Outstanding performance!
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This 1974 video of Doc Severinsen and the Tonight Show Band showed up today on my YouTube Feed. The energy level, skill, and musicianship are outstanding for a live performance! It is hard to believe that this was 47 years ago.
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I remember Doc saying in an interview somewhere that he was able to hire all of the top studio musicians for the Tonight Show Band, because it was a great job. It was steady work every weekday with every weekend off, so they could play freelance gigs on the weekend. And there were no exhausting road trips full of one-nighters. That doesn't take away from their terrific musicianship, but it does help explain how he got the top players.
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Looks like he was still playing the Getzen Eterna at that time.
I guess there is room for improvement. For me, that is, seeing I play the same horn. That’s probably where the similarities end.
Maybe our ancestry is also similar…….so, there’s that. -
As intricate and fast tempo as this performance was, I would wonder whether having Snookie Young standing and sitting directly behind Doc Severinsen keeping time on the sticks was a way of disguising a metronome to kelp keep him on track during the solos. Of course, during the piece, everyone was absolutely coordinated. Just look at Doc’s and Snookie Young’s fingers as they played Trumpet Section measures.
Steve Smith
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In 1974 I was 38 years old, a mere child...ha ha. But you know, I do remember that show. I rarely missed a Tonight Show and that was mainly because of my love of the Doc Severinsen Orchestra. And I tell you, Snookie Young was pretty damn cool on the trumpet, too. The whole orchestra was fantastic every night.
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That was 47 years ago. Doc was 47. He is now double that age at 94…and still playing. Amazing! What an inspiration.
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@dstpt
Oh, yes, he was indeed an inspiration. It was because of him that I did a comeback in 2016 at the age of 79, and that was after a 50 year hiatus from playing the horn.
