Schumann by Szell and the Clevelanders

I prepared this 10-inch LP for upload some time ago but didn't follow through because the sound was opaque and because there is a skip in the first movement that can't be repaired.

Then I heard a recording of a concert performance of Schumann's second symphony by these forces - and it was so good that I just had to bring this version of the fourth symphony to the blog.

Columbia taped this edition of the fourth symphony in Severance Hall in November 1947. At that time, Szell and the Cleveland band were somewhat new to one another. Nonetheless, this performance displays many of the characteristics of the later performance I heard. Szell has everything under serious control and the orchestra follows his every move with precision and a kind of controlled passion.

Everyone who listens to music likes to think about how they would perform a piece - and this is not the way I would do it, for sure. But it is a fascinating approach that I do enjoy.

I have been able to open out the sound on this recording to a degree, although it is not what you would call airy. Sorry about the glitch in the first movement.

NEW, REMASTERED TRANSFER (JUNE 2014)

The Original Manhattan Tower

The recent Gordon Jenkins post led to a number of requests for his long-form composition Manhattan Tower. This is the original version of that piece, which was inspired by the composer's own love of the city and experiences in it.

Manhattan Tower was considered quite influential in its day, with its mix of narrative, song, and dialogue, combining in such a way that it conveyed the romantic, intoxicating effect that New York had on many people, and still has. The same effect is captured in different ways in so many popular arts that it wouldn't be possible to catalogue them all.

Manhattan Tower was first issued in 1945 or 1946 in a 78-rpm album. As was often the case, the packaging for the 78 set was more attractive than this 1949 LP issue. The LP also contains California, another long-form composition that Jenkins and Tom Adair wrote for a radio program celebrating the 100th anniversary of the California gold rush. The subject does not have the emotional tug of Manhattan Tower, and can be downright corny, what with such characters as "Barbary Ann of the Barbary Coast." (Oh my.)

The narration on this version of Manhattan Tower is by Elliot Lewis. He and his wife, Cathy were both well-known radio actors, and together they made at least two song-story records with Ray Noble in the late 1940s. I have one of them, Happy Holidays, which I'll feature toward the end of the year.

Singer Beverly Mahr, Jenkins' wife, appears in both Manhattan Tower and California. In the 60s, the two made an album for Impulse called Gordon Jenkins Presents My Wife the Blues Singer Beverly Jenkins. I'm not sure I would called her a blues singer, rather someone who sang blues songs.

Manhattan Tower remained popular and Jenkins expanded it to both sides of a 12-inch record for a Capitol issue of 1956. The piece also was recorded by Mercury with Patti Page, and later in stereo by Columbia with Robert Goulet.

Lukas Foss Plays Hindemith

A short while ago, I featured Lukas Foss as composer, in a tribute to him following his recent death. Here is the second post I promised at that time, which involves him solely as performer.

In this recording, Foss takes the piano part of Hindemith's The Four Temperaments, performing with the Zimbler String Sinfonietta, a Boston ensemble of the period that I believe was composed of Boston Symphony members.

The performance itself is quite good and well recorded, although the Sanguine variation could have been less po-faced. The recording was made in May 1950 at an unknown location, presumably in Boston. This was one of American Decca's first classical LPs.

The liner notes quote Virgil Thomson as saying of Foss, who was then 25: "He is a musician of rare and authentic accomplishments; he cannot fail to raise the standard of musical achievement in this generation." Quite a weight of expectation for someone so young; if he did not fulfill all the evident hopes of the musical establishment, nonetheless his achievements were real and considerable.

Early Gordon Jenkins

I've begun featuring albums by some of the leading easy listening maestros whose output was a significant presence in the early LP days.

Here's one by one of the most influential arrangers of the time, Gordon Jenkins. This Capitol 10-inch album presents what I suspect are a group of singles he made during the 1940s following his 1947 success with Maybe You'll Be There. Many of these follow a formula of orchestral introduction, a ruminative statement of the melody in the piano's lower register, and vocal chorus, all to a danceable beat (thus the title of the LP).

The album features singers Connie Haines, Martha Tilton, Johnny Johnston, and Bob Carroll. I like Carroll, who was never a big star, and will have a post devoted to him down the road.

Jenkins of course had big hits with the Weavers, and went on to work off and on with such singers as Nat Cole, Judy Garland, and Frank Sinatra. The latter made superb recordings of the Jenkins compositions PS I Love You, This Is All I Ask, and Goodbye.

NEW LINK

Quo Vadis

I had a request for Miklos Rozsa's original soundtrack LP from Quo Vadis from Gil, who wants to hear the original Roman instruments that Rozsa apparently used for some parts of this recording.

Sure enough, in the liner notes it says that "Dr. Rozsa included in the orchestra many of the ancient instruments that were heard by the Romans during the reign of Nero." (But presumably not Nero's fiddle.)

Roman instruments or not, parts of this score raise quite a racket. And some of it is tender and contemplative. I am inclined toward the latter, myself, but whatever your own preference, you'll probably find something to like.

The sonics are fair, a bit of peak distortion and overloading here and there, but not too bad.

The Exciting Mr. Bellson

Another sad loss on the music scene was the death earlier this week of the eminent drummer Louis Bellson. To prepare this tribute, I pulled down from the shelves a very early Bellson recording as a leader - an item I hadn't played as yet. What a pleasure it was to hear this dynamic band and the tremendous momentum Bellson generated behind his massive drum kit.

Here's the lineup: Harry Edison, Maynard Ferguson, Conrad Gozzo, Ray Linn (tp), Hoyt Bohannon, Herb Harper, Tommy Pederson (tb), Benny Carter, Willie Smith (as), Wardell Gray, Bumps Myers (ts), Bob Lawson (bar), Jimmy Rowles (p), and Barney Kessel (g).

On one item ("Loris"), the big band is replaced by an excellent small group consisting of Don Elliott (mellophone), Ralph Martin (p), Joe Puma (g), and Bob Petersen (b).

The recordings are from 1953 (big band) and 1954. This 10-inch LP is called The Exciting Louis Bellson on the front, and The Exciting Mr. Bellson and His Big Band on the back and label. The pieces on this record were later combined with more sides by the small group to form a 12-inch LP called Skin Deep.

The sound on this LP was rather cramped; I've done my best to give it some breathing room.

3 Sailors and a Girl

Another 50s musical on 10-inch LP, this one a tale of sailors on leave. Not an original concept, it's true, and many of the songs have a manufactured quality as well. But the leads are the attractive Gordon MacRae and Jane Powell, and some of the tunes are fine, particularly the lovely "Face to Face," so all's not lost on this soundtrack album.

Or, to be more exact, on this album of songs from the movie. Rather than using the soundtrack itself, Capitol remade the songs using the arrangements of George Greeley for this 1953 release.

Gene Nelson, Jane Powell, Gordon MacRae

One final note: the rather large sailor on the right in the cover artwork represents Jack E. Leonard, of all people, taking the comical sidekick role. The other lead was Gene Nelson. Neither appears on this LP.

[Note (August 2023): The sound has been newly remastered in ambient stereo, and is quite good.]

Victor Young - For Whom the Bell Tolls and Golden Earrings

These were the first recordings of Victor Young soundtracks to be issued. I am not certain, but I strongly suspect that For Whom the Bell Tolls appeared in a 78-rpm set soon after the 1943 film appeared, with the same being true after Golden Earrings came out in 1947. This LP issue is from 1949.

Both have memorable themes and a strong if slightly fusty atmosphere. Victor Young was a great talent; we've seen quite a bit of him around here, and will see more, no doubt.

I've transferred these sides as lossless files to preserve the character of the recordings. This post is in response to a request from some folks over at franklynot.

NEW LINK

Vittorio Gui - Mozart and Haydn

There was a recent commercial issue of other recordings by the fine conductor Vittorio Gui that inspired me to pull out this LP of Mozart's Prague Symphony and Haydn's Il Distratto. Gui was mainly known as an opera conductor, and these days if you see his name at all it will likely be on opera recordings he made during the decade he was the chief conductor at the Glyndebourne Festival.

This record is billed as being by the Glyndebourne Festival Orchestra, but that was just another name for Thomas Beecham's Royal Philharmonic. A contemporary review in the March 1954 Gramophone unfavorably contrasts Gui's version of the Mozart to Beecham's with the same orchestra. Today I doubt that either one would be considered especially stylish; tastes do change. However, the review is quite complementary of the Haydn performance and recording, and it is well worth hearing.

Graphics - 78 Albums vs. 10-Inch LP

When Columbia began issuing LPs in 1948, it repurposed existing material to fill out its catalog. We have already seen how this led to albums that had been rather elaborate presentations as 78s becoming much less imposing as LPs (see below under the Alice in Wonderland and Richard Rodgers posts). Recently I presented two Buddy Clark LPs that Columbia issued as LPs in its generic music-stand cover. Also in my collection are the same albums issued as 78 sets, both of which have much more colorful covers. Above is the 78 album that Clark made with Dinah Shore, below the For You Alone album. The download includes both these covers and the inside front covers of the 78 albums. Both of those include pictures of the artists, unlike the backs of the LPs. All this is reminiscent of what happened when CDs replaced LPs. The rich graphics of the LPs were replaced by the inferior presentation of the so-called jewel box. As for sound quality, I have friends who swear that 78s sound better than LPs, much the same as the vocal minority who prefer vinyl to CD sound. Things change; they do not necessarily progress. 

Blossom Dearie

One day at least 35 years ago I went to a local charity sale on my lunch hour and picked up a handful of vocal albums, which were decidedly not one of my interests at the time (jazz and classical music were). But these were records from the 50s, and I was intrigued. My haul included Frank Sinatra's Songs for Swinging Lovers, one of Ella Fitzgerald's Gershwin records, an autographed copy of Carmen McRae's Blue Moon, and Blossom Dearie's first Verve album. And that started a love affair with all four voices and a rather extensive collection of vocal records.

On Saturday, the last surviving member of the quartet, Blossom Dearie, passed away at 82.

My friend Bill Reed of the People vs. Dr. Chilledair blog knew Dearie and can speak first hand of her artistry and eccentricities. I have no such knowledge, but can instead speak of her wee but at times forceful voice, her great taste (although I can do without such efforts as her John Lennon song and "Sweet Georgie Fame"), and her fine pianism. But most of all her elegance, which comes through so well on that first LP.

All of her Verve records and some of her later records can easily be found. Instead I'll offer these non-LP singles from the vocal group she formed in Paris in the 1950s, the Blue Stars. Their claim to fame back then was a vocal rendition of "Lullaby of Birdland." Here we have a French version of "Hernando's Hideway," a vocal edition of the Basie instrumental "Jumpin' at the Woodside," and "Broadway at Basin Street." But seek out those Verve recordings, won't you?

The Brave One

Here is a terrific Victor Young score ripped from a pristine pressing. No idea who conducts this one - there is no conductor listed, although the orchestra is the Munich Symphony, which I think is a pseudonym.

Posting this as a result of a request from Princes Valiant over at Franklynot.

NEW LINK

Mel Blanc

The voice of Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Woody Woodpecker and so many other characters is almost inescapable. But Mel Blanc's records are much more unusual, and this is one that compiles a selection of his songs, originally issued - or so I think - on Capitol singles.

A panic? I think not, although his Al Jolson impression is very amusing, complete with a wacky whistling chorus, "mwahh" interjections, and cut-ins by Woody and Porky. On the other hand, Mel doing Porky doing K-k-k-Katy is not something I'd like to hear more than once, if that.

Still, this is a fine remembrance of a genuine comic genius.

Mewton-Wood, Part 6

I recently came across another recording by Noel Mewton-Wood to add to our collection here. This is a 12-inch LP on Concert Hall Society of two of Tchaikovsky's lesser works, the third piano concerto and the Concert Fantasia.

As always, Mewton-Wood displays sensitivity allied to intensity, with never a hint of theatrics. The Winterthur band sounds scrappy and scrawny, but it also is fully engaged and under Walter Goehr is at one with the soloist.

The recordings are from 1952.

LINK

Lukas Foss and Franz Waxman

The talented and energetic American composer-conductor-pianist Lukas Foss died Sunday at age 86. Coincidentally I had one of his LPs in the queue to be featured here - but this is not it. That album was of Foss as performer only. I decided instead to present this LP of Foss performing his own music, in this case his imaginative second piano concerto in an excellent performance by the composer as soloist with Franz Waxman and his Los Angeles Festival Orchestra, from about 1957.

Waxman, best known as a film composer, also presents some of his concert music here, a Sinfonietta for Strings and Timpani.

Foss wrote in many styles. Some thought this made him a dedicated follower of fashion; I wonder if instead he was always open to new sounds and new ways, and unafraid to be influenced by others. Whatever the source of his inspiration, inspired he was, and so is this concerto.

I do plan to share the other Foss LP soon - in that recording he is heard as pianist with the Zimbler Sinfonietta in Hindemith's The Four Temperaments.