Martin in the 1943 film Stage Door Canteen
Backgrou… Read Full Bio ↴Freddy Martin
Martin in the 1943 film Stage Door Canteen
Background information
Born December 9, 1906
Origin Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Died September 30, 1983 (aged 76)
Genres Jazz
Occupations Musician, bandleader
Instruments Saxophone
Frederick Alfred (Freddy) Martin (December 9, 1906 – September 30, 1983) was an American bandleader and tenor saxophonist.
Early life
Martin was born in Cleveland, Ohio.[1] Raised largely in an orphanage and with various relatives, Martin started out playing drums, then switched to C-melody saxophone and later tenor saxophone, the latter the one he would be identified with. Early on, he had intended to become a journalist. He had hoped that he would earn enough money from his musical work to enter Ohio State, but instead, he wound up becoming an accomplished musician. Martin led his own band while he was in high school, then played in various local bands. After working on a ship's band, Martin joined the Mason-Dixon band, then joined Arnold Johnson and Jack Albin. It was with Albin's "Hotel Pennsylvania Music" that he made his first recordings, for Columbia's Harmony, Velvet Tone, and Clarion 50 cent labels in 1930.
Early career
Martin in 1943
After a couple of years, his skill began attracting other musicians. One such musician was Guy Lombardo, who would remain friends with Martin throughout his life. After graduation from high school, Martin accepted a job at the H.N. White musical instrument company. When Lombardo was playing in Cleveland, Martin tried giving Lombardo some saxophones, which proved unsuccessful. Fortunately, Lombardo did get to hear Freddy’s band. One night, when Guy could not do a certain date, he suggested that Freddy’s band could fill in for him. The band did very well and that’s how Martin’s career really got started. But the band broke up and he did not form a permanent band until 1931 at the Bossert Hotel in Brooklyn.
At the Bossert Marine Room, Freddy pioneered the "Tenor Band" style that swept the sweet-music industry. With his own tenor sax as melodic lead, Martin fronted an all-tenor sax section with just two brasses and a violin trio plus rhythm. The rich, lilting style quickly spawned imitators in hotels and ballrooms nationwide. "Tenor bands", usually with just the three tenors and one trumpet, could occasionally be found playing for older dancers well into the 1980s.
The Martin band recorded first for Columbia Records in 1932. As the company was broke and signing no new contracts, the band switched to Brunswick Records after one session and remained with that label till 1938. Afterwards Martin appeared on RCA's Bluebird and Victor Records. The band also recorded pseudonymously in the early '30s, backing singers such as Will Osborne.
Martin took his band into many prestigious hotels, including the Roosevelt Grill in New York City and the Ambassador in Los Angeles. A fixture on radio, his sponsored shows included NBC's Maybelline Penthouse Serenade of 1937. But Martin’s real success came in 1941 with an arrangement from the first movement of Tchaikovsky’s B-flat piano concerto. Martin recorded the piece instrumentally, but soon lyrics were put in and it was re-cut as "Tonight We Love" with Clyde Rogers' vocal - becoming his biggest hit.
The success of "Tonight We Love" prompted Martin to adopt other classical themes as well, which featured the band's pianists Jack Fina, Murray Arnold and Barclay Allen. At this time Freddy enlarged the orchestra to a strength of six violins, four brasses and a like number of saxes.
Musical style
Freddy Martin was nicknamed "Mr. Silvertone" by saxophonist Johnny Hodges. Chu Berry named Freddy Martin his favorite saxophonist. He has also been idolized by many other saxophonists, including Eddie Miller. Although his playing has been admired by so many jazz musicians, Freddy Martin never tried to be a jazz musician. Martin always led a sweet styled band. Unlike most sweet bands that just played dull music, Martin’s band turned out to be one of the most musical and most melodic of all the typical hotel-room sweet bands. According to George T. Simon, Freddy's band was,
"one of the most pleasant, most relaxed dance bands that ever flowed across the band scene."
Martin was probably one of the most respected tenor saxophonists of the dance band era.
He used the banner "Music In The Martin Manner." Ironically, Russ Morgan used a similar banner when he finally landed a radio series with his own band in 1936. (Morgan’s title was "Music In The Morgan Manner"!). Russ had been playing in Freddy’s band and the two were good friends for years. Russ even used some of Freddy's arrangements when he started his band. Did Martin let the "Music In The ------ Manner" and the arrangement thing go? Yes. "Freddy Martin is such a nice man," said Larry Barnett. "He’s almost too nice for his own good."
Later career
Martin also had a good ear for singers. At one time or another, Martin employed Merv Griffin, Buddy Clark, pianists Sid Appleman and Terry Shand, saxophonist Elmer Feldkamp, Stuart Wade (his most impressive male singer), violinist Eddie Stone, and many others. Helen Ward was a singer for Martin just before she joined Benny Goodman's new band.
Martin’s popularity as a bandleader led him to Hollywood in the 1940s where he and his band appeared in a handful of films, including Seven Days' Leave (1942), Stage Door Canteen (1943) and Melody Time (1948), among others.
In the 1950s and 1960s Martin continued to perform on the radio and also appeared on TV. Untroubled by changing musical tastes, he continued to work at major venues and was musical director for Elvis Presley’s first appearance in Las Vegas. Still in demand for hotel work, Martin entered the 1970s with an engagement at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. In the early 1970s, he was part of two tours of one-nighters that were known as The Big Band Cavalcade. Among the other performers on the show were Margaret Whiting, Bob Crosby, Frankie Carle, Buddy Morrow, Art Mooney and George Shearing. When the tours ended, Martin returned to the West Coast. In 1977, Martin was asked to lead Guy Lombardo’s band when Lombardo was hospitalized with a heart condition.
Martin continued leading his band until the early 1980s, although by then, he was semi-retired. Freddy Martin died on September 30, 1983 in a Newport Beach hospital after a lingering illness. He was 76 years old.
The 1947 song "Pico and Sepulveda" was recorded by Martin under the alias of "Felix Figueroa and his Orchestra" and was frequently featured on Dr. Demento's syndicated radio show.[2] It was also featured in the surrealist film Forbidden Zone.
Piano Concerto No. 1 In B Flat
Freddy Martin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Beams down in dream light tonight
We touch the stars
Love is ours
Night winds that sigh
Embrace the sky
Tonight we love in the glow
That glows so softly I know
Will it be gone
Or will it always live on
Tonight we love
The lyrics to Freddy Martin and His Orchestra's song "Tonight We Love" are an expression of the romantic feelings that two people have for each other on a magical night. The moon beams down upon them in dreamlike fashion, and they touch the stars, feeling as though love is their own. The night winds sigh as they embrace the sky, encapsulated in the tender moment they share.
As the song progresses, there is a sense of uncertainty about the future and whether the love they share will continue to exist beyond this moment in time. The line "This wasn't meant to borrow but tomorrow will it be gone" speaks to the impermanence of life and love, and the fear of losing something so special. Despite this fear, the chorus reassures the listener that for now, "Tonight we love", and that the glow of their love will live on.
Overall, "Tonight We Love" is a timeless classic that celebrates the beauty and fragility of love. With its dreamlike imagery and poignant lyrics, it captures the essence of what it means to be in love, and the bittersweet feeling of knowing that it may not last forever.
Line by Line Meaning
Tonight we love while the moon
This evening, we are expressing our love under the light of the moon
Beams down in dream light tonight
The moon's light is shining upon us, creating a dream-like atmosphere
We touch the stars
Our love is so strong that we feel as though we are reaching for the stars
Love is ours
The love we share belongs to us and us alone
Night winds that sigh
The winds blowing at night create a wistful and romantic mood
Embrace the sky
The winds' embrace extends to the sky, as if the very universe is celebrating our love
Tonight we love in the glow
This evening, we are loving each other in the soft and warm glow of our love
That glows so softly I know
Our love shines brightly, but in a soft and warm way that is reassuring
This wasn't meant to borrow but tomorrow
Our love is not a fleeting moment; it was not meant to be just borrowed time until tomorrow
Will it be gone
We wonder if our love will disappear with the end of the night and all its romanticism
Or will it always live on
Or will our love continue to live on even after the stars and the moon have faded away
Tonight we love
But for tonight, we will continue to express our love for each other in this magical moment
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@JK-xt3ms
One of my favorite recordings of all time. Bringing the classics to the masses! Something that is hard to imagine today!
@alanwedding
Had this played at my wedding in 1973 as the exit tune.
@spencersmith2798
Absolutely wonderful…Tchaikovsky himself smiles upon every playing.
@barryputterman2412
A touchstone for myself and anybody else who endlessly played Victor's "60 Years of Music America Loves Best" album back in the day.
@smallbusinessfinancewithkayla
The piano, the strings, and especially the trumpet at 2:17 - just beautiful.
@youngbloodk
The trumpet is my favorite part too. My favorite version of one of my favorite tunes.
@barryputterman2412
Yeah, the Harry James style trumpet solo. Jack Fina gets kudos up the wazoo but nobody ever credits the trumpet solo. I think it is Norman Bailey, who later played with Lawrence Welk.
@smallbusinessfinancewithkayla
@@barryputterman2412 I agree. I found a video of Norman Bailey on one of the shows: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JimbbF2Sfrw
He comes in at 3 minutes and 15 seconds.
@barryputterman2412
@@smallbusinessfinancewithkayla Most happy that we are in agreement. And congratulations on sticking with the video until Norman appeared.
@barryputterman2412
Kayla, go to Joseph Rubin's channel to see a clip of the band performing this in the 1942 film "The Mayor of 44th Street." It has a brief close shot of Norman while he is standing and playing his solo. Rubin also has a clip of the Martin band in a 1960 TV appearance playing this with much different personnel of course. And Freddy plays Norman's solo on his tenor.