Mal Hallett

Violinist, Mal Hallett, trained and educated at the Boston Conservatory of Music.  During World War I, Mal joined Al Moore's band and spent time in France entertaining the troops.

In the 1930's, Hallett would go on to lead his own band.  His orchestra spent most of its time in the New England area but enjoyed a very nice level of success for a regional band.

When the Swing Era hit, Hallett was a bit older than most of the other swing leaders, and it's said that he sometimes had trouble connecting with the younger fans.  It's also important to add that Hallett battled alcoholism throughout his career and the illness caused him to suffer an injury that prevented him from continuing to play the violin.

Hallett passed away in 1952, but he managed to leave behind a very strong catalog of Big Band music.  His band will also be remembered for the amount of sidemen and vocalists that would go on to make an impact on the era including:  Gene Krupa, Jack Teagarden, Frankie Carle, Jack Jenney, Toots Mondello, Irene Daye and many others.  Let's just say that band was quite stacked with talent.

Unfortunately, I have only stumbled upon a handful of Radio Broadcasts and Transcriptions featuring Mal Hallett.  As I find more, I'll be sure to add them to Swing City Radio and play them on the podcast.

Listen to: "Let's Get Lost" by Mal Hallett and His Orchestra from 1942

You can hear the music of Mal Hallett right here on Swing City Radio.

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Added To The Playlist - Feb 2024

Hey there everyone.  I finally got my computer and studio up and running again! That means I've returned to the dusty archives of Old Time Radio Broadcasts looking for songs to play for you on Swing City Radio and the podcast.

Here's a breakdown of what was recently added to Swing City Radio:

Alvino Rey and The King Sisters

"At Ease" (AFRS) - Date Unknown

This includes some very interesting music from an AFRS Show called "At Ease".  "At Ease" usually featured tracks that I consider a little "too soft" for the format.  But, this particular episode featured Alvino Rey leading the AFRS Orchestra and he brought The King Sisters along with him.  Keep an ear out for "Who's Sorry Now / Stardust" which contains some beautiful guitar work by Alvino and "I Surrender Dear" by The King Sisters.  (I included "I Surrender Dear" in this post.)  Looks like I'll be spending more time scanning through those "At Ease" programs looking for more gems like this one.

Listen to: "I Surrender Dear" by The King Sisters and Alvino Rey

Artie Shaw

"Victory Parade of Spotlight Bands" (AFRS) - Sep 26, 1945 - Camp San Luis Obispo, CA

Artie Shaw and His Orchestra were in fine form on this night. "Jumping On The Merry-Go-Round" and "Hop, Skip and Jump" are just a couple of the tracks added to the rotation.

Benny Goodman

One Night Stand (AFRS) - Mar 22, 1949 - Los Angeles

This performance was recorded late in the 1940's and his orchestra did not have the huge names that were featured in the late 30's and earlier part of the decade.  But, Benny Goodman and His Orchestra put together a very strong performance.  Songs include: "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm", "Undercurrent Blues" and "Don't Worry 'Bout Me". I also added a great version of "Blue Lou" by The Goodman Sextet. 

~ Ronnaldo

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Erskine Butterfield

Erskine Butterfield got his start in the 1930's playing piano for Noble Sissle and his Orchestra.  In 1937, Butterfield formed a band of his own and started to record for the Variety record label.  By 1938, he made the jump to Decca Records where he recorded over forty titles.  During the 1940's his band was known as "Erskine Butterfield and his Blue Boys".

Butterfield was drafted into the military in 1943.  He continued to play music during World War II and was even featured on a couple of V-Discs.  After World War II, Butterfield formed a trio and toured extensively, but his music didn't have the same amount of commercial appeal as it did in the past.

During his career, Butterfield made many appearances on The Nat King Cole Show, The Tony Martin Program and The Jo Stafford Show.

Listen to: "The Boogie Beat'll Get You" by Erskine Butterfield from 1944

You can hear the music of Erskine Butterfield right here on Swing City Radio.

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Soundie: Eager Beaver - Stan Kenton

Today's Soundie is "Eager Beaver" by Stan Kenton and His Orchestra.  This was filmed on a stage set in 1945 and also features the dancing of Jean Ivory (Pictured Below).  This is just one of eighteen Soundies that featured Stan Kenton.

I've always enjoyed watching Stan at work.  His passion for the music and his musical leadership really comes through on film. Plus, it's also great to see Ray Wetzel, Freddie Zito, Boots Mussulli and the other boys of Kenton's talented band in action. Enjoy!

Watch: "Eager Beaver" by Stan Kenton from 1945

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