Cocoanut Grove
Band tries to get an audition for a job at a prestigious nightclub..
Band tries to get an audition for a job at a prestigious nightclub..
Several members of MGM's 'galaxy of stars' attend an evening of music and a fashion show..
"Gus Arnhein and His Coconut Grove Orchestra" is an agreeable short--and one of the earlier Vitaphone released. While the band is just about totally forgotten today, they had a nice sound and are a nice representative of the era. And, like most Vitaphone films of the day, the camera is mostly stationary and there are no fancy effects--just a straight recording of the act--which included several nice songs..
Filmed in Los Angeles in 1990, the complete Live at the Cocoanut Grove will do nothing to alter indifference from jazz purists toward fusion guitarist Lee Ritenour. But hardcore Rit fans and other viewers without a jazz-pop ax to grind will find this concert a particularly stimulating, wonderfully textured musical event built around the star and a parade of international talent..