Elliot Lawrence Special

There was a very positive reaction to my previous Elliot Lawrence post, so today I'll double down by presenting two of his LPs.

My friend Mindy, a show music fanatic, asked me if I had "Jazz Goes Broadway" in response to the earlier Lawrence offering. I had to tell her that I didn't - but as sometimes happens, I came across a copy of the desired LP a few days later, and here it is as our first selection.

"Jazz Goes Broadway" is not, strictly speaking, a Lawrence LP, even though he conducted it, plays piano, arranged half the songs, and appears on the cover in a pose that suggests he is in charge of the proceedings. Vik did not list the LP as being "by" anyone on the spine, back cover or labels, although it is clearly Lawrence's effort in all but name. I can tell you that the other two fellows on the cover are Jimmy Cleveland playing the trombone, and Al Cohn on the baritone sax. (Al was legally required to be on every big band LP made in the 50s.) I cannot tell you why Al and Jimmy are serenading a fire hydrant.

The tunes were selected from shows that were then (this was 1957) on Broadway, or had been recently. A look at the posters behind the musicians shows the amazing quality of the productions at that time. Today, the least known is Happy Hunting, an Ethel Merman vehicle that ran for a year.

The record is all very enjoyable, as you might expect considering the quality of personnel involved.

The other LP is a 10-incher from several years earlier, showcasing Lawrence's working band that was striving for popularity on the nation's campuses, as denoted by this college-themed program with the title "Moonlight on the Campus." This ensemble was decidedly more of a dance band than the one Lawrence fronted on the Vik LP.

Rosalind Patton

Lawrence, who was 25 when these songs were taped in 1950-51, was already a veteran bandleader, having formed his first band in high school. The Elliot Broza Orchestra (his full name is Elliot Lawrence Broza) had Rosalind Patton (Roselyn Mae Piccurelli), heard here, as the vocalist. (The male vocalist of his high school band was Al Alberts, later of the Four Aces.)

I love this kind of mid-century dance band sound - just don't expect to hear jazz solos and you won't be disappointed.