Claude Thornhill (Terre Haute, Indiana, August 10, 1908 – July 1, 1965, Cal… Read Full Bio ↴Claude Thornhill (Terre Haute, Indiana, August 10, 1908 – July 1, 1965, Caldwell, New Jersey) was an American pianist, arranger, composer, and bandleader. He composed the jazz and pop standards "Snowfall" and "I Wish I Had You", the last recorded by Billie Holliday.
As a youth, he was recognized as an extraordinary talent and formed a traveling duo with Danny Polo, a musical prodigy on the clarinet and trumpet from nearby Clinton, Indiana. As a student at Garfield High School in Terre Haute, he played with several theater bands.
Thornhill entered the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music at age 16. That same year he and clarinetist Artie Shaw started their careers at the Golden Pheasant in Cleveland, Ohio with the Austin Wiley Orchestra. Thornhill and Shaw went to New York together in 1931.
Claude went to the West Coast in the late 1930s with the Bob Hope Radio Show, and arranged for Judy Garland in Babes in Arms.
In 1935, he played on sessions for Glenn Miller's first recordings under his own name, as Glenn Miller and His Orchestra. He played on Glenn Miller's composition "Solo Hop," which was released on Columbia Records.
After playing for Paul Whiteman, Benny Goodman, Ray Noble, Glenn Miller, and Billie Holiday, and arranging "Loch Lomond" and "Annie Laurie" for Maxine Sullivan, in 1939 he founded his Claude Thornhill Orchestra. Danny Polo was his lead clarinet player. Although the Thornhill band was originally a sophisticated dance band, it became known for its many superior jazz musicians and for Thornhill's and Gil Evans' innovative arrangements; its "Portrait of a Guinea Farm" has become a classic jazz recording.
The band played without vibrato so that the timbres of the instruments could be better appreciated, and Thornhill encouraged the musicians to develop cool-sounding tones. The band was popular with both musicians and the public; the Miles Davis Nonet was modeled in part on Thornhill's cool sound and use of unconventional instrumentation. The band's most successful records were "Snowfall," "A Sunday Kind of Love" and "Love for Love."
His most famous recording, "Snowfall," was released in 1941 as Columbia 36268. He released the song also as a V-Disc recording, as V-Disc 271A1.
Playing at the Paramount Theater in New York for $10,000 a week in 1942, Thornhill dropped everything to enlist in the US Navy to support the war effort. As chief musician, he played shows across the Pacific Theater with Jackie Cooper as his drummer and Dennis Day as his vocalist.
In 1946, he was discharged from the Navy. Then in April, he reformed his ensemble. He kept his same stylistic lines, but added some Bop lines to it. He got his old members of Danny Polo, Gerry Mulligan, and Barry Galbraith back together, but also added new members like Red Rodney, Lee Konitz, Joe Shulman and Bill Barber. Barber was a tuba player, who was considered as a "soft brass" player rather than a bass as to not interfere with (Joe) Shulman on the bass. Their creative and immaculately clean and delicate interpretation of Evans’s arrangement of Dizzy Gillespie’s fast bop theme "Anthropology" (1947) provides a particularly noteworthy example of Thornhill’s style, which influenced Miles Davis’s recordings in 1949 for Capitol and many musicians who followed .
In the mid 1950s, Thornhill was briefly Tony Bennett's musical director.
He offered his big band library to Gerry Mulligan when Gerry formed the Concert Jazz Band, but Gerry regretfully declined the gift, since his instrumentation was different. A large portion of his extensive library of music is currently held by Drury University in Springfield, Missouri.
After his discharge from the Navy he continued to perform with his orchestra until his death of a heart attack at 1:30 a.m., July 2, 1965, at his home in Caldwell, New Jersey. Claude was booked at the Steel Pier in Atlantic City, New Jersey, at the time, the engagement was kept in his honor with his music director in his place. He was survived by his wife, actress Ruth Thornhill, and his mother, Maude Thornhill (81 at the time), of Terre Haute, Indiana, still active at the time conducting choirs.
Claude Thornhill's compositions included the standard "Snowfall", "I Wish I Had You", recorded by Billie Holiday and Fats Waller, "Let's Go", "Shore Road", "Portrait Of A Guinea Farm", "Lodge Podge", "Rustle Of Spring", "It's Time For Us To Part", "It Was A Lover And His Lass", "The Little Red Man", "Memory Of An Island", and "Where Has My Little Dog Gone?"
In 1984, Claude Thornhill was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame.
As a youth, he was recognized as an extraordinary talent and formed a traveling duo with Danny Polo, a musical prodigy on the clarinet and trumpet from nearby Clinton, Indiana. As a student at Garfield High School in Terre Haute, he played with several theater bands.
Thornhill entered the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music at age 16. That same year he and clarinetist Artie Shaw started their careers at the Golden Pheasant in Cleveland, Ohio with the Austin Wiley Orchestra. Thornhill and Shaw went to New York together in 1931.
Claude went to the West Coast in the late 1930s with the Bob Hope Radio Show, and arranged for Judy Garland in Babes in Arms.
In 1935, he played on sessions for Glenn Miller's first recordings under his own name, as Glenn Miller and His Orchestra. He played on Glenn Miller's composition "Solo Hop," which was released on Columbia Records.
After playing for Paul Whiteman, Benny Goodman, Ray Noble, Glenn Miller, and Billie Holiday, and arranging "Loch Lomond" and "Annie Laurie" for Maxine Sullivan, in 1939 he founded his Claude Thornhill Orchestra. Danny Polo was his lead clarinet player. Although the Thornhill band was originally a sophisticated dance band, it became known for its many superior jazz musicians and for Thornhill's and Gil Evans' innovative arrangements; its "Portrait of a Guinea Farm" has become a classic jazz recording.
The band played without vibrato so that the timbres of the instruments could be better appreciated, and Thornhill encouraged the musicians to develop cool-sounding tones. The band was popular with both musicians and the public; the Miles Davis Nonet was modeled in part on Thornhill's cool sound and use of unconventional instrumentation. The band's most successful records were "Snowfall," "A Sunday Kind of Love" and "Love for Love."
His most famous recording, "Snowfall," was released in 1941 as Columbia 36268. He released the song also as a V-Disc recording, as V-Disc 271A1.
Playing at the Paramount Theater in New York for $10,000 a week in 1942, Thornhill dropped everything to enlist in the US Navy to support the war effort. As chief musician, he played shows across the Pacific Theater with Jackie Cooper as his drummer and Dennis Day as his vocalist.
In 1946, he was discharged from the Navy. Then in April, he reformed his ensemble. He kept his same stylistic lines, but added some Bop lines to it. He got his old members of Danny Polo, Gerry Mulligan, and Barry Galbraith back together, but also added new members like Red Rodney, Lee Konitz, Joe Shulman and Bill Barber. Barber was a tuba player, who was considered as a "soft brass" player rather than a bass as to not interfere with (Joe) Shulman on the bass. Their creative and immaculately clean and delicate interpretation of Evans’s arrangement of Dizzy Gillespie’s fast bop theme "Anthropology" (1947) provides a particularly noteworthy example of Thornhill’s style, which influenced Miles Davis’s recordings in 1949 for Capitol and many musicians who followed .
In the mid 1950s, Thornhill was briefly Tony Bennett's musical director.
He offered his big band library to Gerry Mulligan when Gerry formed the Concert Jazz Band, but Gerry regretfully declined the gift, since his instrumentation was different. A large portion of his extensive library of music is currently held by Drury University in Springfield, Missouri.
After his discharge from the Navy he continued to perform with his orchestra until his death of a heart attack at 1:30 a.m., July 2, 1965, at his home in Caldwell, New Jersey. Claude was booked at the Steel Pier in Atlantic City, New Jersey, at the time, the engagement was kept in his honor with his music director in his place. He was survived by his wife, actress Ruth Thornhill, and his mother, Maude Thornhill (81 at the time), of Terre Haute, Indiana, still active at the time conducting choirs.
Claude Thornhill's compositions included the standard "Snowfall", "I Wish I Had You", recorded by Billie Holiday and Fats Waller, "Let's Go", "Shore Road", "Portrait Of A Guinea Farm", "Lodge Podge", "Rustle Of Spring", "It's Time For Us To Part", "It Was A Lover And His Lass", "The Little Red Man", "Memory Of An Island", and "Where Has My Little Dog Gone?"
In 1984, Claude Thornhill was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame.
Buster's Last Stand
Claude Thornhill Lyrics
We have lyrics for these tracks by Claude Thornhill:
A Sunday Kind Of Love I want a Sunday kind of love A love to…
America I Love You Gee, but it's tough to be broke, kid. It's not a…
Be Careful It Be careful, it's my heart, It's not my watch you're holding…
Chattanooga Choo Choo Pardon me boy, is that the Chattanooga Choo Choo? Track twen…
Deep Purple Woo, Wo-o-oo-wo-wo, Wo-o-oo-wo-wo, Wo-o-oo-wo-wo When…
Early Autumn When an early autumn walks the land and chills the…
Embraceable You Embrace me, my sweet embraceable you! Embrace me, you irrepl…
I Knew You When I knew you when in the days that used to be once…
I Many Be Wrong I may be wrong but I think you're wonderful I may…
If You Were the Only Girl in the World If you were the only girl in the world And I…
Jeru Why don't you come over 'bout a quarter to nine Bring…
Love For Love Gee, but it's tough to be broke, kid. It's not a…
Mandy Is Two Mandy is two You ought to see her eyes of cornflower…
Oh You Beautiful Doll Honey dear, want you near, Just turn out the lights and…
One I Love When days are long and nights are lonely And all my…
P.S. I Love You Gee, but it's tough to be broke, kid. It's not a…
Paradise And then she holds my hand, mm And then I understand.…
Polka Dots and Moonbeams A country dance was being held in a garden I felt…
Someone To Watch Over Me There's a saying old says that love is blind Still were…
Something to Remember You By Oh, give me something to remember you by When you are…
Sometimes I'm Happy Every day seems like a year Sweetheart, when you are not…
Stars Fell On Alabama Moonlight and magnolia, starlight in your hair All the world…
Sweet and Lovely Sweet and lovely sweeter than the roses in May Sweet and…
The One I Love Gee, but it's tough to be broke, kid. It's not a…
There's A Small Hotel I'd like to get away, Junior Somewhere alone with you It cou…
Traumerei For the life of me I never thought that it could…
Under the Willow Tree You are the wind in my sail You are the spring…
We Love may fill your heart with a strange delight Love may…
Where or When It seems we stood and talked like this before We looked…
Who Love may fill your heart with a strange delight Love may…
You Go to My Head You go to my head And you linger like a haunting…
You Were Meant for Me You were meant for me, I was meant for you Nature…
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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callmeBe
Wow, I have always enjoyed this arrangement. I think some of the voicings were a few years ahead of the times--the unison muted bones, the clarinet lead over the tutti beginning, the clarinet lines just before the last restrain. The trumpet solo is spectacular! Who is that?? Thanks so much for this post--REAL MUSIC!!
konidolfine
この曲は、彼が作曲したオリジナル曲の最も初期のものです。 公になったものとしてはデビュー曲ということになるのかも知れませんね。 ソーンヒルのバンドも当時としてはかなりクールでスムースなノリを聴かせていたことが伺えます。
nonkig3
ギル・エヴァンスが作・編曲を担当しているんですね。 ちょっと軽すぎると感ずるくらい乗りの良い演奏ですね。
ManagerGuy1
Do you have his "I Don't Know Why" (I love you like I Do) the standard. with his Snowflake singers on it - I heard it on radio today & it was great! Loved this too, thanks for posting.
NYCBG
WOW!
thegoodgeneral
すごぎよ!
konidolfine
@ManagerGuy1 Sure,I have it . And I like it also ! thanks
artaud8642
Any chance you have "Love For Love"?