Dave Whitney Big Band
at the Sherborn Inn, November 1, 2011
Dave Whitney Big Band |
| Trumpets: |
Herb Lawrence |
| |
Joe Musumeci |
| |
Mel Deveau |
| |
Dave Whitney |
| Trombone: |
Scott Hills |
|
| |
Mike Strauss |
| Reeds: |
Blair Bettencourt |
| |
Bob Drukman |
| |
Arthur Bakopolus |
| |
Craig Ball |
| Piano: |
Steve Dale |
| Bass: |
Dave LeBleu |
| Drums: |
Reid Jorgensen |
| Vocals: |
Dave Whitney |
| |
Blair Bettencourt |
|
The wonderful music of the 30's and 40's emanated
from the Sherborn Inn on Tuesday, by Dave Whitney's Big
Band, with tunes by Gershwin, Tommy Dorsey, Duke, Basie,
Irving Berlin, Woody Herman, and more, and many
arrangements by Chris Powers.
There were several substitutes - Jay Kaiser, trombone, was on another one
of his junkets. Mike
Strauss played dazzling trombone on Night Train. Scott Hills took over for Irving Berlin's
Marie, with Dave on vocal, and Craig doing Bud Freeman's
sax solo. Nice. Bari sax Kathleen Howland was teaching a class in Music
Therapy. Vocalist Sophia Stevens and Ben Goldstein
are both recovering from surgery and should be back
soon. But the band was still outstanding.
When Somebody Thinks You're Wonderful is their
opening theme. Whitney's version of Hoagie
Carmichael's Georgia On My Mind on muted trumpet
was superb. Popular in the 40's, Dave's
vocal on In My Adobe Hacienda. Blair
Bettencourt surprised everyone with his fine vocal on a standard of the 70's After The Loving.
Even members of the band didn't know he could sing!
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Four saxes
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Arthur Bakopolus took
the special on alto sax for All Of Me, a favorite of #1 fan, Lynn
Sickles. For the dancers, the band played a nice two-beat dance tune, Paradise.
It used to be a waltz.
The band always played a Baker's Dozen at Angelica's, and the
dancers loved it. Benson Wong, who runs the website
http://www.havetodance.com/, the
biggest swing dance website in New England,
really enjoyed swinging to these!!
- Glenn Miller's 1935 In The Mood
- Benny Goodman' Don't Be That Way
- Tommy Dorsey's Opus One
- Jimmy Dorsey's
Long John Silver
- Stan Kenton's Eager Beaver
- Jan Savitt's
720 In the Books
- Basie's Kansas City One O'Clock
Jump
- Jimmy Lundsford's For Dancers Only
- Woody Herman's 1929 Woodchopper's Ball
-
Artie Shaw's 1938
Begin The Beguine
- Les Brown's 1939 Leap Frog
- The Duke's 1941
A Train, by Billy Strayhorn
- Harry James' Back Beat Boogie 1939
Steve Dale had the first chorus on Basie's Moten Swing,
then backed by the fabulous rhythm boys, LeBleu on string bass and Reid Jorgenson drums.
Reid Jorgensen |
Dave LeBleu |
Steve Dale |
There were many fine soloists -
|
Nice tenor sax solo by Craig Ball on
Marie |
Arthur Bakipolus on Hodges' Sunny
Side Of The Street, |
Whitney used Rex Stewart's half-valve
technique on
Boy Meets Horn. |
|
Joe Musumeci |
Mike Strauss |
Scott Hills |
Joe Musumeci, lead trumpet, was featured on Darkness
on the Delta. Mike Strauss elegant trombone on Ellington's
Rose of The Rio
Grande.
The 1920's Tiny Hill Territory Band's Skirts was a
favorite one of the band. Another medley of three famous tunes, Glen Miller's
Pennsylvania 6-5000, Little Brown Jug, and Jerry Gray's String of
Pearls, played just the way we want to hear them! The
powerful, energetic trumpet section added a bit of bebop into
Honeysuckle Rose. Slower tempo for Neil Hefty's Little Darlin'.
Reid's fine drum introduced Duke's Brazilian Sunset, a Latin
American tune of the 60's, with Whitney on maracas. Reid
used brushes for his fantastic drum solo!
Chris Powers' Pie Face, Dave hot on muted trumpet.
Time's up - much too soon! They closed with a request for Where
or When. Where or when indeed - we'd like to hear them
more often!
Dave Whitney's Big Band is always a listening and
dancing pleasure. They play the marvelous music of the
30's and 40's just the way we remember it. Call (978) 667-5524 to hire
the band and find out for yourself!
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| By Marce,
Updated November 7, 2011 |
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