Glen Gray & His Casa Loma Orchestra - Live From The Meadowbrook Ballroom, Сedar Grove, NJ. (1940)

Here's two better than average quality home recordings of the Casa Loma Band taken from the Meadowbrook Ballroom in Cedar Grove, NJ, from two weekend shows in March of 1940. Glenn never had any big-name players in his outfit (unless you count guys like Pee Wee Hunt and Murray McEachern in the trombone section), but the band played with a precision and swing that was mesmerizing. It was also a self-contained band, in the sense that there were no add-on boy or girl singers, the vocalizing being handled by reedman Kenny Sargent or trombonist Hunt. The reed section of the Casa Loma Orchestra was its true secret weapon, with the players doubling, tripling, and quadrupling on clarinet, flute, oboe, bassoon, alto, tenor, soprano, baritone, and bass saxophones. Chart wise, the band moves effortlessly on these broadcasts, from its theme of "Smoke Rings" to swingers like "Tuxedo Junction," "Honeysuckle Rose," and "How High the Moon" to novelties like "Wham!" to heavyweight material like "Prelude in C Sharp Minor." A well-rounded band that was one of the true innovators of the big-band era, the Casa Loma Orchestra is one of the hidden treasures from this era just waiting to be discovered. Well worth investigating.