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"tenor band" aka "hotel band" aka (colloquial to my part of the country) "mickey band"

examples:

Freddy Martin



Eddy Duchin



Ted Weems



I was just barely old enough to have played in these sorts of bands (sort of like what are known today as "big bands" yet with fewer musicians, and only played dance music (no "features", or "novelty" tunes)...as opposed to today's "big bands" - which feature more musicians, and - typically only play "concerts" (ie. no dancing).

Further, there was very little microphone work (bandleader chit-chat) and - often - no such thing as a "break". Basically, the band was a live "jukebox of dance tunes". (These gigs were HARD for me - even though just "two-beat" - as they were relentless.)


Who has knowledge and can speak intelligently/informatively to this topic?

Is this topic too off-topic and/or too boring?
...If so, just cornfield it.

This was a local-to-me "last gasp" version of the same thing (from the 70's, as the clothing reveals).

I knew all of them. Two in the picture are still alive.

Of course, the sax player played way more tenor and flute than soprano.







The guitar player: His girlfriend broke up with him, and - soon after - asked me if I would give her a ride to an orchestra rehearsal...but found out that I was already picking up the future Mrs. bloke also, so then said "never mind". She was a very good flute player...sadly - died in her early forties with children.
https://i.imgur.com/NtB50ys.png
I suspect she was part Cherokee. Quite a few around here with Cherokee ancestry have the same last name...' pretty lady.

When I was studying mech. engineering in Karlsruhe, Germany, they had TWO big bands with the typical line-up (4x trp, 4x trb, 5x reeds, rhythm section), but different set of people.
One was a "Big Band" doing jazz arrangements.
The other was the "Uni Tanzorchester".
NO jazz arrangements, but a huge folder of dancing music of all kinds of styles, sorted by the classical/latin dances these were supposed to be performed to.

The Tanzorchester had TONS of paid gigs on bigger dancing tournaments and fancy balls.
I joined them on F-tuba for one season, "enhancing" the fine playing bass trombonist.
Good times...
Favorite memory: Playing the university´s official ball. At about 4:30 in the morning, we played one last pasodoble for the last remaining dancing couple on the floor: One pair of young pro dancers who gigged as dancing instructors on campus and befriended the band...