The appropriately named
Avid record label has released more than 35
Glenn Miller compilations.
Avid specializes in
Miller's wartime radio broadcasts;
American Patrol, Vol. 1, issued in 1996, contains 45 performances retrieved from airchecks of programs transmitted to armed forces personnel between March 10 and May 26, 1944. Sponsored and supervised by the Office of War Information, these Music from America shows were useful for boosting morale and winning the war.
Miller's band invariably ran like a well-oiled machine. Vocals were by
Johnny Desmond & the Crew Chiefs. As
Miller was on leave during the broadcast of May 26, 1944, his ensemble operated under the leadership of
Jerry Gray. This is wholesome all-American
big-band pop music with strong undercurrents of
jazz and occasional sugary interludes from a string section. Repertoire ranged from
novelties, smooth
ballads, and slow
dance tunes to authentic
swing standards like
Fats Waller's
"Honeysuckle Rose" and
"Stealin' Apples";
Erskine Hawkins'
"Tuxedo Junction," Lionel Hampton's
"Flying Home," and
Edgar Sampson's
"Stompin' at the Savoy." There's also a smart rendition of
"Farewell Blues," introduced more than 20 years earlier by
the New Orleans Rhythm Kings. As far as
Glenn Miller compilations go, this double CD is a good choice. It contains several of
Miller's biggest hits --
"String of Pearls," "Anvil Chorus," and
"American Patrol" -- but does not include
Miller's cover of
Joe Garland's
"In the Mood." ~ arwulf arwulf
