"Big Noise from Winnetka" is a jazz song co-written by composer and bass player
Bob Haggart and drummer
Ray Bauduc, who were members of a sub-group of the
Bob Crosby Orchestra called "The Bobcats". They also were the first to record it, in 1938. That recording is remarkable for being an unusual kind of duet: at first Haggart whistles the melody and plays the bass, accompanied only by Bauduc on the drums; however, halfway through the drum solo, Bauduc starts drumming on the strings of the bass while Haggart performs the left-hand fingering, combining to create a percussive bass solo. Though the original version has only bass and drums (with the bass player whistling), many other arrangements have been performed, including one by the Bob Crosby big band with the band's vocal group, for which
Gil Rodin and
Bob Crosby added lyrics to the instrumental original.
After the success of its initial recording, Haggart and Bauduc performed this number frequently for the rest of their careers, including in several films, most notably in 1941's Let's Make Music and 1943's Reveille with Beverly. The original recording was featured on the soundtrack of Raging Bull.
Nick Nolte and
Debra Winger danced to a version credited to Bob Crosby and the Bobcats in the 1982 film Cannery Row.
Composition
This was a spontaneous composition, created at the
Blackhawk in
Chicago in 1938.[1] When some of the band were late getting back from a break, Haggart and Bauduc started free improvising while they waited and "Big Noise" was the result. It was a joint composition, later formalized by arranger Haggart. Later, lyrics were written by
Gil Rodin and
Bob Crosby.
Winnetka, Illinois is an affluent
North Shore suburb located approximately 16 miles (26 km) north of downtown Chicago.
Performances
1959: Jazz drummer
Gene Krupa covered the song on his live album Big Noise from Winnetka.
1959:
Jack Teagarden with drummer Ronnie Greb covered the song on his live album At the Roundtable.
1980: The song was featured in the field repertoire of the Bridgemen Drum & Bugle Corps (
Bayonne, New Jersey). The Bridgemen missed winning that season's
Drum Corps International world championship title by 0.55.
1984: The Australian teenage indie band
the Lighthouse Keepers recorded a version of "Big Noise" featuring a
C melody sax on their album Tales of the Unexpected.
2015:
Christine Ebersole, a singer and actress, brought her show Big Noise from Winnetka back to the Chicago area. The show included the jazz song and stories from her life in
Winnetka, Illinois.[3]
In popular culture
According to an interview with Canadian animator
Danny Antonucci, the theme song for his hit
Cartoon Network show Ed, Edd n Eddy was inspired by "Big Noise" and includes a similar bass line and whistled melody.[4]