Buddy Morrow & His Orchestra—”Night Train” (1952)
The last great trombone hit record was trombonist Buddy Morrow’s arrangement of Jimmy Forrest’s composition “Night Train,” recorded by Buddy Morrow and his Orchestra for RCA Viktor on April 12, 1952. It sold over a million copies, “although I never earned good money from recording,” Morrow said later.
Buddy Morrow and his Orchestra: lead trombonist Buddy Morrow directing Clarence Blaisdell, A. Russotti and Sam Scavone-trumpets; Berk Alexander, Fred Angst and Paul Gilmore-trombones; Pat Balbo, S. Goldfarb, H. Mineich and Harry Wuest-saxophones; Billy Jacob-piano; Dick Niveson-double bass; and Irving Cottler-drums.
Connecticut jazz trombonist, arranger and composer Buddy Morrow (1919-2010) was born as Muni Zudekoff, a son of Polish and Russian parents who gave him his first trombone when he was 12 years old. After finishing his musical study, Morrow played with the bands of Sharkey Bonano and Artie Shaw in 1936. A year later he was part of Bunny Berrigan’s outfit before he joined Tommy Dorsey‘s band in 1938. With Dorsey, Morrow earned $125 a week, playing hotels and radio shows.
In 1939 “I left Dorsey for the money,” Morrow said, and he joined the orchestra of Paul Whiteman. “Whiteman’s orchestra -- instead of playing hotels and clubs -- was a concert band,” and he earned good money for those days cause Whiteman paid Buddy $375 for three days work a week or fewer.
After Whiteman, Morrow worked with the bands of Bob Crosby (1941) and Jimmy Dorsey (1945). In 1950, when really all the big band leaders except Duke Ellington had to disband, Buddy Morrow formed his own big band which got its first hit when “Night Train” was released in May 1952. More than any other band, Morrow’s orchestra brought youngsters back to the dance floor. “Night Train” also has remained very popular as background music to striptease acts.
“Night Train” composer Jimmy Forrest (1920-1980) had worked briefly in Ellington’s orchestra in 1947, when the Duke recorded a composition by Billy Strayhorn and Ellington called “Happy Go Lucky Local.” The second part of Ellington’s record was copied note-for-note from the tenor sheet music by Forrest and renamed “Night Train.” Ellington’s reaction was that his composition “must have been a good tune if someone wants to steal it.” But privately the Duke was outraged and said “It hurts and it’s offensive.”
After having been part of various studio groups and The Tonight Show band, Buddy Morrow became the leader of the Glenn Miller orchestra in 1974/1975, and from then on he fronted the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. The week before his death, 91-year old Buddy Morrow was still leading this Dorsey ghost band from a wheelchair on stage. He had fronted the orchestra longer than it’s original leader had ever led the band.
In 2009, after a career of a remarkable seven decades, Buddy Morrow received the Lifetime Achievement Award of the International Trombone Association for the way he changed trombone playing back in the days when the announcement “You’re dancing tonight to Morrow!” lit a spark for dancing audiences.
