
DATE: Sunday, November 9, 1997              TAG: 9711070296

SECTION: CAROLINA COAST          PAGE: 15   EDITION: FINAL 

COLUMN: AFTER DARK 

SOURCE: John Harper 

                                            LENGTH:   61 lines

SWING ALONG WITH THE GLENN MILLER ORCHESTRA

IT'S MILLER time again.

The Glenn Miller Orchestra, under the direction of Larry O'Brien, returns to the Outer Banks for a Tuesday night dance.

O'Brien is on his second stint as leader of the legendary 19-piece band. His first go-round was from 1981-1983; he rejoined in 1988.

Using original arrangements, O'Brien preserves the Miller magic as he showcases such standards as ``Moonlight Serenade,'' ``Little Brown Jug,'' ``Tuxedo Junction'' and ``In The Mood.''

Miller's signature sound of a clarinet as the lead instrument came about quite by accident. As a young bandleader in the 1930s, Miller knew he wanted a sound unlike anything in vogue.

One night, on the eve of a concert, Miller's lead trumpet player split his lip. Miller didn't miss a beat. He sent in his clarinet player to play between the saxophones. A sound was born.

From 1938-42, Miller mesmerized a generation with his flowing arrangements, some his, some by hired hands Bill Finegan and Jerry Gray. And he was versatile. He could segue from a gentle ballad like ``Stardust'' to a rousing rumba song like ``Pennsylvania 6-5000.''

For those four years, he led the biggest band in the land. His music brightened the lives of Americans who were recovering from the Great Depression. Miller's swing-era music kept spirits up even as America stood at the brink of war.

In 1942, with mess lines and lineups for inspection the order of the day, Miller accepted a direct commission as a captain in the Army Air Corps.

Once inducted, Miller assembled the Army Air Corps Orchestra, which performed more than 300 concerts for some 600,000 servicemen and women.

Glenn Miller was lost on Dec. 15, 1944, on a flight from England to France.

But the Miller sound is still around, living through changes in music and politics.

O'Brien, the bandleader, calls himself a ``purist.''

``I play it by the book,'' he says. ``And once people hear it, they like it.''

The Glenn Miller Orchestra, which includes the vocal group The Moonlight Serenaders, plays 50 weeks a year. And the Outer Banks is always on the schedule.

``It's one of our favorite places,'' O'Brien says. ``There seem to be a lot of Big Band enthusiasts there.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo

Larry O'Brien and the Glenn Miller Orchestra return to the Outer

Banks.

Graphic

HOW TO HEAR 'EM

Who: Glenn Miller Orchestra

When: 8:30 p.m. Tuesday

Where: Comfort Inn South, milepost 17 on the beach road, Nags

Head

Tickets: $30

Call: 441-5387