Golden Earrings
A Toast To The Girls
Caterina Valente
A Musical Tribute To America's Top Singers
With Kurt Edelhagen and His Orchestra
Decca Records DL 87755
1958
The Decca "Handy Album Reminder" is not a printed sleeve, but rather a 10x10 inch double-sided insert.
From the back cover: The interlocking worlds of popular music and jazz, on the vocal level, have tended in the past to produce a generally lower standard of talent in Europe. While the musicians of France, Germany and Scandinavia have produced among their ranks a sizable contingent of skilled performers, many of whom have been mistaken for Americans on a blindfold test basis, there has been no comparable development among the singers. The typical popular vocalist on the Continent has remained basically an entertainer, a vaudeville figure touched more by the wand of a Sophie Tucker or a Ted Lewis than by the beat-conscious conception and phrasing of a Frank Sinatra or Ella Fitzgerald.
Caterina Valente is, and has been for some time, a notable exception to this rule. She represents a new and important generation, a school of young singers who have listened attentively and perceptively to the work of the pace-setting performers on this side of the Atlantic. This much we knew when her first records were imported. Here was a singer who belonged among musicians, who was indeed enough of a musician herself to understand the nuances of harmonic changes that played a large role shaping today's important styles. Caterina plays guitar, has worked with jazz combos, likes to indulge occasionally in a spot of vocalese; and, as those who have been following her recorded annals will know, she made an effective duo with Chet Baker during one of the latter's European sojourns.
When Caterina arrived in this country a couple of years ago, it was no shock, at least to this listener, to find a fine performer with a confident, relaxed vocal personality. It was an additional pleasure, though, on meeting Caterina, to find a person as charming and unaffected as one could desire, a slim and attractive girl with a personal warmth and honesty that filtered into her public performances.
Caterina's stay here was of limited duration because, as the most popular girl singer in Europe, she could not stay away too long. Because of her cosmopolitan background, her fame knows no passport restrictions: of French and Italian ancestry, an Italian by birth and German by marriage, she represents the fourth generation of a celebrated show business family, her mother being one of Europe's leading comediennes. Caterina speaks six languages, made her first record in German, and has appeared successfully in motion pictures. Only 25 at this writing, she would seem to have a limitless future. But first, a word from the present. In this album Caterina offers a vocal toast to a dozen American girl singers who whirl in approximately the same musical orbit as hers. This was a challenge to her, not in that it called for imitation (on the contrary, she retains her own style and personality throughout, the relation- ship with the American singers being strictly limited to the songs themselves), but inasmuch as it invited comparisons on an esthetic level between her performances and those of her American counterparts. It came as no surprise to me, on hearing these sides, to observe that Caterina did not in any instance suffer by these comparisons.
Though all 12 of the singers saluted might be said to be part of the general popular music scene in the U. S., actually they might be subdivided into specific areas; for example, Rosemary Clooney and Georgia Gibbs owe their first allegiance to records; Dinah Shore is best-known for her TV work; Jeri Southern today is essentially a night club per- former; Billie Holiday still belongs mainly to the world of jazz, and so forth.
The opening track, Secret Love, offers an immediate indication of the high level to which Caterina holds the entire album. "This was a beautiful record when Doris Day made it," she recalls, "and of course I have often admired her in pictures. On this performance I believe my arranger Heinz Gietz, as always-has shown a sensitive understanding of my style, and I hope something good has come of it. I would be happy to know whether Doris Day has received this record and what she thought of it."
Yes, My Darling Daughter was one of Dinah Shore's early hits in the 1940s. "I remember hearing this originally as a teen-ager, very often secretly, during the war," Caterina recalls. "I always regarded it in those days as the symbol of a call from the free world. Over a long period of years I got to know the performance so well that the recording presented a slightly more difficult task, since I risked the temptation of unconsciously copying the original. I should like particularly to point out the hora-like passage, played on clarinet by the wonderful Silvio Francesco, who incidentally is my brother."
Peggy Lee's Golden Earrings, in Caterina's opinion, is the most musically successful selection of the whole set. The second strain, she believes, is so strong in itself that it could be used as an individual theme. Soloists in the cosmopolitan background include young Yugoslavian trumpeter Dusko Gojkovic and Belgian pianist Francis Coppieters.
Kiss of Fire, which offers homage to Georgia Gibbs, again prompted Caterina to compliment the arranger, who, in her own words "has produced as if by magic something very original – all I can do is ask you to listen, and you will know what I mean." Tenderly, though identified with several singers in its almost continuous course as a most-requested vocal item (it was first recorded by Sarah Vaughan some 12 years ago), is a relaxed performance in which Caterina pays her respects to Rosemary Clooney, whose version was one of the best as well as one of the best-selling of the dozens of interpretations now available.
Them There Eyes evoked a passionate tribute from Caterina: "For me, Billie Holiday is the greatest jazz singer who has ever been known, so I was very enthusiastic about remaking this title. There were no complications about copying, since I got to know Billie's original record only after making my own." After crediting the featured alto saxophonist Derek Humble, from England, she adds, "Few people realize the vital importance of a complete understanding between the singer, the arranger, and the accompanying musicians. They must blend together so that each feels exactly what the other is doing. I was very fortunate in having such a fine arranger and such excellent musicians play for me." The second side opens with C'est Si Bon, which the performer declares "is, in a sense a parody of Caterina Valente on Caterina Valente, because of the English with French accent." The international ramifications of this track are too complex to be made entirely clear, but roughly, here is a girl of French and Italian descent, best-known in Germany, singing a French song closely associated with Eartha Kitt, the American singer whose biggest hits have been imported from France, Turkey, and elsewhere.
You Better Go Now, for Jeri Southern, is recorded simply with piano accompaniment "Plain, simple, and without effects, just as I would sing at home for my husband." The pianist again is Francis Coppieters.
Side By Side honors Kay Starr, of whom Caterina says, "I was lucky enough to see and hear her in person a few years ago in London, and you can imagine how impressed I was with her work."
Of Over the Rainbow, dedicated to Judy Garland, she comments, "This was the most difficult task of all for me in the album, as I have to admit that it is hard for anybody to make this song meaningful after Judy Garland. I remember hearing her do this tune at the Palace in New York, and being moved to tears by her performance."
Stairway to the Stars, a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald, was originally recorded by Ella in her early days as a bandleader, just two weeks after she had taken over direction of the Chic Webb orchestra on the death of the famous drummer-leader in 1939. The tune, composed by Matty Malneck and Frank Signorelli, with lyrics by Mitchell Parish, was unfamiliar to Caterina, who was especially impressed with it. In the arrangement she points with pride to what she calls the "upstepping" trumpets and the remarkably effective use of the strings.
The concluding salute goes to Patti Page with All My Love, of which Caterina proudly recollects "After we had recorded this one I played it for the composer, Paul Durand, and I am glad to say he smiled happily." What Caterina refers to as "the rock 'n' roll choir" was sung by Silvio Francesco.
It should be pointed out in conclusion that space prohibited Miss Valente from singing the important songs of every major American singing star. The selections used were chosen because they were par- ticularly suited to her style. If any girls were left out who might have seemed to be logical choices for inclusion, the reason was in no way associated with their importance or lack of importance as singers, but was simply a matter of preference of song material. Moreover, I am reasonably sure that the singers and songs Caterina did include will meet with the kind of reaction that will almost inevitably lead to a follow-up album; so, sooner or later, every important singer will have been the subject of a salute, and everybody will be happy. – Leonard Feather
Caterina Valente is, and has been for some time, a notable exception to this rule. She represents a new and important generation, a school of young singers who have listened attentively and perceptively to the work of the pace-setting performers on this side of the Atlantic. This much we knew when her first records were imported. Here was a singer who belonged among musicians, who was indeed enough of a musician herself to understand the nuances of harmonic changes that played a large role shaping today's important styles. Caterina plays guitar, has worked with jazz combos, likes to indulge occasionally in a spot of vocalese; and, as those who have been following her recorded annals will know, she made an effective duo with Chet Baker during one of the latter's European sojourns.
When Caterina arrived in this country a couple of years ago, it was no shock, at least to this listener, to find a fine performer with a confident, relaxed vocal personality. It was an additional pleasure, though, on meeting Caterina, to find a person as charming and unaffected as one could desire, a slim and attractive girl with a personal warmth and honesty that filtered into her public performances.
Caterina's stay here was of limited duration because, as the most popular girl singer in Europe, she could not stay away too long. Because of her cosmopolitan background, her fame knows no passport restrictions: of French and Italian ancestry, an Italian by birth and German by marriage, she represents the fourth generation of a celebrated show business family, her mother being one of Europe's leading comediennes. Caterina speaks six languages, made her first record in German, and has appeared successfully in motion pictures. Only 25 at this writing, she would seem to have a limitless future. But first, a word from the present. In this album Caterina offers a vocal toast to a dozen American girl singers who whirl in approximately the same musical orbit as hers. This was a challenge to her, not in that it called for imitation (on the contrary, she retains her own style and personality throughout, the relation- ship with the American singers being strictly limited to the songs themselves), but inasmuch as it invited comparisons on an esthetic level between her performances and those of her American counterparts. It came as no surprise to me, on hearing these sides, to observe that Caterina did not in any instance suffer by these comparisons.
Though all 12 of the singers saluted might be said to be part of the general popular music scene in the U. S., actually they might be subdivided into specific areas; for example, Rosemary Clooney and Georgia Gibbs owe their first allegiance to records; Dinah Shore is best-known for her TV work; Jeri Southern today is essentially a night club per- former; Billie Holiday still belongs mainly to the world of jazz, and so forth.
The opening track, Secret Love, offers an immediate indication of the high level to which Caterina holds the entire album. "This was a beautiful record when Doris Day made it," she recalls, "and of course I have often admired her in pictures. On this performance I believe my arranger Heinz Gietz, as always-has shown a sensitive understanding of my style, and I hope something good has come of it. I would be happy to know whether Doris Day has received this record and what she thought of it."
Yes, My Darling Daughter was one of Dinah Shore's early hits in the 1940s. "I remember hearing this originally as a teen-ager, very often secretly, during the war," Caterina recalls. "I always regarded it in those days as the symbol of a call from the free world. Over a long period of years I got to know the performance so well that the recording presented a slightly more difficult task, since I risked the temptation of unconsciously copying the original. I should like particularly to point out the hora-like passage, played on clarinet by the wonderful Silvio Francesco, who incidentally is my brother."
Peggy Lee's Golden Earrings, in Caterina's opinion, is the most musically successful selection of the whole set. The second strain, she believes, is so strong in itself that it could be used as an individual theme. Soloists in the cosmopolitan background include young Yugoslavian trumpeter Dusko Gojkovic and Belgian pianist Francis Coppieters.
Kiss of Fire, which offers homage to Georgia Gibbs, again prompted Caterina to compliment the arranger, who, in her own words "has produced as if by magic something very original – all I can do is ask you to listen, and you will know what I mean." Tenderly, though identified with several singers in its almost continuous course as a most-requested vocal item (it was first recorded by Sarah Vaughan some 12 years ago), is a relaxed performance in which Caterina pays her respects to Rosemary Clooney, whose version was one of the best as well as one of the best-selling of the dozens of interpretations now available.
Them There Eyes evoked a passionate tribute from Caterina: "For me, Billie Holiday is the greatest jazz singer who has ever been known, so I was very enthusiastic about remaking this title. There were no complications about copying, since I got to know Billie's original record only after making my own." After crediting the featured alto saxophonist Derek Humble, from England, she adds, "Few people realize the vital importance of a complete understanding between the singer, the arranger, and the accompanying musicians. They must blend together so that each feels exactly what the other is doing. I was very fortunate in having such a fine arranger and such excellent musicians play for me." The second side opens with C'est Si Bon, which the performer declares "is, in a sense a parody of Caterina Valente on Caterina Valente, because of the English with French accent." The international ramifications of this track are too complex to be made entirely clear, but roughly, here is a girl of French and Italian descent, best-known in Germany, singing a French song closely associated with Eartha Kitt, the American singer whose biggest hits have been imported from France, Turkey, and elsewhere.
You Better Go Now, for Jeri Southern, is recorded simply with piano accompaniment "Plain, simple, and without effects, just as I would sing at home for my husband." The pianist again is Francis Coppieters.
Side By Side honors Kay Starr, of whom Caterina says, "I was lucky enough to see and hear her in person a few years ago in London, and you can imagine how impressed I was with her work."
Of Over the Rainbow, dedicated to Judy Garland, she comments, "This was the most difficult task of all for me in the album, as I have to admit that it is hard for anybody to make this song meaningful after Judy Garland. I remember hearing her do this tune at the Palace in New York, and being moved to tears by her performance."
Stairway to the Stars, a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald, was originally recorded by Ella in her early days as a bandleader, just two weeks after she had taken over direction of the Chic Webb orchestra on the death of the famous drummer-leader in 1939. The tune, composed by Matty Malneck and Frank Signorelli, with lyrics by Mitchell Parish, was unfamiliar to Caterina, who was especially impressed with it. In the arrangement she points with pride to what she calls the "upstepping" trumpets and the remarkably effective use of the strings.
The concluding salute goes to Patti Page with All My Love, of which Caterina proudly recollects "After we had recorded this one I played it for the composer, Paul Durand, and I am glad to say he smiled happily." What Caterina refers to as "the rock 'n' roll choir" was sung by Silvio Francesco.
It should be pointed out in conclusion that space prohibited Miss Valente from singing the important songs of every major American singing star. The selections used were chosen because they were par- ticularly suited to her style. If any girls were left out who might have seemed to be logical choices for inclusion, the reason was in no way associated with their importance or lack of importance as singers, but was simply a matter of preference of song material. Moreover, I am reasonably sure that the singers and songs Caterina did include will meet with the kind of reaction that will almost inevitably lead to a follow-up album; so, sooner or later, every important singer will have been the subject of a salute, and everybody will be happy. – Leonard Feather
Secret Love
Yes, My Darling Daughter
Golden Earrings
Kiss Of Fire
Tenderly
Them There Eyes
C'est Si Bon
You Better Go Now
Side By Side
Over The Rainbow
A Stairway To The Stars
All My Love
