  black rather
> > than white bands of the era.  I have several Bbarnet records, but,
> > always knowing what I was going to play, I've never noticed the
> > Ellingtonian flavour, except on numbers like "The Duke's Idea."
> >
> > Has anybody ever noticed it?
>
> Hello Marek:
>
> Barnett was very strongly influenced by Ellington. Many of his records
> are covers of Ellington arrangements/songs. He was also greatly
> influenced by Basie. In fact when Barnett lost his band arrangements
> (in a fire I think) Basie graciously lent his to Barnett to use until
> he could rewrite his own book.
>
> Because of his admiration for Basie and Ellington, and the way his
> band sounded, Barnett was known in NYC as the blackest white band
> around. And when he played alto, he sounded a lot like Johnny Hodges,
> who he also greatly admired. He had some really great players in his
> bands, black and white, having integrated his band early on.
>
> I saw him at Basin Street East in NYC in the 1960s and he was a darn
> good copy of Ellington & Basie depending upon the tune.
> Interesting man, born to great wealth, who never lacked for anything
> and followed his heart into music.
>
> Funny, today he is almost unknown. Perhaps because, even though Billy
> May did some arranging for him, he did not really have his own sound
> to the degree that Goodman, Basie, Ellington, Miller, Dorsey, et al
> had? .
>
> Cheers,
> Steve Barbone
>
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