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!