Latest from RCA's 'Show Time' Series

The latest installment from RCA Victor's 1953 "Show Time" series of 10-inch LPs features rerecorded highlights from two notable Broadway shows from the 1920s, both starring African American performers.

Sissle and Blake

The songs for Shuffle Along were written by the team of Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake. The successful 1921 show set the pattern for a number of similar shows through the 20s and beyond. The big hit from the show was "I'm Just Wild About Harry." The RCA version derives from an unsuccessful 1952 revival of the show, and includes Avon Long, Thelma Carpenter, Louise Woods and Laurence Watson, all from the revival cast. Blake, who continued performing into his 90s and was often on American television in later years, conducted the revival.

Long had played Sportin' Life in the 1942 revival of Porgy and Bess. Thelma Carpenter had a long career as singer and actress; I'll have to present her Decca LP sometime in the future.

Sissle himself was one of the stars of the original production, although he does not appear in the revival. I thought you might want to hear a record he and Blake made in 1920, just before Shuffle Along. This is not one of their own songs, but a version of Perry Bradford's Crazy Blues, which had become a huge hit for vaudeville singer Mamie Smith. I've included the Smith version as well, for contrast. Trombone player Dope Andrews, one of Smith's "Jazz Hounds," sets a record for slide trombone slurs that may never be broken. Both of these are from my original 78s.

Thelma Carpenter

Thelma Carpenter also can be found on the other side of the LP, in songs from Blackbirds of 1928. This show starred African American artists (Bill Robinson, among others), but had music and lyrics by the white team of Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields. The big hit was "I Can't Give You Anything but Love," here presented by Cab Calloway. (Gratuitous aside: I just don't like Cab.) Brunswick recorded songs from Blackbirds of 1928 in 1932-33, and Calloway appeared on one of those records - although not on "I Can't Give You Anything but Love."

Good sound on these records, even on the acoustically recorded versions of "Crazy Blues," although the Mamie Smith version is worn.

The Stingiest Man in Town

I've written before about the original musicals written for American television in the 1950s. Fifty-five years ago tomorrow, "The Alcoa Hour" presented a musical version of A Christmas Carol called The Stingiest Man in Town.

The creative team (Fred Speilman, music, and Janice Torre, book and lyrics) is not well known these days, but they produced quite a good score, memorialized in this 1956 Columbia release.

Damone, Madigan, Rathbone

At their service are an array of singers from both the pop and opera worlds; also Basil Rathbone as Scrooge.

Vic Damone, Johnny Desmond, Patrice Munsel and Betty Madigan offer an array of attractive numbers, although none became holiday standards. The Four Lads are utilized as a sort of Greek fraternity chorus in the guise of carollers commenting on the story.

Rathbone and Martyn Green

Spielman was a German expatriate composer who spent time in Hollywood. His biggest hit (written with Torre) was "Paper Roses," a country song.

Lost for many years, a kinescope of the original production was recently discovered and issued on DVD. The sound on the cast recording is vivid, although Columbia added a wash of reverberation, possibly to cover up dry studio sound.

The LP's back cover notes are fairly confusing, so a relevant cast list may be helpful:

Vic Damone - Young Scrooge
Johnny Desmond - Fred
The Four Lads - Carolers
Martyn Green - Bob Cratchit
Betty Madigan - Martha Cratchit
Patrice Munsel - Belle
Basil Rathbone - Ebenezer Scrooge
Robert Weede - Marley's Ghost
Robert Wright - Spirit of Christmas Present

LINK

Christmas Songs from the Elisabeth Brasseur Choir

This is one of the more delightful Christmas records that I have had the opportunity to present here. It contains 24 brief songs presented by the Elisabeth Brasseur Choir of Paris, circa 1960.

At that time, the Choir was associated with the Paris Conservatoire Orchestra, and through that link made a number of notable recordings that are still in print today.

The orchestra disbanded in 1967 and Brasseur died in 1972, but the choir is still in existence today.

These recordings did not sound all that well - they were heavy on the mid range - but after some adjustments the mono sound provides a pleasing sense of "being there" with the choir, an effect I enjoy. The transfer is from an unusual double 10-inch LP from a French Christian music label.

Christmas Music from M-G-M

The M-G-M label issued quite a number of Christmas singles in the 1950s, and this 1958 LP on its budget Lion label presents a good selection.

We start with several items from 1950. One of the label's issues that year was a enjoyable double-78 set from the popular hillbilly-hokum band, the Korn Kobblers. Three of the four items on the 78 set are repackaged here. (The pianist-arranger for this group was Marty Gold, who later made many space-age pop LPs.)

Lionel Barrymore had made a famous recording of "A Christmas Carol" a few years earlier. He followed it in 1950 with a breathless dash through "'Twas the Night before Christmas." Finally from that year, we have delightful Jimmy Durante versions of "Frosty, the Snow Man" and "Christmas Comes But Once a Year." Roy Bargy conducts.

We skip ahead to 1953, and Little Rita Faye's twangy "I Fell Out of a Christmas Tree." Also from that year is "Tom and Jerry Meet Santa Claus," with music by Leroy Holmes. These are the narrated antics of the cartoon characters, who did not speak - seems a little strange.

Leslie Uggams began making Christmas records in 1953, as a 10-year-old. Here we have her 1954 entry, "The Fat, Fat Man," which is a little too show-bizzy for my taste.

More to my liking is a relatively big hit from 1955 (and a gigantic favorite with the young Buster), "Nuttin' for Christmas," an Art Mooney record with a wonderfully convincing vocal from the great Barry Gordon. For 1956, Gordon changed into a good kid, and came out with the cheery "I Like Christmas." I prefer the kid who "ain't been nuttin' but bad."

The final item is also from 1956, I believe. It is from Mary Mayo, a fine singer who mostly was a studio vocalist. Here she presents "God Bless You, Little Children."

Good sound on these.

Lillian Brooks - Merry Christmas to Michael

I am a sucker for obscure pop songs and singers, so today's Christmas offering will be in that vein. It is a 1956 recording on the King label by Chicago vocalist Lillian Brooks (below) called "Merry Christmas to Michael". The song is by Eddie Ballantine, the leader of the band on Don McNeil's Breakfast Club, a radio program that originated in Chicago, and organist Tommy Fairclow. The lyrics are a little clumsy, but Brooks, a big-voiced alto, puts them across with a lot of feeling, and that's what you want in your Christmas tunes, in my view.

Lillian Brooks

The other side of the single is "Twinkle, Twinkle, Christmas Star," which has been anthologized a few times. Brooks shares this with some screeching juveniles who must the the "Two Tones" cited on the label. Not my kind of thing but I have included it for the sake of completeness.

King printed brief bio information on the labels of its promo records at this time. This one tells the tale of a lovely Chicago lass who achieved her dream of becoming a singer and was married, making her "permanent home" in Chicago. That home turned out to be not so permanent, however, for the following year she turned up in nearby Milwaukee, suing her husband for divorce, while calling him a drinker who "embarrassed her my remarking on her mental capacities." The husband promptly countersued, claiming that she was traipsing around the Midwest with a music impresario and "she permitted him to visit her alone at 'improper hours of the morning.'" This domestic drama comes to us from the archives of the Milwaukee Journal, which, however, does not tell us its ultimate outcome. Presumably it did not end well. Brooks went on to record a few other singles on small labels into the 60s.

Sorry I haven't been able to post as much as I usually do this time of year - ridiculously busy at work. The shares will start up again soon.

Christmas Cheer from Decca

Decca's Christmas compilation for 1950 brought together the Andrews Sisters and Danny Kaye, with backing by Guy Lombardo that would have been considered corny even 60 years ago, and a few songs from Dick Haymes.

I have nothing against the other artists, but my real interest here is the items featuring Dick Haymes. They include "The Christmas Song," then new, and "Christmas Dreaming," a fine song that should have become a holiday standard. The arrangements for Haymes are from Gordon Jenkins, and they are worth listening to on their own merits.

Most of the Andrews Sisters cuts are not overly familiar (all the better for that). They are joined by Danny Kaye for one song, and Danny and Patty Andrews do "(All I Want for Christmas Is) My Two Front Teeth." It ought to be unlawful to for adults to do kiddie voices; the results are toe-curling.

Good sound for the period.

Haymes the hat model

From the House of the Dead Links

Just a quick word of explanation for those of you (and there have been quite a few) asking for re-ups. I kept all the links on this blog active for a number of years, until several months ago when Rapidshare got the goofies and began to charge for something called "Rapids," which no one could figure out, and stopped telling you when you were running out of same. At that point I just said the heck with it and moved to another, more straightforward service.

The result is that my old links are expiring, and honestly, I don't know when I will get around to re-upping them. The biggest problems are that I have very little time, I often can't find my archive copies, and even if I could find them, I wouldn't t be happy with the quality and would want to redo them. (I am much better at this than I was years ago.) Also, I am very absent-minded; I forget what people asked me for.

I will try to do some re-ups starting in a few weeks, though, when I hope to have some time.

The Merriest Time

My friend and fellow blogger Ernie asked me a few days ago what I was planning to share this holiday season, and I mentioned this EP, and asked him if he had ever heard it.

Turns out he shared it last year on his blog. And I commented on it, giving him some background on the Honey Dreamers vocal group.

Well now. I guess the old memory isn't what it used to be.

This EP dates from my prime, 1958, when I was nine and ready to conquer the world, or at least the world's record stores. (Still working on that. It's unclear whether the stores or me will be the survivor.)

The Merriest Time! comes to us courtesy of the SESAC performing rights company - and they really were courtesy recordings, sent to radio stations as promotional items. Three of the items feature the skillful post-big band sounds of Richard Maltby, one with the Honey Dreamers, and the other the similar music of Skitch Henderson. The songs are unfamiliar except for Waldteufel's "Skater's Waltz," here called "Skater's Holiday."

More Matt Dennis

I had a request for this Matt Dennis LP, which I am particularly happy to provide at this time because it contains two seasonal songs.

This is a selection of radio transcriptions that the singer-songwriter made primarily (I believe) in 1947, although this Tops LP dates from about a decade later. These were done for the C.P. MacGregor company, which was one of the major houses providing transcription services to radio stations.

Matt Dennis

I say 1947 because some of the songs date from then, including Dennis' own "Natch," a Merceresque tune that I would swear Mercer himself recorded, although I can't find any evidence of such.

Almost all of these recordings are of Dennis alone with his piano, which is the best way to hear him. The holiday selections are Matt's fine composition "Hitch Up the Sleigh" and an affecting version of "White Christmas."

Matt Dennis is strong favorite of mine, so I hope you will try this excellent record

Seasonal Music from the St. Luke's Choristers

I am rushing to get this one out on Thanksgiving Day (in the US, anyway) because it contains a few songs appropriate to this holiday, which are fairly rare.

This 1947 selection of "Seasonal Hymns, Carols and Chorales" came from the St. Luke's Choristers, a boy (and young men's) choir from St. Luke's Episcopal Church in downtown Long Beach, California. It was the third album of recordings made by the group for Capitol. An earlier set of carols remained in print well into the 1950s. As far as I can tell, this selection was never transferred to LP; this 78 album was apparently its only issue.

The St. Luke's Choristers were the go-to group for Hollywood whenever an adorable boy choir was needed. It is said that they appeared in at least 75 films. You can see them on YouTube backing Judy Garland in a 1937 promotional film of "Silent Night."

The album begins with two songs appropriate to Thanksgiving, moves on to Christmas carols, and also includes music for Lent and Easter. The music is comforting and the choir is pleasant, but truth to tell, the young men's voices are more threadbare than one might like.

If you are interested in more Thanksgiving and Christmas music, be sure to stop by my friend Ernie's blog. He is one of the great mavens of Christmas music and traditionally starts off his frenzy of holiday music sharing on this holiday. I see he already has three posts out there of Christmas and Thanksgiving music.

As for me, I have had some trouble finding time to transfer records lately, so can make no promises about how much holiday music I will be able to share. Will do my best, however. Happy holidays to all!

Sonatas by Delius and Robert Russell Bennett

Following the recent post of the Victory at Sea music, I wanted to provide an example of Robert Russell Bennett's own composition, and one that doesn't rely on his prodigious skill in orchestration. So here we have A Song Sonata, a modest violin-piano item.

Robert Russell Bennett and Louis Kaufman

The work may well have been written for the violinist on this recording, Louis Kaufman, who commissioned quite a number of works during his lifetime. Kaufman was active in the film music colony and made many records of contemporary works for such labels as Concert Hall Society, as here. He was heard here previously in an excellent recording of the Barber violin concerto.

I have to report that Bennett's sonata is as insistently unmemorable as the other compositions I have heard by him. As he himself described it, it is "friendly," but perhaps not a friend one would invite over all that often.

The balance of the record is devoted to what I believe was the initial recording of Frederick Delius' first violin sonata. Kaufman's intense sound and tendency to push ahead is perhaps not right for this music. The pianist in both works is Theodore Saidenberg, a well-known accompanist and the brother of Daniel Saidenberg.

The truth is, I have had this performance recorded for some time, but didn't offer it because of the reservations above. Sorry for the lukewarm endorsement. The sound is good, though! [Note (June 2023) - the sound is even better now, remastered in ambient stereo.] The recordings come from 1947; this LP is from 1951.

The photo portrait of Kaufman below is by Man Ray, who thought the violinist would look best with a bull fiddle coming out of his forehead.

Louis Kaufman

Bobby Hackett

Said Alec Wilder of the cornetist/trumpeter Bobby Hackett, "He is never aggressive nor noisy; rather he is tender and witty. I have never heard him play a phrase I would prefer otherwise." And this of a man who made a living playing a variant of Dixieland jazz!

Hackett was a bit of a stylistic anomaly. He is most often compared to Bix Beiderbecke, but his idol was Louis Armstrong. His specialty was Chicago-style jazz, but he was from Rhode Island. He played one of the most famous brass solos in jazz history, on "A String of Pearls" by the Glenn Miller band, but he usually played guitar in that band. And he was soloist on a long series of mood-music recordings led by a comedian, Jackie Gleason.

At Nick's: Ernie Caceres, unknown, Hackett, Freddie Ohms, George Wettling, unknown

These particular recordings were made in 1938 and 1944 by a number of groups mostly drawn from the musicians who played at Nick's Tavern in Greenwich Village. What they played was sometimes called Chicago-style (as mentioned) and sometimes "Nicksieland" jazz. They were inspired by the early jazz bands such as the Original Dixieland Jass Band and the slightly later New Orleans Rhythm Kings. (One of the trombonists on this record, George Brunies, was a founder of the latter group.) Although inspired by earlier groups, these players generally employed less collective improvisation and more soloing, as is shown on the record at hand. Group improvisation is mainly heard on "Skeleton Jangle," which was written by the ODJB's Nick LaRocca. 

Hackett made these recordings for the small Commodore label, which came out of New York's Commodore Music Shop. Although not indicated as such on this 1950s reissue, the 1938 recordings were actually issued under the name of guitarist Eddie Condon, and some of the others as "Jazz Session at Commodore." The download includes the original 78 labels, courtesy of Internet Archive.

Bobby Hackett, with Glenn Miller at left rear

In the package, I've also included the Miller recording of "A String of Pearls," a big hit in 1942. I wanted to transfer it from my mother's original 78, but couldn't find it, so this is from an LP reissue (which, neatly, I transferred onto cassette for mom some years ago).

The photo at left shows Hackett soloing with the Miller band. That's the bandleader at left. Second from the right is Ernie Caceres, who played baritone sax with the Miller band and is also heard on the Commodore records. (He is on clarinet in the photo from Nick's above.) Click on the images to enlarge them.

Contrary to what it says on the cover at top, Hackett actually plays cornet, not trumpet on these sides, although he did switch to trumpet many years later.

This set is now newly remastered in excellent ambient stereo sound.

More Bobby Troup

In my last post, I said that I would lay off the singers for a while, and return to offering other genres. Hate to make myself a liar, but here is another vocal record - in this case Bobby Troup's first recording for Liberty, which was only the second LP to be issued on that label, in 1955. It has not been reissued, to my knowledge.

Troup's troupe here includes multi-instrumentalist Bob Enevoldsen (playing bass on this recording), guitarist Howard Roberts and drummer Don Heath. Bobby sticks to standards for the most part, although he does slip in "The Hucklebuck" for irony's sake, with his piano solo quoting Charlie Parker's "Now's the Time," upon which the 1949 dance sensation was based.

Bobby and Howard Roberts

Otherwise, his hipster mannerisms are fairly well in check, with the highlights a rendition of the great Bob Haymes tune "That's All" and a concluding tribute to his fellow singer-pianist-composer, Matt Dennis, with "Let's Get Away from It All." He also amusingly adds his own lyrics to Rodgers and Hart's "Thou Swell." No songs of his own, though!

Stan, Helen, Bobby

The LP was recorded in 1955, at about the time Troup was appearing with Stan Freberg and Helen O'Connell (among others) on the summer television show, "Musical Chairs."

The cover tells us this was recorded at a place called "The Celebrity Room" in Hollywood, but there is no trace of an audience and it doesn't sound like a live date.

My LP is is very good shape, except for some surface noise during part of "The Hucklebuck" and all of the brief "Yes, Sir, That's My Baby," which I've almost entirely eliminated.

Alice Lon

When I started blogging several years ago, I did not envision the day that I would be posting a Lawrence Welk record. But that day is here, and reason is a fine singer that the champagne music maestro employed from 1955-59, Alice Lon.

The cover says its a Welk LP, but it really is a solo vocal LP in all but name. The selections range from standards to novelties, and Lon does well by all of them.

The novelties are, I suppose, to be expected on a Welk record. "Sam the Old Accordion Man" is short and tolerable; however, "Rice" may be Mack David's worst song, with Lon bleating about how she wants to get married.

Nonetheless, the hits outnumber the misses, and I do recommend this record. If you stick it out through the accordion arpeggios and leaden arrangements, you will be rewarded with some heartfelt and secure singing from an artist who was able to maintain a beautiful tone throughout her range and at all volume levels - unusual for a pop singer.

Alice and Larry

Welk supposedly fired Lon after she posed for a photo where she showed her knees. So they say, but the real reason was probably fees rather than knees - Welk paid scale and didn't like to give raises. Too bad - she deserved one.

Speaking of photos, the one at right shows the flaring petticoats that Lon popularized as a fashion. Welk, meanwhile, demonstrates the unfortunate fashion of wearing your suits three sizes too large.

I love the hand-colored cover for this one, too, so reminiscent of the 50s. Back then, my mother had adorable hand-colored photos of me and sis up on the wall. (I wonder what became of those portraits. Mom probably got tired of looking at them. I sure did.)

This is presented by request; if it seems like I've been posting a lot of vocal LPs, that's because I've been fielding quite a few requests for them. Other genres coming up!

Carol Bruce

In my recent post of The Little Shows in the RCA Show Time Series, I raved about the performance of Carol Bruce, and vowed that I would present her 1958 LP if I could locate it.

Well, I finally did locate it - in my mailbox, after having to buy another copy. But it was worth it, for this is a very fine record.

Carol Bruce in 1940

Bruce achieved a measure of fame as early as 1940, starring on Broadway in Louisiana Purchase and appearing on the cover of Life magazine. And she stayed in the public eye off and on for the next 40 years, ending up on US television, notably in a recurring role on WKRP in Cincinnati.

Bruce's stage roles included an acclaimed performance as Julie in the 1946 revival of Show Boat. This LP contains a recording of "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man." It shows her expressive style to great effect, in well-chosen songs (leaving aside the dreadful "Calypso Blues"). Her accomplished accompanists include guitarist Tony Mottola and pianist Buddy Weed. The sound is good, if with a bit too much reverb.

Victory at Sea

I am presenting the original 1953 recording of Victory at Sea for no other reason than I wanted to listen to it and decided to record it while doing so.

This was issued on CD about 20 years ago, but I believe that has long been out of print. What generally is available in the stereo remake, which extends to three volumes. This transfer is from a nice copy of the original LP.

Victory at Sea was a 13-hour documentary series that appeared on US television in 1952-53, and then in syndication for many years thereafter. For families like mine, where the father was on active duty in the South Pacific during the Second World War, it was watched intently, and I remember it well - especially the memorable score.

Robert Russell Bennett

And quite a score it was, a true collaboration between composer Richard Rodgers and arranger Robert Russell Bennett, who worked together for many years. Some think that Bennett contributed as much or more to the score than Rodgers did. If we look strictly at quantity, that is undoubtedly true. There are 13 hours of music; Rodgers reputedly contributed only the 12 themes that are heard throughout the score. Of course, they are much the most memorable part of the what is heard; the reason why the music is still heard today. Bennett was a very talented orchestrator; Rodgers was a genius at what he did.

Even geniuses need help every once in a while. If you listen to the main theme from Victory at Sea ("The Song of the High Seas") after one of the themes from the first movement of Ralph Vaughan Williams' A Sea Symphony, premiered in 1910, you will see where Rodgers may have looked for inspiration. He also cribs the main theme from Chausson's Poem de l'amour et de la mer. Plus there are echoes of Elgar and Tchaikovsky in the orchestrations, but these would have been the work of Bennett.

Richard Rodgers

Note (June 2023): Valued commenter JAC writes as follows: "This is a most timely revival of this topic, given the very recent publication of George J. Ferencz's masterful book on the score. In impressive detail, both historical and analytical, he takes us through the making and contents of each episode.

"And he does establish beyond question how overwhelmingly essential Bennett was to the fabric of the score. Rodgers contributed his dozen themes, and they're truly inspired, no question. But there are whole episodes that mostly (or all) Bennett after the opening titles, and those are not all just unobtrusive background either -- there are complete Bennett marches for instance. I guess it's clear that I highly recommend this book."

Rodgers was a practical fellow. While composing the themes for Victory at Sea, he and Oscar Hammerstein also were discussing a new show, which became Me and Juliet. Not one of their big successes, but it does have an highly enjoyable score. The hit number was "No Other Love," a tango that was first heard in Victory at Sea as the "Beneath the Southern Cross" theme.

"No Other Love" 78 picture sleeve

RCA Victor, which had bankrolled Me and Juliet, rushed a Perry Como rendition of "No Other Love" to market to coincide with the musical's May 1953 opening. Como was a Crosbyite, but even the laid-back Bing might have found Perry's version impossibly languid. The download includes the a transfer from the original 78, which came in the picture sleeve at right. (Yes, there were 78 picture sleeves for a time.) The artwork is based on the play's program and is similar to the cover of the original cast LP.

Victory at Sea was recorded July 2, 1953 in Manhattan Center with members of the NBC Symphony, Bennett conducting.

[Note (June 2023): These recordings have now been remastered in ambient stereo. There is slight distortion on the vocal peaks in Perry Como's "No Other Love" single, probably caused by a disc master cut at too high a level. This distortion is present on all three copies I checked.]

Paul Robeson

I've recently been featuring records by the bass-baritone William Warfield, who cited Paul Robeson as one of his inspirations. It occurred to me that many of you may not have heard Robeson, one of the most remarkable people of the last century.

This post of three 78s and an early LP will be devoted to his singing, but Robeson also was a famous actor and professional athlete - as well as an activist who was blacklisted for his beliefs.

Some accounts say that Robeson began singing professionally at the urging of Eubie Blake, who added him to his production of Shuffle Along in the early 1920s. (Blake and that show will be featured here soon.) By this time, Robeson had already been valedictorian of his class at Rutgers University, and was working his way through law school by playing professional football, then in its infancy.

It wasn't long before Robeson, who had a magnificent bass voice, began making records for Victor, starting with an April 1925 session that included "Water Boy" (also on this Warfield LP). His recorded repertoire at this time was spirituals and folk material. He already was being accompanied by pianist and arranger Lawrence Brown, who would work with him for the next several decades.

Housing in the Central neighborhood

Among this group of Victor recordings is our first 78: a coupling of "Deep River" (also recorded by Warfield) with an outstanding version of "I'm Goin' to Tell God All o' My Troubles", recorded in either March or May 1927 (discographies differ). My copy of this recording has a sticker identifying it as coming from Robinson's Pharmacy, which was in the residential Central neighborhood near downtown Cleveland. During this period, Central had become heavily African American and this drug store was near the heart of that community.

Within a year, Robeson would record the song most associated with him - "Ol' Man River", from Show Boat. The part of Joe was written for Robeson, but he was unable to be in the original production, which opened in late 1927. He was, however, in the 1928 London production and recorded "Ol' Man River" with Paul Whiteman. I've included a version he made in London, at about the time he appeared in the 1936 film version of Show Boat. The role of Joe was expanded for the film, and Jerome Kern added the song "Ah Still Suits Me" for Joe and Queenie. On this wonderful 1936 recording, Robeson duets with Elisabeth Welch. In the film, Queenie was played by Hattie McDaniel. (The movie duet can be found on YouTube.)

Richard Wright, Paul Robeson, Bill Basie

In 1941, Robeson joined forces with the Count Basie band for a tribute to heavyweight boxer Joe Louis. This unusual double-sided recording of "King Joe" has lyrics by Richard Wright, who had achieved some fame the previous year with the publication of his novel Native Son. Basie's verdict was reputedly that Robeson was no blues singer, but the record is entertaining nonetheless.

We move ahead to 1953 for our final recording, a 10-inch LP on Othello Records. By this time, Robeson had become increasingly controversial for his leftist political beliefs - to the extent of having his passport revoked - and major record labels would not record him. Othello Records, run by his son, was established to give him an outlet, and this is the first of three Robeson LPs it issued. (Strange cover - presumably it was not intended to suggest that Robeson's voice would peel paint off the walls.)

Its songs are fairly typical of his concert programs, which mixed material from a variety of countries and sources, and are described on the back cover (below). One small correction - I don't believe the 1944 revival of Meet the People made it to Broadway.

My copy of this LP is weather beaten, so there are a few momentary patches of distortion on the transfer. The cover was damaged, so I have borrowed an image from this site, which contains scans of many rare Robeson recordings.

After you listen to this post, you may recognize that Robeson and William Warfield were very different artists, although they had some repertoire in common. Warfield, a bass-baritone, had a lighter voice and was primarily a classical and opera singer. Both were distinguished artists, and I am happy to have had a chance to write about them.

Malcolm Arnold's Inn of the Sixth Happiness

I thought I might bring you a few unreissued film scores by the English composer Malcolm Arnold, who died in 2006.

Arnold, who started as an orchestral trumpeter, is perhaps equally well-known for his concert music and his music for the movies. His most famous score is for The Bridge Over the River Kwai.

As Christopher Mowat says in an obituary of Arnold in The Guardian, "his music gave immediate and unconditional enjoyment to performers and listeners alike. It was full of tunes, technically brilliant, extravert, unselfconscious and fun. Occasionally, a darker side to his personality would surface, sometimes in his music or, sadly during several periods, in his mental wellbeing."

Malcolm Arnold

In fact, Arnold was quite a turbulent personality, and some of his later music is desolate. But there is no trace of that in this marvelous score for The Inn of the Sixth Happiness, from 1958. The Swedish Ingrid Bergman stars as a cockney missionary in China, and the main Chinese parts are played by the English Robert Donat and the German Curd Jurgens. The plot involves Bergman leading 50 Chinese orphans to safety in the face of the 1937 Japanese invasion, led by Charles Boyer. (OK, I made that last part up.)

Arnold's music, performed by the Royal Philharmonic led by the composer in this early stereo recording, is varied but entirely delightful. The finest music is during the "Jennie Lawson Passes On" scene, and naturally, that is where my pressing had some issues, which I have patched briefly making use of a separate rip made by a friend of mine. You may notice a few changes in sound during that passage.

More Arnold coming up.