October 6 | 7:00pm | The Michigan Theater
Who says swing music is a thing of the past? Certainly not the hundreds of fans inside the Michigan Theater last Sunday, awaiting the legendary Glenn Miller Orchestra (GMO).
If you think you’ve never heard of them—think again. Hits like “In The Mood”, “Moonlight Serenade,” and “Pennsylvania 6-5000” have woven their way into American culture, appearing in films, TV shows, school band concerts, weddings—you name it. Iowa-born Glenn Miller formed the band in 1938* and quickly gained popularity as a jazz and dance band throughout the Northeastern United States. After Miller’s mysterious disappearance in 1944, the band continued to perform under various bandleaders, including Buddy DeFranco, and later Ray McKinley. 85 years later, the Glenn Miller Orchestra is still touring the country, delivering its timeless, heartwarming sound.
The band made the final stop of their fall tour here at The Michigan Theater, with a packed house of varying ages. The show was 2 hours with a 20-minute intermission—nicely paced with intermittent dialouge from Music Director Erik Stabnau and their vocal quartet “The Moonlight Serenaders”.
Stabnau led a busy evening as the lead tenor saxophone player and emcee, also performing a few vocal tunes as well as leading the vocal quartet.
“Unfortunately, there are no original members performing tonight…”, Eric joked. While this is true, each player remained a stand-out musician, sensitive to stylistic differences of the swing-era sound.
Joining the GMO was vocalist Jenny Swoish, a jazz singer by the way of Nashville, Tennessee. She performed well-known vocal standards including “I’m Beginning to See the Light” and “These Foolish Things” as well as an original song from her debut album entitled “Never Gone”. A glamorous and energetic performance, Ms. Swoish maintains the delightful charm of jazz vocalists.
While the Michigan Theater is gorgeous and historic, it does not always produce the best sound for live music. A few soloists were lost from the mics, and besides wishing there was a bit more resonance from the hall—there is not much else you can ask for from an establishment that is almost a century old.
This band has its schtick down. Their performance was complete with hat choreography (as seen above) and cheerful demeanor by each member—gimmicks that are well-received by audiences. Their focus is clearly on maintaining tradition, a commitment that has kept them touring into the 21st century. They’ve found success in many American audiences but as the changing music industry shifts away from older jazz styles, who knows if the future will leave this beloved band behind?
I hope to see the Glenn Miller Orchestra make it another 85 years. They serve as a joyful reminder of Glenn Miller’s lasting contribution to the tradition of big band music.
Photos thanks to Jaron Jenkins.
*A more cohesive history of the band is found here.
