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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZTHORNHILL, Claude(b 10 August 1909, Terre Haute IN; d 1 July 1965, NYC) Pianist, arranger, bandleader. After formal studies he played in territory bands, worked for Paul Whiteman and Benny Goodman '34, Ray Noble '35-6. Session work included the arrangement of 'Loch Lomand' for Maxine Sullivan; he toured with her and began recording under his own name '37; he played on Billie Holiday sessions '37-8, took over a Gil Evans group '38 fronted by Skinnay Ennis (including the Bob Hope radio show) and began touring. It was originally a dance band rather than a jazz band, but employed such Swing Era stars as trumpeters Charlie Spivak, Manny Klein and Conrad Gozzo (b 6 February 1922, New Britain CN; d 10 October 1964, Los Angeles; later played with Woody Herman, Boyd Raeburn); ex-Goodman reedmen Babe Russin and Toots Mondello (b Nuncio Mondello, 1912, Boston MA; d 15 November 1992 NYC), Nick Fatool or Dave Tough on drums, Barry Galbraith on guitar etc; soon earned respect among musicians with forward-sounding arrangements, such as his own 'Portrait Of A Guinea Farm'. Six-piece reed section '41-2 included clarinettist Irving Fazola, later Danny Polo and others also doubling on clarinet; two French horns added '42 (John Graas and Vincent Jacobs, later Mike Glass) and unusual sounds were made, with Evans and later Gerry Mulligan arranging. Thornhill played in Artie Shaw's US Navy band, reorganized his own band after WWII. It became a very unusual band in that it was both profoundly influential and popular with the public (there were not many Billboard hits, but many tracks deserved hit status '37-53, including theme 'Snowfall' '41 (written by Thornhill, not just a foxtrot but a lovely tone poem), 'A Sunday Kind Of Love' '46 with vocal by Fran Warren (b 4 March 1926, Bronx; d 4 March 2013, Brookfield CT; sang with Randy Brooks, Art Mooney, Charlie Barnet, later on Broadway), 'Love For Love' '47 with a solo by Lee Konitz. Thornhill's band played arrangements of jazz standards 'Robbins' Nest' (by Sir Charles Thompson and Illinois Jacquet), Charlie Parker tunes 'Anthropology', 'Thrivin' On A Riff', 'Donna Lee' and 'Yardbird Suite', but also standards and straight stuff: Addinsell's 'Warsaw Concerto', 'Coquette' (written by Carmen, Guy Lombardo's brother). Thornhill's own playing was sometimes ornate, but with the feeling that he was sending up cocktail piano; his understated musical sense of humour may have kept him from greater commercial success, but the band became legendary. Evans arranged 'Autumn Nocturne', 'Night And Day', 'There's A Small Hotel' (vocal by the Snowflakes) as well as the bop-flavoured items; trumpeter Red Rodney joined '47, went on to tour and record with Parker. Evans, Mulligan and Konitz took part in the Miles Davis 'Birth of the Cool' sessions '48, which also included a French horn. The band played without vibrato, the instrumental colours allowed to make their point; Thornhill encouraged his men to practise cool, pastel-coloured beauty, and they went on to contribute to the evolution of modern jazz. Thornhill wrote 'I Wish I Had You', 'Buster's Last Stand' and others; he was music director for Tony Bennett in the mid-'50s, then led smaller groups. Mike Zwerin had played trombone in the Davis group and toured with Thornhill '58; in his memoir Close Enough For Jazz '83 Zwerin recalled Thornhill's humour, still there when the salad days were over. There were compilations on Columbia, Circle, Hindsight. |