Doc Severinsen and Ernie Watts concert tour...WOW

Doc is de man & there is no better!
I play his LP with the "National Philharmonic Orchestra" almost everyday (4 copies) 1980 Firstline Cat. # 51-3018.
His CD "Trumpet Spectacular" Telarc CD-80223 is almost as incredible!
He is the one & only reason I would go to AC.
ENJOY!

Great to hear that he's still going srong. Fantastic guy and a great band.

2 of my favorite Big Band records are the 2 Tonight Show recordings he did in the mid-80's. Few big bands at the time (if ever) could claim the amount of practice time this band did. 5 days a week for many, many yrs on the Carson show playing behind a smorgasbord of guests! They were beyond tight!

I have always felt that Johnny Carson's retirement, and NBC's decision to retire the band as well, was a very important and unfortunate moment in music. The Tonight Show Band was one of the few (maybe only) opportunities for younger viewers to hear the amazing sound of a big band. There has been nothing else like it since, and if anyone thinks that the move has not contributed to the general decline of quality music in popular culture, they aren't looking closely enough. Unfortunate.

Frogman, I fully agree! I always tuned in to Johnny.
Johnny: Hey Doc, where did you get that Blazer? It looks like something that was run over on the San Bernardino Freeway.
Ed: HEEEEEEYYYOOOOO

Maybe so Frogman, but I could NEVER warm up to Doc's blasting, I really was repelled by his style, just not my cup of tea. On the other hand I always enjoyed the banter between Johnny and Doc.

Blasting?! Seriously? I understand and agree that Doc is not an introspective ballad player like a Miles or Chet Baker; in fact, he is really not a jazz player in the usual sense. Sure, he can improvise, a little, and most of his "improvised" solos are fully worked out. But, when it comes to mastery of the trumpet with control, range, pitch and tone, there have not been very many like him. Ask trumpet players in any genre and they will, almost to the man agree that, in his prime, he was one of the best.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GDPzaqCo9ok

Well I'm not questioning his mastery of the instrument, there is no question regarding his technical expertise and I'm not comparing to the more introspective stylists either, some of which you mentioned. I personally didn't like to hear that screaming trumpet which was his trademark, I just found it irritating.

btw, that link Frogman kind of reminds me of Bobby Hackett's style with a bit more energy, nice!

This thread reminds me Doc was the man in the Montreal area back in the 60's - if my memory is right... before the Carson gig.