In the Nutcracker Mood

In The Nutcracker Mood It's over a half century since the immortal Glenn Miller disappeared just before Christmas on December 15, 1944. His Orchestra, in the too-short run under his personal leadership, had officially recorded only one Christmas song (quot;Jingle Bellsquot;, October 20, 1941). Dedicated fans around the world are certain that, had he lived through World War II, he would have recorded a complete album of the best-loved music of the holiday season. This recording is the third produced by this outstanding group of professional musicians, all contributing to the continuation of the Glenn Miller tradition and the joy of the music heard during the Christmas season year after year, all around the world. Once again...the quot;soundquot; and the quot;swingquot; of the Glenn Miller sound of the Forties...the songs and holiday joys of Christmas...another celebration by dedicated alumni of the Glenn Miller Orchestra. The first recording, quot;In The Christmas Moodquot;, was released in 1991. It was so successful that a second recording, quot;In The Christmas Mood II,' was produced and later released in 1993. By the close of the Christmas season of 1996, quot;In The Christmas Mood,quot; received a Platinum Record Award (sales exceeded 1,000,000 units) and quot;In The Christmas Mood II,quot; received a Gold Record Award (sales exceeded 500,000 units). For the first recording, a list of desirable players was compiled. There were a few requisites -- musicians had to be working currently; only alumni of the Glenn Miller Orchestra would be recruited; each individual had to have recognized and outstanding talent; each veteran had to be able to take a leave-of-absence from his current quot;gigquot;; and, of course, be available to come to New York City to record. The reaction from each and every alumnus called was immediate, quot;Of course! Count me in. When? Where?quot; So they came from Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Washington, DC, Nashville, Pittsburgh, Michigan, Florida, Rochester, Eastern Pennsylvania, and Sydney, Australia to join the players already in New York City. Almost all of the musicians performing on all three of these recordings, are the same. The only differences are the pianist for the first recording, and trombonist, Larry O'Brien, the then leader of the Glenn Miller Orchestra, was unable to make the second recording due to being on tour. Larry is noticeably back on this recording as evidenced by his beautiful trombone solo on Toyland. The average age of this band is about 50. The length of time each player performed with the Glenn Miller Orchestra ranges from as little as 6 months to well over 10 years. The cumulative experience of this band recreating the authentic Miller quot;soundquot; is well over 100 years! What is their motivation? Dedication? Commitment? Familiarity? Feeling? Lasting enthusiasm? Wish fulfillment? A reunion of great music with great musicians who are all friends? A celebration of the past and present? The answer is definitely quot;all of the above!quot;. The quality of the music and musicianship on these recordings speaks for itself! Look at the repertoire here -- Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite plus many more Christmas standards, some of which were around when Glenn was still alive and other more recent compositions he might have recorded had he not been lost. IN THE NUTCRACKER MOOD -- Over 40 minutes of musical memories, of good cheer, of the most enduring quot;sound' of the Swing Era Big Bands arranged and performed by dedicated alumni of the Glenn Miller Orchestra. This is music that wil