[Dixielandjazz] The Glenn Miller Orchestra reviewed - By Jack Bowers - All About Jazz

[Robert Ringwald]

The Glenn Miller Orchestra: In the Mood
by Jack Bowers
All About Jazz, November 20, 2013
You can count on the fingers of one hand the number of big bands formed in the 1930s
that continue to perform today, long after the storied Big Band Era has faded from
national craze to modest footnote in American musical history. Foremost among the
survivors is the Glenn Miller Orchestra, the latest incarnation of which was established
more than half a century ago in 1956, about a dozen years after Miller's disappearance
on a presumably routine flight over the English Channel during World War II.
Nick Hilscher, an admirable singer who first saw and heard the Miller Orchestra when
he was eleven years old, is the current music director, having succeeded trombonist
Gary Tole in 2012. For In the Mood, his first recording as leader, Hilscher has chosen
music from two eras: 1939-42, under Miller's direction, and 1956-66, when drummer
Ray McKinley was leading the orchestra. While many of the songs (and even the arrangements)
are well-worn, they have stood the test of time for good reason: an easygoing and
explicit charm that resonates with listeners of all ages, even those who are no more
than passably drawn to jazz in general and big bands in particular.
This is perhaps best exemplified by Joe Garland's "In the Mood," one of the most
popular and enduring big-band melodies ever written, one that has transcended changing
musical tastes and is performed today not only by the Miller Orchestra but by bands
around the world. Miller made his name with that song, as well as with "A String
of Pearls," "I've Got a Gal in Kalamazoo" and "Little Brown Jug," among others. They
are on the album, along with such lesser-known but no less pleasing tunes as "Runnin'
Wild," "Stumbling," "I Got Rhythm," "Whistle Stop," "Oh! So Good" and pianist James
Navan's sparkling feature, "Once Upon a Keyboard." Hilscher sings on "Hallelujah
I Love Her So" and the lovely "Moonlight Becomes You," Eileen Burns on "I'm Glad
There Is You" and "Anything Goes." The Modernaires have given way to the Moonlight
Serenaders (Hilscher, Burns, Ian O'Bierne, Nick Schroeder, Kevin Sheehan) on "Kalamazoo"
and the closing "Jingle Bells."
The ensemble is as solid as ever, recording quality first-rate, and there are congenial
solos along the way by tenors Joel Linscheid and Jon Rees, O'Bierne (alto and baritone),
Sheehan (alto and clarinet), alto Nigel Yancey, trumpeters Shroeder, Shawn Williams,
Ashley Hall and Jonathan McQuade, trombonist Clay Lucovich and bassist Seth Lewis.
A splendid addition to the imperishable Glenn Miller legacy.
-30-


-Bob Ringwald K6YBV
www.ringwald.com
916/ 806-9551

"That lowdown scoundrel deserves to be kicked to death by a jackass, 
and I'm just the one to do it." -- A congressional candidate in Texas .