Alec Wilder Octet - Redux

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I wanted to revisit the subject of Alec Wilder’s Octet music [1938-1942] for a couple of reasons.

The first is to put to rest a tall tale Alec told to Barry Ulanov which is quoted in the Alec Wilder - “Smart Alec” posting that’s contained in the May 1947 issue of Metronome magazine which forms the basis for the original feature.

And secondly, I wanted to post to these pages more about the origins of the octet and the nature of its music - a topic I obviously find fascinating, especially after learning about its connection to Reginald Forsythe and Red Norvo - drawn from my recent reading of Desmond Stone’s Alec Wilder in Spite of Himself: A Life of a Composer [Oxford, 1996]. Stone also quotes from a number of other reputable musical sources and allows me to put up additional coverage about this unique group to the blog from a number of different perspectives.