Glenn Miller

Tail End Charlie

Another Bill Finegan masterpiece, Tail End Charlie was made famous by Glenn Miller's Army Air Force Training Command Band as one of a series of numbers that were patriotic and supported the war effort. The 'Tail-end Charlie' was the rear gunner in a bomber - often the first line of defense -and probably the most exposed position of any crewmember. This mid-tempo swing chart has unison saxes carrying the theme, backed by muted brass figures, building into a key-change bridge to introduce the Baritone solo. The whole number reaches a peak with a written-to sound-ad-lib trumpet solo, before the theme returns, repeating to a fade-out, (a well-tried Miller effect) with final tutti crescendo to end with.