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TEX BENEKE & HIS ORCHESTRA - The Glenn Miller Formula Part Six

Sounds of YesterYear DSOY2081


The Tex Beneke Orchestra with vocals by Shirley Wilson & Bill Raymond
Recorded  Hollywood January 1951 & New York September 1951

 
TEX BENEKE & THE GLENN MILLER ORCHESTRA - Hits Not Issued In Britain 

Sounds Of YesterYear DSOY2090 


Tex Beneke & the Glenn Miller Orchestra with vocals by Tex Beneke, The Crew Chiefs, Lillian Lane, Glenn Douglas & Gary Steves
Recorded 1946 to 1950

Tex Beneke was a Glenn Miller man through and through and when Glenn Miller went missing presumed  dead over the English Channel Tex Beneke was asked by Helen Miller and the powers that be to take over the leadership of the Miller Orchestra which he did and continued to lead the band over a number of years.

The second CD is this band and still retains that Miller sound with the clarinet lead in the saxophone section. Just to give the CD some focus the tracks are hits that were apparently not issued and there are some familiar tunes amongst them including, “Moonlight Serenade”, “East of the Sun” and “I Can Dream Can’ I”. There are also quite a number which are unfamiliar such as, “My Heart is a Hobo”, “The Wood Chuck Song” and “Passe”.

There are a number of vocalists involved but none of them light any fires and Tex Beneke himself is probably the best of a pretty dismal bunch.

By the time of “The Glenn Miller Formula” album Tex Beneke was no longer employed by Helen Miller but continued to  play the Miller style of music and that definite sound is mostly in evidence behind the vocals  including, “Unforgettable” by vocalist Bill Raymond and “Maybe it’s Because I Love You Too Much” by Shirley Wilson.

So it is evident what to expect from these two albums and I would think it would be of interest to Miller devotes and it should also appeal to people who are into nostalgia. 

Reviewed by Roy Booth


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