Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Arne Gunnar Valter Hülphers was born April 4, 1904 in Trollhättan, Sweden. Early in his career he played at the club Felix-Kronprinsen from 1924 to 1927, and played in dance bands into the early 1930s.
He founded his own ensemble in 1934 which became one of Sweden’s most important jazz big bands. They toured Europe and recorded until 1940. Sidemen in his group included Miff Görling, Zilas Görling, and Thore Jederby.
Later in his career, he concentrated more on popular musical styles; he led an orchestra in which Fred Bertelmann played. Pianist and bandleader Arne Hülphers died on July 24, 1978 in Norrköping Municipality, Sweden.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
William James Finegan was born on April 3, 1917 in Newark, New Jersey and grew up in a household full of piano players. While growing up in Rumson, New Jersey, he attended Rumson-Fair Haven High School, and taught orchestration to schoolmate Nelson Riddle. He studied piano with Elizabeth Connelly, piano and musicianship with flautist/alto saxophonist Rudolph John Winthrop., and spent time studying at the Paris Conservatory.
He had his first professional experience leading his own piano trio before being offered a job as a staff arranger for Glenn Miller after Tommy Dorsey bought a copy of his Lonesome Road and recommended him. Finegan remained with Miller until 1942 and arranged such hits as Little Brown Jug, Sunrise Serenade, Song of the Volga Boatmen, Stardust, A Nightingale Sang in Berkley Square and Jingle Bells. He arranged these songs in collaboration with Glenn Miller, but also arranged music for films in which the band appeared in the early Forties. He then worked off and on for Tommy Dorsey from 1942 to 1952.
In the late Forties Bill studied in New York City, then lived in Europe from 1948-1950 where he studied with Darius Milhaud and Valérie Soudères. After returning to the States in 1952, along with Eddie Sauter formed an ensemble, the Sauter-Finegan Orchestra, which remained active until 1957.
Following this collaboration, Finegan found work in advertising, writing music for commercials. In the Seventies, he arranged for the Glenn Miller Orchestra and Mel Lewis’s orchestra. He taught jazz at the University of Bridgeport in the 1980s. He wrote arrangements for cornetist Warren Vaché and the vocal group Chanticleer until his death in 2008.
Pianist, composer and arranger Bill Finegan died from pneumonia on June 4, 2008 in Bridgeport, Connecticut at the age 91.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
George Chisholm was born on March 29, 1915 in Glasgow, Scotland and at the age of fifteen in the late 1930s he moved to London, where he played in dance bands led by Bert Ambrose and Teddy Joyce. He later recorded with jazz musicians such as Coleman Hawkins, Fats Waller and Benny Carter during their visits to the UK.
During the Second World War, he signed on with the Royal Air Force and joined the RAF Dance Orchestra, known popularly as the Squadronaires, remaining in the band long after he was demobbed. George followed this with freelance work and a five-year stint with the BBC Showband, the forerunner of the BBC Radio Orchestra. As a core member of Wally Stott’s orchestra on BBC Radio’s The Goon Show, he made several minor acting appearances.
He had roles in the films The Mouse on the Moon, The Knack …and How to Get It and Superman III. He was part of the house band for the children’s programs Play School and Play Away. He also sang and was a storyteller on Play School occasionally.
During the 1980s despite undergoing heart surgery, Chisholm continued to play, working with his own band the Gentlemen of Jazz and Keith Smith’s Hefty Jazz among others, and playing live with touring artists.
By the mid-1990s he retired from public life suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Trombonist and vocalist George Chisholm, who was appointed as an Officer of the British Empire (OBE), died on December 6, 1997 at the age of 82.
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Alfred Winters was born March 24, 1931 and raised in New York City, New York. He completed his Bachelors and Masters degrees from Hofstra University and began working professionly since 1957.
He studied with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra principal trombonist Roger Smith. He went on to play with Bobby Hackett, Gene Krupa, Phil Napolean, Wild Bill Davison, Benny Goodman. Recorded with numerous artists including Gene Krupa and Bobby Hackett.
Relocating in 1966 to the Detroit, Michigan area he performed and recorded with the Austin-Moro Big Band and the New Mckinney’s Cottonpickers as well as local artists like Tom Saunders.
He led his own band beginning in 1988 and performed at numerous jazz festivals including Newport Jazz Festival, Montreaux Jazz Festival and the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee.
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The Jazz Voyager
No flights for the Jazz Voyager this week as I have been hanging in New York City for the past week because the next destination is just a couple of blocks from Carnegie Hall. I’ve been visiting the Guggenheim, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Natural History and City of New York museums. And the visit would not be complete without a trip to the Village and Harlem. But that will come this weekend.
For now, wandering around The Big Apple is momentarily paused as I am heading to Dizzy’s Club for an evening of music with The Diva Jazz Orchestra. A multigenerational outfit led by drummer, composer, and clinician Sherrie Maricle, it has garnered accolades from across the world. The 15-piece ensemble exudes the excitement and force found in the tradition of historic big bands, with an eye towards originality.
The venue is located at 10 Columbus Circle, New York City 10019. For those who want more info go to https://notoriousjazz.com/event/the-diva-jazz-orchestra.
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