Tuesday, March 13, 2012

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Boyd Raeburn and his Orchestra

Artist:Boyd Raeburn and his Orchestra
Song:Interlude (A Night In Tunisia)
Album:March Of The Boyds





Most jazz fans should be familiar with the Dizzy Gillespie classic A Night In Tunisia. But you may not know that the song was originally recorded by bandleader Boyd Raeburn. And Gillespie played a trumpet solo on this 1945 recording. Boyd Raeburn was born Oct. 27, 1913 in Faith, SD. He started out as a bandleader at the University Of Chicago in the early 30s. By the early 40s, he got more into jazz and early bebop with arrangements by Eddie Finckel. The biggest problem Raeburn had is he never recorded for a major label. And in 1942, there was a recording ban that lasted two years. The labels thought his music was too weird. He frequently ran out of money and had to start over. In 1945, Finckel left for Gene Krupa's band and George Handy replaced him. His arrangements were even better. This recording of A Night In Tunisia was recorded for the Guild label in 1945 and Dizzy Gillespie played the trumpet solo. Gillespie had just left Billy Eckstine's band. Raeburn's money problems continued through the 40s. He shut down the band for good in 1949. This CD is a good intro to his music. He recorded for Columbia in the 50s but it wasn't the same. Boyd Raeburn died on Aug. 2, 1966 at age 52 as a result of a car accident. He never really got the fame he deserved but he was the first to record A Night In Tunisia. Here's a video for Interlude (A Night In Tunisia) by Boyd Raeburn and his Orchestra.

No comments:

Post a Comment