The Elegant Eddy Duchin
Eddy Duchin
Elegant is an apt word to describe the fashionable society band directed by pianist Eddy Duchin during the 1930s. For a time he was engaged as a pharmacist but eventually turned to music leaving behind a splendid recorded legacy from which 22 selections are included here.
His start as a pianist came with the prestigious Leo Reisman Orchestra, first at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel then at the swank Central Park Casino. By 1932 Duchin became the leader of this dance band and short time the handsome and personable Duchin became a hit with the cream of society wherever he played.
In 1933 Eddy Duchin and His Orchestra began recording for Victor and in the next five years cut some 160 songs for this label. Many of these were songs featured in films and a surprising number of them became standards. Most the vocals choruses, including I Only Have Eyes For You, were by performed by Lew Sherwood whose pleasing voice was ideal for romantic ballads. Sherwood also played trumpet in the band. On occasion other established personalities would record guest vocals, for example, crooner Buddy Clark's Heaven Help This Heart Of Mine and composer Harold Arlen's Ill Wind. This first album offers a prime sample of the elegant Duchin sound from 1933 to 1937.
His start as a pianist came with the prestigious Leo Reisman Orchestra, first at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel then at the swank Central Park Casino. By 1932 Duchin became the leader of this dance band and short time the handsome and personable Duchin became a hit with the cream of society wherever he played.
In 1933 Eddy Duchin and His Orchestra began recording for Victor and in the next five years cut some 160 songs for this label. Many of these were songs featured in films and a surprising number of them became standards. Most the vocals choruses, including I Only Have Eyes For You, were by performed by Lew Sherwood whose pleasing voice was ideal for romantic ballads. Sherwood also played trumpet in the band. On occasion other established personalities would record guest vocals, for example, crooner Buddy Clark's Heaven Help This Heart Of Mine and composer Harold Arlen's Ill Wind. This first album offers a prime sample of the elegant Duchin sound from 1933 to 1937.
