Sittin' in with Chris Griffin

This authentic account of the Big Band Era and the Age of Swing is alive with firsthand dialogue by Chris Griffin. Vach traces the events spanning Griffin's career from his time in the Benny Goodman band with Harry James and Ziggy Elman in what Duke Ellington dubbed the best brass section of its day through his freelance years in radio, television and records where he recorded with legendary musicians such as Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Tony Bennett, and Frank Sinatra. Griffin's honesty and humor shine through the text as he recalls a time when talent and dedication to quality were supreme. Seventeen photographs and an excellent discography provided by Ed Berger further the understanding of Griffin as a man and an artist. This book is ideal for music lovers, especially those with a keen interest in the big bands of the 1930s and the lives of the era's most memorable musicians.