News Story - Idaho State Journal

POCATELLO -- Larry O'Brien kept time by tapping his feet and clapping his hands as he directed the world famous Glenn Miller Orchestra on Tuesday at the Stephen's Performing Arts Center.

Proceeds from the concert will benefit the Portneuf Medical Center and the Caribou Memorial Hospital foundations.

Throughout the performance, one musician after another took center stage for solos. O'Brien was no exception. The director often picked up a trombone resting on a stand to his right.

At one point in the performance, O'Brien removed his hand from his instrument and waved to the crowd, which didn't immediately respond.

"Now, Pocatello's a friendly place isn't it?" O'Brien asked. "Then wave back at me."

The audience overwhelmingly complied several times throughout the rest of the song.

The orchestra, which also includes multiple trumpet players, saxophonists, a drummer and a pianist, played iconic tunes from the Big Band era, among other numbers. The songs included "Everybody Loves My Baby," "String of Pearls," "Yesterday's Gardenias" and "Tuxedo Junction."

Glenn Miller sold millions of records in the late 1930s and early 1940s. He died in an airplane crash in December 1942, but his legacy lives on through the orchestra, which was reassembled in 1956 by the Miller estate.

The band has toured worldwide since then, performing for audiences an average of 300 times per year.

This document was originally published online on Wednesday, August 13, 2008

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