Canadian MasterWorks
Mart Kenny – The West, A Nest, and You Dear – 1938 
Article by Jean-Pierre Sévigny
Most veteran jazz musicians will tell you that Mart Kenney & His Western Gentlemen were the hottest Canadian Band during the war, overshadowing even the famous Guy Lombardo band. This CD includes the band’s theme song “The West, A Nest, and you Dear” that Canadians heard time and time again during and after the war. This has to be one of the most popular and instantly recognisable Canadian hits of the World War II era.
Herbert Martin Kenny (1910-2005) formed his band in 1931 before a gig in Vancouver, where it also made its radio debut in 1934 on CJOR and was regularly on the air waves with shows like “Rocky Mountain Melody Time”, “Sweet and Low”, and “The Victory Parade with Canada’s Spotlight Band.” Kenney also toured extensively in the 1930s and 1940s across Canada. The band signed a contract with RCA Victor in 1938, and began recording some twenty-five 78s for its Victor and Bluebird labels. A talented, shrewd bandleader, Kenney integrated mostly good songs and standards into the band’s repertoire. The results could be seen on the dance floor. The Western Gentlemen had a string of hits including “There’s Honey On The Moon Tonight,” “You Belong To My Heart,” “Get You Wings,” “We’re Proud of Canada” and “I’ll Remember Suzanne,” also included on this CD, sung by Norma Locke, who joined the band in 1944 and soon reached fame as a premier big band vocalist. The song was recorded previously in the US by Gene Krupa’s band.
Like Glenn Miller’s music, the melodic, sweet tunes of Mart Kenney seemed to hit a sentimental spot with Canadians, who were going through a rough time and were being rationed even in basic necessities. People flocked to attend Kenney’s record launches organized by RCA at the Montreal record plant located on Lacasse Street. Kenney also told a researcher that during the war the band used to record late at night in the Victor studio because the heavy war production was just too noisy during the day. The band toured across Canada between 1943 and 1945 and broadcasted weekly on “The Victory Parade” live from army depots and war plants. According to jazz writer, Mark Miller, the Western Gentlemen were “a versatile dance band, neither excessively sweet nor to boldly swinging.” The band was good and tight and it made a particular impact when it performed live in ballrooms. Kenney was made a member of the Order of Canada in 1980.
Links
http://www.avtrust.ca/masterworks/2005/en_soundrecording_3.htm