Claude Thornhill was one of the most respected personalities in the swing and big band eras

Pianist, bandleader and composer Claude Thornhill was one of the most respected personalities in the swing and big band eras, admired by his peers for the unique, distinctive and stylish approach of his orchestras, as well as his skill and versatility as a pianist within other leaders' orchestras, especially when accompanying the top singers of the day. He came to prominence in the mid-30s, playing with the bands of Benny Goodman, Louis Prima, Ray Noble, Billie Holiday and Maxine Sullivan before forming his own orchestra in 1937. His unusual and original sound came from the fact that his musical textures did not employ vibrato, with the colour coming from using instruments often not associated with jazz. Working with arranger Gil Evans in the '40s, he made some highly innovative recordings which greatly influenced bebop artists like Miles Davis, and his work stands apart from many of his contemporaries during those years. This excellent-value 46-track collection covers the two core decades of his career, from his studio debut in 1934 through to 1953, by which time changing tastes and the economic climate had seen the demise of most big bands. It includes examples of his early work with other leaders, where his piano makes a tasteful and stylish contribution, but primarily features the recordings of his own orchestras before and after his WWII military service, with his style developing into sophisticated orchestral pieces which almost transcend the boundaries of jazz. It is an entertaining insight into the work of one of the genre's most distinctive stylists

Track Listing

• Take My Word
• Jamaica Shout
• In A Little Spanish Town
• Way Down Yonder In New Orleans
• The Buzzard
• Take My Heart
• Stop You're Breaking My Heart
• Gone With The Wind
• Loch Lomond
• He's Funny That Way
• The Moon Looks Down And Laughs
• I Wish I Had You
• Down The Old Ox Road
• Love Tales
• Hungarian Dance No. 5
• Portrait Of A Guinea Farm
• Snowfall
• Where Or When
• Le Papillon
• Rustle Of Spring
• Autumn Nocturne
• Where Has My Little Dog Gone
• Somebody Nobody Loves
• Somebody Else is Taking My Place
• Be Careful It's My Heart

• Buster's Last Stand
• There's A Small Hotel
• I Don't Know Why
• Under The Willow Tree
• Arab Dance
• A Sunday Kind Of Love
• I Get The Blues When it Rains
• Early Autumn
• The Troubadour
• La Paloma
• Warsaw Concerto
• Anthropology
• Sorta Kind
• Love For Love
• Robbins' Nest
• Polka Dots And Moonbeams
• Donna Lee
• Yardbird Suite
• Let's Call It A Day
• To Each His Own
• Medley: When I'm With You, Puttin' And Takin', By A Rippling Stream

Additional Details

Label: Acrobat

Genre: Jazz

Language: English

Run Time: 143 mins

Region: 0

Release Date: 09/18/15

UPC: 824046205423