Danny Kaye Does G&S

The story goes that Danny Kaye was a big Gilbert & Sullivan fan, and decided to record these songs in the first flush of his Hollywood success. Apparently six of the songs were cut as 78s and later two others were added to make this early 10-inch LP, Kaye's second. According to the sources I consulted, it has not been reissued.

Usually, not being especially well-versed in a subject doesn't inhibit me from expressing an opinion on said subject, but in this case, I will be uncharacteristically circumspect. That's because I don't know much about DK or G&S.

Oh heck, I'll say it anyhow - some of this strikes me as hammy. Some of it is relatively straight G&S and some of it is "improved" - both in performance style and in lyrics (the latter by Kaye's wife, Sylvia Fine).

Sorry to be dour, but those who have been waiting for 60 years for this to reappear may be happy about its being here. I hope one of them is Mel of Sallie and Mel's Golden Age of Hollywood blog on Franklynot. Mel's a Kaye fancier, and he and Sallie run a fine blog.

If there is any interest in this item, I'll post Kaye's first album later on.

Lord Buckley Pops His Fingers

So you say you have never heard a Lord Buckley monologue? Imagine the story of Hiawatha as told by a Southern preacher or Marc Antony's eulogy of Caesar as done by a overripe English actor - all in 50s hipster lingo. ("The bad jazz a cat blows wails long after he's cut out!") That's Lord Buckley.

It's cool stuff, to be sure, but also strangely arid in the way that cool jazz can be. The mind wanders.

I looked on Wikipedia for some info on the Lord and found a strange tale of him being financially supported by Ed Sullivan (!) for many years. I wonder if this is true - it sounds to me like the kind of cosmic joking that Buckley himself might appreciate.

Speaking of eccentric artists, this record has a cover by the estimable Jim Flora, who does his best to illustrate the title cut.

Full disclosure: unlike the other covers on this site, this is not my image. The rip is mine, of course - it is from the double-EP version of the 10-inch LP.

NEW LINK

The Evangelistic Ensemble

The Evangelistic Ensemble was a Cleveland-based gospel group that put this item out on Christ Records in the (I’m guessing here) late 50s. The group is fervent if not inspired, and the recording is adequate if not glamorous. The piano had its best days about 40 years prior to this recording being made.

If it sounds like I am down on this group, that’s not true. They have an earnest charm and work up a good head of steam when the material calls for it. It’s enjoyable and instructive to listen to the many gospel records that were issued on small labels in vinyl days, commemorating communities of worshipers and often their pastors. The church on this one is not identified, and I haven’t been able to find anything on the web about the group. They are apparently gone except for this memento, which is a fine remembrance.

I've listed this under the heading Esoterica, not because gospel music is esoteric, but because the record itself is. This series will include private pressings and other items that weren't generally available in record stores.

LINK

Rita and George Again

A little while ago I wrote about the LP from the movie Salome, with Rita Hayworth and music by George Duning. Now here comes Miss Sadie Thompson, with Rita doing a different kind of dance (trading in her seven veils for a cocktail dress) and music by George Duning again - I think.

In soundtrack days of yore, the actual musical artists were sometimes uncredited, or nearly so. Then as now, a soundtrack was a sales tool for the film - a poster of Hayworth with musical accompaniment. Who cares who wrote the music?! So this LP does not provide any credits for the soundtrack composer, and in some contemporary sources the credit goes to Morris Stoloff, who is listed as directing the orchestra on the jacket. But the film shows up in Duning's filmreference.com resume, so let's assume he actually was the one who did the score.

As a practical matter, it doesn't make a whole lot of difference, because you don't hear much of the actual score on this record. What you do hear are a few songs by Lester Lee with lyrics by Ned Washington. The tune about the Marines has words by Allan Roberts. Those three do get a credit. Poor Jo Ann Greer, who dubbed the vocals for RH, is (like most such artists) uncredited. She was a Les Brown band vocalist for a long time and also made some records under her own name. The harmonica player you hear is Leo Diamond, who made a number of notable space age pop records.

Besides the music, the record also contains a dramatic scene, in which Jose Ferrer, playing a religious fanatic, confronts Hayworth's "fallen woman." It isn't much of a confrontation - Ferrer displays all the passion of a radio announcer. After the confrontation, he favors us with a reading of Psalm 23. I've never seen this movie, but I can't imagine that this sort of thing went over all that well even in 1953. The whole effect is quite dull - not nearly as ostentatiously pious as the Sermon on the Mount scene on the Salome OST - perhaps it would have worked better if it had been.

The cover photo is interesting, but Rita reclining for the Salome cover is far more attractive than Rita squatting and grimacing for this one.

Curzon Plays Rawsthorne

Alan Rawsthorne's second piano concerto is not the most popular music - and this record not in the best shape, as you can perhaps tell from the tattered, dirty cover. (I think I plucked it out of a "take one for free" bin outside a record store.)

But it is just great, to my ears anyway. Rawsthorne's mid-century modern music (think an English version of Prokofiev or Bartok, only not as striking) blooms when performed by the magically talented Clifford Curzon. (That's him standing on the left.)

He is also very well served by conductor Malcolm Sargent (center) and the London Symphony (leader George Stratton is hovering). If by process of elimination, you deduced that the composer is seated at the right, you are correct.

Rawsthorne wrote this piece for the 1951 Festival of Britain. Many other British composers also contributed works for that celebration.

The concerto has had, I believe, three more modern recordings. But I don't think they could be better than this one - I have one of them and know it isn't. This particular recording was made in the now-demolished Kingsway Hall, and the lovely bloom on the sound glows through the surface noise and rustle.

NEW TRANSFER

Jackie Paris

Unfortunately not that many people ever got into the "Paris mood" during Jackie Paris' long career, which ended with death in 2004. Unfortunate for him and for those who haven't heard him, for he was one of the finest pop/jazz singers of the past several decades.

This was his first album, issued circa 1954. All but one of the tracks on this 10-incher were later recycled on the 12-inch album Skylark. Paris is accompanied here by a small group featuring trumpeter Charlie Shavers.

You can learn more about Paris here. Or go over to the People vs. Dr. Chilledair, where the doc has a number of articles on the singer, whom he knew personally. As he says there, "Until recently, it was hard for me to grasp that Jackie Paris was 'famous' only with myself and a relative handful of other jazz vocal devotees around the world." Still true, alas.

NEW LINK

Art Hodes

This is one of the first Blue Note 10-inch records and is a repackaging of 78s that pianist Art Hodes made in 1944-45 with some veteran jazz artists playing in a traditional mode. The lineup changes from side to side - refer to the Blue Note discography (here) if you want the details. The trumpeter is the omnipresent Chicago-style player Max Kaminsky. The vocalist, who for some reason reminds me of Helen Humes, is drummer Fred Moore.

When these tunes were cut, jazz was transitioning from swing to be-bop. These guys were stuck in the 20s stylistically, but they put that outdated style across with great conviction.

The LP is titled Out of the Back Room; Blue Note has added so much echo that it sounds more like Out of the Bath Room. The atmospheric cover is - at least according to my web-based deduction - by Pennsylvania artist Allen Foster Hermansader.

Enescu Plays Enescu

This is a highly collectible record, and I'd like to think it is because it is an expressive performance of beautiful music by the composer, George Enescu and a longtime collaborator.

Not sure that's the case; who knows why certain records get a reputation as being valuable, which then makes them more valuable, even though, like this one, they aren't really rare. Popsike shows this album auctioning from $100 to above $300.

Well, its value certainly couldn't be because of a particularly lovely cover. This one could charitably be described as hideous, like many of the LPs issued by Remington.

Remington was a budget label that for some reason has acquired a latter-day following. It even has a tribute web site with a page devoted to Enescu's recordings - here.

Enescu's great music and performance rises well above the ugly cover, awful pressing, and utilitarian sound values. Remington gets the pianist's name wrong in two different ways - she is Céliny Chailley-Richez.

I'll be posting a short series of recordings that Enescu made for Remington.

Salome

Hollywood may not have invented the idea of using sex to sell products, but may have perfected it with this astonishing item.

On the cover we get the eye-popping image of Rita Hayworth as Salome. Those who know their Bible, Oscar Wilde or Richard Strauss will expect Hollywood to follow the familiar story line and have Rita dance for Herod so that he will grant her wish that John the Baptist have his head lopped off.

Well, that plot may have been OK for the Bible or for those decadent Europeans, but Columbia Pictures had other ideas. In this version, the noble girl dances not to slay the Baptist but to save him. (Unfortunately for John, her dancing was more effective when she wanted him dead.)

The most impressive thing about this record (other than Hayworth's chest) is the excellent music by George Duning, although for some reason, the dance of the seven veils music is by Daniele Amfitheatrof. I could do without the shriek at the end of that track, which signifies the entrance of the Baptist's head on a platter. That apparently spoiled the atmosphere at the party, which beheadings tend to do.

When this record came out, it wasn't common for LP covers to feature color photos. Those were generally reserved for the likes of Hollywood stars and Frank Sinatra. Black and white photos and illustrations were the norm until a few years later.

REMASTERED VERSION

Josh White

Josh White had a remarkable career and life fully equal to his remarkable talents. The story goes that he began his career as a boy dancing and singing as a sort of side attraction for blues singers such as Blind Lemon Jefferson. He became a recording star himself as a singer and guitarist in a number of genres while still quite young. By the time these records were made in the mid-1940s, he had moved on to become one of the first (if not the first) crossover stars of sorts, playing now-familiar folk and blues tunes in New York cabarets.

With his good looks, magnetic stage presence, and superb musicianship, he must have been an impressive act.

Moe Asch recorded these eight items for an Asch Records 78 album and later released them on 10-inch LP on both the Stinson and Folksay labels.

The cover is by the great David Stone Martin, one of his earliest ones, I believe, because it was used for the album of 78s. It isn't one of his best compositions, but the rendering of White's head is exceptional.

NEW LINK - MARCH 2015

Morton Gould by Mitropoulos; Stoki Does Billy

The connecting tissue on this issue is the Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra of New York (as the NY Phil was then titled) performing American music. Morton Gould, who made an appearance earlier on the blog as a conductor, shows up again, this time as both composer and conductor.

Gould's terrific Philharmonic Waltzes were written for the NY bunch, and this is a remarkable performance under Dimitri Mitropoulos, either right before or early in his tenure as the Philharmonic music director, which began in 1949. For the first two years, he co-led the operation with Leopold Stokowski. (Now there was a contrast.)

Stoki also appears on this record. The old cowpoke takes two of Copland's Billy the Kid pieces for a ride, then changes gears and genres for the impressionist Griffes item.

It's amazing to hear the mid-century Phil handle the Gould Quickstep march, then the languid White Peacock, both perfectly in style. These recordings are now largely forgotten - they shouldn't be.

One final note - this item has another cover by Alex Steinweiss.

NEW LINK

Digression No. 1

Our first review is in and it is sweet, and short. Bill Reed, who is the creator of People Vs. Dr. Chilledair [no, I haven't a clue], opines, "The unqualified Dr Chilledair seal of approval (our first EV-ER) goes to the Big 10-Inch Record." What is it the Brits say? We are chuffed about that! [Haven't a clue where that one comes from, either.]

That's all that the doc has to say about this place, but he has plenty to say about other subjects, mostly musical. Bill is a friend of, and writes very knowledgeably about, many of the musical giants that I admire in the pop sphere - including Page Cavanaugh, who was one of the first artists featured on this blog.

I can't say enough about Bill's site, so rather than droning on about it, let me just suggest that you drop by and sample the chilled air.

Vaughan Williams and Elgar by Sargent

What better way to herald a post on the Brits than a cover with two royal shields and the symbol of that most English of labels, His Master's Voice, or HMV, with its royal overtones of His/Her Majesty's Ship, or HMS. Even old Nipper looks majestic in this company. The music is by the two most popular English composers, Vaughan Williams and Elgar, performed by the royal favorite conductor, Malcolm Sargent, and the empire's own BBC Symphony, which Sargent led in the early 1950s, when this was recorded.

That said, Sargent was never the favored conductor of these composers, Boult and Barbirolli were; the BBC was not the best English orchestra at that time, the Philharmonia was; and the impressive cover was actually HMV's default design, which afforded economies in production. Even the left royal shield proclaims that the Gramophone Company (HMV's parent) purveys "gramophones, records, radio and television apparatus to the late King George VI." They apparently hadn't signed up the new Queen yet. Perhaps I should ask if she would like to be the sponsor of this blog and I could rename it the Royal 10-Inch Record.

Despite what the above paragraph may imply, this is a very fine performance and recording of some exceptionally beautiful music.

Gershwin by Levant and Gould

Most Gershwin fans are aware that there was and is a Second Rhapsody (the first being Rhapsody in Blue). Many have heard it and even may have a recording. I doubt that they will have heard this version by the wit/actor of sorts/author/pianist/Gershwin associate Oscar Levant with a Morton Gould led band. It is witty, scintillating (that's one of those words you write but never use in conversation), and fantastically well played by Gould's group.

If anything, the I Got Rhythm Variations are even better done. This is just great stuff, and the Three Preludes are a classic performance of one of Gershwin's finest pieces. Too little known for such a famous composer.

Like Levant, Morton Gould had many talents. He wrote concert pieces in a mostly accessible vein, light music, musical comedy, and film music, and conducted a long string of easy listening records. He also was president of ASCAP for several years. We'll be linking to some of his own music in a little while.

This item has a cover by Alex Steinweiss, one of the most famous LP designers. This one uses the contrasts of typeforms and the posteresque techniques characteristic of his work. He used the cover as a point-of-sale ad; that is one of the LP's most endearing features and one reason why they will continue to be collected when CDs are dumped into bioundegradable piles of silver and plastic.