Jackie Gleason "The Great One" conducts his 'own' Orchestra !!! (1960) - CBS

On the March 7, 1960 broadcast of CBS-TV's "Kate Smith Show", Jackie Gleason appeared as 'Guest Conductor and Composer' of that particular show (Neal Hefti and his Orchestra were the usual outfit).

Unfortunately, the only copy publically available of this show is the poor quality film kinescope of an originally pre-recorded (on videotape!) program. From his Capitol Records "Riff Jazz" album, recorded and released in 1958, Jackie conducts on TV for the first time - and has performed live two of 'his' original compositions from that album (Jackie, Betty Ford, and Dick Jones are all co-writers - with George Williams' arranging brilliance - which is REALLY what is being displayed here - along with a once-in-a-lifetime quality of musicians!!!).

1. "Bear Mountain Blast"
2. "Tollgate Treat"

Although the orchestra is not billed as the "Jackie Gleason Orchestra", there is reason to believe this is mostly Neal Hefti's 30 musicians with Gleason's additions to fill-out the 60-piece musical arrangement, orchestrated by George Williams.

The MUSICIANS (Soloists):

TRUMPET SOLOIST: Charles James Shavers (August 3, 1920 – July 8, 1971), known as Charlie Shavers, was an American swing era jazz trumpet player who played at one time or another with Dizzy Gillespie, Roy Eldridge, Johnny Dodds, Jimmie Noone, Sidney Bechet, Midge Williams and Billie Holiday. He was also an arranger and composer, and one of his compositions, "Undecided", is a jazz standard. Charlie Shavers' father was from the prominent Shavers family of Key West, Florida, and Charlie was a cousin of heavyweight boxer Earnie Shavers. Born in New York City, he originally took up the piano and banjo before switching to trumpet. In the mid-thirties, he performed with Tiny Bradshaw and Lucky Millinder. In 1935 he played in the trumpet section, alongside Dizzy Gillespie and Carl (Bama) Warwick in Frankie Fairfax's Campus Club Orchestra. In 1936 he joined John Kirby's Sextet as trumpet soloist and arranger (he was only 16 but gave his birthdate as 1917 in order to avoid child labor laws - many biographies still list this date). His arrangements and solos with this band contributed greatly towards making it one of the most commercially successful and widely imitated bands of its day. In 1937 he was performing with Midge Williams and her Jazz Jesters. In 1944 he began playing sessions in Raymond Scott's CBS staff orchestra. In 1945 he left John Kirby's band to join Tommy Dorsey's Orchestra, with whom he toured and recorded, off and on, until 1953. During this time he continued to play sessions at CBS, played with the Metronome All-Stars, and made a number of recordings as trumpet soloist with Billie Holiday. From 1953 to 1954 he worked with Benny Goodman, and toured Europe with Norman Granz's popular Jazz at the Philharmonic series, where he was always a crowd favorite. He went on to form his own band with Terry Gibbs and Louie Bellson. Charlie Shavers died from throat cancer in New York in 1971 at the age of 50. His friend Louis Armstrong died while Shavers was on his deathbed, and his last request was that his trumpet mouthpiece be buried with Armstrong in his coffin.

DRUMMER: Jimmy "Craw" Crawford (January 14, 1910 – January 28, 1980) was an American jazz drummer in the swing era. Jimmy Crawford was born in 1910 in Memphis, Tennessee. He was the drummer of the Jimmie Lunceford big band for nearly 14 years from 1928 to 1942. According to Modern Drummer, Crawford "played with a strong, solid pulsation — a classic trademark of the Lunceford sound — and was a key factor in establishing the unique Lunceford beat."[1] Later, in the 1950s, Crawford worked as a pit drummer on Broadway. He recorded with numerous notable artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie, Sy Oliver, Bing Crosby, Benny Goodman, and Frank Sinatra.[1][2]
He died on January 28, 1980 in New York City.

Other usual Gleason sidemen included Al Caiola on guitar, Milt Hinton on bass, and Bernie Leighton on piano. The quality of the kinnie is so poor, I can't identify them certainly if they are indeed performing on this show.

This may be the only time I've seen a Euphonium and Kettledrums on a jazz piece (except maybe Leroy Anderson).

The entire unedited show is also on YouTube.

John Herbert "Jackie" Gleason (February 26, 1916 – June 24, 1987) was an American comedian, actor, and musician who developed a style and characters in his career from growing up in Brooklyn, New York. He was known for his brash visual and verbal comedy style, exemplified by his character Ralph Kramden in the television series The Honeymooners. By filming the episodes with Electronicam, Gleason later could release the series in syndication, building its popularity over the years with new audiences. He also developed The Jackie Gleason Show, which had the second-highest ratings in the country 1954–55, and which he produced over the years in variations, including in the venue of Miami, Florida after moving there.

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