Claude Thornhill Orch. (with Gil Evans arrangement)

Claude Thornhill was very popular and was also widely admired by fellow band leaders and musicians. I took a look on the net about this engagement at the Hotel Pennsylvania (which is the same place that Glenn Miller immortalized with his song “Pennsylvania 6 5000” – the phone number of this hotel). On opening night, a large gathering of musicians like Ray McKinley, Boyd Raeburn, Tony Pastor and Ray Anthony were there. Thornhill’s music is connected to the Bebop era, and beyond. Thornhill hired such arrangers as Gil Evans and Gerry Mulligan, who absorbed many ideas from this multi-faceted band, while also introducing modern ideas themselves. And Charlie Parker’s frequent trumpet player Red Rodney was in the Thornhill orchestra for a while. Often times, we think of Thornhill playing beautiful and complex melodies. But he also knew how to swing. Take a listen to “Walking Stick”. The Miles Davis Nonet owes a lot to the sound of Claude Thornhill, and the chart of the Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie composition “Anthropology” is written by Gil Evans.

Director, Co-producer Don McGlynn
Co-producer Mark Cantor
Executive Producer Steve Holmgren
Associate Producer Franny Alfano
Podcast Producers Kian Vaziri and Franny Alfano

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