Great Players That 1930 sound

[Pete Thomas]

Thanks for providing information about "big bands" from an earlier era in the UK. I had not heard of any of them before today. The more I learn---the less I know. 🙂

A couple of decades later, but you maybe surprised what came out of the UK big bands:

Great Players - My saxophone teacher - the great Red Price

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Yfgm00XtrE

cafesaxophone.com

(That was my saxophone teacher)

 

[PatrickDA]

I have no teacher footage but the man who led the Harry Blake Band (my stepfather) pictured here (the conductor and pianist) started me on my saxophone journey by giving me a Couesnon 1928 Soprano Sax in 1952 (which I still have). I never heard the band as I was -4 years old! Tea for Two was their signature tune.

 

[jbtsax]

A couple of decades later, but you maybe surprised what came out of the UK big bands:

Great Players - My saxophone teacher - the great Red Price

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Yfgm00XtrE

cafesaxophone.com

(That was my saxophone teacher)

What a great band and tenor player! Thank you for sharing that with us.

 

[mizmar]

Interesting. I've never really liked this style of music; but, thinking about the "original vs modernised cover version" diversion in Terry's 'Just started playing with a music group." Thread, I can hear some lines, in some pieces, which could really work in other styles as well.

 

[rhysonsax]

Here's another 20s-30s style tribute band that YouTube suggested for me.

View: https://youtu.be/HkUkbuxdLd4

View: https://youtu.be/It5s9z5m0Kg


And then there was the band assembled to play for the soundtrack of the multiple BBC series starting with the Beiderbecke Affair. The theme music and lots of incidental music throughout was recorded by a band of top British jazz musicians, including Kenny Baker doing his Bix thing and the great Ronnie Ross playing bass saxophone a la Adrian Rollini.

View: https://youtu.be/WN5vs0tb9hE


Rhys

 

[Saxamofone]

View: https://youtu.be/It5s9z5m0Kg

I couldn't help but notice how the clarinet was sideways to the mic to get a nice balanced sound and about 1:56 the trumpet player walks up with his bell right on the mic. He actually didn't cram the bell over the mic - but it looked like he was going to at first and it brought back all the memories of sharing one horn mic and having the trumpet player stick his bell right up on the mic and the sound guy always assuming he could leave the mic gain the same for the sax solo. That's why I always had to play extremely loud setups back then (Guardala, Dukoff, Berg etc. .120 tip and #4 reeds) now I'm learning all over again how to play on more moderate setups.

 

[rhysonsax]

I couldn't help but notice how the clarinet was sideways to the mic to get a nice balanced sound and about 1:56 the trumpet player walks up with his bell right on the mic. He actually didn't cram the bell over the mic - but it looked like he was going to at first and it brought back all the memories of sharing one horn mic and having the trumpet player stick his bell right up on the mic and the sound guy always assuming he could leave the mic gain the same for the sax solo. That's why I always had to play extremely loud setups back then (Guardala, Dukoff, Berg etc. .120 tip and #4 reeds) now I'm learning all over again how to play on more moderate setups.

I think they were miming to their own studio recording - isn't it a promo video ?

Rhys

 

[rhysonsax]

And a Czech orchestra:

View: https://youtu.be/y_DiEFNEIoM

View: https://youtu.be/r7tucO6Kqn4


And letting there hair down.

View: https://youtu.be/DVdojmdQK1U


Rhys

 

[Colin the Bear]

Is that a chimney sweep at the piano?

 

[Colin the Bear]

Every now and then I seem to catch that 30's alto sound so I've been working on doing it on purpose.
I've come to the conclusion that if I push in a little and lip it down I can get a vintage sound from a modern horn. More so on the yas25 than the thomann. Accordingly, Conn gas has subsided.

 

[ESJohn]

This is a great thread! I hope it goes on for a while longer! Big Band music ranks near the top of my music preferences.
I was fortunate to have inherited my father's record collection. Unfortunately, the music actually goes back to the WW1 era. Plenty of banjo (Fred Van Eps on the Edison label.) Also a few scores such as Annie Get Your Gun from the 40's and Bing Crosby singing Cole Porter songs. No saxophone on any of my collection to share with you.

 

[Colin the Bear]

Don't get Amercan Big Band mixed up with British Dance band. 😉

 

[ESJohn]

Don't get Amercan Big Band mixed up with British Dance band. 😉

Ok, I've gotta ask. What distinguishes one from the other?

 

[Pete Thomas]

Ok, I've gotta ask. What distinguishes one from the other?

Tea with egg and cress sandwiches.

 

[mizmar]

Ok, I've gotta ask. What distinguishes one from the other?

Lambeth Vs cake walk?

 

[Colin the Bear]

American Big band is American whereas British Dance Band is British.
The dance band era is typicaly pre WWII.
Big band came over with the American troops and many British Dance Bands adopted the very popular American Big Band swing style.
Victor Sylvester and Ray Noble would typify British Dance Band. Glen Miller, The Dorseys, Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman represent the later Big Band genre.
Then rock and roll swept it all away. 🙁

 

[thomsax]

Ok, I've gotta ask. What distinguishes one from the other?

"Engelsk saxofon". Engelsk saxofon was on the spot on the Swedish Radio for some years ago. I don't know how many that understand Swedsh. But it's fun ...... . @mizmar, what do you say about "Engelsk Saxofon"?

Jazzkrönika: "Engelsk saxofon" | Sveriges Radio

"Enligt popmusikens enkla regelverk är kommersiell framgång nästintill förväxling liktydigt med kvalitet"

sverigesradio.se

 

[thomsax]

Keith Nicholls with a band of his like this in the trad tent:

The bassax player looks like Frans Sjöström???? A Swedsh sax player playing in a British Dance Band!!!!! But the bassax player is good.

 

[thomsax]

That one was a Ray Noble composition. Another big name in the 30's golden era. Al Bowlly sang in the Ray Noble band.
One of my favourites.

View: https://youtu.be/Y7zMnj7r4SA

Yes a good song. We did this song more in style as Albert King did it. So this shows that British music can be played in a more soulful way as well.

View: https://youtu.be/I45PG9kT_sQ

 

[rhysonsax]

The bassax player looks like Frans Sjöström???? A Swedsh sax player playing in a British Dance Band!!!!! But the bassax player is good.

On YouTube it says that the reed players were: Matthias Seuffert, Jean-François Bonnel, Lars Frank, Claus Jacobi, Mauro Porro. That sounds like an international bunch but I'm not sure which one was on bass saxophone.

The bass sax player is very good but a bit too prominent in the mix, presumably because of where the microphone (on the camera probably) was positioned.

Rhys