Glen Gray & The Casa Loma Orchestra - Blue moon (1935)

Glen Gray Knoblauch, known as Glen Gray, (June 7,1900 - Aug.23,1963, Plymouth, Massachusetts)

was a jazz saxophonist and leader of the Casa Loma Orchestra.

Gray was born Metamora, Illinois. When he was 13 years old, Gray organized a group known as Spike's Jazz Band.

Gray graduated from Roanoke High School. He is said to have joined the army at seventeen and two years later he was living at home with his family. He was employed as a bill clerk for the railroad. He attended Illinois Wesleyan University but left to work for the Santa Fe Railroad.

In 1927, his Orange Blossoms Band was renamed the Casa Loma Orchestra, after Casa Loma in Toronto, where the band played for eight months. Gray collaborated with the jazz musician Jean Goldkette and with trumpeter/arranger Salvador Camarata.


Glen Gray & The Casa Loma Orchestra - Blue moon (1935)

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Glen
• Gray
• Casa
• Loma
• Orchestra
• 1935
• 20's
• 30's

[bbcisrubbish]

One of the best renditions of BLUE MOON I have ever heard,and I have heard many.

[suzannegrits]

kenny sargent was my grandfather..what a beauiful voice

[PhillySouth]

This might be the first commercial recording of this. I give the edge for a better (straight) version to Al Bowlly crooning with Ray Noble Orchestra in January of 1935, though.

[ErnieHollerhagen]

Organized a band known as Spike's jazz band when he was 13? That would mean he would be one of the first to use the expression "jazz". Can you verify this?

[ranemson1]

Bought yesterday an old LP - Glen Gray & The Casa Loma Orchestra on Masters of Swing Vol. 1.(Capitol). Recordings from 1958 to 1962. Wonderful.

[CarrieBradshawofMA]

@Suzannegrits: That's so cool!  My great-grandfather was Billy Rauch, another band member!

[bingcro]

my favourtie song of my youth tks for postings got many many versions of this lovely song

[phredl]

@dancingwithfrogs I have the Trumbauer But I prefer this The trumbauer version loses the beauty of the song. Some songs should be played as they're written and this is one of them. As always my opinion.

[dancingwithfrogs]

@bbcisrubbish Do you know Frankie Trumbauer´s version of 1934 with Bunny Berigan on trumpet? I don´t think so :-)



[davedirk]

This Kat was tight, in his day...and still rocks!!

[chkjns]

@suzannegrits - Your grandfather is singing one of the earliest versions of this then brand-new song! This was the 4th set of lyrics written by Lorenz Hart, this song almost never came to be!

I've got 10,000 songs on over 500 playlists, some up to 4 hours long. 111 lists cover each year since 1900 so you can hear songs in the context of their times. It's a musical journey through a century of pop music from around the world & 300 artists, like Casa Loma Orch, each have their own playlists

[TheLastOffender]

Absolutely beautiful