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Friday, December 30, 2022

Peter & The Wolf - Jimmy Smith

 

Elegy For A Duck

Peter & The Wolf
And The Incredible Jimmy Smith
Arranged and Conducted by Oliver Nelson
Produced by Creed Taylor
Cover Photo: Don Ornitz
Engineer: Rudy Van Gelder
Director of Engineering: Val Valentine
Recorded 5/11/66 at Van Gelder Studios, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
Verve V6-8652
1966

Leader: Jimmy Smith - Organ
Trumpets: Joe Newman, Ernie Royal, Richard Williams & Eugene Young
Trombone: Richard Hixson, Quentin Jackson, Ton McIntosh, Tony Studd & Britt Woodman
French Horn: James Buffington & Willie Ruff
Saxes: Bob Ashton, Daniel Bank, Jerry Dodgion, Jerome Richardson, Stan Webb & Phil Woods
Rhythm: Harry Breuer, Billy Butler, Richard Davis, Barry Galbraith, Bobby Rosengarden & Grady Tate

From Billboard - December 3, 1966: Arranged and conducted by Oliver Nelson, Prokofiev takes on a new dimension. Smith (organ) and the big band swing though all the memorable themes with modern quest. A first-class jazz treatment including some discotheque sounds and symphonic jazz. For swinging sounds and great jazz interpretation, this is an outstanding album.

Side One - Band One

The Bird
The Duck
The Cat
The Grandfather
The Wolf
The Hunter
Peter 

Band Two

Duck Theme
Jimmy And The Duck
Peter's Theme
Meal Time

Side Two

Elegy For A Duck
Cat In A Tree
Capture Of The Wolf
Finale
 a) Parade
 b) Peter Plays Some Blues

Swing And Sway With Sammy Kaye

 

Daddy

Swing And Sway with Sammy Kaye
Columbia Records CL 561
1954

It Isn't Fair
Yes Sir, That's My Baby
I'll String Along With You
If You Knew Susie
Gimme A Little Kiss
Daddy
The Midnight Ride
Guilty
Dixie
Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone
Sweet Sue – Just You
I Can't Give You Anything But Love

Canciones Navideñas y Danzas De Puerto Rico

 

El Jibaro Recluta

Canciones Navideñas y Danzas De Puerto Rico
Cover Photo by Marc Brady
Decca DL 4570
1964

From the back cover: Under the title of Christmas Carols and Dances of Puerto Rico, Decca offers a real musical jewel. Each selection has been carefully selected to make this album truly representative of the Island of Enchantment. Among the performers, each of whom is a Puerto Rican, you will find the very popular Juanito Sanabria, Pedro Flores, Johnny Rodriguez, Johnny López and Alberto Rosario.

La Borinqueña - Lolita Cuevas con Orquesta
Seis Zapateao - Orquesta Juanito Sanabria
Pobre Islita - Johnny Rodriquez y zu Orquesta
Aguinaldos Puertorriqueños - Jaunito Sanabria y su Orquesta
Juana Peña - Johnny Lopez con Orquesta
El Jibaro Recluta - Pedro Flores y su Orquesta
Laura y Georgina - Johnny Rodriquez y su Trio
Puerto Rico - Johnny López con Orquesta
Cuchifrito - Johnny López con Orquesta
Alborada - Pedra Flores y su Orquesta
Un Conflicto - Orquesta Juanito Sanabria
Borinquen Querida - Johnny López con Orquesta

My Fair Lady - Richard Hayman

 

Without You

My Fair Lady
Richard Hayman and His Orchestra
Mercury Wing MGW 12124 & SRW 16124
1963

I Could Have Danced All Night
Wouldn't It Be Lovely 
You Did It
I've Grown Accustomed To Your Face
Why Can't The English
Ascot Gavotte
On The Street Where You Live
Get Me To The Church On Time
The Rain In Spain
Show Me
Without You
With A Little Bit Of Luck

Thursday, December 29, 2022

The Head Hunter - Chico Hamilton

 

Reach Out And Grab It

The Head Hunter
Chico Hamilton
Arranged and Produced by Chico Hamilton
All song written by Chico Hamilton
Engineer: Rudy Cotman
SS Solid State SS 18050
A Division of United Artists Records, Inc.
1969

Alto Sax - Steve Potts
Tenor - Russ Andrews
Guitar - Eric Gayle
Bass - Jan Arnett
Violin - Ray Nance
Drums - Chico Hamilton

From the inside cover: Chico Hamilton, has quite a unique approach to music: "The world is full of sounds and rather than trying to conform to any musical style or theory I try to emulate the things that I hear around me. Music, in and of itself, is not my goal when I records an album; it's a mood that I try to create and with every different cut my mood and naturally, the mood of my music, changes. Sometimes radically. If what I create has to be "bagged" I guess it could be best described as "Visual Music'."

In the process of attaining his goal of individual musical expression Chico has put together an album that is unlike anything you've heard before. He retains the Hamilton trademark of originality. He wrote every cut (save Ol' Man a narrative with musical background written and performed by Jimmy Cheatham) but if you don't read these notes before listening to the album you might think the songs were penned by seven different writers; so different and distinctive are the results. In addition to his own musical prowess, Mr. Hamilton has a team of excellent musicians to help him attain exactly the mood he's trying to project. The line-up reads: Steve Potts - alto sax, Russ Andrews - tenor sax, Eric Gayle - guitar, Jan Arnett - bass and the greatest in his sphere, Ray Nance on violin.

In summing up his philosophy of sound Chico says, "Although I strive to create myself, I feel the listener should be given the right to draw his own conclusion as to what the music is saying and it's wrong for me to infringe on that right. Interpretation is strictly an individual thing." So I won't impose and try to convey any messages, I'll just discuss music.

Guitar Willie
Reach Out And Grab It
I Found Out
Head Hunters
Conglomerates
Ol' Man
Cee Ee Jaaa
Them's Good Ole' Days

In The Beginning - Hubert Laws

 

Airegin

In The Beginning
Hubert Laws
Produced by Creed Taylor
Cover Photograph by Pete Turner
Liner Photograph by Duane Michels
Album Design by Sibbie McDonough
Recorded at Van Gelder Studios
Engineer: Rudy Van Gelder
Recorded February, 1974
CTI Records CTX 3+3
1974

Flute - Hubert Laws
Bass - Ron Carter
Drums - Steve Gadd
Percussion - Airto & Dave Friedman (vibes)
Guitar - Gene Bertoncini
Keyboard - Clare Fischer (piano on Mean Lane and electric piano on In The Beginning)
Rodgers Grant (Piano on Mean Lane)
Bob James (all piano and electric piano solos except In The Beginning)
Richard Tee (organ on Come Ye Disconsolate)
Tenor Saxophone - Ronnie Laws
Violin - David Nadien
Viola - Emanuel Vardi
Cello - George Ricci

From Billboard - May 4, 1974: Mellowness and gentle rolling lines highlight Law's flute work. This is another in the series of small studio groups which Creed Taylor puts together. Laws, the most noted of the new flutists, gets a chance to go to church once in a real down home but gentle mood ("Come Ye Disconsolate"). But when drummer Steve Gadd goes into a furious pattern using brushes, Laws matches the fiery tempo on "Airegin." This LP is a straight blowing date with side one of the two disk set opening with a fast 4/4. Bob James, who plays beautiful electric piano throughout, is joined on keyboards  on a Lantinish "Mean Lane" by Carl Fischer and Rodgers Grant. Best cuts: "Mean Lane," "Come Ye Disconsolate." Dealers: Stock in small jazz groups but keep clearly in sight.

In The Beginning
Restoration
Gymnopedie #1
Come Ye Disconsolate
Airegin
Moment's Notice
Reconciliation
Mean Lene

Amemonos Como Antes - Los Arlequines

 

A Unos Ojos

Ameonos Como Antes
Delujo L.P. 400087
Discos Fuentes - Colombia Sur America

Ameonos Como Antes
Lo Manda El Corazon
Suplicio
La Palomita
A Unos Ojos
Paloma Del Ensueño
La Monjita
Solitario
Honda Pena
Adorada Muñequita

 

Entre Copa Y Copa

Borracho Por Amor
Various Interpretes
Delujo L.P. 400062

Cantinero Sirva Tanda - José Baros con Joaquin Mora y sus Siete Gauchos
Amigo Tabernero - Duo Lus Coyotes Con el Mariachi Fuentes
Entre Copa Y Copa - Hector Haro con Guitarras
Calma Mi Dolor - Orlando Mesa con Joaquin Mora y sus Siete Gauchos
Amor En Copas - Lucho Bowen con El Mariachi Fuentes
Borracho Por Amor - Trio Los Andinos con Guitarras
En Las Cantinas - Los Turpiales Con Guitarras y Conjunto
Vivo Entre La Farra - Jose Barros con Joaquin Mora y sus Siete Gauchos
Primorosa - Due Bowen - Villafuerte
Borracho Por Ti - Humberto Carrasquilla con Joaquin Mora y sus Siete Gauchos

Wednesday, December 28, 2022

Ray Anthony Concert

 

Slaughter On Tenth Avenue

Ray Anthony Concert
Capitol Records T406
1955

From the back cover: The story of Ray Anthony's phenomenal rise to the position of number one bandleader in the country is almost as well known as his vibrant and swinging style. It's the story of his first professional engagement with Al Donahue followed by Jimmy Dorsey; of his stint with Glenn Miller, which undoubtedly had a tremendous influence on the young trumpeter; and of the period during World War II when Ray organized his own band in the navy and toured the entire Pacific; and lastly, but most importantly, of his organizing a peacetime counterpart to his naval band which has come to be, in the last few years, virtually an American institution.

Slaughter On Tenth Avenue
An American In Paris
Poet And Peasant Overture
Rhapsody In Blue
On The Trail
Street Scene 
Warsaw Concerto

Killing Me Softly With His Song - Zim Zemarel

 

Killing Me Softly With His Song

Killing Me Softly With His Song
Zim Zemarel and His Orchestra
Produced by Zim Zemarel
Cover Design: Bill Barnes
Photography: Slick Lawson
Recorded at Itiri Studios, Baltimore, MD
Recording Engineer: George Motion
Harmony KH 32248
1973

Personnel:

Trumpets: Emil Rusinko, Bunny Carfagno, Ray Moore & Frank Chemay
Saxophones: Franny King (Alto), Al Sigismondi (Alto), Gene Bonner (Tenor), Clemy Dalfonso (Tenor) & Alan Lawson (Baritone)
Trombones: Bill Taylor, John Melick, Ric Rollins & John Gifford
Rhythm Section: Eddie Long (Piano), Dave Tucker (Drums), Ashton Fletcher (Bass)
Vocalists: Zim Zemarel (Leader) & Ron Richards

From the back cover: In the Baltimore and Maryland area, the two are synonymous. SWAZZÉ (pronounced sea-zay) is a word coined by Zim to describe his beat, his sound. But it's more than that. It's an Attitude! With Zim Zemarel, everything right is Swazzé. And when you meet him and hear his music, the word really takes on meaning. This is a happy man... a contented man... who plays music that makes you feel great. That's Zim. That's SWAZZÉ!

So this is it! Zim's first LP. His "Big Band" Swazzé sound with variety from "Rock" to "Chopin". Two of the numbers feature Zim on the vocal, namely: :"God Is Abundant" and "I Wish You Love." He sounds like a mixture of Louis Armstrong and Mel Torme. There is warmth and feeling in his voice, a melodic projection of the man. A man at peace with himself and the world. The result is pleasant. The sound satisfies.

Sing 
Something
God Is Abundant
I Wish You Love
Killing Me Softly With His Song
Me And Mrs. Jones
Saturday Night
If
It's Impossible
Aubrey
We've Only Just Begun

Rome At Midnight - Carmen Cavallaro

 

Desiderio

Rome At Midnight
Carmen Cavallaro
Piano Solos with Orchestra Directed by Domenico Savino
Decca Records DL 8359
1957

From the back cover: About Carmen Cavallaro

Although born in New York, Carmen Cavallaro became familiar with the music of Italy, the homeland of his parents. While very young, he evidenced exceptional musical ability by playing on his toy piano the airs of familiar Italian operas which he heard on the family phonograph. At five he started taking piano lessons and soon displayed such unusual skill that he was called upon to give classical concerts in New York and nearby cities.

It was while he was a student at De Witt Clinton High School in New York City and a member of its school orchestra, that he made the transition from the classics to dance music. He developed a unique and individual piano style, which was a forerunner of his famous brilliant keyboard agility and underlying rhythm, and after playing with various dance bands in the New York area he soon joined the orchestra of Rudy Valley as featured pianist.

Carmen Cavallaro began recording for Decca Records, and with the release of the now-famous album, "Dancing In The Dark," his popularity zoomed. The continued demand of his fans for more Cavallaro brought about the making of a number of single records in addition to the album, "Getting Sentimental Over You," "I'll See You In My Dreams," "Strauss Waltzes," "Serenade," "Music At Midnight," and "The Eddy Duchin Story."

In 1939 Carmen formed his own orchestra and opened at the Riviera in New York. So brilliant was his piano artistry that his popularity skyrocketed, and he made numerous successful appearances in hotels and night clubs across the country and in South America. In 1950 Carmen Cavallaro disbanded his orchestra to perform as a soloist, then added a rhythm section, thrilling his listeners with a jazz technique which is startlingly dramatic.

The choice of Carmen Cavallaro as the pianist to perform the score for "The Eddy Duchin Story" was inevitable, for the disctinctive Cavallaro style is brilliantly melodic – as was Duchin's.

Carmen Cavallaro is known as "The Poet Of The Piano," for whether performing a simple love song in his subtly caressing manner, or the intricacies of a scintillating Latin-American rhumba, or a famous concerto, his poetic mastery of the keyboard is unique.

About Maestro Domenico Savino

Domenico Savino was born in Souther Italy, and began composing when he was nine years old. One of the pieces written at this early age is part of an album, "Portraits Of Italy," to be released this year, fifty years after its composition. Shortly after his arrival in America in his early twenties, he became a writer of popular songs under the name of Onivas – Savino spelled backwards – including such hits as "Indianola," "Burning Sand," etc. Later he became affiliated with the Robbins Music Corporation, where he was not only chief editor but a compiler of a catalog of motion picture music. More than eighty of these pieces were written by Savino himself. A member of ASCAP, he is accredited with some nine hundred original compositions of all types.

In recent years Savino has devoted himself to serious compositions, symphonies, concerti, and symphonic poems, which have been produced by the Radio Symphony Orchestra of Rome under Savino's direction. Nevertheless, he has never lost interest in the lighter side of music – a side with is richly illustrated in the present album. This collection consists of recent Italian melodies, arranged and orchestrated by Savino in his highly characteristic style.

Anema E Core (With All My Heart And Soul)
Addormentarmi Cosi
La Gondola Va
Sciummo (The River)
Non Dimenticar (Don't Forget)
Abbracciame
Desiderio (Desire)
Te Voyo Bien (Do I Love You?)
Lassame Sunna
Te Sto Aspettando (Only Forever)
Mala Busciarda
Quannto Staje Cu Mme'!

Moonlight And Shadows - Bonnie Guitar

 

The Moon Is Low

Moonlight And Shadows
Bonnie Guitar
Arranged and Conducted by Jack Fascinato
DOT 3069
1957

From the back cover: Bonnie Guitar, more than any singer to come along for many a day, captures the feeling of romance in a voice as mood-evoking and delicate as moonlight.

Two months after leaving her home in Seattle, Bonnie was sky-rocketing to a brilliant singing career in Hollywood; her Dot recording of "Dark Moon" was an immediate hit, a top-ranking record on every popularity chart. And, besides being a versatile songstress, Bonnie is also a songwriter of some distinction, as well as an accomplished performer on the guitar.

Here, in her first album, Bonnie brings this very special musical talent to a delightful collection of songs, clearly proving that – whether it's a Carolina, harvest, or only a paper moon – the moon is still a shining symbol of love and romance.

Moonlight And Shadows
Carolina Moon
Get Out And Get Under The Moon
By The Light Of The Slivery Moon
Moonlight On The Colorado
Shine On Harvest Moon
There's A New Moon Over My Shoulder
Moonlight And Roses
It's Only A Paper Moon
The Moon Is Low
Roll Along Prairie Moon
Roll Along Kentucky Moon

Tuesday, December 27, 2022

TV Hits Vol. II - Birchwood Pops Orchestra

 

Six Million Dollar Man

Police Woman

TV Hits Vol. II
Birchwood Pops Orchestra
Illustration: Ned Levine
Pickwick SPC-3566
1977

The Young And The Restless
Six Million Dollar Man
Alice (There's A New Girl In Town)
Police Woman
The Bionic Woman
Days Of Our Lives
Laverine And Shirley (Making Our Dreams Come True)
Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman
Rich Man, Poor Man

Love Songs And A Neapolitan Serenade - Mario Lanza

 

I'll Never Love You

Love Songs And A Neapolitan Serenade
Mario Lanza
RCA Victor Orchestra
Conductors: Constantine Callinicos and Ray Sinatra
RCA Victor LM 1188
1962

From the back cover: There is a story of a tenor who had never sung a note before he was twenty, yet was famous beyond the wildest dreams of ambition before he was thirty. Not only had he never sung in public, he had never so much as yodeled in the shower. When he was a child, he studied the violin, but in a fit of ineffable disgust his teacher chucked his quarter-sized fiddle out the window of Philadelphia's Settlement Music School where, with an assist from fate, it landed on top of a passing Department of Public Works truck. His piano teacher later followed suit, but being a slight man and thrifty, allowed the piano to remain on school property.

And speaking of pianos: It was while this young man was moving a piano into the Academy of Music in Philadelphia that he paused briefly to sing the unscheduled audition that led him, eventually, into the public domain.

This was Alfred Arnold Cocozza, a name that may ring no bells anywhere outside Philadelphia's Little Italy, where it belongs to some of the best. For the sake of brevity and euphony, the late Serge Koussevitzky suggested he change it; so he adopted the masculine version of his mother's name – Mario, and then took her maiden name – Lanza. Together, they spell a name that needs no introduction wherever superlative singing is served.

It began, obscurely, with "Ch'ella mi credo," It is from Puccini's "Girl Of The Golden West," one of more than fifty operas which Mario Lanza knew backwards and forewards before he was well into his teens.

It was a love of sports, however, that kept him, according to his own admission, from becoming a juvenile, or even a grown-up delinquent. He was an avid baseball player, a first-rate boxer, and at one time played semi-pro football. At fourteen he could lift 200 pounds.

Around the corner from 7th and Christian Streets in Philadelphia, where his grandfather, Salvatore Lanza, still operates a small grocery, is a record shop run by a certain "Pop" Iannarelli. "Pop" not only sells records, he plays them for his own edification, and beams them through the neighborhood for the amazement of his friends. On a balmy summer evening, with the windows open, the streets freshly sprinkled and the fine Italian lace curtains billowing gently in a cool breeze, one is apt to find the neighborhood jumping to the best Verdi, Puccini and Leoncavallo.

"At seven," says Mario Lanza, "'Vesti la giubba' gave me goose bumps."

Platter by platter, Mario Lanza's father had acquired virtually everything that the great Caruso had put on wax. One afternoon Mario Lanza was listening to the "Ch'ella mi credo" aria.

"Suddenly," he says, "I don't know what hit me. I opened my mouth and started singing."

And, like that, a tenor was born.

Shortly, while working as a piano mover and studying singing on the side, Mario Lanza moved the now famous piano into the already famous Academy of Music and almost ran down William K. Huff, impresario of a local concert series. Recognizing Mario as a student of a friend of his, a voice coach, Mr. Huff gave a highly dramatic start and said, "What are you doing in that piano mover's suit?"

Mario, no man to let a chance for a snappy retort slip by, replied, wittily, "Moving a piano."

In a dressing room backstage, presumably minding his own business, Dr. Koussevitzky, who had just finished rehearsing with the visiting Boston Symphony, was changing his shirt. A small bulb glowed brightly over Mr. Huff's head and his eyes grew crafty.

"Come," he said, beckoning, and led Mario to an adjoining dressing room. "Now," he whispered hoarsely. "Sing!"

Mario shrugged and let go with "Vesit la grubbs," an aria that has brought down many a house in its day. This time it flushed the astonished conductor of the Boston Symphony. Dr. Kousevitzky burst in, and promptly embraced the young singer.

"This," he said, "is the greatest natural tenor voice since Caruso."

Ten minutes later, Mario had consented to sing that summer at Tanglewood, in the Berkshires.

Ten minutes later, after the conductor had left, he turned to Mr. Huff. "Tanglewood," he said. "What is it?"

The rest is history. Mario Lanza was in the army for five years, sang in "On The Beam" and "Winged Victory." After he had appeared at the Hollywood Bowl, with stunning success, Louis B. Mayer waved his hand and fifty-fie MGM producers and executives gathered on a sound stage for a command performance. The result was a seven-year contract, then "That Midnight Kiss," "Toast Of New Orleans" and "The Great Caruso."

The famous tenor who, until he was twenty, had never opened his mouth except to call for more gnocchi, when gnocchi was available, has one final word.

"Now," he says, "I sing in the shower until it makes me dizzy." – Notes by Edward O' Gorman

Because
For You Alone
I Love Thee
My Song, My Love
Be My Love
I'll Never Love
Mattinata
O Sole Mio
Marechiare
A Vucchella
Serenade (Toselli)
Serenade (Drigo)

Monday Nights - Steve Allen

 

Laura

Monday Nights
Steve Allen
Signature SM1021
A Product of Hanover-Signature Record Corporation
1960

From the back cover: Here's an album made, frankly, to celebrate the move of the Steve Allen Show to Monday Night!

It was also produced, of course, with the idea of providing a package of mighty pleasant music, but that goes without saying. In any event the twelve selections in this collection add up to a typically pleasant session with the Allen piano and orchestra and that's good news any night of the week.

As his fans know by now, Steve has the Plymouth people to thank for making the move out of the Sunday TV scramble possible and for that all TV-lovers as well as music-lovers can certainly be thankful. But whether the listener drives a Plymouth or roller-skates to work he'll certainly agree that this pretty package of musical evergreens satisfies those who like good music for its own sake as well as those who are always saying to Steve "We like the comedy on your show but you don't play the piano often enough!"

So whether you'r listening to these recordings while relaxing in your music room, dancing by the light of your neighborhood juke-box, or driving along in your new record-playing Plymouth, lotsaluck, as Steve says, and happy listening. We guarantee it.

Luara 
Rosetta
You're Driving Me Crazy
Notre Dame Victory March
Impossible
Houseboat
Bell, Book And Candle
Misty
Blossom 
Spring In Maine
I Want A Girl
And Even Then

Sunday, December 25, 2022

Swing Softly - Johnny Mathis

 

You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To

Swing Softly
Johnny Mathis
Orchestra Under The Direction Of Percy Faith
Columbia Records CL 1165
1958

You Hit The Spot
It's Delivery
Get Me To The Church On Time
Like Someone In Love
You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To
Love Walked In
This Heart Of Mine
To Be In Love
Sweet Lorraine 
Can't Get Out Of This Mood
I've Got The World On A String
Easy To Say

Saturday, December 24, 2022

Blue Prelude - Clyde McCoy

 

Blue Moon

Blue Prelude
Clyde McCoy
Mercury Records SR 60730
1963

From the back cover: Clyde McCoy, known to millions of Americans in the immortal "Surga Blues," is again featured with a selection of tunes done in his now-classic-style – some old, some new – but all bearing that unmistakable touch that has made him so popular throughout the years.

In the words of Hal Mooney, Mercury's top-flight artist and repertoire director: "From the time Clyde first recorded "Sugar Blues," his name and that of the blues have been synonymous. What we tired to do on this album is perpetrate this – bring to the public the Clyde McCoy style in the setting that has made him so unique and so well known."

Mooney and McCoy worked closely in this album's conception and its final recording, striving for originality with what both described as a "touch of the contemporary." 

For background, McCoy insisted on using the very same group that has been touring the country with him for the past several years. And although the basic sound – as always – is solid Dixieland, Clyde mad subtle changes in the rhythm to achieve a very appealing new popular flavor which sets the group apart from any other.

McCoy, whose "wah-wah" trumpet has made him one of the most imitated instrumentalists of all time, was born in the blue-grass hills of Kentucky some 58 years ago.

He learned to play a horn at the age of 10, and at 14, was playing trumpet and sax in the pits of silent movie theaters.

"I didn't know how to read a note of music, so I started playin Dixieland," says McCoy with a grin.

In 1918, when he was 15 years old, McCoy decided to climb out of the movie pits and form his own band. In 1922, era or the Charleston and Chicago speakeasies, Clyde introduced his "Sugar Blues," launching a career that was to maintain its popularity for the next 40 years.

Overnight he skyrocketed to fame and millions of fans clamored for a sight of the man with the "talking trumpet."

Through the years, McCoy has maintained the same integrity and natural quality in his music that he feels Dixieland demands. He never forces his instrument beyond its natural musical range – nor does the use of a mute change the "sweet" quality of his tone.

His career hast taken him into theaters, nighteries and ballrooms in virtually every city throughout the country. If the "Twenties" and "Dixieland" are anything of a legend, then certainly McCoy is an integral part.

Two further periods in his career bear mention. In 1933, Clyde met a young lady who had just won the title of "Miss Texas,"and was later to become a band vocalist. The two were married and together toured the big-band circuit these some 30 years.

Later, in the 50s Clyde decided to give up music for what was to become a successful career in business. He rose to the position of vice-president of an oil company in Denver. In 1958, however, he dusted off his trumpet and rejoined what he described as the "wonderful, crazy world of show business," because, if for not other reason, "everybody else was still playing after they reached their 50's."

The words of one of his millions of fans are a fitting tribute: "It is possible that a younger generation has the beat and the feel of old, original Dixieland, but for real flavor rather than an artificial taste, you have to listen to Clyde McCoy."

Blue Prelude
Blind Mice Blues
Serenade Heaven
My Blue Heaven
Blue Hawaii
Tin Roof Blues
Am I Blue
Blue Tango
Jazz Me Blues
Blue Moon
Blue Champagne 
Blue Skies

Thursday, December 22, 2022

Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye - Jane Morgan

 

The Lovers

Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye
Jane Morgan 
Produced by Manny Kellem
Arrangements by Teach Wiltshire, Ernie Freeman, George Williams, Arnold Goland and Leroy Glover
Epic Records LN 24247

Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye
I Will Wait For You
You Gotta Have A Heart
Little Hands
Everyone Come To My Party
I Want To Be With You
The Lovers
Love Me True
Now And Forever
Walking The Street In The Rain

Wednesday, December 21, 2022

Cleopatra And All That Jazz - Al Caiola

 

Cleo Baby

Cleopatra And All That Jazz
Al Caiola and His Nile River Boys
Produced by Leroy Holmes
Pillows and Nightgown Courtesy of Stern's Dept. Store
Cleopatra's Wig made especially for United Artists by Lucien
United Artists Records UAS 6299
1963

From the back cover: "Cleopatra", the much-discussed film-bio of the exotic Queen Of The Nile, provides the inspiration for this set of swinging sides from Al Caiola and the Nile River Boys.

And, just as that famous femme swung with some pretty cool sidemen in her day, Al Caiola has surrounded himself with a pretty strong group of his own. The roster of artists performing with Al on this album reads like a Who's Who of the jazz world, with such giants as Dick Hyman (piano and harpsichord), Osie Johnson (drums), Clark Terry (trumpet and fuegelhorn), Tony Studd (bass), Phil Bodner (flute, alto sax and baritone sax) and Benny Gailbrath (rhythm guitar).

Al Caiola's arrangements – ranging from the humorous to the wistful – are consistently brilliant and run the gamut of popular jazz forms, from swing to bossa nova. He has also included an original – "Cleo Baby" – which is heard here for the first time on records.

Why not climb aboard Cleo's barge now and join Al Caiola and the Boys for a swinging cruise down the Nile.

Antony And Cleopatra Theme
Temptation 
Love For Sale
Mad About The Boy
Body And Soul
Cleo Baby
Caesar And Cleopatra Theme
Lover Man
I Can't Give You Anything But Love Baby
Under A Blanket Of Blue
All Of Me
Be Mine Tonight

I Hear Music - Bud Shank

 

Fluted Columns

I Hear Music
Bud Shank
A&R Coordinator: Ed Barsky
Art Direction: Woody Woodward
Cover Photo: William Claxton
Sunset SUS-5132
A Product of Liberty Records
1966

From the back cover: The history of a musician can indeed be a very fascinating one. It's sometimes one of the constant change plus various degrees of success and failure. In essence, it is the history of a man continually searching for effective means of expression, and this he may do by embracing various styles. Sometimes the is good, other times bad.

Bud Shank's history is an interesting one and, most important, he has been consistent. He may vary his style occasionally, but never to the degree that the listener does not immediately recognize him. An alumnus of the Stan Kenton and Charlie Barnet big bands, Bud began enjoying recognition as a soloist during the early 50's while working with the Lighthouse All Stars. It was a short jump from there to a position of major soloist and winner of numerous jazz polls. His excursions into classics and Asian music are well known, and today one need only listen to the radio for a few minutes in order to hear his interpretations of current songs. When he began recording popular tunes many jazz fans began crying "sell out!" Not now, for they have heard what he has done. Bud is a man of integrity, and rather than radically changing to fit the "pop bag," he has taken the best of current tunes (all with outstanding melodies) and merely added the Bud Shank touch. His fans now eagerly wait for more. This is the integrity of Bud Shank, he has not let them down. – Richard Oliver

Bag Of Blues
Don Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
Fluted Columns
All This And Heaven Too
Paradise
Night In Tunisia
You Don't Know What Love Is
Nocturne For Flute
A Sinner Kissed An Angel
I Hear Music