I had the house to myself this afternoon so I indulged myself. I put a Glenn Miller CD on and turned the volume up - loud.
Now, I'm not that old! I was not quite 2 when Glenn Miller disappeared in 1944 and I was a teenager when Elvis hit the scene. I love Elvis too, he's my wall-paper on this computer, and I love all the Rock'n'Roll stuff and can still get a buzz out of Elvis, Little Richard etc., and I love jazz but Miller's music is The Best.
I was brought up in a musical household. My dad was a dance-band drummer in the 20s and 30s and my mum, who had studied piano for 15 years, loved classical and contemporary music. I suppose I heard a lot of Big Band stuff from an early age but I was 17 when I discovered the Miller orchestra. I knew who he was, before that, and I'd heard and liked "In the Mood" etc. but one day I was browsing in a record shop and I saw an EP. It had In the Mood, Little Brown Jug, Moonlight Serenade and Sunrise Serenade and I bought it. From the minute I played that record I was hooked.
I met my future husband that year. He was a Rock'n'Roll fan and loved Elvis but he liked Miller too. Soon we were starting to build a collection of Miller's records. We did a lot of "courting", in my parent's front room, with Moonlight Serenade playing in the background.
When my husband died there was no question what music we would have at his funeral, it had to be Moonlight Serenade, and after the service everyone walked out of the chapel to St. Louis Blues March. Of course, I cry a little whenever I play those melodies now but I have very happy memories as well as sad ones.
What's so great about this music? Perfect sound, perfect orchestration, every musician the best in his field, upbeat or slow and sweet it's wonderful and it never sounds "dated".
Each to his own, I suppose, but it's Miller for me.
Now, I'm not that old! I was not quite 2 when Glenn Miller disappeared in 1944 and I was a teenager when Elvis hit the scene. I love Elvis too, he's my wall-paper on this computer, and I love all the Rock'n'Roll stuff and can still get a buzz out of Elvis, Little Richard etc., and I love jazz but Miller's music is The Best.
I was brought up in a musical household. My dad was a dance-band drummer in the 20s and 30s and my mum, who had studied piano for 15 years, loved classical and contemporary music. I suppose I heard a lot of Big Band stuff from an early age but I was 17 when I discovered the Miller orchestra. I knew who he was, before that, and I'd heard and liked "In the Mood" etc. but one day I was browsing in a record shop and I saw an EP. It had In the Mood, Little Brown Jug, Moonlight Serenade and Sunrise Serenade and I bought it. From the minute I played that record I was hooked.
I met my future husband that year. He was a Rock'n'Roll fan and loved Elvis but he liked Miller too. Soon we were starting to build a collection of Miller's records. We did a lot of "courting", in my parent's front room, with Moonlight Serenade playing in the background.
When my husband died there was no question what music we would have at his funeral, it had to be Moonlight Serenade, and after the service everyone walked out of the chapel to St. Louis Blues March. Of course, I cry a little whenever I play those melodies now but I have very happy memories as well as sad ones.
What's so great about this music? Perfect sound, perfect orchestration, every musician the best in his field, upbeat or slow and sweet it's wonderful and it never sounds "dated".
Each to his own, I suppose, but it's Miller for me.
