Local History Presentation: Glen Island Casino

In the ’30’s and ’40’s, if you wanted to see the up-and-coming band of the year, you went to Glen Island. Glenn Miller almost quit the business before he got this gig. Other big bands who hit the big time here were Ozzie Nelson, Les Brown, Charlie Barnet, Tommy Dorsey, and Claude Thornhill.  The Thornhill band, with Lee Konitz on alto and Gil Evans arranging, led to the Birth of the Cool recordings of Miles Davis in ’49.  In the Big Band Era, Glen Island Casino was The Place!  And before?  In the 19th Century, the island was a theme park with a German Castle (still standing) and a natural history museum. Was it the first theme park ever?

Presented by Barbara Davis, Executive Director of the Westchester County Historical Society and New Rochelle City Historian, Patrick Raftery, Associate Director and Librarian of the Westchester County Historical Society, and Frank De Ligio of Jazz Conversations.