Charlie Spivak was a trumpeter and bandleader of Ukrainian heritage, who played with a string of well-known bands during the 1920s and ‘30s, including those of Paul Specht, Ben Pollack, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, Ray Noble and Glenn Miller, and it was with Miller’s backing that he started his own orchestra in 1939. He was known as “The Man Who Plays The Sweetest Trumpet In The World”, playing powerful lead melody parts, although he was not especially noted as a great improviser. Although his roots were firmly in jazz, his orchestra had its greatest successes with down-the-middle dance music from Broadway, Hollywood and Tin Pan Alley, with many hits performed by his noted featured vocalists. This great-value 74-track 3-CD set comprises selected releases during this era on the Okeh, Columbia and London labels, and features all his nineteen career chart entries under his own name, including the Top 5 hits “My Devotion”, “It’s Been A Long, Long Time”, “Oh! What It Seemed To Be”, “(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons” and “Linda” – other top 10 successes were “This Is No Laughing Matter”, “I Left My Heart at the Stage Door Canteen” and “There Must Be A Way”. Among his featured vocalists were Garry Stevens, Irene Day, Tommy Mercer, Jimmy Saunders, Rusty Nichols, Tommy Lynn and The Stardusters. It’s a substantial showcase for his music, based around his distinctive trumpet sound, and a feast of characteristic swing era pop.
