Directed by Rick Ballew
Sleigh Ride by Leroy Anderson (1948), arr. by John LaBarbera, as played by the Glenn Miller orchestra; according to Leroy Anderson's biographer, Steve Metcalf, Sleigh ride "has been performed and recorded by a wider array of musical artists than any other piece in the history of Western music"; it was #1 on ASCAP's 2021 list of most-played holiday songs.
(featuring solos by Glen Peterson, tenor sax, and Dan Theobald, trumpet)
Moon River by Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer (1961), arr. by Joe Reisman, vocal arr. by Glen Newton; winner of the Academy Award for Best Original Song, from the 1961 movie "Breakfast at Tiffany's," Moon River won the 1962 Grammy awards for Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
(featuring alto saxophonists Kay Foster and Bill Frank and vocalists Karen Dunn, Diane Dolinar, and Bruce Stasch)
This selection is available on the Roseville Big Band Concert in the Park CD and cassette tape.
Fascinating Rhythm by George & Ira Gershwin (1924), arr. by Sammy Nestico; introduced in the Broadway musical "Lady, Be Good!", the first Broadway collaboration of the Gershwin brothers.
(featuring Glen Peterson, tenor sax, and Keith Miner, trombone)
The Glory of Love by Billy Hill (1936), arr. by Dave Wolpe, vocal arr. by Glen Newton; Benny Goodman's 1936 recording was a #1 pop hit in 1936. After saying goodbye to his career as a violinst with the Boston Symphony, Hill turned to songwriting. His first big hit, in 1933, was "The Last Roundup", and his string of hits made him one of the most successful songwriters in Tin Pan Alley. "The Glory of Love" was his biggest hit, even bigger than "Have You Ever Been Lonely", whose lyrics he wrote under the pseudonym of George "Funky" Brown.
(featuring the vocal quartet, with Kay Foster on alto sax)
My Buddy by Gus Kahn and Walter Donaldson (1922), arr. by Dave Wolpe
(featuring solos by trombonists Keith Miner, George Henly, Tom Huelsmann, and Michael Sweet)
Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree by Lew Brown, Charles Tobias, and Sam Stept (1942)
(featuring the vocal quartet, with vocal solos by Bruce Stasch, Rick Ballew, and Karen Dunn)
Moten Swing by Buster and Benny Moten (1932), arr. by Sammy Nestico
(featuring solos by pianist Mike Holt, trumpeter Dan Theobald, and tenor saxophonist Glen Peterson)
Bei Mir Bist du Schoen (in F Minor) by Sholom Secunda and Sammy Cahn (1932), arr. by Glen Newton; the Andrews Sisters had their first major success with “Bei Mir” which held Billboard's No. 1 slot for five weeks. This achievement established the girls as successful recording artists and they became celebrities.
(featuring vocalists Karen Dunn, Diane Dolinar, and Bruce Stasch, with a trombone solo by George Henly and an alto sax solo by Bill Frank)
In a Mellow Tone by Duke Ellington (1940), arr. by Mark Taylor
(featuring solos by Bob Nielsen, trumpet, and Keith Miner, trombone)
Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy by Don Raye and Hughie Prince (1940), arr. by Glen Newton; a major hit recording in 1941 for the Twin Cities' own Andrews Sisters (alto LaVerne, soprano Maxene, and lead Patty), the most popular female vocal group of the first half of the 20th century, who were inducted into the Minnesota Rock/Country Hall of Fame in May 2006.
(featured as the Andrews Sisters: Karen (Patty), Diane (LaVerne), and Bruce (Maxene an octave lower); and the RBB trumpet section)
St. Louis Blues March by W. C. Handy (1911), arr. by Glenn Miller for the Army Air Force Band
(featuring solos by Jim Foster, drums, Glen Peterson, tenor sax, and Kay Foster, alto sax)
Makin' Whoopie by Gus Kahn and Walter Donaldson (1928), arr. by Dave Barduhn
(featuring vocalist Keith Miner)
A Night in Tunisia by "Dizzy" Gillespie and Frank Paparelli (1944), arr. by Sammy Nestico
(featuring solos by bassist Eric Laska, trumpeter Mark Syman, tenor saxophonist Glen Peterson, and trombonist George Henly)
Moonlight in Vermont by Karl Suessdorf and John Blackburn (1944), arr. by Dave Wolpe; the unofficial song of the state of Vermont, it is frequently played as the first song at Vermont wedding receptions; each verse (excluding the bridge) is a haiku, with phrases of 5, 7, and 5 syllables.
(featuring vocalist Keith Miner, with a tenor sax solo by Glen Peterson and a flugelhorn solo by Mark Syman)
On the Atchison, Topeka, and the Santa Fe by Johnny Mercer and Harry Warren (1945), arr. by Richard Maltby; from the M-G-M picture "The Harvey Girls"
Love is Here to Stay by George and Ira Gershwin (1938), arr. by Dave Wolpe, vocal arr. by Glen Newton; first performed by Kenny Baker in "The Goldwyn Follies" in 1938, a satire on Hollywood about a producer who hires a "simple girl" to be Miss Humanity and evaluate his films from the ordinary person's point of view. It became popular when sung by Gene Kelly to Leslie Caron in the film "American in Paris" in 1951, but some of our audience members will have first heard the song in the movie "When Harry Met Sally" (1989), sung by Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald.
(high key male version; featuring vocalist Bruce Stasch, with a trumpet solo by Dan Theobald)
Show Me the Way to Go Home by Irving King (1952), arr. by Sammy Nestico; the Roseville Big Band closing theme song! "Irving King" is the pseudonym of the English songwriting team James Campbell and Reginald Connelly.
(featuring solos by Glen Peterson and Dan Carlson trading fours on tenor sax, Mike Holt on piano, and Eric Laska on electric bass)
Introduction of the band to the audience
Sleigh Ride by Leroy Anderson (1948), arr. by John LaBarbera, as played by the Glenn Miller orchestra
(featuring solos by Glen Peterson, tenor sax, and Dan Theobald, trumpet)
Roseville Big Band performers for this concert (left to right):
Saxes (left to right): Glen Peterson (tenor), Bill Frank (alto), Kay Foster (alto and soprano), Dan Carlson (tenor), and Carrie Moore (baritone)
Trumpets and Flugelhorns (left to right): Dan Theobald, Mark Syman, Mark Lee and Bob Nielsen
Trombones (left to right): George Henly, Keith Miner, Michael Sweet, and Tom Huelsmann
Rhythm (front to back): John Seal (guitar), Mike Holt (piano), Eric Laska (electric bass), and Jim Foster (drums)
Vocalists: vocal quartet (Karen Dunn, Diane Dolinar, Bruch Stasch, Rick Ballew) and Keith Miner
The audience numbered about 40-45.