Schoenberg’s orchestra throws itself into the 1930s sound with joy and precision, and you can hear their devotion to swing in every phrase.
Turtle Bay Records
Loren Schoenberg – bandleader, piano; Kate Kortum – vocals; Warren Wolf – xylophone; Joe Boga – trumpet; Summer Carmago – trumpet; Anthony Hervey – trumpet; Andre Perlman – trombone; Nick Mesler – trombone; Langston Hughes II – saxophone; Adam Stein – saxophone, clarinet; Daniel Cohen – saxophone, clarinet; Julian Lee – saxophone, clarinet; James Zito – guitar; John Murray – bass; Matt Lee – drums
Four decades after leading his first big band and just as many years overseeing the Benny Goodman Archives at Yale, Loren Schoenberg has found a new way to connect past and present. So Many Memories, his debut for Turtle Bay Records, revives a set of long-lost swing-era arrangements from a young Eddie Sauter — written in the late ’30s for “Mr. and Mrs. Swing,” Red Norvo and Mildred Bailey. Schoenberg brings them to life with a Juilliard-based orchestra, himself on piano, and vibraphonist Warren Wolf adding a Red Norvo sparkle.
Sauter later arranged Focus for Stan Getz and worked with Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, and Woody Herman, but these rediscovered charts show his early brilliance — elegant, full of life, and beautifully crafted. The album opens with Duke Ellington’s “Azure,” where Warren Wolf’s bright xylophone sparkles against the orchestra’s warm swing. The brass bounce, the reeds glide — it feels straight out of a 1930s ballroom— or maybe one of those old Merrie Melodies cartoons where everything swung and even the trees danced along.
Vocalist Kate Kortum, a 23-year-old breakout jazz singer from Houston, Texas, brings warmth and focus to the record. Her sound blends the directness of classic swing singers with a modern sense of phrasing. She has a great feel for time, often stretching or hanging just behind the beat to create a bit of tension against the band’s steady pulse. You can hear it right away on “Nice Work If You Can Get It,” and again on “September in the Rain,” where her unhurried delivery gives the song an easy lilt. On “You Go to My Head,” she keeps things light and graceful, her tone clear as a bell over the orchestra’s soft shimmer.
The all-instrumental “I Know That You Know” kicks up the tempo, with Warren Wolf’s xylophone racing out of the gate before the orchestra jumps in full tilt. The rhythm section lays down a solid foundation — bass and drums snapping in time — while short solos from trombone, saxophone, piano, and trumpet trade the spotlight. Schoenberg even slips in a touch of stride piano, a nod to the era without turning it into a history lesson.
Then comes Hoagy Carmichael’s “Two Sleepy People”— and it’s a charmer. Hoagy used to sing it like he was about to nod off, but Kate Kortum sounds like she’s had her morning coffee and can’t wait to tell you about the night before. She stretches her phrases just enough to draw out the tune’s lazy affection, backed by a light, happy orchestra and a sweet guitar solo that almost sounds like a ukulele. It’s one of the most likable tracks on the album — relaxed, good-humored, and full of warmth.
The album closes with a roaring take on “After You’ve Gone,” a tune every swing fan will recognize the moment those first clarinet notes appear. Adam Stein and Daniel Cohen lead the charge, trading lines and driving the melody in tight unison before breaking into playful back-and-forth exchanges. The orchestra kicks in behind them with punchy brass and crisp rhythm, giving it that full 1930s ballroom lift. About three-quarters in, Warren Wolf jumps in on xylophone, adding a sparkling finish that ties the whole record back to its Red Norvo roots.
So Many Memories is more than a restoration project. Schoenberg’s orchestra throws itself into the 1930s sound with joy and precision, and you can hear their devotion to swing in every phrase. If Red Norvo were around, he’d grin — and Eddie Sauter’s son Greg, now in his 80s, already has. He was thrilled to hear his father’s long-lost arrangements finally brought to life.
