Jimmie Lunceford

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James Melvin Lunceford aka Jimmie Lunceford; leader, saxophone, arranger; born in Fulton MS on the 6th of June 1902, died on the 12th of July 1947, while on tour in Seaside, Oregon.

Jimmie Lunceford will long be remembered as the leader of a powerful, swinging big band that rivaled on record, and exceeded in person, the orchestras of Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman and Count Basie. His band differed from many of the other big bands of the 1930s and 1940s in that Lunceford’s group was noted less for its soloists (although they boasted several outstanding ones) than for its incomparable sax section and sterling ensemble work. Additionally, most bands of the period used a four-beat rhythm while the Lunceford orchestra also developed and added, a distinctive two-beat swing, often played at medium, eminently danceable tempos. Finally, they pioneered (as an ensemble) playing slightly “behind the beat” which imparted a truly compelling drive to their outstanding arrangements -and proved irresistible to the dancers. Altogether, these components produced a unique sound that became known during the Swing Era as the “Lunceford beat”. Jimmie Lunceford recruited the nucleus of his band while an athletic and music instructor at Manassas High School in Memphis, Tennessee. It was here, in 1927, that he organized a student jazz band called the Chickasaw Syncopators. By 1933, after five often despairing years of scuffling, trumpeter, vocalist and most importantly, arranger Sy Oliver joined the band - and they were now poised for greatness.
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  • Jukebox Hits 1935-1947
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  • JoshCIVM

    That picture's really awkward.

    November 2011

  • Druid66

    One of the great early jazz guys, who went too soon.

    September 2011

  • SIRIUSACMA

    love

    April 2011

  • F_Hole

    I'd do anything to've seen this band. They were supposedly THE showman's big band, with the trumpet section spinning their trumpets in the air in unison, catching them to come in on cue. "Lunceford's trained seals" was one comment I remember the old timers making.

    May 2009

  • doceasubio

    IIIUng@

    October 2008

  • zrsullivan

    Forgive me.

    July 2008

  • zrsullivan

    You spam like no other, Sam. I sense a Sy Oliver rediscovery in the works, & lucky you, your hot garbage is stamped all over every relevant page! Oh, & the Lunceford Orchestra was better than some critics would have you believe.

    June 2008

  • SYL2Oh

    At the head of one of the most explosive orchestra of the swing era, Jimmie Luncerford contributed to the legend of Harlem.

    June 2008
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