[78-L] The Hill Darn Thing's For You

[simmonssomer]

What sets this Teddy Hill performance apart from that of a "sweet" band is 
that every note is consistently played just a fraction ...behind the beat. 
Sweet bands don't/can't play that way. It's one of those subtle trademarks 
of the realy good swing era, jazz inflected bands.
There's more solid brass in the melody statement than in the usual "sweet' 
band which  likes to deliver muted triple tongue effects, soppy tenor lead 
exposition,
novelty sounds like "tick-tock" or slurping champagne through a bubbly 
straw. Admittedly bands like Anson Weeks didn't stoop to these effects but 
his ensemble sound left a whole lot to be desired. Check Dick Jurgens to see 
how it should be done by a "sweet" band..
Although the Hill performance is subdued  it has the same rhythmic 
philosophy as did the Lunceford band which was not a "hot" band as such, 
but had a relaxed tempo that swung like mad.

Al S,

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Taylor Bowie" <bowiebks at isomedia.com>
To: "78-L Mail List" <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
Sent: Monday, April 13, 2009 12:56 PM
Subject: [78-L] The Hill Darn Thing's For You


> Al is right...it's all in the sound...but (to return to the original 
> record
> which started this discussion) I think the sound of the Teddy Hill record 
> of
> Got Me Doin' Things IS a  "sweet band" sound.
>
> In my dictionary,  a sweet band or a sweet band arrangement is not a
> pejorative description,  and the band does not have to be playing in the
> style of the more "over the top" sorts of groups like Blue Barron or Ray
> Pearl.
>
> Something bouncy and peppy,  and even with an occasional lightly jazzy 
> solo,
> can still qualify as a "sweet band" style performance.  Many of the Anson
> Weeks records could be described that way,  as well as those of Freddy
> Martin esp. in the 30s.  And I think that's the "category" of this
> particular record,  not that we need to put it or anything else into a
> category in order to enjoy.
>
> Taylor
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "simmonssomer" <simmonssomer at comcast.net>
> To: "78-L Mail List" <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
> Sent: Monday, April 13, 2009 8:27 AM
> Subject: Re: [78-L] Good post from fnarf
>
>
>> Jeff  et al...I am aware that the black( and white) bands played waltzes
>> and
>> novelty numbers...but that did not make them "sweet" bands.
>>
>> You see folks...it's all in the sound...not the type of songs.
>>
>> Al S.
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "Julian Vein" <julianvein at blueyonder.co.uk>
>> To: "78-L Mail List" <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
>> Sent: Monday, April 13, 2009 10:16 AM
>> Subject: Re: [78-L] Good post from fnarf
>>
>>
>>> Jeff Sultanof wrote:
>>>> Al,
>>>  For years he would point out at Institute of Jazz Studies
>>>> Roundtable presentations that we could not get a full picture of the
>>>> black
>>>> bands because much of what they played on the job, even during the 
>>>> times
>>>> of
>>>> their greatest popularity, was music that the labels wouldn't allow 
>>>> them
>>>> to
>>>> record. The fact that even Benny Goodman had waltzes in his book proves
>>>> the
>>>> point. There was always someone who would request a waltz somewhere, 
>>>> and
>>>> bandleaders were expected to comply.
>>>
>>>> Jeff Sultanof
>>> ===============
>>> Having said that, are there any broadcasts where Goodman played a waltz?
>>> Perhaps he only played them in country dance halls (the most likely
>>> places they would have been performed) which weren't connected to the
>>> airwaves.
>>>
>>> I for one am glad that we don't have a full picture of what black bands
>>> played!
>>>
>>>      Julian Vein
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
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>>
>>
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