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70-542: Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band , or simply The Big Phat Band , is an 18-piece jazz orchestra led by Gordon Goodwin that combines the big band swing of the 1930s and 1940s with contemporary music such as funk and jazz fusion . Since its origin, the Big Phat Band has received several Grammy Awards and many Grammy nominations. Its first album, Swingin' for the Fences , was the first recording released on DVD-Audio and

140-489: A crown on his head, the media referred to Whiteman as "The King of Jazz". Whiteman emphasized the way he approached the well-established style of jazz music, while also organizing its composition and style in his own fashion. While most jazz musicians and fans consider improvisation to be essential to the musical style, Whiteman thought the genre could be improved by orchestrating the best of it, with formal written arrangements. Eddie Condon criticized him for trying to "make

210-405: A full orchestra. As jazz and popular music evolved in tandem, the genres moved from separate spheres and became more closely linked with popularization of swing music . Big bands ushered in the swing era that began in the early thirties, signifying the culmination of commercial jazz that was heavily orchestrated. This variety of jazz was much more commercially digestible than ever before, since it

280-413: A greater emphasis on pre-arranged compositions rather than collective improvisation. Prior to 1930, big bands were composed of trumpets, trombones, saxophones or clarinets, and a rhythm section made up of tuba, banjo, piano, and drums. Early big bands typically played 32-bar popular songs or 12-bar blues, which were organized around the traditional jazz two-beat groove; as the big band genre evolved, however,

350-504: A lady" out of jazz. Whiteman's recordings were popular critically and commercially, and his style of jazz was often the first jazz of any form that many Americans heard during the era. Whiteman wrote more than 3000 arrangements . For more than 30 years Whiteman, referred to as "Pops", sought and encouraged promising musicians, vocalists, composers, arrangers, and entertainers. In 1924 he commissioned George Gershwin 's Rhapsody in Blue , which

420-471: A nationwide NBC radio broadcast sponsored by Dodge Brothers Automobile Co. and known as The Victory Hour (The program introduced the new Dodge "Victory Six" automobile). It was the most widespread hookup ever attempted at that time. Will Rogers acted as MC and joined the program from the West Coast, with Al Jolson coming in from New Orleans. Variety was not impressed, saying: "As with practically all of

490-755: A nearly thirty-year collaboration with composer-arranger-pianist Billy Strayhorn . Ellington's career, ultimately, is commonly cited as the culmination of jazz's golden era, so called the jazz age and the swing era . The Count Basie Orchestra emerged out of Kansas City, Missouri following the death of Bennie Moten and the dissemination of his band. Count Basie would arrive in Kansas City in 1927, initially performing with Walter Page and Moten. Basie's orchestra would feature many prominent members including Lester Young , Joe Keyes , Oran 'Hot Lips' Page , Buster Smith , Earle Warren , and later Illinois Jacquet , Paul Gonsalves and Lucky Thompson . The orchestra

560-419: A recording of the song on Brunswick Records in 1927 as 3549-A with Irving Kaufman on vocals. In 1920, he co-wrote the music to the song "Bonnie Lassie" with Joseph H. Santly with lyrics by John W. Bratton. The song was recorded by Charles Hart who released it as an Okeh 78 single, 4244. Whiteman also co-wrote the popular song "My Fantasy" with Leo Edwards and Jack Meskill, which is a musical adaptation of

630-713: A screenwriter and director, eventually ending up in Hollywood. In 1927, the Whiteman orchestra backed Hoagy Carmichael singing and playing on a recording of " Washboard Blues ". Whiteman signed with Columbia Records in May 1928, leaving the label in September 1930 when he refused a pay cut. He returned to RCA Victor between September 1931 and March 1937. Beginning in 1923 after the Buescher Band Instrument Company placed

700-582: A structure similar to traditionally accessible popular music. The "King of Jazz" in the early twenties was Paul Whiteman , a classically trained musician from Denver . Prior to his time as a ballroom bandleader at the Palais Royal , in New York Whiteman played violin in both the Denver Symphony Orchestra and San Francisco Symphony Orchestra . His classical training substantially influenced

770-428: A theme by film director Marshall Neilan . The songwriting credit is assigned as music composed by Paul Whiteman, Ferde Grofé , and Marshall Neilan, with lyrics by Dorothy Terriss. The single reached No. 3 on Billboard in May 1923, staying on the charts for 5 weeks. "(My) Wonderful One" was recorded by Gertrude Moody, Edward Miller, Martha Pryor, Mel Torme , Doris Day , Woody Herman , Helen Moretti, John McCormack ; it

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840-464: A usually large ensemble and explored many styles of music, such as blending symphonic music and jazz , as in his debut of Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin . Whiteman recorded many jazz and pop standards during his career, including " Wang Wang Blues ", " Mississippi Mud ", "Rhapsody in Blue", " Wonderful One ", " Hot Lips (He's Got Hot Lips When He Plays Jazz) ", " Mississippi Suite ", " Grand Canyon Suite ", and " Trav'lin' Light ". He co-wrote

910-498: A weekly radio show for Old Gold Cigarettes for which he was paid $ 5,000 per broadcast. Old Gold Presents Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra was an hour-long show on Tuesday nights over CBS from station WABC in New York. The Whiteman Hour had its first broadcast on February 5, 1929, and continued until May 6, 1930. On May 7, 1930, he was paid $ 325,000 for 65 radio episodes. Whiteman then became far busier in radio. His shows were: In

980-515: Is thought of as one of his most important accomplishments. His use of arpeggiated chords, sectional point and counterpoint, changes in key signature and rhythm, and his layering of complex harmonies demonstrate Redman's nuanced grasp of musical composition. Redman also had a unique sense of band structure, the legacy of which still persists. Redman would divide the band into four interactive sections: woodwinds ( saxophones and clarinets ), trumpets , trombones , and rhythm sections. This would become

1050-566: The Ambassador Hotel in Atlantic City . From November 3, 1920, he started using "Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra." Whiteman became the most popular band director of that decade. In a time when most dance bands consisted of six to ten men, Whiteman directed a more imposing group that numbered as many as 35 musicians. By 1922, Whiteman already controlled some 28 ensembles on the East Coast and

1120-631: The Polovtsian Dances theme from the opera Prince Igor by Alexander Borodin . The Paul Whiteman Orchestra recorded "My Fantasy" with Joan Edwards on vocals in 1939 and released it as a 78 single on Decca Records . Artie Shaw also recorded the song and released it as a single on Victor Records in March 1940 with Pauline Byrns on vocals. In 2006 the Paul Whiteman Orchestra's 1928 recording of Ol' Man River with Paul Robeson on vocals

1190-487: The performance in which they were executed. The busy, raucous style of early jazz did not hold the same kind of popular appeal that the comparative restraint of orchestral jazz did. In particular, the implementation of measured rhythm accounted for much of its popular appeal. The two-beat groove reminiscent of New Orleans jazz was replaced during the transition into the swing era by the bass innovations of Jimmy Blanton and Walter Page , both of whom are credited for developing

1260-433: The ''Freddie Green" style of guitar playing in which chords are played four to the bar, often while being muted slightly. Basie's Orchestra was also well known for working with arrangers such as Neal Hefti , Quincy Jones and Sammy Nestico . The most marked shifts from New Orleans and Chicago styles of jazz to orchestral jazz included the shift from polyphony to homophony, the general expansion of instrumentation, and

1330-487: The 1925 jazz classic " Flamin' Mamie ". His popularity faded in the swing music era of the mid-1930s, and by the 1940s he was semi-retired from music. He experienced a revival and had a comeback in the 1950s with his own network television series, Paul Whiteman's Goodyear Revue , which ran for three seasons on ABC . He also hosted the 1954 ABC talent contest show On the Boardwalk with Paul Whiteman . Whiteman's place in

1400-711: The 1940s and 1950s, after he had disbanded his orchestra, Whiteman worked as a music director for the ABC Radio Network . He also hosted Paul Whiteman's TV Teen Club from Philadelphia on ABC-TV from 1949 to 1954. The show was seen for an hour the first two years, then as a half-hour segment on Saturday evenings. In 1952 a young Dick Clark read the commercials for sponsor Tootsie Roll. Whiteman's TV-Teen Club , along with Grady and Hurst 's 950 Club , proved to be an inspiration for WFIL-TV 's afternoon dance show called American Bandstand . He also continued to appear as guest conductor for many concerts. His manner on stage

1470-558: The Band (1940), and Westward Passage (1932). "I've Waited So Long" was composed with Irving Bibo and Howard Johnson and copyrighted in 1920. Whiteman also arranged the song. "How I Miss You Mammy, No One Knows" was composed with Billy Munro and Marcel Klauber in 1920 and arranged by Marcel Klauber. The 1924 song "You're the One" was composed by Paul Whiteman, Ferde Grofé , and Ben Russell in 1924 and copyrighted on February 1, 1924. He co-wrote

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1540-596: The Big Bands. "Hot Lips" was recorded by Ted Lewis and His Jazz Band, Horace Heidt and His Brigadiers Orchestra (1937), Specht's Jazz Outfit, the Cotton Pickers (1922), and Django Reinhardt et Le Quintette Du Hot Club De France. Paul Whiteman was the first to release the jazz and pop standard " Deep Purple " as an instrumental in 1934. Whiteman composed the standard " Wonderful One " in 1922 with Ferde Grofé and Dorothy Terris (also known as Theodora Morse ), based on

1610-688: The Central Florida Region SCCA , were held from 1958 until 1972. The 1958 event was held at the New Smyrna Beach Airport , and from 1961, it was held annually at the Daytona Speedway . The Paul Whiteman Orchestra introduced many jazz standards in the 1920s, including " Hot Lips ", which was in the Steven Spielberg movie The Color Purple (1985), " Mississippi Mud ", "From Monday On", written by Harry Barris and sung by

1680-537: The Dodge Brothers Victory Hour broadcast." On March 29, 1928, Whiteman took part in a second Dodge Brothers radio show over the NBC network, which was entitled Film Star Radio Hour . Charlie Chaplin , Douglas Fairbanks , John Barrymore , and several other Hollywood stars were featured. United Artists Pictures arranged for additional loudspeakers to be installed in their theatres so that audiences could hear

1750-511: The Paul Whiteman Orchestra. That year he led a popular dance band in the city. In 1920, he moved with his band to New York City where they began recording for the Victor Talking Machine Company . The popularity of these records led to national fame. In his first five recordings sessions for Victor, August 9 – October 28, 1920, he used the name "Paul Whiteman and His Ambassador Orchestra", presumably because he had been playing at

1820-570: The Rhythm Boys featuring Bing Crosby and Irene Taylor with Bix Beiderbecke on cornet, "Nuthin' But", "Grand Canyon Suite" and "Mississippi Suite" composed by Ferde Grofé , "Rhapsody in Blue", composed by George Gershwin who played piano on the Paul Whiteman recording in 1924, "Wonderful One" (1923), and " Wang Wang Blues " (1920), covered by Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington , Benny Goodman , and Joe "King" Oliver 's Dixie Syncopators in 1926 and many of

1890-467: The UK on His Master's Voice (HMV) as B2430. In Louis Armstrong & Paul Whiteman: Two Kings of Jazz (2004), Joshua Berrett wrote that " Whiteman Stomp " was credited to Fats Waller , Alphonso Trent, and Paul Whiteman. Lyricist Jo Trent is the co-author. The Fletcher Henderson Orchestra first recorded "Whiteman Stomp" on May 11, 1927, and released it as Columbia 1059-D. The Fletcher Henderson recording lists

1960-488: The Whiteman group in 1932. The King's Jesters were with Paul Whiteman in 1931. In 1933, Whiteman had a hit on the Billboard charts with Ann Ronell's " Willow Weep for Me ". In 1942, Whiteman began recording for Capitol Records , co-founded by songwriters Buddy DeSylva and Johnny Mercer and music store owner Glenn Wallichs. Whiteman and His Orchestra's recordings of " I Found a New Baby " and "The General Jumped at Dawn"

2030-414: The age of 14. He would go on to compose a tremendous variety of music, be captured on thousands of recordings, and perform for nearly five decades. The subtleties of Ellington's composition make for a musical art that was at once thoughtful and complicated, as well as listenable and enjoyable. Ellington's contributions to jazz are innumerable, and yet, as indicated by the fame he gained in the mid-twenties,

2100-642: The baby in Nertz (1929), the bandleader in Thanks a Million (1935), as himself in Strike Up the Band (1940), in the Paramount Pictures short The Lambertville Story (1949), and the revue musical King of Jazz (1930). Although giving priority to stage appearances during his peak years in the 1920s, Whiteman participated in some early prestigious radio programs. On January 4, 1928, Whiteman and his troupe starred in

2170-453: The best jazz soloists of all time. These included Louis Armstrong , Coleman Hawkins , Roy Eldridge , Benny Carter , Lester Young , and Chu Berry , to name just a few of the impressive bandmates Henderson recruited. After Henderson and Redman ended their formidable collaboration in 1927, Henderson eventually began, in 1931, to compose. He familiarized himself with the elements of composition by transcribing old jazz records and scoring them to

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2240-477: The call-and-response typical of African-American music; each orchestral section harmonizes a certain riff, responding to the phrases of the other sections. Orchestral jazz pieces, therefore, progressed logically through this tension, built and released by the harmonic communication of layered playing. Paul Whiteman Paul Samuel Whiteman (March 28, 1890 – December 29, 1967) was an American bandleader , composer, orchestral director, and violinist. As

2310-532: The era were those that accommodated their audience's desire to dance. Henderson's band, for example, began playing at the Roseland Ballroom in the early twenties; his repertoire included not only "hot jazz" pieces, but also waltzes in deference to the desires of the Roseland's patrons. Henderson's consideration of his audience points to the importance of entertainment in the performance of the variety of jazz that

2380-634: The era's most esteemed white musicians, and his groups handled jazz admirably as part of a larger repertoire. Critic Scott Yanow declares that Whiteman's orchestra "did play very good jazz...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. [...] Many of his recordings (particularly those with Bix Beiderbecke ) have been reissued numerous times and are more rewarding than his detractors would lead one to believe." In his autobiography, Duke Ellington declared, "Paul Whiteman

2450-527: The eventual supremacy of big band . Redman's arrangements of new Orleans and Chicago jazz pieces re-imagined the musical potential of jazz, marking the shift from collective improvisation and polyphonic jazz tunes, to the much more widely consumable homophonic compositions characteristic of orchestral jazz. Other structural techniques, such as call-and-response, were apparent in Whiteman's arrangements that pre-date Redman's; however, Redman's use of call-and-response as his jazz compositions' underlying structure

2520-399: The first DVD-Audio to be nominated for two Grammy Awards. When he founded the Big Phat Band in 1999, Goodwin was working in Hollywood as a composer for Warner Brothers cartoons. His first attraction to big band music was at the age of 13 when he heard Count Basie . Orchestral jazz Orchestral jazz developed from early New Orleans jazz . The African-American musicians who pioneered

2590-403: The foundational structure for big bands which typically consist of four trumpets, four trombones, five saxophones, and rhythm section (piano, bass, guitar, and drums). Variations in instrumentation also allowed for flexibility in performance. One important trend that coincided with the increase in availability of music was the dance craze of the twenties and thirties; the most successful bands of

2660-410: The four-beat swung rhythm became its most substantial change. This was in part a function of the change in the instrumentation of the rhythm section, and the incorporation of the string bass, as well as the substitution of guitar for the banjo. Finally, the musical arrangements that organized an ensemble's playing were based on a "riff approach" which made use of head arrangements. Head arrangements employ

2730-580: The genre is most indebted to him for elevating orchestral jazz to its pinnacle. No other artist was quite as able as Ellington to utilize jazz elements, though Henderson and Redman had attempted, quite so seamlessly with a large orchestra. Many of Ellington's compositions were written for specific members of his band, highlighting their individual talents and relying on their input to cultivate his sound. His orchestra would feature players such as Johnny Hodges , Ben Webster , Jimmy Blanton, Juan Tizol , Cootie Williams , Harry Carney , and would also see witness to

2800-504: The genre prior to 1920, and who migrated from New Orleans to Chicago and New York in the early 1920s, brought jazz north; in time, the African-American neighborhood of Harlem became the genre's cultural center. In New York, the entertainment and arts industries thrived and jazz found a fitting home, becoming an important part of the cultural landscape. But before the widespread popularity of big bands, which developed in tandem with

2870-532: The growing dance craze , jazz was generally regarded as a rather crude variety of music. It was not widely listened to for its artistic value, as music critic Richard Hadlock writes: A movement emerged during the 1920s, however, indebted in part to Paul Whiteman 's musical influence. This movement led to the more stylized, and more formal variety of jazz that would become orchestral jazz, imagined first by Whiteman as symphonic jazz . This stylization of jazz had elements of classical European composing , coupled with

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2940-422: The history of early jazz is somewhat controversial. Detractors suggest that his ornately orchestrated music was jazz in name only, lacking the genre's improvisational and emotional depth, and co-opted the innovations of black musicians. Defenders note that Whiteman's fondness for jazz was genuine. He worked with black musicians as much as was feasible during an era of racial segregation . His bands included many of

3010-467: The important and high-priced commercial broadcasting programs under N.B.C. auspices in the past, the Dodge Brothers' Victory Hour at a reputed cost of $ 67,000 was disappointing and not commensurate in impression with the financial outlay." However, the magazine noted. "...The reaction to Paul Whiteman's grand radio plug for " Among My Souvenirs "…was a flock of orders by wire from dealers the day following

3080-457: The jazz tradition. Specifically, the duo utilized the spontaneity and virtuosity of improvisation so integral to jazz as a unique musical genre. While Whiteman's own publicist declared the day of the jazz soloist to be over, Redman's arrangements maintained a balance between arranged passages and improvisation, and showcased the best musical talents of the era. Henderson's band featured an array of virtuosic talent, including, at various times, some of

3150-574: The leader of one of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s and early 1930s, Whiteman produced recordings that were immensely successful, and press notices often referred to him as the "King of Jazz". His most popular recordings include " Whispering ", " Valencia ", " Three O'Clock in the Morning ", " In a Little Spanish Town ", and " Parade of the Wooden Soldiers ". Whiteman led

3220-522: The moniker "King of Jazz," though with this title there is a good deal of controversy associated. As a white man, Whiteman's capitalization on a musical genre that is incontrovertibly African-American in origins has led many critics to question the authenticity of his artistic pursuits, and even deem them exploitative. Despite this, many of Whiteman's contemporaries, black and white, praised him and, indicative of his influence, wanted to emulate his successes. Two of Whiteman's contemporaries that made, arguably,

3290-421: The most significant contributions to the development of orchestral jazz, were the collaborative duo of Fletcher Henderson and Don Redman . Though Henderson, a piano player, never gained the celebrity of many other bandleaders of the time, his collaborations with Redman nonetheless had enormous influence on the development of orchestral jazz, and particularly its transition from Whiteman's symphonic arrangements to

3360-460: The music for the song "Madeline, Be Mine" in 1924 with Abel Baer with lyrics by Cliff Friend. Whiteman composed the piano work "Dreaming The Waltz Away" with Fred Rose in 1926. Organist Jesse Crawford recorded the song on October 4–5, 1926, in Chicago, Illinois, and released it as a 78 on Victor Records, 20363. Crawford played the instrumental on a Wurlitzer organ. The recording was also released in

3430-543: The organic fusion of the two genres by those who performed both. But whereas Whiteman continued to write and perform an extensive amount of popular music—and did so almost exclusively after he suffered from the economic pressures of the Stock Market Crash of 1929 —other big bands, like Henderson's, transitioned into the swing era. Through this transition, Henderson and Redman had an approach to musical innovation quite distinct from Whiteman's--an approach firmly rooted in

3500-484: The rhythmic and instrumental sound of New Orleans jazz. Orchestral jazz was musically distinct from its southern predecessor for a variety of reasons: not only were the bands bigger, creating a certain richness of sound, but also the music was structurally more sophisticated. While New Orleans jazz was characterized by collective improvisation and the spontaneous reinterpretation of standard tunes, jazz orchestras played head arrangements that were composed and arranged prior to

3570-407: The same breadth of American audience. Given the commercial availability of music—which, in addition to records, was aided by the proliferation of broadcast radio—a platform was thus created that accounted for the popularization of jazz. But the mass consumption of jazz simultaneously allowed the audience an inverted influence on its development, and consumer demands dictated that orchestral jazz adopted

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3640-411: The songwriters as "Fats Waller/Jo Trent/Paul Whiteman". Whiteman recorded the song on August 11, 1927, and released it as Victor 21119. On May 31, 1924, the song "String Beans" was copyrighted, with words and music by Vincent Rose, Harry Owens, and Paul Whiteman. In 1927, Paul Whiteman co-wrote the song "Wide Open Spaces" with Byron Gay and Richard A. Whiting . The Colonial Club Orchestra released

3710-444: The stars they had only seen in silent pictures previously. The New York Herald Tribune commented: "...Of Mr. Paul Whiteman's share in the pretentious program, only the best can be said. Mr. Whiteman's orchestra is seldom heard on the radio, and its infrequent broadcasts are the subject of major jubilations, despite the presence of tenors and vocal harmonists in most of the Whiteman renditions." In 1929, Whiteman agreed to take part in

3780-620: The village of Rosemont in Delaware Township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey , from 1938 to 1959. After selling the farm to agriculturalist Lloyd Wescott , Whiteman moved to New Hope, Pennsylvania , for his remaining years. Paul Whiteman died of a heart attack on December 29, 1967, in Doylestown Hospital, Doylestown, Pennsylvania , aged 77. He is buried at First Presbyterian Church of Ewing Cemetery in Trenton, New Jersey . Whiteman

3850-576: The violin, but the young man chose the viola. Whiteman was Protestant and of Scottish, Irish, English, and Dutch ancestry. Whiteman's skill at the viola resulted in a place in the Denver Symphony Orchestra by 1907, joining the San Francisco Symphony in 1914. In 1918, Whiteman conducted a 12-piece U.S. Navy band , the Mare Island Naval Training Camp Symphony Orchestra (NTCSO). After World War I, he formed

3920-496: The walking bass line. This would make four beats to the bar a jazz standard; furthermore, this rhythm was conducive to the kind of dancing audiences desired. The rise of big band instrumentation had as much to do with artistic trends as it did with commercial viability. Significant technological developments transformed the music industry during the 1920s, allowing for an increase in the mass consumption of music. Phonographs and records became standard household items; indicative of

3990-485: The way in which he approached "Modern Music"; most famously, Whiteman's performance at Aeolian Hall in 1924 showcased the transformation he helped pioneer. Concluding this noteworthy show with George Gershwin 's famous composition (and perhaps the best example of symphonic jazz) Rhapsody in Blue , Whiteman's performance is often cited as the event that signifies the arrival of jazz from a folk music to an art form. The showmanship and innovation Whiteman exhibited earned him

4060-402: The widespread popularization of recorded music is the fact that nearly 100 million records were sold in 1927 alone. Prearranged music had a particular commercial appeal, since audiences were familiar with the songs they saw performed live from the recordings they purchased. Furthermore, exposure to musical innovation—and jazz, in all its varieties, was certainly innovative—had never before reached

4130-615: Was a close friend of NASCAR and Daytona International Speedway founder Bill France . On June 13, 1954, the #4 Jaguar XK120 , driven by Al Keller , won the International 100 race of the Grand National series, held on a one mile road course on the airport at Vineland, New Jersey . This was the first, and so far only, victory by a European car in NASCAR's top series. The car was owned by Ed Otto, race promoter and co-founder of NASCAR, but

4200-414: Was also well known for their rhythm section with including Basie on piano, Jo Jones on drums, Walter Page on bass, and Freddie Green on guitar. The rhythm section would go on to define the sound for modern big bands, with Jones being one of the first drummers to shift the role of timekeeping from the bass drum to the hi-hat cymbal, Page a leading innovator of the walking bassline, and Green developing

4270-560: Was directed by a member of his organisation to Bing Crosby and Al Rinker , who would perform as members of his orchestra, and later, as two of the three frontmen of The Rhythm Boys . He provided music for six Broadway shows and produced more than 600 phonograph recordings. His recording of José Padilla's " Valencia " was a big hit in 1926. Red McKenzie , leader of the Mound City Blue Blowers , and cabaret singer Ramona Davies (billed as "Ramona and her Grand Piano") joined

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4340-564: Was disarming; he signed off each program with something casual like, "Well, that just about slaps the cap on the old milk bottle for tonight." In the early 1960s, Whiteman played in Las Vegas before retiring. On August 18, 1931, Whiteman married for the fourth and final time to actress Margaret Livingston in a ceremony in Denver, Colorado . Livingston was unable to have children, and the couple adopted four. Whiteman lived at Walking Horse Farm near

4410-448: Was earning over $ 1,000,000 a year. In 1926, Paul Whiteman was on tour in Vienna, Austria when he met and was interviewed by a young ambitious newspaper reporter named Billy Wilder who was also a fan of Whiteman's band. Whiteman liked young Wilder enough, that he took him with the band to Berlin where Wilder was able to make more connections in the entertainment field, leading him to become

4480-502: Was entered under the ownership of Whiteman to avoid issues arising from conflicts of interest - Keller won a $ 1,000 first prize, and Whiteman's registration as owner survives in archives. The #7 Cadillac owned by Whiteman ran in five Nascar Grand National races during the 1954 season , with future Hall of Famer Junior Johnson driving in three and Gwyn Staley driving in two. In the 1955 season , it ran in one race with Junior Johnson driving. "Paul Whiteman Trophy" races, arranged by

4550-473: Was intended to make its listeners dance. However, this popularization of jazz was not a phenomenon to its dilution or disadvantage. Indeed, the big band of the twenties and thirties provided the necessary outlets for the realization of the legacies of both Whiteman and Henderson. This was probably best epitomized in the career of the most prolific composer of jazz, Duke Ellington . Widely known for his prodigious musical sense, Ellington's composing career began at

4620-569: Was known as the King of Jazz , and no one as yet has come near carrying that title with more certainty and dignity." Whiteman was born in Denver, Colorado . He came from a musical family: his father, Wilburforce James Whiteman was the supervisor of music for the Denver Public Schools , a position he held for fifty years, and his mother Elfrida (née Dallison) was a former opera singer. His father insisted that Paul learn an instrument, preferably

4690-411: Was overtaking New York City (incidentally, however, Henderson was not considered to possess the same caliber of showmanship as other performers, such as Duke Ellington, and some attribute his lack of showmanship as the primary reason for the commercial struggles he suffered). Variety in a band's repertoire meant the incorporation of both pop and jazz standards into most performances, which also allowed for

4760-748: Was premiered by his orchestra with the composer at the piano. Another familiar piece in Whiteman's repertoire was Grand Canyon Suite by Ferde Grofé . Whiteman hired many of the best jazz musicians for his band, including Bix Beiderbecke , Frankie Trumbauer , Joe Venuti , Eddie Lang , Steve Brown , Mike Pingitore , Gussie Mueller , Wilbur Hall (billed by Whiteman as "Willie Hall"), Jack Teagarden , and Bunny Berigan . He encouraged upcoming African American musical talents and planned to hire black musicians, but his management persuaded him that doing so would destroy his career, due to racial tension and America's segregation of that time. In 1925, seeking to break up his musical selections, Whiteman's attention

4830-555: Was released as Victor 961. Jan Garber and His Orchestra, and Ira Sullivan with Tony Castellano also recorded the song. Henry Burr recorded it in 1924 and Glenn Miller and his Orchestra in 1940. On the sheet music published in 1922 by Leo Feist it is described as a "Waltz Song" and "Paul Whiteman's Sensational Waltz Hit" and is dedicated "To Julie". "Wonderful One" appeared in the following movies: The Chump Champ (1950), Little 'Tinker (1948), Red Hot Riding Hood (1943), Sufferin' Cats (1943), Design for Scandal (1941), Strike Up

4900-570: Was the label's first single release. Another notable Capitol record he made is the 1942 " Trav'lin Light " featuring Billie Holiday (billed as "Lady Day", due to her being under contract with another label). Whiteman appeared as himself in the 1945 movie Rhapsody in Blue on the life and career of George Gershwin , and also appeared in The Fabulous Dorseys in 1947, a bio-pic starring Jimmy Dorsey and Tommy Dorsey . Whiteman also appeared as

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