[Dixielandjazz] Whiteman? How about Lawrence Welk?

[Marek Boym]

First, you have remembered the title (the CD reissue costs $49.98 on Amazon!).
Second, Welk often featured fine jazz musicians.  His recordings with
Pete Fountain are wel known, and put fountain on the map.  But I
remember somenthing with Welk featuring Matty Matlock, played on a
Voice of Israel (Kol Israel) jazz programme some decades ago.  So I
guess that, when the band swung and featured jazz solos, it played
jazz' at other times it did not.
Cheers

On 22 January 2013 22:54, RICHARD SHOOK <dixbarn at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> My father was a grand Welk fan - used to drive me crazy when I was young and
> hip, always calling me in to watch the Lawrence Welk show. BUT - I at that age
> tended to put down the general musicianship rather than recognize their choice
> to play to a certain audience. Does anyone remember the show when the Welk band
> played all the charts from an Album Woody Herman did called "My Kind of
> Broadway" (if I remember the title correctly)? The arrangements were all by
> members of Woody's band, and there was some swinging stuff. I was re-educated by
> that particular Welk show - they played the heck out of Woody's charts, sounding
> wonderful. They were a tight, swinging band with great soloists.
>
>
> One of Welk's arrangers and pianists, Frank Scott came from my home town (Fargo
> ND) - he moved back and put together a big band that I played in. Somewhat
> Welkish, but a bit more relaxed and swinging. Frank told me he would every once
> in a while put in a swinging shout chorus in one of his arrangements for
> Lawrence, and Lawrence would invariably say, "Great chart! Great chart! . . .
> But there's a part right in the middle there I'd like you to rewrite . . ."
>
> So, could Whiteman's orchestra swing? I don't doubt it. Did they very often?
> That's a different question.
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