Norm Ladd Orchestra - Swingin' Nice and Easy

The Norm Ladd Orchestra was a popular dance band in the Chicago area in the 1950s-80s. Norman Hladleck (I think that's correct spelling) was an alto sax/clarinet player who assembled a pleasant commercial ballroom band with bright, bouncy arrangements. He was a good showman and a crowd pleaser. I had several early albums by Norm and had the privilege of performing on piano with him several times when he was coming through Dubuque and needed a sub musician.

This Swingin' Nice & Easy album on Meric Records label was a departure in style. The orchestrations are much fuller and have a more modern swing than his earlier albums. I lost the album cover (?) but I believe the charts are all by Howardl Beyer. If anyone has more information on Norm's fine group, please post a message. To my commercial ear it's a very enjoyable band that should have been heard by more people then, and now.

1. Button Up Your Overcoat
2. Days of Wine & Roses
3. Fascinating Rhythm (Twist)
4. I Could Write a Book
5. I'm Old Fashioned
6. My Baby Just Cares for Me
7. Please Be Kind
8. Star Eyes
9. Tell Me That You Love Me Tonight
10. The Sweetest Sounds
11. With the Wind & the Rain In Your Hair

I recently found his obituary on the Internet and am posting in respect to the memory of this fine man and his music.

Norbert J. Hladilek, 71, a big band orchestra leader known as Norm Ladd, died Saturday in his Rolling Meadows home. Born in Flint, Mich., Mr. Hladilek was raised in Milwaukee and attended Milwaukee State Teachers College before deciding to follow his dream and become a full-time musician. As a boy, he learned to play the piano and accordion. As a teenager, his attention turned to the saxophone and clarinet, which became his favorite instruments. Mr. Hladilek toured with several big bands, including Tommy Dorsey's band and Gay Claridge's orchestra. Mr. Hladilek's association with Claridge inspired him to put together his own band, the Norm Ladd Orchestra, in 1959.


"He always wanted to have his own band," said his daughter, Dawn Lapetina. "There wasn't anything else that he wanted to do." He traveled for several years before settling in the Chicago area, where his band performed at the Aragon Ballroom, the Melody Mill of Chicago, the Chevy Chase Ballroom in Wheeling and the Lancer in Schaumburg. For more than 30 years, the group played weekends at the Willowbrook Ballroom in Willow Springs.

"He was definitely a tradition at the Willowbrook since the 1960s," said Willowbrook village spokesman Mike Foran. "There were legions of fans who loved him." Mr. Hladilek's Sunday-afternoon performances attracted more than 800 dancers, Foran said. From 1960 to 1980, Mr. Hladilek recorded four big-band albums, including "Dancing on the Ceiling" and "For the Good Times."

His family said his most memorable engagement was in the 1980s when his orchestra played the Empire Room at the Palmer House in Chicago.