Ozzie Nelson is best-known for his acting on the television series Ozzie and Harriet (which earlier had been featured on radio).
But before that, during the 1930s, Ozzie Nelson led one of the most popular swing and dance bands in the New York area.
Nelson not only played tenor (mostly sticking to section work), but provided many of the swinging arrangements.
In 1932, Nelson – who did a lot of the singing for the band himself – added a female vocalist, a singer and would-be actress named Harriet Hilliard. They fell in love and were married in 1935.
The jazz world bible Downbeat praised the Ozzie Nelson band in 1935 for its “subtle suggestion of melodic beauty and rhythmic patterns” and wrote that these “get under your skin.”
Ozzie Nelson & His Band were the first swing orchestra ever booked into the legendary Glen Island Casino on Long Island, which became one of the most celebrated swing band venues in the world.
Read the full biography by Bruce Elder about the colourful personality of Ozzie Nelson on allmusic.com (it’s a long one).
I’m just very inspired by the Swiss Balboa Weekend from last weekend, so I decided to present another Balboa tune.
Swamp Fire
I like Swamp Fire because of the difference between the real tempo and the feeling of it: the song is quite faster than it seems to be!
Title: Swamp Fire
Artist: Ozzie Nelson & His Orchestra
Recorded: 1935
Tempo: 258 bpm
Dance: Balboa
You can find the songs of the series also on my Spotify playlist. Official hashtag of the series: #djcsotw
Do you like the “Song of the Week” series? Share your thoughts below.
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