INTERVIEW with
RAY MCVAY
RAY’S “IN THE MOOD” AS THE WORLD’S GREATEST BIG BAND RETURNS TO SOUTHEND
The Glenn Miller Orchestra, led by Ray McVay, and with guest stars the Polka Dot Dolls,
will be appearing at
Cliffs Pavilion, Southend on Sea on Sunday 21st July, curtain up at 3.30 p.m
RAY MCVAY
RAY’S “IN THE MOOD” AS THE WORLD’S GREATEST BIG BAND RETURNS TO SOUTHEND
The Glenn Miller Orchestra, led by Ray McVay, and with guest stars the Polka Dot Dolls,
will be appearing at
Cliffs Pavilion, Southend on Sea on Sunday 21st July, curtain up at 3.30 p.m
Back in the late ‘30s–early ‘40s, Glenn Miller and his Orchestra packed the dance halls in the States. The band enjoyed a string of hits like “In the Mood” and “Tuxedo Junction” as well as “Moonlight Serenade”, “Chattanooga Choo Choo” Pennsylvania 65000, American Patrol and many others - songs and melodies that have stood the test of time.
The current UK band was put together in 1988 by legendary musical entertainer Ray McVay in conjunction with Glenn Miller Productions in New York. McVay, previously best known as musical director for the original Come Dancing series on BBC, approached the offices of the Glenn Miller estate 31 years ago seeking an arrangement to operate a Glenn Miller Orchestra in UK.
The current UK band was put together in 1988 by legendary musical entertainer Ray McVay in conjunction with Glenn Miller Productions in New York. McVay, previously best known as musical director for the original Come Dancing series on BBC, approached the offices of the Glenn Miller estate 31 years ago seeking an arrangement to operate a Glenn Miller Orchestra in UK.
Southend Theatre Scene's Andrew Walters chats to Ray (below) ahead of this Sunday's concert.
Andrew: Good Morning Ray. It’s a great pleasure to speak to you. I'm a great fan of the Glenn Miller sound and I have been lucky enough to see the orchestra perform at the Cliffs Pavilion.
Ray: Ah! Southend! We love coming to the Cliffs. It’s a lovely theatre to play. So close to the sea. I love that the audience can have their teas looking out at the view, then they come in to watch the show.
They are always a great audience down there! One of our favourites on the tour!
Andrew: So how long have you been directing the orchestra?
Ray: Nearly 30 years. I did Rock n Roll before that.
I worked alongside Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent to name a couple. They were both American and they used to come over to do the tours, because Larry Parnes was a big Rock n Roll promoter and he always used to book me to work with the guys. I used to play the tenor saxophone.
Andrew: That was going to be my next question actually. I had an idea that you may well have been a brass player; the sax is the natural lead into the Glenn Miller sound.
Ray: I used to lie on my back during the sax solos, but if I lie on my back now I’d go to sleep! It was only a small group. Tenor sax, guitar and bass guitar - that type of thing. Just guitars, a drummer and a pianist and myself. It was great working alongside Eddie Cochrane, he was a lovely lovely man.
Andrew: How did your interest in the Big Band Sound begin?
Ray: My father brought me up to listening to Glenn Miller. He was a Glenn Miller fan. He was also a pianist. I used to go down to the record shops, I was about 10 at the time. I used to love In The Mood. That was a great one.
Andrew: It’s amazing how our parents influence us in our musical tastes, isn’t it?
Ray: Absolutely. It was for me, 100 per cent.
Andrew: How much of the year do you spend touring?
Ray: I’d say about 3 months. We can fill a huge chunk in Scotland alone. We do a Scottish tour every year, around Christmas time. The first stop is probably Newcastle, then Glasgow, Edinburgh and then we’ll go up to Aberdeen, and then after all that we’ll come down south again. A lot of work is one night stands. We do annual trips over to Spain and attend a tour there every year and one or two of the countries
over there. This year we’re going over to Costa Rica. That’s going to be in August.
Andrew: I’m interested in how you find the new public, because obviously people get older. Have the audiences changed over the years since you’ve been touring?
Ray: Not at all. When we play Manchester we sell out concerts. The name of Glenn Miller is still a massive draw.
Andrew: How do you put together the music for each tour?
Ray: I get all my Glenn Miller music from the Glenn Miller office in New York. Some of the original music I play was what Glenn had. That’s also quite exciting - to play his original music.
Andrew: That period was such a great period for composers; Gershwin, Cole Porter, Glen Miller and Duke Ellington wasn’t it?
Ray: Glenn Miller was the most popular of all these big bands. He used to look after the older people and middle-aged people. He used to play at a lot of dances.
Andrew: What do you think of the film, The Glenn Miller story?
Ray: It was really great. It touched on his whole life.
Andrew: I wonder what he may have gone on to achieve if he had not died the way he did. It was one of the most bizarre deaths in musical history. The fact he just disappeared.
Ray: I brought this up last night with some friends; it was a shame that they couldn’t find him. He was only 44.
Andrew: In your concerts now, do you get a younger public coming in to listen?
Ray: We have some youngsters coming but they are coming with their parents. I get letters from families who say their son/daughter came last night and thoroughly enjoyed it. That’s a nice message to get.
Andrew: What have you got coming up this tour that we can look forward to?
Ray: We’ve got singers with us, called the Polka Dot Dolls. They’re excellent singers. They do all the Andrews Sisters numbers. The Andrew Sisters did an LP/CD with the Glenn Miller Orchestra. We play a few tracks from the album, of course.
Andrew: I can’t think of a more complimentary marriage of sounds than between the Andrews Sisters and the Glenn Miller Orchestra. There’s a massive jazz scene in this country. Have you every thought about playing The Proms in London?
Ray: No, but we do the Barbican every year.
Andrew: I think a late night prom would be superb!
Ray: I’ll mention that to my booking agent!
Andrew: Do they ever take the seats out of a venue and let people dance?
Ray: Yes, they do! From time to time!
Andrew: Thank you so much for your time. It was an absolute pleasure to talk to you!!
Wishing you the best of luck with the tour, and look forward to seeing you in
Southend!
Interview: Andrew Walters
Ray: Ah! Southend! We love coming to the Cliffs. It’s a lovely theatre to play. So close to the sea. I love that the audience can have their teas looking out at the view, then they come in to watch the show.
They are always a great audience down there! One of our favourites on the tour!
Andrew: So how long have you been directing the orchestra?
Ray: Nearly 30 years. I did Rock n Roll before that.
I worked alongside Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent to name a couple. They were both American and they used to come over to do the tours, because Larry Parnes was a big Rock n Roll promoter and he always used to book me to work with the guys. I used to play the tenor saxophone.
Andrew: That was going to be my next question actually. I had an idea that you may well have been a brass player; the sax is the natural lead into the Glenn Miller sound.
Ray: I used to lie on my back during the sax solos, but if I lie on my back now I’d go to sleep! It was only a small group. Tenor sax, guitar and bass guitar - that type of thing. Just guitars, a drummer and a pianist and myself. It was great working alongside Eddie Cochrane, he was a lovely lovely man.
Andrew: How did your interest in the Big Band Sound begin?
Ray: My father brought me up to listening to Glenn Miller. He was a Glenn Miller fan. He was also a pianist. I used to go down to the record shops, I was about 10 at the time. I used to love In The Mood. That was a great one.
Andrew: It’s amazing how our parents influence us in our musical tastes, isn’t it?
Ray: Absolutely. It was for me, 100 per cent.
Andrew: How much of the year do you spend touring?
Ray: I’d say about 3 months. We can fill a huge chunk in Scotland alone. We do a Scottish tour every year, around Christmas time. The first stop is probably Newcastle, then Glasgow, Edinburgh and then we’ll go up to Aberdeen, and then after all that we’ll come down south again. A lot of work is one night stands. We do annual trips over to Spain and attend a tour there every year and one or two of the countries
over there. This year we’re going over to Costa Rica. That’s going to be in August.
Andrew: I’m interested in how you find the new public, because obviously people get older. Have the audiences changed over the years since you’ve been touring?
Ray: Not at all. When we play Manchester we sell out concerts. The name of Glenn Miller is still a massive draw.
Andrew: How do you put together the music for each tour?
Ray: I get all my Glenn Miller music from the Glenn Miller office in New York. Some of the original music I play was what Glenn had. That’s also quite exciting - to play his original music.
Andrew: That period was such a great period for composers; Gershwin, Cole Porter, Glen Miller and Duke Ellington wasn’t it?
Ray: Glenn Miller was the most popular of all these big bands. He used to look after the older people and middle-aged people. He used to play at a lot of dances.
Andrew: What do you think of the film, The Glenn Miller story?
Ray: It was really great. It touched on his whole life.
Andrew: I wonder what he may have gone on to achieve if he had not died the way he did. It was one of the most bizarre deaths in musical history. The fact he just disappeared.
Ray: I brought this up last night with some friends; it was a shame that they couldn’t find him. He was only 44.
Andrew: In your concerts now, do you get a younger public coming in to listen?
Ray: We have some youngsters coming but they are coming with their parents. I get letters from families who say their son/daughter came last night and thoroughly enjoyed it. That’s a nice message to get.
Andrew: What have you got coming up this tour that we can look forward to?
Ray: We’ve got singers with us, called the Polka Dot Dolls. They’re excellent singers. They do all the Andrews Sisters numbers. The Andrew Sisters did an LP/CD with the Glenn Miller Orchestra. We play a few tracks from the album, of course.
Andrew: I can’t think of a more complimentary marriage of sounds than between the Andrews Sisters and the Glenn Miller Orchestra. There’s a massive jazz scene in this country. Have you every thought about playing The Proms in London?
Ray: No, but we do the Barbican every year.
Andrew: I think a late night prom would be superb!
Ray: I’ll mention that to my booking agent!
Andrew: Do they ever take the seats out of a venue and let people dance?
Ray: Yes, they do! From time to time!
Andrew: Thank you so much for your time. It was an absolute pleasure to talk to you!!
Wishing you the best of luck with the tour, and look forward to seeing you in
Southend!
Interview: Andrew Walters
World War II brought the Miller magic to UK. While British men were bemoaning the influx of G.I.s - “overpaid, oversexed and over-here” – they acknowledged that at least the Americans brought some great music with them. In 1944, the band’s musical style and showmanship immediately endeared them to UK audiences. They played some 80-odd concerts around the country and performed some 40 radio broadcasts between July and December of that year.
This year, 2019, marks the 75th anniversary of that momentous year.
On December 15, 1944, Glenn boarded a single engine C-64 Norseman aircraft to travel to Paris, France where he was to make arrangements for a Christmas broadcast. Tragically, the plane never reached France and was never found.
As far as UK music-lovers were concerned, a special relationship had been forged between them and Glenn Miller and his music – a bond that continues to this day.
This year, 2019, marks the 75th anniversary of that momentous year.
On December 15, 1944, Glenn boarded a single engine C-64 Norseman aircraft to travel to Paris, France where he was to make arrangements for a Christmas broadcast. Tragically, the plane never reached France and was never found.
As far as UK music-lovers were concerned, a special relationship had been forged between them and Glenn Miller and his music – a bond that continues to this day.
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Over the last quarter of a century, this great orchestra has built itself into something of an institution as it tours the top provincial venues in the country as well as satisfying a demand for Miller’s music in Europe, Asia and South America.
The Orchestra maintains the exact line up on stage devised by Glenn, consisting of the leader, five saxophones, four trumpets, four trombones and three rhythm plus a male and female vocalist. The show features the sublime voices of Mark Porter and Catherine Sykes as well as the glorious harmonies of the Moonlight Serenaders. |
The band’s library comprises of more than 200 scores, many of them from the original library, which includes terrific arrangements from both the civilian and Army Air Force orchestras.
Songs made famous by the likes of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Louis Armstrong are all featured in a show which also pays tribute to other big band leaders of the era like Artie Shaw and Benny Goodman.
The current orchestra leader, Ray McVay, brings over 50 years of musical entertainment experience to the job of putting smiles on the faces of today’s audiences.
The musicians are young and energetic and, it seems, constantly on the move. You’re quite likely to find a bass trombone sneaking up on you and making a rude noise!
Songs made famous by the likes of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Louis Armstrong are all featured in a show which also pays tribute to other big band leaders of the era like Artie Shaw and Benny Goodman.
The current orchestra leader, Ray McVay, brings over 50 years of musical entertainment experience to the job of putting smiles on the faces of today’s audiences.
The musicians are young and energetic and, it seems, constantly on the move. You’re quite likely to find a bass trombone sneaking up on you and making a rude noise!
Guest stars the POLKA DOT DOLLS are a vocal harmony trio who capture the romance and glamour of a bygone era and offer a wonderful tribute to the Andrews Sisters . The London based trio entertain audiences with their slick vocal arrangements and nostalgic styling. The Dolls are also lovers of Lindy Hop, and like nothing more than getting their crowds jumpin' and jivin'. They have performed in perfect harmony at many prestigious and high profile events including: 10 Downing Street, Jamie Oliver's 'Big Feastival' and 'Swing on the Beach' in Pescara, Italy.
So, if you want to relive the music and songs of an era that gave birth to rock’n’roll or even experience it for the first time, come along to the Cliffs Pavilion on July 21st. Box Office: 01702 351135
So, if you want to relive the music and songs of an era that gave birth to rock’n’roll or even experience it for the first time, come along to the Cliffs Pavilion on July 21st. Box Office: 01702 351135