Johnny Carson preferred to pepper his routines with unscripted dialogue between himself and anybody on the Tonight Show payroll. After two years leading the Tonight Show Band, Milton Delugg proved not to be the best foil for Carson and, in 1968, trumpeter Doc Severinsen took over as bandleader. Severinsen was a wunderkind trumpet player and was touring with Big Bands before graduating high school. He'd continue to do so after serving in World War II before landing a job with NBC where he was a member of the Tonight Show Orchestra under Skitch Henderson during Steve Allen's run. Skitch brought Severinsen back for Carson's tenure as first chair trumpet until his eventual ascension to bandleader and "second sidekick." Between Tonight Show eras, Doc Severinsen and His Orchestra recorded their debut album Tempestuous Trumpet in 1961 for Command Records.
Rather than stormy and chaotic as the album title might suggest, Doc Severinsen plays his trumpet sunny, bright and crisp. My first thought was that Doc is as precise and virtuosic on his instrument as Bobby Byrne is on the trombone, and it turns out that Byrne actually plays on the record and arranged for it. Byrne's arrangements enjoy similar fair weather and are executed to perfection by a rehearsed, brass-heavy orchestra. The occasional touch of bongos brings further levity; the flutes do, too, but date the recordings a bit. The orchestra plays similarly to how the outstanding album cover art by S. Neil Fujita suggests: designed, organized and edited. Beautiful jazz, to be sure, but not tempestuous at all.
Here is the discography surrounding Doc Severinsen's debut album:
"I've Gotta Be Me" by The Tonight Show Band
Doc Severinsen with "All Star" Trumpet Quartet on Steve Allen's Tonight
Doc Severinsen Talks Thanksgiving with Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show
"Stardust" by Doc Severinsen and His Orchestra
Pass the Headphones!!
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