Isabel Bigley and Stephen Douglass

Isabel Bigley and Stephen Douglass starred in some of the biggest Broadway hits of the 1950s, without ever becoming household names. This budget-label release allows you to hear them in some of the best-known Rodgers and Hammerstein tunes, individually and in duet.

Isabel Bigley

Bigley originated the role of Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls and then Jeanie in R&H's Me and Juliet.  She retired from the stage shortly after this record was made in the late 50s.

Douglass had been a lead in The Golden Apple, a replacement Sid Sorokin in The Pajama Game and then became Joe Hardy in Damn Yankees, his biggest role.

One reason why Bigley and Douglass aren't better remembered is that their best roles either never made it to Hollywood, or were recast there - Jean Simmons took over the part of Sarah Brown and Tab Hunter (!) became Joe Hardy.

Stephen Douglass with Gwen Verdon,
recording Damn Yankees

This record is a workmanlike product for a budget label, but it sounds under-rehearsed, the arrangements are thin, and the two singers have little chemistry. Among Bigley's numbers is "No Other Love," which she introduced in Me and Juliet, a most enjoyable score even though the show's success was limited by a weak book.

Douglass is good in declamatory songs such as "Some Enchanted Evening," but stiff in "It's a Grand Night for Singing," where elan is required.

The LP is dated 1957 on the back cover, but I believe it actually came out in 1958 or 1959. The mono sound is reasonably good. I haven't seen evidence of a stereo issue, although one may exist, considering the probable date of issue.

LINK

An 18th Century Christmas with I Solisti di Zagreb

What's a Croatian ensemble doing with the Italian name "I Solisti di Zagreb"? I'm not sure, but it might have something to do with its founder and director, Antonio Janigro, being from Milan.

Janigro, noted as both a cellist and conductor, spent most of his career in Zagreb, and founded the Zagreb Soloists chamber ensemble in 1953. Today it is usually called by its Croatian name, Zagrebački solisti.

This traversal of some familiar holiday fare comes from 1957, when the group had begun recording for Vanguard Bach Guild. They had already become an impressive, secure ensemble, well led by Janigro and nicely recorded by Vanguard.

A giant Janigro attempts to behead a Zagreb violinist

The repertoire here begins with the Corelli Christmas Concerto. Then we have three J.S. Bach chorales in respectful arrangements by Croatian composer Milko Kelemen. Following is the Toy Symphony once thought to be by Haydn, then by Leopold Mozart and now by who-knows. And finally there is the Torelli Concerto Grosso known as the "Pastoral Symphony for the Nativity." 

The sound is excellent.

Many More Reups for Christmas

I had quite a few requests to reup some of the Christmas posts, mostly dating back to the early years of this blog.

So here is what is on offer tonight, presented without much commentary in the interests of getting this post up in a timely fashion. Four of these are the original versions in mp3 form. In three cases, I had the raw transfers and remastered them. Those are noted below up top. Links are in the comments to this post.

Im Glanz der Weinachtskerzen. Excellent Polydor LP from 1955 with baritone Willy Schneider, the Berlin Motet Choir, Erich Bender and his children's choir. Remastered version, Apple lossless. 

Malcolm Sargent and Royal Carol Society - Christmas Carols. Atmospheric 1955 LP from the famed conductor and his Royal Carol Society. Remastered version, Apple lossless.

Dorothy Collins - Won't You Spend Christmas with Me. The fine pop vocalist's late 50s Christmas LP, a real favorite with blog readers. Remastered version, Apple lossless.

Buddy Clark - Merry Christmas Waltz / Winter Wonderland. A Columbia 78 from the great 40s vocalist.

Festival of Lessons and Carols 1954 - King's College Choir. One of the early LPs documenting the famous Christmas Eve service from King's College, Cambridge.

Leopold Stokowski - Season's Greetings. An EP from the 50s reprinting several vaguely holiday-themed items that Stoki did for Victor back in the 40s.

John Jacob Niles - Folk Songs of Christmas, Vol. 2. EP from the early folk singer.

Remastered Jo Stafford Christmas Singles

I had a request for the collection of Jo Stafford Christmas singles that I put together five years ago, so I went ahead and refurbished them and am reupping them now.

The centerpiece of the collection is the medley of Christmas songs that Jo recorded with Gordon MacRae for the 1949 season, here in the 1955 EP edition (above).

Also included are her 1946 recordings of "Silent Night" and "White Christmas," her excellent 1953 version of "The Christmas Blues," and a 1952 duet with Frankie Laine on the country-tinged "Christmas Roses."

Paul Weston, as usual, accompanies.

All the Best for Christmas from Jack Carroll

The other day I shared a group of promotional records that included a publisher's demo from Bernie Knee, who was one of the best known demo singers of the time. Now here is a full Christmas album featuring another demo specialist, Jack Carroll.

This LP came out in 1959 on the small Laurie label (Dion and the Belmonts were it hit artists), although I suspect Carroll recorded it years earlier. But before I get to the speculation about its origins, a few words about the singer.

From what I can tell, Carroll was born Vincenzo Riccio in New Jersey, and started in the business as a big band singer with Les Brown, Tex Beneke and Sammy Kaye. He recorded for Decca, Majar (including a tune called "Whistling Otto, the Baby Reindeer," which I would like to hear, once), and on MGM, Rondo and National with Russ Case.

Rose Mary Jun and Jack Carroll at the Pins and Needles sessions

Perhaps his longest stint with a label was from 1955 to 1957 on Unique, where he taped a good album called "My Heart Sings" and singles. Then came this holiday album, a 1962 Pins and Needles studio recording on Columbia, a 1963 LP on VRC, and many, many demos and ads. He also appeared in a few movies as (for some reason) Jidge Carroll.

As you might expect from a demo singer, Carroll's diction and intonation are excellent. Depending on your taste, you may find him subtle - or bland. For me, this understated approach works well for this over-exposed holiday fare.

As I mentioned, I doubt that this was a new recording when it was released in 1959. Here's why. There is no stereo release that I can trace. There are only eight vocals, suggesting this was planned as a 10-inch LP, a format that was almost extinct in the US in 1959. The listed arranger is Eliot Glenn, but I can't find any other mention of a musician by that name. The arrangements themselves are badly dated, with their Miller and Lombardo overtones. The newest song on the LP ("Home for the Holidays") is from 1954. My best guess is that this comes from Carroll's time at Unique.

A Promo Christmas

The commercialization of Christmas is not new; and certainly not a novelty in the record business. I have heard promotional holiday records that date back into the 1920s, and I would be surprised if there aren't older items out there.

Today we will sample several types of promotional disks, and even one that could be considered an anti-promotion.

The first type of promotion is a record intended to benefit a charity. This collection has three examples of the genre, all of them official "Christmas Seal songs" of their respective seasons. Christmas Seals were originally a tuberculosis charity, later broadened to include all lung diseases. I haven't been able to discover the first official "Christmas Seal song" in the U.S., but I know the tradition dates back to at least "Happy Christmas, Little Friend," which was written by Rodgers and Hammerstein at the behest of Life Magazine in 1952, and then was chosen as the Christmas Seal song the next year, in the Rosemary Clooney recording.

The Christmas Seal song for 1954 was "The Spirit of Christmas," a fine Matt Dennis-Tom Adair tune that Kitty Kallen recorded, with a Jack Pleis backing.

For the official 1956 song, Rosemary Clooney returned with her young sister Gail and "He'll Be Comin' Down the Chimney," with music lifted from "She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain" and its antecedents. (I wonder if the listed "composers" donated their publishing royalties?)

Finally, the 1965 Christmas Seal song was Robert Goulet's "This Christmas I Spend with You," the title tune from his 1963 Christmas LP. This transfer is from the promotional 45, which includes opening and closing messages from Goulet as well as his rendition of "White Christmas."

Dinah Shore was renowned for her vocal skill, warmth and charm, which made her an ideal commercial spokesperson, and she was employed both by her record company and her television sponsor for promotional purposes during the holiday season.

1957 Billboard ad with Dinah Shore

In 1957, Dinah was the face of RCA Victor's extensive Christmas releases, appearing on point-of-sale materials and in trade ads. Oddly, Dinah herself did not merit a Christmas LP release, only an EP titled "You Meet the Nicest People at Christmas." No arranger is listed, although it may have been Harry Zimmerman, who was working with Shore both at RCA and on her TV show.

1961 Chevy promo

In 1961, her sponsor, Chevrolet, called upon her for another EP, which I believe was a giveaway at dealerships. By that time, Dinah had moved on to Capitol, but had not moved on from "You Meet the Nicest People," which appears here in a different, peppier version. This EP, with backing by Jack Marshall, is just as good as the RCA effort.

Another type of promotional item is a demo record. Today's collection includes what I believe was a demo sent by the publishers Patore Music to record companies on behalf of its composer, Henry Tobias and two of his Christmas ditties, "Take Off Those Whiskers Daddy" and "The Holiday Hop." The artist is Bernie Knee, a talented vocalist who was one of the best known demo singers. His backing is by Irving Fields, whose popular 1959 LP, "Bagels and Bongos," can still be found in many thrift shops.

Based on copyright records, I believe the Tobias-Knee-Fields 45 is from 1966. Several years later, Knee and Tobias combined to record the Richard Nixon tribute, "Hang In There, Mr. President," during the waning days of Nixon's term, replacing Irving Fields with Frankie Yankovic. (Sadly, only a snippet of this gem is available online.)

We conclude with an anti-promotional record of sorts, Stan Freberg's "Green Chri$tma$" from 1958, which is the satirist's complaint against Madison Avenue's appropriation of Christmas for its own purposes. It's a funny bit if you remember the ads he skewers. It's also a little ironic because Freberg was making some green himself from this Christmas record.

Wikipedia, perhaps reflecting Freberg's own views, would have you believe that Capitol did not want to release the record and did so with "no promotion or publicity," which isn't true. The company issued it with a picture sleeve containing Freberg's essay of self-praise on the back. My own copy of the 45 is a white-label Capitol promo. The record itself was a moderate hit and appeared on Billboard's charts.

Archer & Gile - The Wonder of Christmas

Those of you who like your Christmas music unadorned will appreciate this 1961 album from the duo of Archer & Gile.

That's unadorned - not unsophisticated. Soprano Frances Archer and alto Beverly Gile were fine artists who worked in a folk vein, and the chamber orchestra accompaniments here are well suited to their style.

Frances Archer and Beverly Gile

Archer & Gile were discovered by none other than Walt Disney, singing at a Palm Springs party. (The women were singing, not Walt.) He signed them up for the Mickey Mouse Club television show and had them record the first LP ever issued on his Disneyland label, A Child's Garden of Verses.

The artists stayed with Disney for about five years and then moved on to Eleanor Steber's St/And Records, where they produced this holiday LP and at least one another. Greg Ehrbar's book on Disney records says that they later moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico and retired from the business.

This particular LP was not especially well recorded, placing the singers at opposite ends of the stereo spectrum and plopping the band in between in a dry acoustic. I've done my best to compensate. But the sound is not a major distraction, and the album is worth your time if you like Christmas music.

Christmas 1955 with Beverly Sills

At Christmas 1955, the 26-year-old soprano Beverly Sills had already been a performer for more than 20 years and had just made her debut at the New York City Opera.

Her bel canto singing was beginning to attract notice, and the New York architectural firm of Fordyce and Hamby thought it might be a good idea to engage her for a LP to be sent to its clients as a holiday gift. This one-sided, 10-inch album is the result.

1956 photo by Carl Van Vechten

It contains five songs, of which only the "Cantique de Noël" could be considered familiar Christmas fare. "Bless This House" is well known, too, but not usually considered a Christmas song.

Sills went on to an illustrious career, although her fame was mainly in the US, where she largely confined her career and where she often appeared on television. After retiring from the stage, she became general manager of the New York City Opera, then chairman of Lincoln Center and the Metropolitan Opera. She died in 2007.

The sound here is good. Howard Kubik accompanies Sills on an electronic organ.

A Nichols and May Rarity

For those of you who are WAAAY behind on your taxes, here are some income tax hints from 1959 from the then-fashionable comedy duo of Mike Nichols and Elaine May.

Although these tips may not be timely, the posting is. As you may have read, Nichols, who became a famed director, passed away last week. Elaine May is thankfully still with us.

This gem is courtesy of our great friend Ernie, a reformed blogger with a wonderfully eclectic collection of rarities that he shares with us from time to time.

May and Nichols

These four "income tax hints" are actually are nothing of the kind. They are one-minute comedy sketches broadly centered on a tax theme, and are typical of the Nichols-May act. Each vignette has different characters, who are typical of the team's repertoire - a married couple, a psychiatrist and patient, co-workers, and a imperious movie director and actor. While these brief routines might not represent the best examples of their art, Nichols and May's material strongly influenced comedians who came after them.

The promotional record was at the apex of the duo's popularity. They had only become an act together after leaving an improv troupe in 1957, and were to last only until 1961, when they went on to other things. Both ended up in theater and films, May as writer, director and actor, Nichols as director and producer.

The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants sent this record to radio stations for use as free public service announcements in the run-up to the US federal income tax deadline of April 15. Such gratis announcements for non-profits were common then; much less so now.

Thanks again, Ernie!

Christmas with Morton Gould

Let's begin the Christmas season a little early with some presents from longtime blog favorite Morton Gould.

First we have Gould's own Serenade of Carols and his Suite of Christmas Hymns in their original 10-inch LP packaging. This replaces my earlier posting of the 12-inch reprint. The earlier issue has much better sound.

As a substantial bonus, there is a terrific two-LP traversal of "The Serious Gershwin" in its original 1955 packaging, with Gould as pianist and conductor.

Gould recorded the Christmas works in April 1949 in Columbia's 30th Street studios in New York. His arrangements are felicitous and the sound is excellent. Alex Steinweiss did the cover.

The Gershwin album was Gould's first big assignment at RCA Victor after leaving Columbia. It was recorded in nine sessions from January 14 through April 6, 1955 and came out in the fall. The "Serious Gershwin" was accompanied by a "Popular Gershwin" set, with RCA artists taking on the composer's songs.

I believe the concert works were also parceled out into separate LPs, one with an improbable cover scene at the Arc de Triomphe, the other depicting a languorous woman reclining atop a piano while brandishing a cane and bowler hat.

The Gershwin set consists of the Rhapsody in Blue, Concerto in F, An American in Paris, Three Preludes, the Jazzbo Brown piano music from Porgy & Bess, and Gould's own suite from that opera.

The Rhapsody's clarinet glissando is by Vincent "Jimmy" Abato, a veteran of many big bands (including Whiteman's),
who had also played in the Met orchestra and the CBS Symphony.

The Gershwin records were possibly taped in New York's Webster Hall, which had become RCA's main East Coast recording studio a few years before. The sound is exceptionally fine mono.

A Musical Celebration of the Edsel

When the Ford Motor Company introduced its new Edsel line for 1958, it expected a winner. What it got was a catastrophe.

The Edsel (named for a son of Henry Ford) quickly became another word for failure - a product scorned for its inability to live up to its advance promotion as a new kind of car. It turned out to be a fancy Ford with an ugly snout, overpriced and unreliable. Within three years it was dead.

This 10-inch record is a souvenir of the pre-release euphoria. An Edsel fan site explains, "In August 1957, Edsel Division staged the Dealer Introduction Show for Edsel dealers. Presented in five regional cities (and later in 24 more performances with touring companies) the production was billed as the first all-musical automobile introduction. The program cost $250,000 to stage and featured a 12 member chorus. Holding together the various presentations by Edsel Division executives, was a thin story line about 'Adam and Eve', the first Edsel customers. Looking back, the lyrics are quite ironic, depicting, as they do, unbridled optimism and visions of great success for the Edsel automobile."

"Once you've seen it, you'll never forget it": how true

As often happens with such industrial musicals, there are no credits on the sleeve or label, but the product is highly professional, with cheery if generic music and lyrics.

Don't expect much of a story. "Adam and Eve," perhaps reflecting FoMoCo marketing confusion, don't have much of an idea of what they want in a car, nor what the Edsel offers them. Side two switches perspective; we hear from a proud Edsel dealer, as well as his wife, who celebrates the status attached to being the spouse of an Edsel retailer. Their hauteur that would be short-lived, to be sure.

I enjoy industrial musicals and have a number of examples of the genre. This is one of the rarer items, although mp3s can be found elsewhere on line. My transfer is lossless, if that makes a difference to you.

Back cover: scenes from the Edsel spectacular

Two Early Recordings of Ives' Third Symphony

The third symphony of Charles Ives had to wait about 40 years before its first public performance in 1947, but within the next decade it had earned the two commercial recordings, presented here.

Ives had written the symphony circa 1904, basing it on earlier organ compositions. He revised it later in that decade. But it wasn't until Lou Harrison and the New York Little Symphony took it up in 1946 that it gained notice and a subsequent Pulitzer Prize.

The young Charles Ives

The first recording was led by Richard Bales and his National Gallery Orchestra on August 6, 1950. A local publicly supported radio station, WCFM, issued it on its own label.

This was followed in 1955 in a version for the Vanguard label by the Baltimore Little Symphony and Reginald Stewart.

Richard Bales

Both are worth hearing; the Bales recording made while Ives was still alive, and the Stewart shortly after his death. Bales leads what sounds like a very small orchestra in a careful rendition. The Stewart reading is smoother.

The symphony is sometimes called The Camp Meeting, and the movements "Old Folks Gatherin'," "Children's Day" and "Communion." I don't believe that the documentation for either recording mentions this.

Composer-critic Arthur Berger wrote that the work "was prophetic of the hymn-tune style Copland and Thomson later developed as one means of being American in idiom. Though prophetic, it is far more conservative than the next Ives symphony. It goes on too long at too even a temper, but certain given sections ... must be considered music of quality."

For his fill-up, Bales chose his own arrangement of "Music of the American Revolution," which has less to do with the revolution and more to do with the apparent evidence that all the pieces that Bales arranged were once heard by George Washington. They are pleasant.

Reginald Stewart

Stewart selected a neoclassical Suite for Strings and Oboe by the fine American composer Richard Donovan. Alfred Genovese is the soloist.

While longing for a recording of the fourth symphony, Berger lamented "we must be content with his Third Symphony, which Stewart did well to record in Baltimore (Vanguard 468) now that the older [i.e., Bales] version has been withdrawn. Richard Donovan's suite for strings and oboe on the overside is a serious effort, robust and motory, but a bit short on ideas in the finale."

Both covers include imagery of colonial churches, which must have been considered the right approach for Ives, who had been an organist in a Presbyterian church. The Vanguard artwork is by Rockwell Kent, like Ives a transcendentalist. Kent's sketches graced other Vanguard covers of the time.

Good sound on both. 

Note (November 2024): These recordings have now been remastered in ambient stereo. The download includes complete scans and a number of reviews.

LINK to Bales recording

LINK to Stewart recording

Jackie & Roy Sing Dory and André Previn

For a final salute to the music of Jackie & Roy, we have this 1963 LP of songs by André and Dory Langdon Previn. It's a fine record that languishes in obscurity and has not been reissued, as far as I can tell.

This may be the best introduction to the Previns as songwriters, along with Michael Feinstein's recent Previn CD. André had of course already made his name as a Hollywood prodigy and virtuoso pianist in the pop, jazz and even classical modes. He had begun working as a classical conductor as well, and in 1962 issued his first recording in that role, with the St. Louis Symphony.

In 1958, Dory Langdon had recorded an album of her songs (improbably titled The Leprechauns Are Upon Me) with Andre's accompaniment. She went on to record several albums as a singer-songwriter in the 1970s and 80s, under the names Dory Previn and Dory Previn Shannon.

By the time of this recording, the Previns' songs were being used in films (they received two Oscar nominations already by the time of Like Sing), and such artists as Doris Day had taken up their work. Day's LP with André, Duet, featured "Yes" and "Control Yourself," which are also on this record, as well as "Daydreaming."

Dory and André Previn

Jackie & Roy are at one with the Previns' material. Jackie is, as always, extraordinary, with her exquisite performance of "Where, I Wonder" a particular highlight. It is a gorgeous (and difficult) song that should be much better known.

The title song is a close relative of André's 1960 instrument hit with the similar title of "Like Young." Both songs, along with such other hit compositions as Nelson Riddle's "Route 66 Theme" and Cy Coleman's "Playboy Theme," were under the spell of Bobby Timmons' influential "Moanin'" of 1958.

We don't know for certain who is responsible for the piano backing or the arrangements. The pianism does not sound like André Previn, so it is probably Roy Kral. The backings are possibly by André. In his notes to his Previn CD, Feinstein makes reference to the arrangement of "Change of Heart" as being by Previn, although I suppose that may just be the singer's assumption.

The cover shows the two couples as being very much in the Kennedy mode of the time, with Roy and André in their sack suits and Dory in a Jackie-esque pink ensemble. A handsome group - and so talented!

More New Items, Reups and Remasters

Hopefully we have something for everyone today, with reups by request, remastered items, and a few things that have never appeared here before. The latter, transferred many years ago, have been rescued from the nether regions of my storage drives, and refurbished just for you.

As always, the links to these discs are in the comments to this post. These are all in Apple lossless format, unless noted.

NEW ITEMS

Elmer Bernstein - Movie and TV Themes: The great film composer conducting some of his best swaggering jazz themes, leading off with the tremendous "Rat Race." Played by a stellar ensemble of West Coast musicians (including George Roberts). Recorded in 1962.

Music from Million Dollar Movies - Boston Pops-Fiedler: A favorite from my long-gone youth, the impossibly glamorous sound of the Boston Pops with glittering film themes. Features Pops pianist Leo Litwin in the Warsaw Concerto and other such sub-Rachmaninoff fare.

REUPS

Rubbra - Symphony No. 5 (mp3): The first recording of an Edmund Rubbra symphony, with Sir John Barbirolli leading his Hallé Orchestra.

Sister Rosetta Tharpe - Blessed Assurance (remastered): Vivid recording of the wonderful gospel singer from the early 50s. (A little noisy.)

Beethoven - Symphony No. 8 (Vienna PO - Böhm) (remastered): An outstanding performance by the Vienna Philharmonic and Karl Böhm, a favorite conductor of this blogger. From 1953.

Beethoven - Symphony No. 9 (Vienna SO - Böhm) (remastered): Very fine performance and recording by Böhm and the other noted Vienna ensemble, with soloists from the Vienna State Opera. A few sonic burbles.

Desert Song and Roberta (mp3): Blog favorite Gordon MacRae in two potted operettas.

Jo Stafford and Gordon MacRae - Kiss Me Kate: Stafford and MacRae were wonderful individually, even more so together.

Johnny Desmond - Play Me Hearts and Flowers (remastered): 1953-55 Coral sides from the crooner, who was then adopting a more dramatic approach a la Eddie Fisher.

Bruno Walter's Second Eroica

Bruno Walter recorded Beethoven's Third Symphony three times for Columbia. The first two were with the Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra of New York, in January 1941 in Liederkranz Hall, and in March 1949 in the 30th Street Studio.

Most often heard these days is Walter's only stereo recording, with a West Coast ensemble dubbed the "Columbia Symphony" in January 1958. But this, the middle recording of the three, is exceptionally good as well. Walter was 73 at the time, and still showing the vigor that sometimes waned in his stereo recordings near the end of his life.

The New Yorkers were then an outstanding ensemble, and Columbia's sound is splendid. Plus the cover design is one of Alex Steinweiss' best.

This continues a series that started with Walter's New York recordings of the first and seventh symphonies. Next is the Pastorale with the Philadelphians.

Walter in 1942

George Roberts and the Bass Trombone

George Roberts, who died last month, was possibly the most influential bass trombonist in popular music, and was widely admired by classical instrumentalists as well.

After a stint in the Stan Kenton band, Roberts became an active West Coast free-lancer in the mid-50s. His unique abilities were soon recognized by legendary arranger Nelson Riddle, himself a trombonist. Roberts also was employed extensively by Henry Mancini and other arrangers, and he appears on thousands of records and soundtracks.

George Roberts

In his dissertation on Roberts (included in the download), Jonathan Yeager says that the trombonist "has often been recognized as defining the role of the bass trombone in popular music and setting new standards for technical refinement and expressive possibilities of the instrument." Yeager quotes symphonic trombonist Bob Hughes as saying Roberts "makes probably the best sound on the instrument. Focused with real core, warm, fruity, perfectly weighted with great intonation. His feel and style are wonderfully relaxed and flowing."

Frank DeVol

This 1959 LP, the first of two that Roberts recorded for Columbia, is a showcase for those qualities. The sympathetic backing is by Frank DeVol, an arranger-composer who was equally well known as a comic actor.

The program is standards, one original by Roberts ("Feelin' Low") and a few children's tunes, including "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" - or as the band vocal has it, "Next Time Take the Train." (FYI - this title was based on advertising slogan for the Southern Pacific railroad. See the ironic Depression-era photograph by Dorothea Lange below.)

I don't know why Roberts is posing with a terra cotta donkey on the cover, unless it is an oblique commentary on the mulish quality of the instrument. 

Note (July 2024): The excellent mono sound has now been enhanced by ambient stereo.

LINK

"Toward Los Angeles, California" by Dorothea Lange (1937)

New Items, Reups and Remasters

I don't always post what I transfer, sometimes because I don't feel like writing about the music or performers, sometimes for other reasons.

Here are a few such items presented without much commentary, followed by some reups and remastered versions, done by request.

As always, the links to all these discs are in the comments to this post.

NEW ITEMS

New Music from Old Erin, Vol. 1: This is an attractive LP of music by 20th century Irish composers Brian Boydell, Seoirse Bodley and Frederick May, from the Radio Eireann Symphony and Milan Horvat. If the back cover of the America Decca pressing is to be believed, it was a Deutsche Grammophon production. The record is from about 1958.

Miyoshi Umeki - Miyoshi: The warm and charming Japanese-American singer-actor Miyoshi Umeki made two LPs for Mercury in the 1950s. I transferred both for my own listening after her death in 2007. This 1959 album followed her Academy Award for Sayonara and Tony nomination for Flower Drum Song.

REUPS

Ella Mae Morse - Barrelhouse, Boogie and the Blues (remastered, lossless): The terrific swing-era boogie-woogie singer takes on mid-50s R&B with notable results. Also features one of the great album covers of the era.

Painting the Clouds with Sunshine (mp3): Dennis Morgan and Lucille Norman in a soundtrack from a relatively obscure 1951 musical.

Vera Lynn - Sincerely Yours (new transfer, lossless): I had another go at this problematic recording from the beloved English singer. A little improved, but still some peak distortion.

Delius Conducted by Anthony Collins (remastered, lossless): "On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring" and "The Walk to the Paradise Gardens" in excellent 1953 renditions by Anthony Collins and the London Symphony.

Louis Kaufman in Vaughan Williams

I had a request for more recordings by the American violinist Louis Kaufman, who has appeared here before in the music of Delius, Barber and Robert Russell Bennett.

Louis Kaufman

Here is that artist in Vaughan Williams' seldom-heard "Concerto Accademico" of 1924-25. The work finds Kaufman in his usual driving form. The backing here is by the Radio Zurich Symphony under the Swiss conductor Clemens Dahinden, who made many records for this label, although usually with the Winterthur Symphony.

Victor Desarzens

The other side of this 10-inch LP from the 1950s also is of British music as performed by Swiss musicians. This time, it is Britten's Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge, as assayed by the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra under its founder and long-time conductor, Victor Desarzens, who also often worked for Concert Hall Society and its offshoots.

Both performances and sound are worthy. These were probably the first recordings of these works outside the British Isles.