Sauter-Finegan Orchestra
Encyclopedia
The Sauter-Finegan Orchestra was an American swing jazz band popular in the 1950s.
The orchestra was led by Eddie Sauter
and Bill Finegan
, who were both experienced big band
arrangers. Sauter played mellophone
, trumpet, and drums, and had attended Columbia University
and Juilliard; Finegan had studied at the Paris Conservatory. They began recording together in 1952, using inventive arrangements that made use of a variety of unusual instruments, including many orchestra
l instruments as well as oddities like the kazoo
and the beaten human chest.
Their first chart appearance was with "Doodletown Fifers", their version of a Civil War
tune called "Kingdom Coming and the Year of Jubilo". "Nina Never Knew
" (featuring vocalist Joe Mooney
) and "The Moon is Blue" (with Sally Sweetland) soon followed on the charts. With the success of the singles, they put together a 21-member touring ensemble and began playing venues in 1953. However, because the group played in dance halls rather than concert venues, they encountered little success on the road, and quit touring in 1955 after having accrued much debt.
In March 1957, the pair disbanded the group, and Sauter moved to Germany; Finegan continued as an arranger. They reunited in the studio in 1959 to release a new album, Return of the Doodletown Fifers, and to do jingle
s for advertisers. After Sauter's death in 1981, Finegan revived the name Sauter-Finegan Orchestra for concerts in New York City
in the 1980s.
"World Without Time," from "Adventures in Time" was chosen by host Richard Heffner as the theme music for The Open Mind (TV series).
The orchestra was led by Eddie Sauter
Eddie Sauter
Edward Ernest Sauter was a composer and jazz arranger who achieved renown among musicians during the swing era.-Biography:...
and Bill Finegan
Bill Finegan
William James Finegan was an American jazz bandleader, pianist, arranger, and composer. He was an arranger in the Glenn Miller Orchestra in the late 1930s and early 1940s.-Life and Career:...
, who were both experienced big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
arrangers. Sauter played mellophone
Mellophone
The mellophone is a brass instrument that is typically used in place of the horn in marching bands or drum and bugle corps....
, trumpet, and drums, and had attended Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
and Juilliard; Finegan had studied at the Paris Conservatory. They began recording together in 1952, using inventive arrangements that made use of a variety of unusual instruments, including many orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
l instruments as well as oddities like the kazoo
Kazoo
The kazoo is a wind instrument which adds a "buzzing" timbral quality to a player's voice when the player vocalizes into it. The kazoo is a type of mirliton, which is a membranophone, a device which modifies the sound of a person's voice by way of a vibrating membrane."Kazoo" was the name given by...
and the beaten human chest.
Their first chart appearance was with "Doodletown Fifers", their version of a Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
tune called "Kingdom Coming and the Year of Jubilo". "Nina Never Knew
Nina Never Knew
"Nina Never Knew" is a popular song with music by Louis Alter and lyrics by Milton Drake, published in 1952.Recordings that charted in 1952 were by the Sauter-Finegan Orchestra on RCA Victor Records and by Johnny Desmond on Coral Records .-Recorded versions:*Jonny Abeles*Kenny Ball*Tony...
" (featuring vocalist Joe Mooney
Joe Mooney (musician)
Joe Mooney was an American jazz and pop accordionist and organist.-Biography:Mooney was born in Paterson, New Jersey, United States. Mooney went blind around age ten...
) and "The Moon is Blue" (with Sally Sweetland) soon followed on the charts. With the success of the singles, they put together a 21-member touring ensemble and began playing venues in 1953. However, because the group played in dance halls rather than concert venues, they encountered little success on the road, and quit touring in 1955 after having accrued much debt.
In March 1957, the pair disbanded the group, and Sauter moved to Germany; Finegan continued as an arranger. They reunited in the studio in 1959 to release a new album, Return of the Doodletown Fifers, and to do jingle
Jingle
A jingle is a short tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. The jingle contains one or more hooks and lyrics that explicitly promote the product being advertised, usually through the use of one or more advertising slogans. Ad buyers use jingles in radio and television...
s for advertisers. After Sauter's death in 1981, Finegan revived the name Sauter-Finegan Orchestra for concerts in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in the 1980s.
"World Without Time," from "Adventures in Time" was chosen by host Richard Heffner as the theme music for The Open Mind (TV series).
Discography
- New Directions in Music (RCA, 1953)
- The Sound of the Sauter-Finegan Orchestra (RCA Victor, 1952)
- Inside Sauter-Finegan (Victor, 1953)
- Concert Jazz (RCA, 1955)
- Concerto for Jazz Band and Symphony Orchestra (RCA, 1954) (with Fritz ReinerFritz ReinerFrederick Martin “Fritz” Reiner was a prominent conductor of opera and symphonic music in the twentieth century.-Biography:...
and the Chicago Symphony OrchestraChicago Symphony OrchestraThe Chicago Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1891, the Symphony makes its home at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival...
) - The Sons of Sauter-Finegan (RCA, 1954)
- Adventure in Time (RCA, 1956)
- Under Analysis (RCA, 1956)
- Straight Down the Middle (RCA, 1957)
- Memories of Goodman and Miller (RCA, 1958)
- Return of the Doodletown Fifers (United ArtistsUnited ArtistsUnited Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
, 1960) - Pop Concert (United ArtistsUnited ArtistsUnited Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
, 1960, or later)