Woody Herman: Leader of the 'Thundering Herds' Parts 1 & 2 Harry James: 'The Man with The Horn' Billy Strayhorn: 'Portrait of a Silk Thread' The troubled genius of Stan Getz Who was Glenn Miller? 'Let Me Off Uptown': The life of Gene Krupa
Jazz Embers
Excerpts featuring Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller, Dave Brubeck, Lou Levy, Gerry Mulligan, Buddy Rich, Chu Berry, Harry James, Milt Hinton,Tommy Dorsey, Bix Beiderbecke, Mel Torme, Anita O'Day, Terry Gibbs, Benny Goodman, Cab Calloway, Woody Herman, Charlie Barnet, and Glenn Miller.
Drummer Jack Twomey & The Jazz Thunder Big Band perform "Keen & Peachy", composed and arranged in 1947 by Shorty Rogers for Woody Herman & His Orchestra. Transcription by Peter Anderson for Jack Twomey. For more information on this performance, see it on Youtube .
Benny Goodman and I walked across the parking lot of the Valley Forge Music Fair after a performance in October, 1974. He was tall, and wore a long light brown camelhair coat. He examined the book I had asked him to sign, holding it under the single lightbulb over the stage door exit so he could read the title. I asked him why one of his records (Popcorn Man) was pulled from the shelves of record stores on its release date in 1937, a fact noted on an album I owned. While walking, he looked at me and asked "What was on the other side of that disc?" I said I had no idea. The tune had been released only in LP format 20 years later. He said, "Well, it was the other side of the record. Something was wrong with that".
The 'Golden Glow of the Front Row' of Trombones & Saxophones in the Jack Twomey/Jazz Thunder Big Band:(L-R) Ron Hay, Michael Engstrom, Alex Jeun. Saxophones: Peter Anderson, Bob Curtis, Tim Hunt.
The New York City based Jazz Thunder Big Band was formed in 1990 by drummer Jack Twomey. Spend some rehearsal time with the band on YouTube. GoogleJack Twomey. To book The Jazz Thunder Big Band or TheRoyal Manhattan Quartet, call (914) 772-7896, or click on the email link below for inquiries.
