Band Leaders: Vintage Rockstars

 Jazz is possibly one of the longest surviving musical genres, rivaling the nursery rhyme. Jazz and its many variants have been around since vaudeville, and to this day still remain a hit. I'm here to talk about a few pioneers in this long-lasting genre, as well as many others. Introducing the band leader, who commanded orchestras and were as well known by themselves as they were as part of a group. They were conductors, songwriters, singers, musicians, they were jacks of all trades and excelled in their field. I liken them to the rockstar of their day, though the genre and the time period may be different, they were just as big. Here's just a sample of three of these stars.

Cab Calloway seen here on stage in his trademark
"Zoot Suit"

Cab Calloway. Cabell Calloway is a man of many firsts. He was the first African American to have a nationally syndicated radio show, which he did alongside Bing Crosby, and his most famous song, "Minnie the Moocher," Was the first record by an African American to sell 1 million copies. His distinct loud voice and wide, beaming smile, made him an instant hit in movie and live appearances. His number at the end of the 1943 movie, Stormy Weather, alongside the Nicholas Brothers has amassed over 1 million views on Youtube. Calloway was always one to experiment, he never did the same thing twice. He'd sing the same song three completely different ways. When he was asked to do a number in the 1980 movie, The Blues Brothers, 73 year old Calloway was averse to the old fashioned way in which the song was performed, but he was convinced and his appearance in the film brought him fame with a new audience. In his day, however, he performed with the greats. Duke Ellington, Al Jolson (Which is ironic since Jolson was known for his blackface), Eartha Kitt, Nat King Cole and a young Gregory Hines. He was truly a renaissance man, with parallels to people like Michael Jackson and James Brown. He was singing and dancing well into his 80s, and I hope one day to give him much more than just this one paragraph.

Sinatra: "In life, I was only ever afraid of two people: My mother, and Tommy Dorsey,"

Next is Tommy Dorsey. The likes of Cab Calloway have earned the title of renaissance man, rightfully so, because of their long and illustrious career and social impact. While I can't entirely say that Tommy Dorsey is as big or as prominent as Calloway, I believe he is a trendsetter purely by the company he kept and the longevity of his style. In the 30s, jazz was huge. Every band did swing, and speakeasies across the country were blaring brass and riffing pianos even in the throes of the great depression. Though Dorsey thrived in that time, his true fame arose in the 40s. This is through the help of the then young, aspiring singer he chose by the name Frank Sinatra. Sinatra sang with Dorsey for two years before becoming a soloist. Dorsey was devastated, and became bitter and resentful toward Sinatra, when they had originally been like father and son. Personally, I think the two years and the over 50 songs he sang with Dorsey to be Frank Sinatra at his best, mostly due to Tommy Dorsey's penchant for ballads, which was Sinatra's forte. If I had one wish, I'd make it so that those two short years turned to 20, and Tommy Dorsey was as big as Sinatra was. Dorsey died in his 50s, and though his orchestra did well for a very long time (Well into the 2000s) Without him, it was never quite the same, and the world of easy-listening music has alot to thank this perfectionist trombonist for.

Steve Allen preparing for The Benny Goodman Story (1956)
With the "King of Swing" Himself.

Finally, we have Benny Goodman. Every bandleader of that time had a gimmick. Something unique to them which can set them apart from the slew of rival bandleaders of the time. Dorsey had the trombone, Calloway had his dancing, Benny Goodman had his clarinet. In the 1940s-50s, if you had glasses and played the clarinet, you were considered an off-brand Benny Goodman. His image was as well-known as his style of music. His contributions to the world of jazz, swing, and music as a whole are numerous, but it was perhaps his personality that set him so far apart. Like most bandleaders of the time, he was demanding and exacting, but secretly, he was a generous and helpful person, aiding on a racial and humanitarian level. However, no one quite liked working with him. I will never understand why geniuses are often eccentric to the point of being insufferable, but I suppose in that event I'm glad I'm not a genius. One incident involved a person inquiring why he worked with African Americans, using derogatory language. Goodman replied, "If you say that to me again, I'll take (my) clarinet and bust you over your head with it,"

Like most of the times when I make these posts, I'm leaving people out. So here are my usual array of honorable mentions: Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, Artie Shaw, Phil Harris (See my post on him) and the list goes on. I can't quite say that jazz, or even music as a whole would be the same without the band leader. Originally a subset of smaller orchestras, they escalated into a league of their own, and though their style and concept is gone, humanity has a proclivity for preservation. So now, we can look back there and see the smiling faces of piano players, and see Fats Waller belt two choruses of  "Ain't Misbehaving" while playing in ragtime without looking. There's hours upon hours of each of these singers' music on the internet, so check them out any way you can.

I hope to see you Back There. (This outro doesn't make much sense, does it? See you back where? Why is the Back There always capitalized? Oh well, I like it.)

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