Larry Elgart

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Larry Elgart (born March 20, 1922 in New London , Connecticut , † August 29, 2017 in Longboat Key ) was an American bandleader and alto saxophonist of swing and dance music .

Life

He was the brother of the trumpeter Les Elgart (1917-1995) and the son of a concert pianist. With the help of Hymie Shertzer , Larry Elgart joined Charlie Spivak's band as an alto saxophonist . He then played with Woody Herman , Red Norvo , Freddie Slack and Tommy Dorsey . With his brother Les, he founded his own dance band ( Les & Larry Elgart Band ) in the mid-1940s , which was not very successful at first, despite arrangements by Nelson Riddle , Bill Finegan , Ralph Flanagan , and later sold to Tommy Dorsey. In addition, there were external circumstances that resulted in the general death of the big band at the end of the 1940s, so that both brothers also dissolved their big band and at times worked as sidemen again.

The turnaround came in the early 1950s when Larry Elgart recorded several experimental albums with composer and saxophonist Charles Albertine, with whom he played in a Broadway orchestra: Impressions of Outer Space ( Brunswick , 1953) and later Music for Barefoot Ballerinas ( Decca , 1955). Although these were not very successful commercially (and only later became collectibles), they learned the benefits that the advances in recording technology had gained since the end of the big band era. In the mid-1950s they established what became known as Elgart Sound, which was achieved through precise arrangements up to the placement of the microphones during the recordings. In particular, the rhythm section was able to play a lighter beat (the piano was omitted). There were almost no solos left and saxophones and brass played closely synchronized. That was the beginning of a number of successful albums on major labels such as RCA Victor , Columbia Records , Decca and MGM , starting with Sophisticated Swing at Columbia in 1953.

In 1954 they recorded the signature tune of the legendary TV dance music show Bandstand , the Bandstand Boogie (based on a composition by Albertine). The show ran on ABC for over 30 years.

At the end of the 1950s, the brothers separated and each led bands under their own names for studio recordings. The Elgart sound had lost its appeal and Larry tried new things with Al Cohn as arranger. In 1963 the brothers got together again for a short time. Les Elgart then moved back to Texas (where he occasionally put together a big band again), while Larry Elgart continued into the 2000s. In the 1960s they took on new contemporary rock and pop impulses (with arranger Bobby Scott , who replaced Albertine in 1963). In the 1980s he had great success with Hooked on Swing Sound à la James Last .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Katie Johns: Larry Elgart remembered for his love of swing music. yourobserver.com, August 30, 2017, accessed August 31, 2017 .
personal data
SURNAME Elgart, Larry
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American band leader and saxophonist
DATE OF BIRTH March 20, 1922
PLACE OF BIRTH New London (Connecticut)
DATE OF DEATH 29th August 2017
Place of death Longboat Key