Sauter-Finegan Orchestra

The Sauter - Finegan Orchestra was an American big band that existed in the 1950s. It was considered one of the most experimental bands of the time and joined in the unusual arrangements jazz and classical music. There was experimenting with unusual timbres: recorder, kazoo and harp were used as well as gamelan and ratchet. " Many arts of Western music - not least, the abundant use of percussion instruments beyond the Jazz Beat - " were there, according to Joachim E. Berendt "jazz moderate with a quite, very American, in Europe often difficult -to-follow Humor " were merged.

Band History

The Sauter - Finegan Orchestra was founded in 1952 by the two arrangers Eddie Sauter ( 1914-1981 ) and Bill Finegan ( 1917-2008 ) first established as pure studio ensemble. First recording sessions were held on 12 May 1952 RCA Victor; used in this case Sauter and Finegan 21 musicians, including several who also played a second instrument, which the tonal range of big band expanded enormously. In the original line-up played inter alia Nick Travis, Bobby Nichols, Bill Harris, Vern Friley, Bill Barber, Sid Cooper, Al Klink, Barry Galbraith, Trigger Alpert and Don Lamond; in later session came soloists such as Kai Winding, Danny Bank, Mundell Lowe, Doc Severinsen (1952 ), Eddie Bert, Sonny Russo ( 1953), Gene Allen, Max Bennett, Mousie Alexander ( 1954), George Duvivier, Milt Hinton, Phil Woods (1957) and Walt Levinsky (1958) added.

In July 1952, the single Doodletown Fifers, an adaptation of Kingdom Coming ( Year of Jubilo or ) by Henry Clay Work in the Civil War appeared to # 12 on the U.S. charts reached, where it remained for ten weeks.

Had more hits the orchestra with the singles Nina Never Knew (# 13), Midnight Sleighride (B-side: When Hearts Are Young; # 29 in the charts ), a jazz adaptation of Prokofiev's Troika ( from Lieutenant Kishe suite ) that the billboard on November 22, 1952 record of the Week declared .. When Nina Never Knew had the singer Joe Mooney; also in the resultant in December 1953 song The Moon Is Blue, the last hit of Sauter and Finegan end of August 1953 ( # 20) and the theme song of the Otto Preminger film clouds are everywhere. Belonged to the band's repertoire popular songs ( Love Is A Simple Thing ), cover versions of songs from classical or marching music, modern arranged woodwind quartets and original compositions, but also polychord jazz and jazz standards such as April in Paris ( with wordless female vocals ), Autumn Leaves, When Hearts are Young, Old Folks, Over the Rainbow, These Foolish Things ( Remind Me of You ) and A Foggy Day.

1953 appeared the 10-inch album New Directions in Music. Oddly, the arrangements were by the use of instruments such as piccolo, oboe, bass clarinet, harp, English horn, recorder, tuba, glockenspiel, drums and kazoo. Finegan, who also played a toy trumpet, beat even on the chest to mimic the trampling of horses in Midnight Sleighride.

After several more successful singles and LPs for RCA presented in Jaui 1953 Sauter and Finegan, a live orchestra, but that was because of the lack of interest for big bands after the swing era until the end of 1955. Unfortunately, the music agent Willard Alexander had the Sauter - Finegan Orchestra held in concert halls, which would have booked as a band in dance halls and amusement parks better fit to the music. "It ended up that we then wrote a few dance arrangements, in order to survive with the band. But we had broken off the track because eir actually wanted only played in concert halls, " recalled Finegan.

Sauter and Finegan then continued their activities continued with the orchestra as a pure studio lineup for RCA Victor. The Sound of the Sauter - Finegan Orchestra appeared in 1954; parallel, was created in collaboration with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Fritz Reiner, a recording of Rolf Liebermann's Concerto for Jazz Band and Symphony Orchestra, which appeared on RCA in 1955. This was followed by the albums Adventure in Time (1956, an album that turned out the percussion instruments), Under Analysis (1957) and Straight Down the Middle ( 1957). In March 1957, the group split up, as Eddie Sauter musical director of the Southwest Radio Radio Big Band in Baden -Baden was Bill Finegan and then continued to work as a freelance arranger. According to Sauter's return to the United States in 1959, the two worked together again and realized another LP as Sauter - Finegan Orchestra, The Return of the Doodletown Fifers, which appeared in United Artists Records. According to Sauter's death in 1981, Finegan presented a reunion edition of the Sauter - Finegan Orchestra together for a concert at New York's Town Hall.

In the course of its existence, even Vinnie Burke, Bob Florence, Mort Herbert, Dave Hildinger, Paul Horn, Seldon Powell, Boomie Richman, Lou Stone and Lammar Wright senior played except the mentioned musicians in the Sauter - Finegan Orchestra.

Discography

  • New Directions in Music (RCA Victor, 1953; enhanced CD edition with recordings from 1952 to 1958 )
  • The Sons of Sauter - Finegan (RCA Victor, 1954)
  • Concerto for Jazz Band and Symphony Orchestra (RCA Victor, 1954) ( with Fritz Reiner & the Chicago Symphony Orchestra )
  • The Sound of Sauter - Finegan (RCA Victor, 1954)
  • Inside Sauter - Finegan (RCA Victor, 1957)
  • Concert Jazz (RCA Victor, 1955)
  • Adventure in Time (RCA Victor, 1956)
  • Under Analysis (RCA Victor, 1956)
  • Straight Down the Middle ( RCA Victor, 1957)
  • Memories of Goodman and Miller (RCA Victor, 1958)
  • Return of the Doodletown Fifers ( United Artists, 1960)

Singles

  • Midnight Sleighride / When Hearts Are Young ( RCA Victor, 1952)
  • Moonlight on the Ganges / April in Paris (RCA Victor, 1952)
  • Rain / Stop! Sit Down! Relax! Think! (RCA Victor, 1952)
  • Doodletown Fifers / Azure - Té (Paris Blues ) (RCA Victor, 1952)
  • Nina Never Knew / Love Is A Simple Thing ( RCA Victor, 1953)
  • Now That I'm in Love / Yankee Doodletown (RCA Victor, 1953)
  • Where's Ace / Hit The Road to Dreamland (RCA Victor, 1954)
  • Of Thee I Sing / Pale Moon (RCA Victor, 1954)
  • Doodletown Races / April in Paris (RCA Victor, 1955)
  • Honey Babe / What Is This Thing Called Love? (RCA, 1955)
  • Joe 's Tune / Mobile ( RCA Victor, ? )
  • Coco Bongo / A Foggy Day (RCA 5432 45-11392)

EPs

  • Extended Play Suite: Child's Play, Horse Play, Dream Play and Holiday ( EP RCA EPA 447 )
  • ' Concert Jazz (RCA EP EPA -916 )

Compilations

  • Directions in Music (RCA Bluebird, 1988)
  • Inside the Sound ( Jasmine, ed 2008)
  • Thats All (Magic )
Bill Harris (musician) Bill Barber (musician) Ralph Burns Max Bennett (musician) Lieutenant Kijé (Prokofiev) Joe Mooney (musician) March (music) April in Paris (song) Autumn Leaves (song) Paul Horn (musician) Lou Stein Lammar Wright, Sr. Discogs Melody Maker Woody Herman Tab Smith Richard Strauss Don Juan (Strauss)
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