Golden Wedding

Actually a swing-era reimagining of a 19th-century classical piece. Originally titled "La Cinquantaine" ("The Fiftieth Anniversary"), it was composed in 1887 by the French Romantic musician Jean Gabriel Prosper Marie as a light classical piece for cello and piano. In the late 1930s and early 1940s, jazz bandleaders loved raiding the classical archives for melodies that could be given a modern rhythm. Arranger James "Jiggs" Noble took Gabriel-Marie's stately melody and completely overhauled it into an explosive, driving swing number. Clarinetist and bandleader Woody Herman and his Orchestra recorded it on November 9, 1940, for Decca Records. Released in early 1941, the track became a major hit and a signature tune for his early band. What truly solidified "Golden Wedding" in jazz history was its unprecedented, extended 34-bar drum solo by Herman's powerhouse drummer, Frankie Carlson. Featuring Colin Anderson on Clarinet and Lorne Campbell on Drums from our July 2026 performance at The Vine Hotel Wangaratta. Video by Geoff Simpson.