Moonlight Serenade by the Glenn Miller Band

[Michael]

😎 Hey Johnny,

One of my very favorite songs of your’s is “In the Mood” (it is on my to-do list this year), and have seen others online are big fans of your Sax version of “In the Mood” too. Speaking of Glenn Miller, I Iwas wondering if you have considered doing this great song “Moonlight Serenade” Although the main melody is played with the Clarinet, I think it would also be great on the Saxophone too! I LOVE these songs from the Big Band era.. It seems like in playing songs from this era, it really requires a good, strong tone and great embouchure control? Seeing how it’s played with the Clarinet, I think it would blend itself really nice with the Soprano Sax? I plan on getting one around the Fall of this year.

[James]

Hi, Baboon. Good taste! I like this Glen Miller tune and gave it a listen. I then went to YT and listened to Blue Moon by Glen Miller, another great tune. Check out the Al Bowlly version (1935). It’s in Eb Concert which is F on the tenor and C on the alto. I play the Al Bowlly version; it’s a bit more uptempo and has more of a swing to it than the GM version, imo. Al Bowlly was the guitar player in the band in his early days and would have tuned his guitar down a half step to play it in E. Eb is not a favored key for guitar players. Like Glen Miller, Al Bowlly died in World War II. He was killed in the London Blitz in 1941. Needless to say, I’m a huge Al Bowlly fan. He was huge in the late 20s, 30s and up until his death.

[Michael]

Those are good ones for sure Telecaster, thanks for the Al Bowlly mention…those songs from the Big Band era go really nicely with the Saxophone for sure, regardless of what sax we’re playing on.

[Author]

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