Publisher Description
Whether you remember the big band era yourself or appreciate the timeless music of the war years and beyond, you’ll find many treasures in this collection, offering 20 half-hour broadcasts dating from 1943 to 1952 and featuring 20 of the top bands and musical groups so popular at the time. In addition to performances by orchestras that are still well remembered today - Jimmy Dorsey, Harry James, Stan Kenton, Ray Anthony, Louis Prima - this collection also features broadcasts by several lesser-known but equally talented ensembles. In rare wartime broadcasts, Charlie Spivak, Lee Castle, and Sonny Dunham demonstrate their individually unique trumpet styles; the hotel-based bands of Gay Claridge and Leighton Noble display their knack for gentle but effective dance music, as was so often featured in stylish high-end nightspots like New York’s Waldorf Astoria and Astor Hotels; and Jan Savitt, originally a classical violinist, integrates smooth strings with jump tunes in arrangements.
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About various authors
Hans Christian Andersen (1805–1875) was born in Odense, Denmark, the son of a poor shoemaker and a washerwoman. As a young teenager, he became quite well known in Odense as a reciter of drama and as a singer. When he was fourteen, he set off for the capital, Copenhagen, determined to become a national success on the stage. He failed miserably, but made some influential friends in the capital who got him into school to remedy his lack of proper education. In 1829 his first book was published. After that, books came out at regular intervals. His stories began to be translated into English as early as 1846. Since then, numerous editions, and more recently Hollywood songs and Disney cartoons, have helped to ensure the continuing popularity of the stories in the English-speaking world.
About various narrators
James Langton, an Earphones Award–winning narrator, trained as an actor at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and later as a musician at the Guildhall School in London. He has worked in radio, film, and television, also appearing in theater in England and on Broadway. He is also a professional musician who led the internationally renowned Pasadena Roof Orchestra from 1996 to 2002.