Les & Larry Elgart, both together and separately, helped keep big band music alive long after the swing era had ended. The two brothers co-led one of the most popular bands of the 1950s.
Their big band was lighter in tone than many of the swing era bands and there were almost no solos for the band members. Many of their recordings veered into easy listening territory, particularly after the brothers split at the close of the '50s.
They reunited in 1963 but parted ways again after about four years. Larry went on to find late career success with the Hooked on Swing albums, which consisted of big band standards set to a disco beat.
What purports to be Les & Larry Elgart's version of Begin the Beguine, one of the best known swing era standards courtesy of Artie Shaw's 1938 hit, appeared on The Beat of the Big Bands, a 1973 compilation on Columbia's low-budget Harmony label. The MP3 below comes from a cassette version of that album. But further listening reveals that is a version by Les without his brother and which first appeared on the 1960 album The Band with That Sound.
Begin the Beguine
And just to confirm that this is Les's band alone, here's the YouTube video.
No need to go searching for old records (unless you're a vinyl fanatic) to get this version of Begin the Beguine. It's available both as a digital download and on CD.
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