CAB CALLOWAY ORCHESTRA NEWS HIGHLIGHTS:
- PBS "American Masters" Nationwide Debut Broadcast of
- Film Biography of Cab Calloway on Feb 27 2012
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Oxford Univerity Press Releases Calloway Bio:
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Cab Calloway: Sketches - Titles from Asteroid Media, Inc. on Vimeo.
Featuring extensive footage of Cab Calloway and C.Calloway Brooks
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CAB100 Centennial Events Review
New Biography by Alan Shipton of Oxford Press
New Biographical Film by Gail Levin
Concerts by the Cab Calloway Orchestra
CAB 100 Photo Exhibition
Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement
Calloway Curriculum under developent
You're not the only one who loves us!
"The Cab Calloway Orchestra
rocked the house! They swung hard all night long, they all played their tails
off, the charts are gorgeous! The band was fantastic. I love it!" Paul Shaffer - CBS
C.
Calloway Brooks, eldest grandson of the one and only Cab Calloway treated us to
a wild and memorable evening. C.B. . . trained at both the New England
Conservatory of Music and by the master himself, let it all hang out on Saturday
night. With his smooth style, a young Cab Calloway was on stage once more,
backed by an incredibly gifted jazz band. That first act was a blast! After
intermission, an eager audience on the edge of our seats ...the joint was really
jumping! Of course, Grandpa’s biggest hit, “Minnie the Moocher,” was held
for last and, in a foot stomping finale, C.B. had performed a miracle. How
he did it, I’ll never know, but somehow we were “hep cats” who sure could “cut a
rug” and “jive” with the best of them “cats” — yuh dig? When we filed out
of the doors of the old Opera House, our parting salutations weren’t
“Goodnight.” They were “Hi De Hi — Hi De Ho” and, by some miracle, there was
spring in our steps once more. -Ev Parker
"Hi-De-Ho, Minne The Moocher, remember that? I got to work with the Cab Calloway Orchestra last week in Phoenix Arizona. C. Calloway Brooks is Cab's grandson, who conducts the orchestra. If you ever have a chance to see them work, they're fabulous!" Willard Scott -- NBC Today Show
“Expect high style, high-stepping, good humor and deep theatricality when the Cab Calloway Orchestra plays . . . the orchestra is determined to keep the legacy of the big-band swing era so alive and kicking that it's more swing than legacy.”
“The mission of the orchestra springs from the inspiration of the art, and this is as it should be. And the enterprise appears to be in good hands with C.C. Brooks at the helm. That is not a small thing, and I salute C. Calloway Brooks for keeping that great engine running.”
While he wore Cab's mantle of jive with ease, Brooks' voice, patter and
musicality were all his own. Concertgoers seemed eager to holler "Hi-De-Ho"
Saturday night ,,,while
being thoroughly entertained by Calloway's grandson and current bandleader C.
Calloway Brooks. "Minnie the
Moocher," the Calloway number everyone had been waiting for, rocked the
house with "Hi-De-Hi's," "Ho-De-Ho's,"
"Hee-De-Hee's" and an instant standing ovation.
“…flashes of
his Grandfathers' vocal quality shine through
each performance. This band is definitely not Mickey-Mouse.… it's that smooth
well-rehearsed sound of
saxophones that sounds like thick cream flowing… the brass and rhythm molded
like Jell-O to go with the cream.” –Dan Kassell
“While
Brooks may dress like his grandfather and play his tunes, their voices
sound nothing alike, and Brooks - a talented singer and guitarist in his own
right - doesn't try to imitate Calloway. …he's a serious musician himself, not
simply the heir to the Calloway throne ...Brooks maintained his brilliant
level of performance to the end” -Ernie
Santosuoso
“Brooks proves through his stage
presence that he has earned the right to lead his grandfather’s orchestra. Music
is in his blood.
“Brooks
almost upstaged his grandfather on two meanly picked blues” —W. Royal Stokes
“Every
day Brooks carries on the tradition of American big band music. Made popular
during the 1930s and 1940s by Calloway and other famous jazz musicians...swing
music and the big band sound is still energetic, joyous and soulful -- and still
appealing to audiences, young and old. A
Calloway performance ignites audience participation . . . that warm interactive quality that is present at Cab Calloway Orchestra
performances.”
“...Brooks
left the audience convinced” — Bob Blumenthal
For more quotes, go to our quotes page for full articles see our articles page
Brief Background
The Cab Calloway Orchestra, directed by Cab's grandson, "The Prince of Hi De Ho", C. Calloway Brooks, comes from the Big Band Swing Jazz Orchestra tradition that came bursting out of the Cotton Club, and the Savoy Ballroom, in the Harlem Renaissance during the golden age of radio in the 1930's and 1940's. These days, this most American of Art Music is still hot and sizzling!
Growing directly out of the Louis Armstrong New Orleans Dixieland tradition, Cab Calloway and his Orchestras virtually wrote the book on the "Hot Swing" sound and the "Jump" genre, and were progressive in their approach to performance. The Calloway magic touched many of the greatest Jazz musicians like Dizzy Gillespie, Milton Hinton, The Nicholas Brothers, Illinois Jaquet, Jonah Jones, Cozy Cole, Doc Cheatham, and Ben Webster all of whom emerged from Cab Calloway stints, and went on to redefine Jazz music with spectacular musical careers of their own. They -like Cab Calloway- took African-American based musical expression to whole new levels.
Cab Calloway also performed alongside greats like Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Nat King Cole, Lena Horne, Pearl Bailey, Eartha Kitt, Tony Benett, Fats Waller, and many others. Blues giant T-Bone Walker and Gospel sensation Sister Rosetta Tharpe toured with Cab Calloway and his Orchestras.
Always the diverse, multifaceted, total performance artist, Cab also shared the silver screen with Janet Jackson, The Blues Brothers, Steve McQueen, Clark Gable, W.C. Fields, Bing Crosby, Ann Margaret, Edward G. Robinson, Mickey Rooney and even Bela Lugosi. He also appeared in animations and children’s programs like Betty Boop, Popeye, Porky Pig, and Sesame Street.
Our Mission
The Cab Calloway Orchestra's goal under C. Calloway Brooks is to expand the recognition and appreciation of it's unique sound and sensibility, while maintaining the integrity of Cab's amazing musical repertoire. As a great American National Treasure, it is a profound responsibility. Our touring success has shown that we have a broad and universal appeal to all sorts of audiences. We want to make sure that you "keep that Hi-De-Ho in your soul!" We thank you for helping us to do this, by visiting and promoting the Calloway Orchestra and our home at this site.
Sincerely,
C. Calloway (“CB”) Brooks, Director-Cab Calloway Orchestra