Sunday, 27 October 2019

Boyd Raeburn born 27 October 1913


Boyd Albert Raeburn (October 27, 1913 – August 2, 1966) was an American jazz bandleader and bass saxophonist.

Though not well remembered today bandleader Boyd Raeburn blazed trails in progressive jazz that took his music in directions beyond even those explored by such adventurous types as Stan Kenton and Tom Talbert. Raeburn, however, did not start out to be a jazz innovator. For many years he operated a successful society orchestra before making a big leap into the unknown.

Born in Faith, South Dakota, Boyd Raeburn moved to Chicago where he was educated at the University of Chicago. Here the music bug bit him and he formed a dance band which performed at the 1933 Chicago World Fair. The music was evidently of its time, and fot the remainder of the decade, he led a society dance band. In the 1940s, he re-organized his outfit, first playing swing (1942-1944), then more innovative jazz (1944-1950).


In 1944 he scrapped his dance orchestra completely and formed a forward-looking swing band that included at various times such players as Sonny Berman, Al Cohn, Benny Harris, the Johnny Hodges-influenced Johnny Bothwell, Serge Chaloff, Roy Eldridge, Trummy Young, and Handy on piano, playing arrangements from George Williams, Eddie Finckel, and Handy. The group overall was influenced by Count Basie, but they were also the first to record Dizzy Gillespie's "Night in Tunisia"; Dizzy even guested with the band.



                               

The new group wowed the critics, producing sounds far more modern than any other orchestra of its day. Unfortunately a fire at the Palisades Amusement Park in New Jersey destroyed the band's book and some of its instruments.

Raeburn reorganized in 1945 and took his group a step further, relying on composer and arranger George Handy, who wrote extremely complex and dissident charts. Handy's work, however, did not go over well with the public, and eventually he was replaced by Johnny Richards and Ralph Flanagan. Johnny Mandel joined the orchestra in 1945.

Even though it was a constant struggle to keep the orchestra together, Raeburn's band actually grew in size during 1946, with reed players doubling on woodwinds and the addition of French horns and a harp. Such players as Lucky Thompson, Dodo Marmarosa, Ray Linn, and Buddy DeFranco were among the many who passed through the band.

His band had three themes: "Man with a Horn", "Raeburn's Theme" and "Over the Rainbow". Vocalists included David Allen, Don Darcy, Johnny Darcy, June Christy (at that time known as Sharon Leslie), and Ginny Powell, whom Raeburn later married. He was previously married to Lorraine Anderson, with whom he had one child; that union ended in divorce.

Several well-known jazz bandleaders helped Raeburn out every time his band went bankrupt, among them Billy Eckstine, Jack Teagarden and especially Duke Ellington, all of whom believed in what he was doing and helped to revive his career, but it just wasn’t enough.

Raeburn organized shot-​lived touring outfits in 1949 and 1950, with Powell as vocalist. After working mostly as an arranger in the early 1950s, he returned to his roots in 1956 and formed a new dance orchestra. Powell again served as vocalist.  Raeburn was invited by Columbia Records to make three albums with an 
orchestra of top New York session players. A&R man, Mitch Miller, insisted that he record fairly bland arrangements of other bands’ hits from the 1940s. Not only did the records not sell well, but former Raeburn fans who did buy them were bitterly disappointed.

Unsuccessful in resurrecting his career he left the music business entirely. He pursued business interests in New York and the Bahamas where he moved to with his wife in 1959 who sadly she passed away later that year. During 1965 Raeburn was involved in a serious automobile accident. He survived but later died in Lafayette, Los Angeles, August 2, 1966 after suffering a heart attack.

Boyd’s earlier bands are represented on sessions for Musicraft and Savoy, radio transcriptions put out by Circle, and broadcasts released by IAJRC and Hep. His son, Bruce Boyd Raeburn of New Orleans, is the curator of the William Ransom Hogan Archive of New Orleans Jazz at the Tulane University in New Orleans.

(Edited from Parabrisas, All Music & artmusiclounge)         

5 comments:

boppinbob said...

For “Boyd Raeburn And His Orchestra 1945-1946” go here:

https://www.upload.ee/files/10650102/Boyd_raeburn_1945-46.rar.html

1. Dalvatore Sally (2:47)
2. Tonsillectomy (2:35)
3. Temptation (2:58)
4. Boyd Meets Stravinsky (3:21)
5. There's No You (3:53)
6. Caravan (3:14)
7. Memphis In June (4:02)
8. The Eagle Flies (4:10)
9. I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me (2:01)
10. Two Spoos In An Igloo (2:40)
11. Forgetful (3:02)
12. Blue Prelude (3:30)
13. Ol' Man River (2:12)
14. A Night In Tunisia (3:00)
15. Rip Van Winkle (2:44)
16. March Of The Boyds (3:20)
17. Hey, Look, I'm Dancing (2:38)
18. Mabel, Mabel (2:33)
19. More Than You Know (4:03)
20. That's Where I Came In (2:30)
21. The Hep Boyds (3:03)
22. Boyd's Nest (3:31)

The music on this CD represents both radio studio recordings and live club performances from Los Angeles in 1945 & 1946, shortly after Boyd Raeburn had moved his centre of operations from New York. At the time of these recordings, Raeburn’s music was rapidly evolving from swing to more progressive, modern jazz. The musical repertoire here is a unique blend of popular standards and progressive original material. The band was at the height of its popularity alongside the other progressive orchestras of Stan Kenton and Woody Herman. Like these other two famous bands, Boyd Raeburn’s was a gathering place for young talent of the nascent bop school, in this case tenor saxophonist Lucky Thompson, trombonist Britt Woodman, pianist Dodo Marmarosa and bassist Harry Babasin. This session also bears the strong influence of Raeburn’s “modernist” composer and arranger, George Handy. Listening to this exciting orchestra, with its talented soloists and fresh arrangements, one can understand why Duke Ellington was one of Boyd Raeburn’s most enthusiastic supporters at the time.
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Here’s a BBC 3 radio show where Bruce Boyd Raeburn joins presenter Alyn Shipton to select some unusual examples of the original works of his jazz bandleader father, Boyd Raeburn.

https://www.upload.ee/files/10650280/JazzLibrary-20120226-BoydRaeburn.mp3.html

RiCK SAUNDERS said...

I'm excited to hear this. I love Boyd Raeburn! If you havent already i'd love it if you'd do a piece on bandleader Tony Pastor. Thanks for all you do!

rm said...

thank you cery much

boppinbob said...

Hello Rick, I did a post on Tony Pastor. Just put his name in the search bar on my home page or scroll down to the tags and click his name there. You'll find that you've been there before as you left a comment last year!! Regards, Bob

styles said...

Truly interesting site. Like your "boppin,"nic as I enjoy that late 40's, 50's jazz of instrumentals and vocals. Any obscuro west coast 50's jazz that a musicologist, you, might know of, anyway, thanks.