In the swing with a legend
The spirit of the wartime era will be rekindled this weekend when the renowned Glenn Miller Orchestra take the stage in Aberdeen and Inverness. Caroline Brodie found out more from music director Ray McVay
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WHEN the opportunity to lead a tribute act dedicated to the world’s most famous bandleader cropped up, Scots-born saxophonist Ray McVay jumped at the chance.
But Ray, who was brought up on the music of Glenn Miller’s band, was determined that if he was going to do it, he was going to do it right.
Twenty years on and he is still dedicated to reproducing the exact same sound he so loved hearing as a child in 1940s Gourock.
Ray attributes his success in being able to recreate the Glenn Miller sound so authentically to working with the original scores the great man himself arranged and worked from.
In the orchestra’s early days, Ray also managed to recruit several musicians who had played in Miller’s own band, including Willie Schwartz, who played the alto saxophone, and Zeke Zarchy, who played trumpet.
When Glenn Miller was at the height of his fame, Ray would regularly visit his local record shop and listen to his records.
“It sounded so great,” he said.
“I thought it was absolutely brilliant. I really fell in love with big-band music.”
Like his father and older brother before him, Ray decided to follow a career in music and started playing the clarinet and saxophone in various bands up and down Scotland’s west coast.
Soon after, he moved to London, dreaming of playing with a big band, but was disappointed to find that the big bands were not doing any work.
Ray said: “This was in 1954 and rock’n’roll was coming. Elvis was coming in and the big bands were falling away.”
Instead, Ray accepted the position of musical director with rock’n’roll impresario Larry Parnes and worked with stars such as Little Richard, Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent and Freddie Cannon.
He also had his own group – The Beat Boys, whose line-up included Brian Bennett, who later joined The Shadows, and pianist Clive Powell, who later became known as the legendary Georgie Fame – and became well known during his 12-year stint as bandleader on BBC TVs Come Dancing show.
But his dream job didn’t come about until 1988, when he was granted permission by Glenn Miller Productions in New York to establish a true Glenn Miller Orchestra to be based in the UK.
Since then, the huge appeal for the dance music of yesteryear has seen him conduct the band in countries as far flung as Russia, Japan, Spain, Portugal, Argentina, Uruguay and the United Arab Emirates.
Talking about these latest concerts, Ray said: “We are going to have a top band to play Glenn’s music properly.
“The band will play some of the loveliest melodies around.”
Also appearing as special guests, and giving the orchestra a Scottish flavour, will be piper Stuart Cassells, who won the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year 2005, and Scots harmony trio The Swingcats, who will perform a tribute to The Andrews Sisters.
The World Famous Glenn Miller Orchestra, will be at the Music Hall, Aberdeen, on Saturday, and Eden Court, Inverness, on Sunday. For Aberdeen tickets, visit www.boxofficeaberdeen. com or call 01224 641122 and, for Inverness tickets, visit www.eden-court.co.uk or call 01463 234234.
