07 May 2024

Boyd Raeburn’s Weird Swing – Phantom Dancer

Greg Poppleton Swing Radio show

Boyd Raeburn was an American jazz band leader, tenor and bass saxophonist. No major label wanted to record him because his arrangements were considered “too weird” for dancers. He’s your Phantom Dancer feature artist this week.

The Phantom Dancer is your weekly non-stop mix of swing and jazz from live 1920s-60s radio and TV every week.

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BOYD

Boyd Raeburn’s musical career started at the University of Chicago, where he led a campus band. He was then a commercial bandleader at Chicago’s World Fair (1933–1934) and worked for dance bands throughout the 30s, sometimes leading them.

In the 40s, Boyd passed through swing before becoming identified with the bop school.
His later 1944-1947 big band performed arrangements that were often comparable to those used by Woody Herman and the “progressive jazz” of Stan Kenton during the same period.

Female vocalist in the band was the popular singer, who was aslo Boyd’s wife, Ginny Powell.
The compositions arranged by George Handy were the most contemporary, utilising dissonance somewhat in the manner of Igor Stravinsky.

Johnny Richards joined in 1947 and stayed for a year writing 50 compositions.

Boyd Raeburn’s band made a big critical splash in New York.

Billy Eckstine, whose own bebop big band also suffered from the recording ban, was ecstatic about it, helping Raeburn play a week at the all-black Apollo Theatre.

Eckstine exhorted the audience to pay attention to what the band was playing.

During one of their New York gigs at the Commodore Hotel, their late-night broadcast was heard by trumpeter Roy Eldridge who rushed down and sat in night after night, for free, until the band’s manager simply hired him. (He stayed for two months.)

Bad luck dogged Raeburn throughout his career. His arranger, Finckel left in 1945 to become chief arranger for Gene Krupa’s big band. Sonny Berman and Earl Swope jumped to the high-profile band of Woody Herman. No major label wanted to record him because his arrangements were considered “too weird” for dancers.

Raeburn did record 12 sides for the small Guild label in 1945, including performances of “March of the Boyds” and “A Night in Tunisia” on which trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie sat in.