program notes by composition > G > Glenn Miller in Concert
arr. Wayne Scott
Glenn Miller in Concert
Glenn Miller and his orchestra helped define the sound of the swing era. This is a medley of five tunes made popular by the Glenn Miller orchestra back when passenger trains existed and area codes did not: “At Last,” “Chattanooga Choo Choo,” “Moonlight Serenade,”
“Pennsylvania 6-5000,” and “Little Brown Jug.”
Glenn Miller (1904–1944) was a hugely popular big-band bandleader in the 1930s and ‘40s Swing Era. He arranged, composed and played trombone. He was born in Iowa and grew up in Nebraska, Missouri and Colorado. With a constant string of hits, his band appeared in two movies and was featured three times a week on CBS Radio. Miller was the best-selling recording artist from 1939 to 1943, more popular in his era than the Beatles were in theirs. He enlisted at the peak of his civilian career to help the war effort as a musician. In 1944 he took his 50-piece Army Air Forces Band to England to entertain the troops.
Preparing to move the band to France, Miller was lost when his light aircraft disappeared in bad weather over the English Channel.
Glenn Miller in Concert
Last updated on May 7, 2018 by Palatine Concert Band