Eddy Duchin plays Cole Porter - Rosalie, c.1940

Eddy Duchin Plays Cole Porter: Rosalie (from „Rosalie", 1937) (Cole Porter) -- Eddy Duchin, Piano with Rhythm Accompaniament, Columbia, ca 1940
----------------------------------
Eddy DUCHIN (b.Cambridge Massachusetts, 1910 -- d. NYC 1951) was one of the most famous American pianists and bandleaders of the 1930s' and 40's. His mother, Marjorie Oelrichs was a famous society beauty, whose ancestors were a major shipping family (the American agents for North German Lloyd) in the 19th century in New York. A great-aunt, Blanche Oelrichs, wrote plays under the name of Michael Strange and was married to John Barrymore with whom she had a daughter, the famously infamous Diana Barrymore. He first became a pharmacist before turning full-time to music and beginning his new career with Leo Reisman's orchestra at the Central Park Casino in New York, an elegant nightclub where he became hugely popular in his own right and eventually became the Reisman orchestra's leader by 1932. He became widely popular thanks to regular radio broadcasts that boosted his record sales, and he was one of the earliest pianists to lead a commercially successful large band.
Duchin had no formal music training -- which was said to frustrate his musicians at times -- but he developed a style rooted in classical music. Playing what later came to be called "sweet" music rather than jazz, Duchin's success opened a new gate for similarly styled, piano-playing sweet bandleaders such as Henry King, Joe Reichman, Little Jack Little, Carmen Cavallaro to compete with the large jazz bands for radio time and record sales. He was a pleasing stage presence whose favourite technique was to play his piano cross-handed, using only one finger on the lower hand, and he was respectful to his audiences and to his classical influence.
Duchin entered the Navy during World War II, serving as a combat officer. After discharge, he was unable to reclaim his former stardom in spite of a brave stab at a new radio show in 1949. He died two years later, at age 40 or 41, of leukemia.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• American
• white
• pianist
• Thirties
• Fourties
• Jazz
• age
• Swing
• bandleader
• 78rpm

[BroadwayG]

Some bar pianist wrote they would be embarrassed to play like Duchin. So how come if Duchin is embarrassing, and has been DEAD for decades, he still lives on？ And you are??

[ChristophePhilippe]

@freeqwerqwer Don't listen to these idiots. You can appreciate and like something without wanting to do it yourself. I agree with you. I'm a huge fan of the Duchin Orchestra and sound. But it has its place. Duchin was a fine pianist, but no more. He had nothing particularly interesting to say, as opposed to, say, Barbara Carroll or Oscar Peterson.

[TheToocold]

 if i could play like duchin i would be proud. clowns these days can't play at all. you should be embarrassed by your stupid comment, a-hole.

[sexysizesix]

@freeqwerqwer ...Y ???...

[bigcity233]

@freeqwerqwer It's interesting you say you would be embarrassed to play this style of piano.....Musical taste today is so radically different from what was popular in the 30's and 40's. Eddy Duchin was very popular among the more sophisticated affluent types in the 30's/40's. He was definitely a NY "society" artist. Also, there was a much different (I'm not judging) emotional temperament then - which informs the style of music that is popular.

[freeqwerqwer]

i read so much about this Eddy Duchin and had never heard him play but, thanks to Youtube, I finally get to hear him. He plays amusingly in a flowery way, society kind of piano, like a hotel pianist. I play in a piano bar but would personally be embarrassed to play this style of piano.

[bellini7verdi]

se me ncoje todo el cuerpo de tanta belleza............

[AMEwrestling]

This is the first Eddy Duchin that I ever heard solo. I heard his trio songs and his big band songs. This is rare.

[SweetSue4]

Are there any clips of Eddy Duchin actually performing? All I can find so far are stills, and Tyrone Power.

[u5chi1]

The text could be a bit smaller imo...