Plenty of folks, when asked about their musical tastes, will talk about remembering music their parents listened to. In my case, my parents were of the Greatest Generation; children of the Great Depression, and young adults during World War 2. The funny thing is they didn't listen to a lot of music. Dad refused to play the radio while driving, claiming its noise might mask something going wrong with the car. Mom had a thing for Italian opera as she got older, and had a few Mario Lanza and Enrico Caruso albums. In Dad's case his eschewing music was kind of odd because he had a splendid baritone singing voice and, while working for John Deere in the '60s and '70s, was actually a member of their men's choir, "The MeloDeeres."
One time, though, while scrounging around in the crawl space at the top of the house looking for something - what I don't remember - I came across an old stack of 78-rpm acetate records with names that seemed vaguely familiar - Hoagy Carmichael, Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman. Mom said that they had been hers, some from before the war, some during, some after she and Dad were married. So I played them - and wow. What talent!
It's hard to pick out just five great tunes from those days, but I think I've arrived at a pretty good selection.
Hoagy Carmichael: "Stardust." Not many could tickle the ivories like Hoagy Carmichael. He had a knack for moving from tempo to tempo, flawlessly shifting gears while the endless stream of notes flowed. "Stardust" almost makes you feel like you're dancing with an attractive partner, perhaps on a luxurious balcony with a view of the sky, the stars shining down on one enchanted evening.
Glenn Miller: "In The Mood." I share some sort of background with the great Glenn Miller; not only was he an Army Air Forces guy like Dad, but he was an Iowan, born in the small town of Clarinda, from which he sprang forth into the music scene, rising to fame in the late '30s and early '40s. This tune really showcases the butter-smooth tones of Miller's trombone, and listening to it, it's mandatory to start a toe-tapping.See Related: Start Your Weekend Right With Five Great Pieces of Classical Music
Artie Shaw: "Begin the Beguine." This song comes to us from 1938. I have a very early memory of my paternal grandfather humming this tune, and it wasn't until I heard it from one of my Mom's records that I realized he hadn't just made it up. By this time Grandpa was almost 90 and in a nursing home, but once when my brother and I had driven down to Waukon to see him, I hummed it for him and asked him what it was. His face lit up. "Begin the Beguine!"
Glenn Miller: "Moonlight Serenade." I had to toss in another Glenn Miller hit, because this one, "Moonlight Serenade," seems to pop up in every modern movie or show set during WW2, when they want to show a romantic dancing scene - or just a romantic scene in general. And it suits; again, Glenn Miller makes with the rich trombone notes, with his great band backing him up. It evokes images of kisses in the moonlight, doesn't it? Sadly, Miller died in a plane crash late in 1944. Who knows what he may have done?Benny Goodman: "Sing, Sing, Sing." If this doesn't fill you with the urge to leap out onto the dance floor, there's just plain something wrong with you. It's a great, rollicking tune that evokes gals in slinky silk dresses and flashy dudes in zoot suits. Written in 1935, it's a song that might even be fun enough to take your mind off of the fact that the country was mired in the FDR Depression, the worst economic crisis the nation has seen - unless Kamala Harris manages to win the election.See Related: Start Your Weekend Right With Five Great Songs About Places
This was a great era for music, wasn't it? Big bands and big horn sections were the order of the day. It may not be the music I grew up with; my older brother had more to do with what I listened to as a kid, as he is 13 years older than me, and had me listening to Arlo Guthrie, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, and so on. But that accidental find of a few old lacquer albums in the crawl space opened my eyes up to a whole different musical scene, and boy am I glad it did.
Any suggestions? The comments, as always, are yours!
