Martin, Freddy, 1906-1983

Band leader, saxophonist during Swing Era and after. Known for his beautiful tone. Raised in Ohio orphanage. Learned instruments in orphanage band. Encouraged by Guy Lombardo, formed own group (1932) and began to play dance clubs in New York and Chicago. He appeared on several radio programs during the 1930s and became identified with dance arrangements of popular classics, the most famous of which was probably his theme song, "Tonight we love," derived from the opening melody of Chaikovskii's "First Piano Concerto" (1941). Martin came west in 1941, first establishing himself at the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco and later at the Cocoanut Grove of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, where he remained for more than twenty-five years. In later years, Martin helped foster a nostalgia craze for the "Big Band Sound." He toured the nation with his group playing arrangements made famous by the many bands of the Swing Era (1965-1980). This collection consists largely of the arrangements Martin's various bands played over the nearly fifty years of his career as a band leader.