Why is it that, of all the big band leaders, Glenn Miller seems to tower over the rest?
Even now, 50 years to the day since his plane disappeared over the English Channel, Miller remains a cultural icon. It isn't just that his recordings continue to sell and his arrangements are still being played; it's the fact that even those whose parents weren't born when Miller died recognize the sound of "Chattanooga Choo-Choo" and "In the Mood." For millions of Americans, Miller virtually epitomizes the big band era.
Why, though?
It certainly wasn't his instrumental ability. Although Miller was a competent enough trombonist, he was hardly in the same class as Tommy Dorsey -- or even such soloists as Jack Teagarden, Benny Morton (with Count Basie), Joe "Tricky Sam" Nanton (Duke Ellington), or Bill Harris (Woody Herman).
Nor was he much of a jazzman. Despite the fact that he associated with first-rate improvisers when he worked in bands led by Red Nichols (whose band at the time also included Benny Goodman), Pee Wee Hunt and the Dorsey Brothers, Miller's own band had precious little jazz content, and few soloists of note.
Even his singers pale in comparison to the era's other great vocalists. Never mind that the Miller band never had anyone quite as jazzy as Ella Fitzgerald, Mildred Bailey or Jimmy Rushing on hand; even by pop standards, the singers were kind of second-rate. Ray Eberle, though a mainstay of the Miller band, wasn't the star his brother Bob was, while Tex Beneke and the Modernaires could hardly hold a candle to the smooth sound and effortless swing that resulted when Frank Sinatra and the Pied Pipers sang with Tommy Dorsey.
Yet it was Miller -- not Basie or Ellington or either of the Dorseys -- who had the greatest popular success. Of the 128 singles his band put on the charts between 1935 and 1944, 22 topped the charts, and eight were million-sellers. Since then, his best-known recordings have never gone out of print; indeed, a newly remastered set of CDs, called "His Greatest Hits and Finest Performances," has just been issued (with no small fanfare) by the Reader's Digest.
Miller's hits are so well known, in fact, that they've even spilled over into the rock era. For instance, as much as Fats Domino may be associated with "Blueberry Hill," it was Miller's band that first took the tune to the top of the charts. Ernie Fields put "In the Mood" back in the top five in 1959, and a novelty act called the Henhouse Five Plus Two clucked the tune onto the charts again in 1977. (The Beatles even include a snatch of the song's intro at the end of "All You Need Is Love"). "Chattanooga Choo-Choo" was remade successfully by both Floyd Cramer (1962) and the Manhattan Transfer (1978), "Fools Rush In (Where Angels Fear to Tread)" was revived by both Brook Benton (1960) and Rick Nelson (1963), and "Three Little Fishes" got a second run on the charts courtesy of Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels (1967).
There are several theories as to why Miller's music has endured so. One holds that the secret had to do with Miller's approach to the reed section, which used one clarinet and four saxophones instead of the all-sax lineup other big bands favored; another argues that where other bandleaders tried to swing as much as possible, Miller favored ballads over up-tempo tunes, and hence wound up with a more "romantic" songbook. Yet another suggests that he owed it all to the Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra, whose laid-back sound and savvy showmanship were avidly imitated by Miller and his crew.
Clearly, there's a certain amount of truth to each. Whether or not it was a matter of the single clarinet, there's no denying that Miller's band had one of the era's most recognizable sounds. Even when it paid tribute to other of the era's bands, the Miller ensemble always carried its own, unique flavor.
As for the fondness for ballads, it must be admitted that Miller's band did get a lot of mileage from swing tunes like "In the Mood," "Chattanooga Choo-Choo" and "Song of the Volga Boatmen." But its slower numbers, from misty-eyed romantic fare like "Fools Rush In" and "That Old Black Magic" or low-key instrumentals like "Moonlight Serenade" (the band's theme) and "String of Pearls," was just as danceable -- one big reason the Miller band won over so many listeners in the '30s and '40s.
But the real secret behind Miller's success had to do with what he wanted his music to convey. Some bandleaders, like Artie Shaw and Tommy Dorsey, tended to favor material that suited a few key players; others, like Duke Ellington and Count Basie, went for an approach that played off the chemistry between their sidemen.
Miller, by contrast, was far more interested in presenting the song properly to put much emphasis on what the soloists would do. That's why, in his band, the arrangers -- men like Billy May, Bill Finnegan and Jerry Gray, among others -- were more important than the guys who actually played on the records. The arrangements, after all, were what gave the Miller band its sound, and what ensures that the Miller legacy will endure.
"I can see how well all these arrangements were crafted," said Larry O'Brien, the current director of the Glenn Miller Orchestra, last year. "They're magnificent, some of them, just magnificent. I keep going back to the library and pulling out old things." Moreover, he added, the audience response is as strong now as it was then.
According to legend, before Miller -- then a major in the U.S. Army -- boarded that fatal flight in 1944, the first thing he asked was "Where the hell are the parachutes?" To which a fellow officer replied, "What's the matter, Miller? Do you want to live forever?"
Glenn Miller didn't, but his music just might. And that's the most any musician can hope for.
REMEMBRANCES
Today at Arlington National Cemetery, General Ronald J. Fogelman, Air Force chief of Staff, will dedicate an American holly to Major Alton G. Miller. He'll lay a wreath on the black granite stone that commemorates the man and his band. Glenn Miller's son, Steve and his daughter, Jonnoe, will join about 50 members of the Miller family in the ceremony. Nine musicians from Major Miller's World War II Band will attend.
At Washington's Constitution Hall tonight, a "Tribute to Glenn Miller" concert is sold out.
BIG BAND SOUNDS
To hear selections by the Glenn Miller Orchestra call Sundial at (410) 783-1800. In Anne Arundel County, call 268-7736; in Harford County, 836-5028; in Carroll County, 848-0338. Using a touch-tone phone, punch in the four-digit code 6128 after the greeting.