Threaded Thursday: Less Ripple, More Rhythm

Yesterday we were enjoying the distinctive sounds of Shep Fields and his Rippling Rhythm Orchestra, but Shep had another highly distinctive ensemble during the Big Band Era - one that sounded like nothing else on the airwaves...

Welcome to Shep Fields and His New Music!

The Brass-Less Experiment

Formed in 1941, this band wasn’t just different from the Rippling Rhythm outfit - it was different from everybody. Shep built an all‑reed orchestra, thirty‑something saxes and woodwinds with no brass at all! In an era defined by trumpets and trombones, this was a bold, almost futuristic experiment.

To get a feel for the sound, here’s the group’s theme song, Fire Dance (Bluebird, 1942):

Just a fascinating blend of textures for a dance band!

And to show that the band could still swing with the best of them, here’s Shep’s take on the 1942 instrumental hit “Jersey Bounce”:

Pretty cool, right?

From the Bandstand to Dodge City

Flip that Bluebird record over and you get a taste of how the band handled ballads, with Ken Curtis singing Long May We Love:

Ken Curtis, of course, would gain his greatest fame years later as "Festus" on the long‑running TV western Gunsmoke (appearing from 1959–1975). It used to be enough of a surprise to tell people that Festus had once been a handsome crooner - you’d just mention that he sang (briefly) with Tommy Dorsey (after leaving Shep’s band). Now you practically have to explain Gunsmoke, Festus, Ken Curtis, and Tommy Dorsey before you can even get back to Shep Fields.

Similarly, try dropping into casual conversation that Sid Caesar once played sax in Shep Fields’ all‑reed band. Watch the blank stares roll in.

In any event, Ken shows off his comic timing on Shep’s 1942 Bluebird recording of Breathless:

Lots of fun!

The Canary Connection

Another shift with the New Music band was Shep’s increased use of female vocalists - or, as I like to say, canaries. Here’s ace canary Meredith Blake singing the wonderful Frank Loesser/Jimmy McHugh song Let’s Get Lost from a 1943 broadcast:

Shep didn’t get the chance to record this song commercially, as the recording ban was in effect at the time, but we’re fortunate to have radio airchecks, V‑Discs, and transcription recordings to help fill in some of the gaps.

Meredith was still with the band in late 1944 when the ban was lifted, and she provides a lovely vocal on “Sweet Dreams, Sweetheart,” from the Warner Brothers picture Hollywood Canteen.

I like that song a lot. Is it because I have a total retro‑crush on the idealized version of Joan Leslie from that movie? Possibly...

Return of the Ripple

But the ways of show business being what they are, Shep eventually found that there was more demand for his Rippling Rhythm style in the leaner post‑war big‑band market, so he returned to that sound.

 Even so, his New Music band left behind some genuinely fascinating records — and if nothing else, it proves that Shep Fields had one of the most unusual and adventurous career arcs of the entire era!

Brass or no brass - what’s your take? 

Let me know; look for me down another Shep‑Fields‑shaped rabbit hole!

Word Association Wednesday: Rippling Rhythm

Following Sunday’s “Rockin’ in Rhythm,” my brain took a wandering path to today’s Word Association. Rhythm is such a broad musical word that it needed a lot of narrowing down. So I thought: keep it alliterative — and boom, I arrived at Rippling Rhythm! Specifically, Shep Fields and His Rippling Rhythm Orchestra.

Shep burst onto the big band scene in 1936 and was immediately successful with his band’s unique style that really did sound like… well, Rippling Rhythm!

The Signature Style

If you’re not familiar, a listen to the Bluebird record of the band’s theme song — titled (what else?) Rippling Rhythm - will tell you all you need to know.

Is it corny? Yes.

Is it gimmicky? Yes.

Is it shticky? Yes.

Do I love it? Absolutely.

The combination of Shep blowing through a straw into a glass of water, the accordion glissandos, the temple blocks, and all the other little touches is irresistible to me.

The Hits Keep Coming

Let's spin a few of Shep's big hits, spotlighting his vocalists...

The band’s first big hit was the 1936 recording of Did I Remember from the MGM movie Suzy. starring Jean Harlow.

That one features Charles Chester, the band’s original male vocalist.

Next up is the vocalist I most associate with the band, Bobby Goday, who does the honors on Thanks for the Memory, the famous Bob Hope theme song introduced by Bob and Shirley Ross in Paramount’s Big Broadcast of 1938. Shep and the band appeared in the movie too!

As i mentioned, when I think of Shep Fields, I think of Bobby Goday’s vocals. I don’t know anything else about Bobby or Charles Chester, though - it’s like they appeared, made some records with Shep, and then vanished!

The next vocalist, Hal Derwin (sometimes spelled Derwyn), had a much more prominent solo career, however, including a successful stint with Capitol Records in the 1940s.

Here’s Hal singing another of Shep’s big hits, South of the Border from 1939.

You’ll notice the slightly streamlined billing: Shep Fields and His Rippling Rhythm, rather than Rippling Rhythm Orchestra!

The Warehouse Find

Next is my “fan favorite” pick 1936's Us on a Bus:

Apparently the Broadway show that introduced Us on a Bus - Summer Wives - was a huge flop in 1936, running only five performances! But hey, we still got a charming song out of it, which led to a charming record.

It’s also interesting that the songwriting team, Tot Seymour and Vee Lawnhurst, were both women - pretty rare for the time, and pretty cool!

The record itself is a rarity too. Not only does it feature a vocal by stage star Mary Jane Walsh (who does a terrific job), but it might be the only Shep Fields record of the entire decade to feature a female singer!

If you woke up today expecting Ellington → Shep Fields → Jean Harlow → Bob Hope → border crossings  → bus honeymoons… well, congratulations, you’re officially inside my brain!

Please exit through the gift shop...

Monday Side-Session: Baritone Bedrock - Harry Carney Steps Out

Yesterday we enjoyed Duke Ellington’s Rockin’ in Rhythm, so today we turn the spotlight on that song’s co‑writer - longtime Ellington baritone sax man Harry Carney.

Carney didn’t step out front often — he didn’t need to. His baritone was the foundation of the Ellington orchestra, the thing everything else rested on. But when he did record under his own name, the results are absolutely worth a listen.

The 1940s — Harry Carney’s Big Eight (H.R.S., 1946)

First up are a couple of sides from Harry Carney’s Big Eight, recorded for the H.R.S. label in 1946.

Here’s Harry’s composition Candy Cane:

And the flipside, pianist Jimmy Jones’s Minor Mirage:

A look at the label shows that the “Eight” are definitely big - in addition to Harry and Jimmy, there’s trombonist Lawrence Brown, alto saxist Otto Hardwick, and bassist Billy Taylor, all Ellington men. They’re joined by top session players Ted Nash on tenor sax, Joe Thomas on trumpet, and my favorite, Jimmy Crawford on drums!

The 1950s — Harry Carney with Strings (Clef, 1955)

Jumping to 1955, jazz impresario Norman Granz had Harry record his first‑ever album, the descriptively titled “Harry Carney with Strings” for the Clef label.

Here’s the single featuring the oldie Moonlight on the Ganges:

And on the flipside, Harry’s own composition We’re in Love Again:

In addition to the strings, Ellington bandmates Ray Nance (trumpet) and Jimmy Hamilton (clarinet) join Harry on these lovely, warm sides.

The 1960s — Harry Carney and the Duke’s Men (Columbia, 1961)

A few years later, in 1960/61, Harry recorded an album for Columbia titled Rock Me Gently, featuring arrangements and compositions by British musician Kenny Graham in his self‑described “Afro‑Cubist” style.

Two of the tracks were paired on a British 45 rpm single.

Here’s the very British‑titled Blues for Blokes:

And the flipside, with the decidedly non‑British title of Mabulala:

The album and single are credited to “Harry Carney and the Duke’s Men,” with said men including Ray Nance and tenor saxist Paul Gonsalves.

So there we go — Three decades, three projects, and a lifetime of being the "rhythm" in Duke's rock. Do you prefer Harry in a small-group swing setting, or wrapped in the lush strings of the 1950s?

"Rockin' in Rhythm" (1931)

Next up in our survey of Duke Ellington songs is the unstoppable “Rockin’ in Rhythm,” first recorded in 1931. This tune became a staple of the Ellington book for decades, and for good reason—it really does rock.

The First Recording: The Harlem Footwarmers (1931)

Duke's first recording of the song was released under the "Harlem Footwarmers" name on Okeh Records. It’s a perfect snapshot of the band’s high-energy transition into the 1930s.

The Carney Connection: The heart of this song belongs to baritone saxophonist Harry Carney. The song was actually built around a riff Harry was "noodling" with during a rehearsal. Duke heard it, stopped the band, and said, "What was that? Play it again." Duke then built the arrangement around it, creating the ultimate showcase for Carney's massive, anchor-like tone—a sound that would stay in the band for the next 47 years!

The Organ Twist: Milt Herth Trio (1938)

Jumping ahead to 1938, the Milt Herth Trio put their own spin on the tune for Decca Records. This one features Frank Froeba on piano, O’Neil Spencer on drums, and Milt himself on the Hammond organ.

A fun, bouncy take — and unmistakably Herth.

The Big Band Lift: Charlie Barnet (1940/1947)

Charlie Barnet was no stranger to Duke’s music, and he cut a terrific version of “Rockin’ in Rhythm” for Bluebird in 1940:

Sounds great!

Barnet must have had a special affection for the tune, because he returned to it in 1947 for the independent Apollo label - this time with legendary tap dancer Bunny Briggs providing a joyous scat vocal:

Bunny later danced with Duke's band quite a bit!

The Two‑Sider: Lionel Hampton (1948)

Moving to 1948, here’s a powerhouse version by Lionel Hampton, spread across both sides of a Decca 78:

Just one word for that - awesome!

The LP Expansion: Ellington ’55 (1954)

Duke himself revisited Rockin’ in Rhythm for his 1954 Capitol LP Ellington ’55:

Duke took advantage of the LP format to expand on some of his old tunes and it's fun to compare the versions!

The Songbook Swing: Ella & Duke (1957)

Duke recorded the tune again with the great Ella Fitzgerald's scat vocal for the appropriately titled 1957 Verve album Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book:

That's really fun! Dig those high trumpet notes from Cat Anderson!

The Trumpet Titan: Harry James (1960)

Veteran trumpeter and bandleader Harry James added his own reading of the tune on his 1960 MGM album Harry James Today.

Today or any day, Harry sounds great!

The Scat Finale: Maxine Sullivan & Bob Wilber (1969)

We’ll jump ahead to 1969 for one more scat‑driven version — this one by vocalist Maxine Sullivan with saxophonist Bob Wilber from their Monmouth Evergreen album Close As Pages in a Book:

Maxine’s cool delivery paired with Wilber’s soprano sax (channeling Sidney Bechet) is a perfect 1960s nightcap for a 1930s classic!

From Harry Carney’s original baritone riff to Ella’s fireworks, Rockin' in Rhythm never seems to age. Do you prefer it as a pure instrumental burner, or does the scatting take the prize?

Friday Fun: Third Mood

For our final “mood” song in this series, we jump to 1942 for the lovely ballad Can’t Get Out of This Mood, written by Frank Loesser and Jimmy McHugh for the RKO picture Seven Days’ Leave. It’s one of those wartime songs that manages to be both dreamy and grounded - a little escapism wrapped in a melody that lingers longer than you expect.

The Hit: Kay Kyser and His Orchestra (1942)

Let’s spin Kay Kyser's hit version on Columbia. The vocalists are only credited by their first names on the label -a homey touch - but the lineup is Harry Babbitt supported by Julie Conway, Trudy Erwin, Jack Martin, and Max Williams.

The song was introduced in the film by former Kyser vocalist Ginny Simms, though she never made a commercial recording of it. 

Fun Fact: Trudy Erwin’s real first name was actually Virginia, but after Ginny Simms left the band, Kay didn’t want another "Virginia" on the roster - so Trudy she became!

The Flipside: Moonlight Mood

If we flip that 78 over, we find out exactly what kind of mood they were talking about: Moonlight Mood:

The label just lists the Glee Club as the vocalists, but that’s definitely Harry singing lead again, probably with the same four backup singers - more or less! And a nice solo from tenor sax star Herbie Haymer to boot!

By this point, the Kyser band was far less formulaic than it had been in the late 1930s, when every song came with a singing song title. They still turned out plenty of fun material, but they could also deliver beautiful ballads like these two.

And it certainly didn’t hurt to have the wonderful Harry Babbitt still around. (Did I mention that he’s my favorite male band vocalist of the entire big band era?)

You know, I originally thought that I would do a quick little post here, sharing the two sides of the Kay Kyser record with “mood” in the title and calling it a day. But, that’s not the way I work, though, is it?

In the Moonlight Mood

Let’s hear another version of Moonlight Mood. It was probably inevitable that a song with both "moonlight" and "mood" in the title would get Glenn Miller's attention and, indeed, he recorded the song for Victor in 1942:

That’s Skip Nelson singing with The Modernaires, although he’s oddly not credited on the label. Skip was Ray Eberle’s replacement with the Miller band and I think he fits right in, but he only got to record a few songs with the band, as the recording band kicked in, then Glenn broke up the band to join the Army Air Force.

It’s a fleeting little chapter in the Miller story, but a lovely one.

The Mood Gets Long-er

Now we’ll swing back to Can’t Get Out of this Mood with another 1942 recording. Here’s Johnny Long on Decca:

I know I’m partial to Johnny Long due to his first name and his appearance with his band in the 1943 Abbott & Costello movie Hit the Ice (coincidentally also co-starring Ginny Simms), but I think he had a solid band!

The Divine Take

Moving to 1950, we find Sarah Vaughan -“The Divine One” - taking the song to a whole new level of cool on Columbia:

This is one of those performances where you can practically hear the air change temperature. She stretches the melody, reshapes the phrasing, and turns the tune into something sleek, modern, and unmistakably hers!

The Modern Touch: Samara Joy (2022)

Now to show that the spirit of Sarah Vaughan is in capable hands and to prove that I’m not totally stuck in the 1940s, here’s a gorgeous contemporary take on Can’t Get Out of This Mood by the phenomenal Samara Joy. This was the lead-off track from her 2022 Verve album Linger Awhile, which swept the Grammys and helped her take home Best New Artist.

She’s certainly keeping us in that mood!

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So… who wins the Mood Crown?

Does Harry Babbitt’s mid‑century charm still hold the crown for you,
or has Samara Joy’s modern classicism - by way of Sarah Vaughan - won you over?

Either way, it’s been a joy wandering through these moods with you this week!

Threaded Thursday: Second Mood

For our next “mood” song, we land on perhaps the best-known title of the entire swing era to feature the word—Glenn Miller’s massive 1939 instrumental hit In the Mood.

The Juggernaut: Glenn Miller (1939)

Let’s spin that original Bluebird record: 

It holds up no matter how many times you hear it—the build-up, the false endings, and that precision-drilled reed section.

The tune became so closely associated with the Miller band that it was featured prominently in the 1941 Fox film Sun Valley Serenade.

Here’s a clip:

It’s great fun seeing Tex Beneke and Al Klink recreate their famous tenor‑sax “duel.” And that’s Billy May taking the trumpet solo — stepping in for Clyde Hurley, who played it on the 1939 recording.

I’m so glad the band got to perform the whole number without any overdubbed dialogue that I don’t even mind the closeups of Sonja Henie mooning over co‑star John Payne, who plays the band’s pianist in the movie!

The Lyrics: Al Donahue feat. Paula Kelly

As with many popular instrumentals, “In the Mood” acquired lyrics, written by the prolific Andy Razaf. Here’s a 1939 Vocalion recording by Al Donahue, featuring future Miller vocalist Paula Kelly singing those lyrics: 

It’s a fun record, and Paula is great, but you still can’t top the excitement stirred up by Glenn’s instrumental arrangement.

The Evolution: Ernie Fields (1959)

To show the tune had legs, let’s jump ahead to 1959 for this updated version by Ernie Fields on the Rendezvous label: 

It’s a snappy little record that brings a bit of a shuffle beat to the proceedings, but we all know who’s still the champ of this particular mood:

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Does the movie version with the beat the original Bluebird disc for you, or do those Razaf lyrics actually add something to the experience?

Word Association Wednesday: First Mood

As we move from Mood Indigo into Word Association Wednesday, my head is spinning a little - there are so many songs with “mood” in the title! But I’ve settled on a few favorites, and we’ll visit them over the next couple of days.

The Original: Frances Langford (1935)

Today we start with the great Jimmy McHugh/Dorothy Fields standard I’m in the Mood for Love, introduced in the 1935 Paramount picture Every Night at Eight. 

Frances Langford introduced the song in the film and recorded it for Brunswick.

Very Nice! Here is a clip of her from the movie:

It’s interesting that Frances got to sing the hit song and play George Raft’s love interest, especially with the higher-billed Alice Faye in the cast. But Hollywood had its own logic: Alice would soon become a major star at Fox, while Frances carved out a long, successful career on radio. 

The Satchmo Touch: Louis Armstrong (1935)

As a contrast, here’s a contemporary cover by Louis Armstrong on Decca:

Satchmo is absolutely the whole show here - trumpet solo, vocal, and a final trumpet solo - all riding over those vaguely Lombardo-esque saxophones!

The Evolution: James Moody (1949)

If we jump ahead to 1949, we find a very different use of a saxophone: an alto in the hands of James Moody. He recorded this brilliant improvisation in Sweden, which was issued in the U.S. on the Prestige label:

This version caused such a sensation that it earned its own nickname: “Moody’s Mood for Love.” It’s a great example of how a musician can find a completely new architecture within a familiar melody.

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Which version puts you in the mood for love? Are you partial to the classic Langford vocal, Satchmo's trumpet, or the bebop brilliance of the Moody mood?