City Hall Records Catalog

Independent Record Distribution since 1973
News Upcoming Releases WaxToWatch OnSale Artists Labels Genres Related Contact  
Cityhall > Catalog >Echoes From The Cocoanut Grove Site Map | Prev ¦ Next
Artist: Arnheim, Gus
Title: Echoes From The Cocoanut Grove
Format: CD
Label: TAKE TWO
Catalog Number:410
Barcode:734021041024 itemnumber=1000107076
Price: $14.98  (All prices include domestic shipping.)
Genre: JAZZ
Release Date: 5/15/2012
Availability: Not Currently In Stock
Additional Musical Category Notes:
 


Show Cart View Cart Or Checkout

The Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles offered posh, resort type accommodations that attracted dignitaries, socialites and celebrities. It was also the home of the Coconut Grove, a world famous nightclub that catered to this set. From 1928 to 1931 Gus Arnheim's orchestra was in residence as the Grove's popular house band. He was called "the star of entertainers and the entertainer of stars". Indeed, if stars were to be seen, it was rarely in Hollywood, but at the Coconut Grove. Not surprisingly, several musicians and vocalists who performed with Arnheim at this time soon became stars themselves, including Bing Crosby, Fred MacMurray, Russ Columbo, Jack Smith and Donald Novis. Selections in this collection are transferred from rare radio transcriptions made in 1931. We are fortunate these transcriptions were saved, since Gus Arnheim failed to make commercial releases of a great many songs that have only survived thanks to these shows. Moreover, these numbers are performed in a more relaxed and spontaneous style of a nightclub rather than in the controlled setting of a recording studio. The two vocals by Bing Crosby for Out Of Nowhere and What Is It? were actually recorded live from the Grove, making them especially atmospheric.

Additional Technical Information Available For This Album
Release Format: CD         
All text and graphics © 2000-2010 City Hall Records,San Rafael,CA - All Rights Reserved
This page was last updated: 03/28/24