Paul Whiteman
Because press agents dubbed him "The King of Jazz" in the 1920s, Paul Whiteman has always been considered a controversial figure in jazz history. Actually, his orchestra was the most popular during the era and at times (despite its size) it did play very good jazz; perhaps "King of the Jazz Age" would have been a better title.
Originally a classically trained violinist, Paul Whiteman led a large Navy band during World War I and always had a strong interest in the popular music of the day. In 1918, he organized his first dance band in San Francisco and, after short periods in Los Angeles and Atlantic City, he settled in New York in 1920. His initial recordings ("Japanese Sandman" and "Whispering") were such big sellers that Whiteman was soon a household name. His superior dance band used some of the most technically skilled musicians of the era in a versatile show that included everything from pop tunes and waltzes to semi-classical works and jazz. Trumpeter Henry Busse (featured on "Hot Lips" and "When Day Is Done") was Whiteman's main star during the 1921-1926 period. Seeking to "make a lady out of jazz," Whiteman's symphonic jazz did not always swing, but at Aeolian Hall in 1924 he introduced "Rhapsody in Blue" (with its composer George Gershwin on piano) in what was called "An Experiment in Modern Music." Red Nichols and Tommy Dorsey passed through the band but it was in 1927, with the addition of Bix Beiderbecke, Frankie Trumbauer, and Bing Crosby (the latter originally featured as part of a vocal trio called the Rhythm Boys), that Whiteman began to finally have an important jazz band. Joe Venuti and Eddie Lang soon joined up, and many of Whiteman's recordings of 1927-1930 (particularly the ones with Bill Challis arrangements) are among his finest.
After Beiderbecke left the band in 1929 and Whiteman filmed the erratic but fascinating movie The King of Jazz in 1930, the Depression forced the bandleader to cut back on his personnel (which at one time included two pianos, tuba, bass sax, string bass, banjo, and guitar in its rhythm section). Although his orchestra in the 1930s at times featured Bunny Berigan, Trumbauer, and both Jack and Charlie Teagarden, Whiteman's music was considered old hat by the time of the swing era and he essentially retired (except for special appearances) by the early '40s. Many of his recordings (particularly those with Beiderbecke) have been reissued numerous times and are more rewarding than his detractors would lead one to believe. In the 1970s, Dick Sudhalter for a time organized and led "the New Paul Whiteman Orchestra" which recorded a couple of fine recreation records.
© Scott Yanow /TiVo
Discography
14 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
-
Without a Song, Vol. 5
Pop - Released by Vocalion on Nov 21, 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
50 Greatest Hits
Jazz - Released by Kipepeo Publishing on Jun 29, 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rhapsody in Blue
Jazz - Released by Editions Audiovisuel Beulah on Mar 20, 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rhapsody In Blue
Jazz - Released by CAPITOL CATALOG MKT (C92) on Jan 1, 1951
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
Paul Whiteman - King of Jazz 1920-1927
Jazz - Released by Timeless Records on Jul 7, 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Presenting Paul Whiteman
Jazz - Released by Universal Digital Enterprises on May 27, 1933
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
An American In Paris (1951 Recording)
Jazz - Released by CAPITOL CATALOG MKT (C92) on Feb 11, 1952
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Irving Berlin Songs, Vol. 1
Jazz - Released by Shellac Revival on Jun 24, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Doo Wacka Doo
Alternative & Indie - Released by Paul Whiteman on Jan 1, 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Three O'Clock In The Morning
Pop - Released by Don't stop the music on Nov 7, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Hot Lips
Jazz - Released by Don't stop the music on Oct 31, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
'Way Down Yonder In New Orleans
Jazz - Released by Don't stop the music on Oct 28, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo