[78-L] Obit Orin Tucker

[Jeff Sultanof]

The story of Elgart on Columbia is an interesting one.

In 1953/4, Columbia signed three bandleaders to see whether there was any
interest (I can imagine Mitch Miller screaming his head off; here's the guy
who let Count Basie go). George Avakian spearheaded the attempt, if I recall
correctly. The bandleaders were Elgart, Pete Rugolo and Dan Terry. Rugolo
made some great sides, but Mitch Miller harassed him to the point of Rugolo
leaving (running is more like it) after a year. Terry made some good
Basie-style recordings but they didn't sell.

Avakian personally took charge of Elgart's recordings, and he later said
that the Elgart LPs were very popular sellers for the Columbia Record Club.
The Elgart's must have sold records in nice numbers, since the band stayed
with the label for many years (although Larry left in 1963 to try leading
his own group; he always returned to his brother's band).

The Elgart band that recorded for Brunswick and Decca was more
'experimental.' The Columbias are dance band sides through and through. It
also helped that Bandstand Boogie became Dick Clark's theme for American
Bandstand, although I believe that that was more a turntable hit than a big
seller. Elgart's band did not have a piano (Elgart wanted a lighter sound),
so the guitar was very pronounced in the rhythm section, making the band
sound lighter and bouncier.

I believe that Larry still leads the band. I did know one arranger who was
hired some years ago to reconstruct some of the book.

Jeff Sultanof

On Wed, Apr 20, 2011 at 1:02 PM, David Lennick <dlennick at sympatico.ca>wrote:

> Forgot that the question was about both Elgarts. I've seen quite a few Les
> Elgart Columbia 78s. None in Lord..they were kind of on the pop side, as I
> recall.
>
> dl
>
> On 4/20/2011 12:57 PM, David Lennick wrote:
> > Larry Elgart's Music for Barefoot Ballerinas was issued at all 3 speeds
> as an
> > album set in 1955, but there seems to be only one 78 single from him,
> Decca
> > 29666: What the Thunder Said/Spanish Lace. That's on Decca. Was he on any
> other
> > label as a bandleader?
> >
> > dl
> >
> > On 4/20/2011 12:51 PM, Eric Goldberg wrote:
> >> Hopefully, there will always be big bands. That said...Larry Elgart's
> band, as well as Les', were later bands and were not part of the glory days
> of the big dance band. Did either Elgart ever have a record that came out
> originally only on 78s? In fact were Elgart records ever on 78s or did they
> just miss that transition period of simultaneous 78 and 45 releases?
> >>
> >> I remember when Artie Shaw died I thought that that was the last of the
> big band era leaders. Yet his music still lives.
> >>
> >> Then Blue Barron died, and now Orin Tucker....They may have died more
> recently than Shaw but their music died long ago. (just a joke..I know that
> their recordings will go on forever).
> >>
> >> Eric
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> --- On Tue, 4/19/11, DAVID BURNHAM<burnhamd at rogers.com>   wrote:
> >>
> >>> From: DAVID BURNHAM<burnhamd at rogers.com>
> >>> Subject: [78-L] Obit Orin Tucker
> >>> To: 78-L at 78online.com
> >>> Date: Tuesday, April 19, 2011, 5:15 PM
> >>> The last of the big band leaders?
> >>>
> >>> I realize that greatness is very subjective but isn't Larry
> >>> Elgart still alive?
> >>>    I've always enjoyed the Elgart recordings.
> >>>
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