Search Manic Mark's Blog

Monday, April 27, 2020

The Light Fantastic - Andre Previn

A Foggy Day
The Light Fantastic
A Tribute To Fred AstaireThe Andre Previn Trio
With Red Mitchell and Frankie Capp
Columbia STEREO CS 8688
1962

From the back cover: Barely past thirty years old, Andre Previn is a phenomenon in the music world. He is equally adept as arranger, composer, conductor, concert pianist and jazzman. He became a musical director at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer at nineteen. In sixteen years he has been responsible for the music in about thirty-five films, including such distinguished scores as "Bad Day At Black Rock" and "Elmer Gantry." In 1959 he received an Academy Award for his scoring of "Gigi"; the following year he received a second Oscar for his scoring of "Porgy And Bess." According to Time Magazine, "His jazz is all his own; a fanciful, highly individualistic style, characterized by kaleidoscopic rhythmic shifts, trip-hammered treble runs and a discreetly swinging left hand punctuated by sudden stops and breaks." Previn has somehow found time to compose a symphony, a quantity of piano music and some chamber works. At present he is collaborating with his wife Dory on a musical for Broadway.

From Billboard - November 17, 1962: This album is actually a sort of jazz-flavored tribute to one of Andre Previn's idols – dancer-actor Fred Astaire. The tunes are all numbers which career in Broadway and movie musicals, a Lovely Day," "A Foggy Day," "A Fine Romance," etc. The style is typically Previn, and the result highly listenable.

Nice Work If You Can Get It
Isn't This A Lovely Day
I Used To Be Color Blind
A Foggy Day
Not My Girl
Light Fantastic
A Fine Romance
So Near And Yet So Far
Puttin' On The Ritz
Facinatin' Rhythm

No comments:

Post a Comment

Howdy! Thanks for leaving your thoughts!