Moonlight Saving Time, Fox Trot (Kahal -- Richman) - Hal KEMP & His Orchestra, Vocal Chorus by Skinnay (\"Skinny\") Ennis, Brunswick 1931
NOTE: Hal KEMP (1904 in Alabama -- 1940 in Madera, California) American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, bandleader, composer, and arranger. He led the most popular and the most musical sweet band of the mid-1930s. With muted trumpets and full clarinet tones, its distinct sound earned it a large and dedicated following. Always the friendly, Kemp was liked by everyone and treated his musicians well. Bandmembers often referred to Kemp's orchestra as a ''fraternity.'' Kemp studied piano, trumpet, alto sax, and clarinet as a youth. In his college years at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill he formed his own campus jazz group, the Carolina Club Orchestra.. The band recorded for Okeh Records and toured Europe during summers. In 1927 Kemp turned leadership of the Carolina Club Orchestra over to fellow UNC student Kay Kyser and formed a professional jazz orchestra of his own, which included Skinnay Ennis and at various times, trumpeters Bunny Berigan and Jack Purvis. Based in New York, the group often toured Europe. Though it never achieved commercial success it did include among its fans Fred Waring, who gave the band financial and spiritual support, and Prince George of England, who would later become King George VI. In 1932 Kemp's orchestra settled at the Blackhawk Restaurant in Chicago for an extended stay. One of the main reasons for the band's success was arranger John Scott Trotter. The orchestra did not feature any outstanding musicians, and no one, save Trotter and Kemp, could read music particularly well. None of the trumpeters could sustain notes and play legitimate tones, so Trotter muted the trumpets and introduced staccato triplets into the charts. This gave the band a unique sound, which Johnny Mercer jokingly referred to as like a ''typewriter.'' In contrast to the trumpets the clarinets played simple, sustained notes, often through megaphones. The musicians would place their fingers through holes in the sides of the megaphones and play softly. Out would come a rich, round tone. Skinnay Ennis was the orchestra's most popular singer. His singing style was shy and breathless, and he quickly became popular with female audiences. The orchestra's heyday ended when Trotter left in 1936. New arrangers took the group in a different direction, creating a more fuller big band sound. The Kemp band of the late 1930s couldn't seem to make up its mind on whether it was going to be a swing band or a sweet band, and its popularity began to slip. (The note is based on the wide biographical information at the page http://www.parabrisas.com/d_kemph.php )
