Swingin' the Blues - The Virtuosity of Eddie Durham: Volume 1

Volume One (1900-1949) This e-book debuts a collection of interviews with Texan trombonist/guitarist, composer/arranger, pianist, choreographer Eddie Durham (1906-1987) and his unique musical family - who collectively worked in Teddy Roosevelt Roughriders HOMECOMING BAND, with T-Bone, Les Hite, Lionel Hampton, Nat King Cole, Harry James, The Blue Devils, Bennie Moten, Teddy Wilson, Billie Holiday, Buck Clayton, Lester Young, Mary Lou Williams, and others below. Eddie once roomed with Art Tatum and Dr. Dorsey. The DURHAM Brothers Orchestra first traveled in the circuses and minstrels in the early 1900s. His big-band swing compositions/arrangements for Count Basie became the model for Swing Music, notably “Swinging the Blues”, “Topsy”, “Time Out”, “Out The Window”, “Every Tub”, “Magic Carpet”, “John’s Idea”, “Moten’s Swing”, “One O’Clock Jump” and “Jumpin At The Woodside”. He wrote “Sliphorn Jive”, “Wham! Rebop Boom Bam”. These songs transformed the stomp-band sound into the idiom of 'swing dance music, spawning jitterbug, lindy-hop, and swing dancing. These dances still thrive internationally. Scouted by bandleaders as a "hit-maker", Eddie provided big-band leaders with show-stopping sweet, and bombastic flag-wavers. He is the Arranger of “In The Mood” for Glenn Miller and “Bloodshot Eyes” for Wynonnie Harris. He also wrote for Jimmie Lunceford (“Blues In The Groove”), Harry James, Jan Savitt, Ink Spots (“I Don’t Want To Set The World On Fire”), The Sweethearts of Rhythm. Eddie wrote 6-part harmony and coached their brass sections in visually exciting stage tricks, with fans and horn mutes, tricks the Durham Brothers learned while traveling with southwest circuses. He was Musical Director with five all-girl Orchestras. Yes. One man did ALL of this... And there's more... Eddie experimented with electricity and recorded on amplified AND electric guitar, the first of their kind. On trombone, he utilized a non-pressure technique. Eddie Durham's secrets and unique 'inside perspective' of the bandleaders he helped popularize, and how he arranged for Lester Young and Herschel Evans, creating the perfect “dueling tenors”, has never been told... Until now. “Swingin’ the Blues The Virtuosity of Eddie Durham - Vol. I” Foreword by impresario George Wein. Edited by Dr. Albert Vollmer and Dan Weinstein. Cover Art by Charles Frazier (STARTOONZ) DurhamJazz.com-updates. Eddie.DurhamJazz. Tweet @OfficialDurham.