AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra

Artist:Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra
Song:Hawaiian War Chant
Album:All Time Hit Parade Rehearsals





In the 1940s, popular big bands regularly appeared in Hollywood films. This is a clip of Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra performing Hawaiian War Chant in the 1942 film Ship Ahoy featuring Buddy Rich on drums, Ziggy Elman on trumpet and the film's star Eleanor Powell dancing. It's a great clip but finding it on CD took a little detective work. Hawaiian War Chant is a traditional song that was arranged for a big band by Johnny Noble. Dorsey recorded it in 1938. Deane Kincaide wrote the arrangement. The recording was not a hit at the time. By 1942 24 year old drummer Buddy Rich was a featured performer in the Dorsey band obviously influenced by Gene Krupa. The Dorsey band performed Hawaiian War Song in the 1942 MGM musical Ship Ahoy. But they were unable to record a new version of Hawaiian War Chant because there was a musician's strike at the time. Most of the Dorsey comp CD's include the original recording which does not feature Rich. It's one of the few times that a re-recording is preferable to the original. The audio from the film has been released on CD twice but both are out of print. But I did find the CD All Time Hit Parade Rehearsals released by the British label HEP Records. They specialize in vintage radio shows from the era. This is a CD of rehearsals for Dorsey's radio show at the NBC studio in Los Angeles. These recordings are from 1944 and Rich is on drums. Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra and Frances Langford are among the featured singers. Among the musicians are Dodo Marmarosa on piano, Buddy DeFranco on clarinet and Nelson Riddle on trombone. I don't know what the recording quality is like. But choices are limited and big band fans love vintage radio shows. Anyway, the video clip is great. So here's Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra featuring Buddy Rich, Ziggy Elman and Eleanor Powell performing Hawaiian War Chant in the 1942 film Ship Ahoy.