Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra

This 1942 short from Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra features lindy hoppers Dean Collins and Jewel McGowan. Note that the shots where they dance in front of the mirror off screen, that the first "couple" in the mirror is actually reversed.

[@vestibulate]

This band was actually run as a collective. When you joined, you became a shareholder with rights, but you also became liable to a strict code of conduct. Musicians at the time had acquired a reputation that was hard to shake, but in this outfit if you were held to have gotten a little too far out of line, you could be hauled before the board of directors made up of senior personnel. The board could decide to buy out your contract and dismiss you from the band. You'd think this policy would have made for a lot of turnovers, but the opposite was the case. The Casa Loma Orchestra had a very stable lineup and a long career in the business.

[@fromthesidelines]

They also insisted Glen become their "full-time" conductor- by unanimous vote- in 1937. Before that, he usually sat in the sax section while violinist Mel Jenssen led the group.

[@peterschmidt7543]

1937 the year my mum was born.. Wow ! Dancers doing boogie near rockabilly style 20 years before it hit. I’ve been reading some of the comments below amazed by the knowledge some seem to have. Thank you for sharing, I really like it.

[@basilpeewit3350]

The trumpeter is Corky Cornelius, the trombonist Harry Rodgers, the tenorist Pat Davis, the drummer Tony Briglia, the clarinet player Clarence Hutchenrider, the singer is Peewee Hunt.

[@jaysteve8048]

None of whom were even mentioned during Ken Burns sprawling 10 part piece 'Jazz'

[@68sgstandard]

FU

[@lawrencephelps3181]

Love the cinematography. Very 40s with light and shadow.

[@frankie3351]

camera man and editor had a great understanding of cinematography

[@harriairaksinen5694]

Young Buddy Rich listened keenly Tony Briglia and mentions his name on several occasions.

[@michaeljayklein500]

The Casa Loma band played a very important role in American swing music.

[@jaysteve8048]

They're mentioned not even once throughout Ken Burns sprawling 10 part documentary--Jazz.

[@68sgstandard]

Burns is a jerk and so is PBS. He has a huge budget to hire researchers and editors to splice tons of stock footage together, with that grating narrator's voice, and the credit says, "A film by Ken Burns" - as if he "filmed" it. BS. And every film has a leftist political message.

[@andrewbarrett1537]

Many people have a lot of bones to pick with that doc.

[@jaysteve8048]

@@andrewbarrett1537 It was many 'whites' who had bones to pick with, was resentful of and was caught off guard by the honest and brave Ken Burns, who knew that it was the right thing to do i.e. to finally and rightfully place the African American creators, developers and innovators dead center of this sprawling documentary. And THAT'S what many whites had a problem with.

[@captdeau]

The trombonist, Harry Rogers, was my grade school trombone instructor, kinda kewl

[@JCJasion]

captdeau "Hutch," Clarence Hutchenrider, the clarinettist and sax player, was a member of Vince Giordano's Nighthawks and a good friend of WFUV DJ, Rich Conaty and also a favorite of tbe Jersey Jazz Society in the 1970's.

[@alonzochurch3194]

The Casa Loma band was past its commercial peak at this point and the experts would tell you it was past its musical peak by 1935. So this big band short, featuring three well played hot numbers is a nice surprise. Note that the director, Jean Negulesco, would direct major motion pictures in just a few years. He is playing with camera angles here.

[@muffs55mercury61]

The stuff I like of theirs is mostly pre-1934. But this is good too.

[@lawrencephelps3181]

Always a wet blanket

[@user-le2fg4gm3x]

Very good Orchestra.

[@suezeekins61]

Pee Wee Hunt!! Dad loved his voice and Dixieland! Nice!

[@TheNeilBernardShow]

The original music video before music videos were hip! LOVE the cinematography!

[@fromthesidelines]

Warner Bros. (and most of the other studios) produced "big band" musical shorts in abundance during the '30s and ''40s........

[@andrewbarrett1537]

Although definitely not the first “music video” this is definitely one of the artisier early ones.

[@bluedoris88]

Gave. Me. Goosebumps, oh my word,super,fantastic

[@deralteu96dasboot]

Music short from 12. August 1941, trumpets left to right: Grady Watts, Frank Ryerson, Corky Cornelius, trombones dito: Pee Wee Hunt, Billy Rauch, Charlie McCamish, saxes dito: Eddie Costanzo, Clarence Hutchenrider, Art Ralston, Pat Davis, Kenny Sargent, piano: Joe Hall, guitar: Dick Fisher, bass: Stan Dennis, drums: Tony Briglia. The soloists are: Cornelius (tp), McCamish (tb), Hutchenrider (cl), Davis (ts) (named by Hunt in "Darktown Strutters Ball": Hutch; Cork; Charlie on his slide trombone!). Harry Rodgers was not trombonist, but only arranger for Casa Loma and played trombone with Artie Shaw 1937-39, Harry James 1940-44.

[@Johnnycdrums]

Buddy Rich got his start with this band. Stan Dennis does a nice job, and very much like Rich and Krupa, imho.

[@Johnnycdrums]

Trumpet man (Cornelius you said) is killa'.

[@farquell5782]

Harry Rogers lead trombone

[@jaysteve8048]

With the exception of artie shaw, not one of these other musicians mentioned here were mentioned in any of ken burns 10 part series---Jazz. I wonder why.

[@michaelklein5242]

This short has some distinguished credentials behind it judging from the credits. Not well known today, the Casa Loma orchestra was one of the seminal swing bands and played a very influential part in that genre of music. Thanks for sharing this! 👏👏👏

[@muffs55mercury61]

The band also appeared in a little remembered 1944 B film "Gals Incorporated". I bought the film primarily due to the band appearing in it.

[@fromthesidelines]

They also appeared in another 1943 short (a two-reeler for Universal, "Smoke Dreams"). kzbin.info/www/bejne/mmjKlmSJZtishLs

[@normanlefkowitz5197]

Great music and crisp camera work.

[@jamesd.lethgo6988]

THIS IS GREATLY AWESOME MUSIC THEY DONT MAKE MUSIC LIKE THIS ANYMORE

[@stefanschutz5166]

Thank you from Amsterdam. Great!

[@berangerecorvaisier776]

Merveilleuse époque....

[@markschildberg1667]

Really inventive compositions by Jean Negulesco, using light, shadow and mirrors.

[@mercurypoizund404]

great band,great dancers...great great.

[@jourwalis-8875]

Great music! And great performance both from the orchestra and the dancers. And a very good photo-job to! Very dynamic.

[@joehill8014]

Man, what I wouldn't give to have danced with Jewel McGowan.

[@georgesingleton3425]

Cute. It's always good to hear MSc from the big band era.

[@karimahmed7805]

I can only dream of what it would have been like to dance to big bands of that calibre.

[@CarlosLopez-yg2wr]

Grande musica

[@commanderdayz390]

I am actually related to this guy on my mothers grandfather's side

[@fromthesidelines]

Charles LeVere sat in at the piano during this period, when the band was in Hollywood. Joe Hall, Glen's regular pianist, rejoined the band when they returned to New York.

[@railscenes4959]

No wonder Glen Gray produced music that had an early rock & roll motion, he worked for the railroad! You can dance to it too! I feel the motion of the train rocking and rolling. Maybe I spent too much time as a conductor? RR conductor not music conductor.

[@SmoothGravvy]

Glen Gray is literally my great uncle

[@tbogan7978]

Kenny Sargent is my Grandfather!

[@scotnick59]

@@tbogan7978 Family Reunion!

[@RRW1982]

@@tbogan7978 That's the best 'bragging right' I've read here. He was a DJ at KLIF radio station in Dallas, and I heard him when I was growing up. Such an evocative singing voice, put to good use on their recording of New Orleans. In the early 90's I arranged that and one other for my old brass quintet. While playing a summer concert nin nearby Plymouth, MA, an audience member mentioned after our concert that he had known Glen Gray, who had retired to Plymouth in the later 1950's I think. Wonderful band!!

[@Friendoffreedom]

Trombone soloist is Charlie McCamish.

[@Grimmmer]

Let's all have fun!

[@stevenkimsey7039]

"Smoke Rings" is a favorite song

[@bonniejordan8192]

Awesome 🤩

[@jaysteve8048]

This was swinging, driving music--until the arrival of a handful of supremely gifted musicians who exploded on the scene with the most shocking, inventive and 'in you're face' style of Jazz that hadn't been seen or heard before or since. The genius and brilliance of technicians Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Kenny Clarke, Howard McGhee, Thelonius Monk, Bud Powell, Fats Navarro, Charles Mingus, Miles Davis, Ray Brown, James Moody, Dexter Gordon, Sonny Rollins etc. burst onto the scene and created a Jazz style whose sheer virtuosity inspired many to listen to, almost exclusively, which made it particularly challenging to dance along with.. Rather, it articulated a unique and previously un-charted Jazz form that skillfully and masterfully utilized breakneck tempos, complex chord progressions, raised fourths, flatted fifths and other daring devices that could not be so easily imitated or perhaps plagiarized by far less talented white musicians and ultimately sent many Big Band Swing musicians packing and back to the Big Band Swing drawing board-- to which they never recovered. Modern Jazz or Bebop or simply 'Bop' changed the face of Jazz forever. 'Bop' LIVES!

[@guzmanbatista67]

Johnny Favorite.

[@Alffovinni]

This is the best. Glen Gray is so tall XD

[@RatPfink66]

He was 6'5" or 6'6", depending who you ask, and was called Spike since his teens.

[@sofiztykat]

Yup, for sure Glen had some excellent musicians in his band, Clarence Hutchenrider was an excellent jazz clarinetist when given the chance to cut loose. For sure, for a white dance band, the Casa Loma could swing when it wanted to.

[@yippie21]

purple kinda got edited out.. heh Nice arrangements and performances.

[@Bielostotsky]

!!!Fabulososo!!!

[@michaelklein5242]

PS: to the few who said the band was past it's prime by the time this short was filmed, go back to the end of the class.

[@perwalden57]

Is it the "same" Harry Rodgers who played 3th trombone with the Artie Shaw band 1938-39?

[@oliverz.3555]

Yes !!

[@brureview]

Any idea who the clarinetist is in Hep and Happy? Clarence Hunchenrider?

[@fromthesidelines]

YES, it was him.

[@jaysteve8048]

A cat that wasn't mentioned in any of ken burns 10 part documentary--Jazz. Thats who he is.

[@Suzu777]

❤️

[@callmeBe]

That's a pretty good brassy sound with just three trumpets (vs. the usual four) with the three bones. Maybe the trpt. section was smaller because so many of the better players at that point were somehow serving in the military? Anyway, to heck with the ballad, let's hear some more Casa Loma swing!

[@andrewbarrett1537]

It all depended on both band budget and also what chords they wanted to make with the horns. When jazz started getting more modern and chords more complex with more added notes, then often another trumpet, trombone, and saxophone was added so that between the horns and the bass, an entire solo could make a 5- or 6-part chord.

[@andrewbarrett1537]

I wrote “soli” but it was autocorrected to “solo” which here is not correct.

[@deeboy5588]

Wow!!! How'd they get all those dancers on such a little stage? And all in unison. ..just don't get it.

[@phredl]

It's just two dancers. It's literally done with mirrors.

[@deeboy5588]

@@phredl oooooh!! Now I get it!! Hey, did you see how the trombone player almost hits you in the face? Crazy man!!

[@sistacoopie2372]

I'm telling you! I was born too late!

[@colinhussey1165]

I agree with you here, I fell in love with the music of the Big Band Era in the early 1970's when in my early teens. The music at that time was utter garbage compared with what was being produced by literally hundreds of big dance bands of the 1930's to the early 1950's. The modern music scene has gradually got even worse. I too was born too late, but we are left with a huge amount of recorded material from that era, both on record and radio remote broadcasts. The Casa Loma Orchestra, which was run as a cooperative led by Glen Gray was a great pre swing era band, and their original name was 'The Orange Blossoms'. There are still quite a few CD's available featuring the Casa Loma Orchestra, should you be interested.

[@sistacoopie2372]

Great Movie in Natalie Kalmus Technicolor,"The Gang's all here"is not only FABULOUS in it's innocent "all things are possible" storyline,but the Benny Goodman opening numbers,"Paducah" and "Minnie's in the money" complete with dancing and Soldiers boppin' is Music at it's best! Also stars Carmen Miranda with her great Banana number choreographed by Busby Berkeley! Another movie,"Hollywood Hotel" in black and white features Benny Goodman in the opening number,not to be missed and then a complete Orchid Room set featuring Gene Krupa Teddy Wilson and Lionel Hampton! Also a complete rendition of "Sing,Sing Sing"! These Cats are insane musicians!Some of the best Big Band footage ever! You can buy these Movies for your collection and I swear you can watch them over and over again!

[@hobbitofny]

There a restored Blu-ray of "The Gang's all here". It is a limit 3000 release. It is well worth it.

[@sistacoopie2372]

Awesome! Thanks!

[@axgoat]

I was born at the tail end of the era (1944) and can still remember walking by a house that had big band blaring from a radio!

[@Woddy52]

Fabelhafte Tanzmusik !

[@mikejones-qk2ou]

Cocoanut Grove? Just Kidding!

[@fredmiddleton4814]

What happened to Purple Moonlight?

[@perwalden57]

Art Ralston is on bassoon and altosax

[@RichardSalvucci]

Murray McEachern, I think (not sure)

[@LuckyRabitFoot]

Has anyone know what are the names of soundtracks playing?

[@fromthesidelines]

The titles of each song are flashed on screen before they're played- "Hep and Happy" is the first; then "Purple Moonlight" (vocal by Kenny Sargent), but not included here; then "Broom Street"; and ending with Pee Wee Hunt's vocal on "Darktown Strutters Ball".

[@basilpeewit3350]

Why was the ballad edited out?

[@dumpstermaster104]

What's the name of the song?

[@ishmaelsykes9739]

Anyone knows what year this video originally aired

[@fromthesidelines]

Originally released in August 1941.

[@ishmaelsykes9739]

Wow beautiful

[@mizzmaddieUTube]

Who is the trombone soloist?

[@igorgoncalves5691]

That was Jim Chapin on the drums ?

[@jefcam814]

WHO'S the curley-haired trumpet player?

[@jasonkellogg388]

That's Corky Cornelius, who died suddenly of kidney failure at age 29. Great player, such a shame.

[@gordonayres2609]

Hep-Hep!

[@mrjimmienoone2130]

Well, the arrangement of the 1st piece is a little primitive: loans from 'When the Saints go marching in'. But the execution is perfect. Hutchenrider and Billy Rauch are admirable musicians. Together with Chick Webb, the Casa Loma Band was the 1st real swing band. Duke Ellington and Lunceford still played "old-fashioned" 2-beat for a long time. Not to speak of Henderson and others.

[@bblegacy]

I could do without the pointless dancing.

[@chucosostenes9242]

HOMO DANCING AUTÉNTICUS ÑIS.