About a year ago I began featuring the American recordings of French crooner Jean Sablon. The series started with 1942 and 1946 collections on Decca, moved on to 1938-47 RCA Victor sides, and here concludes with Sablon's 1952 album for Capitol.
This set is just as good as the other LPs, so needless to say I recommend it. The singer is in good voice. The highly sympathetic accompaniments are by Skitch Henderson and orchestra, plus an anonymous vocal troupe.
This set is just as good as the other LPs, so needless to say I recommend it. The singer is in good voice. The highly sympathetic accompaniments are by Skitch Henderson and orchestra, plus an anonymous vocal troupe.
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| Jean Sablon |
The sound is excellent on these sides, which made up a 10-inch LP presented here in its dual-EP form. Although the front cover only mentions six songs, eight are indeed included. This fact is helpfully mentioned on the back cover, although it does not go on to specify what those eight songs are. I have included label scans to clarify matters.
The wonderful cover art may be the best thing about the package. I think that's a hat on her head; at least the placement would indicate as much.
Note (May 2025): this has now been remastered in ambient stereo.
7 comments:
Jean Sablon was a reference in France when I was a child....I am so glad to be able to hear him again !! THX so much Buster.
Oooooh, grrrreat!!! Thanks
This is an artist I was not previously familiar with. Thanks for sharing it.
Jean's records with Django Reinhardt are what first put Sablon in my private pantheon of great singers. I see (or, should I say, hear?) from these recording that he was unflagging and unfailing. Thanks for your one-man crusade on his behalf. May I suggest another, far different crusade on behalf of soprano Bethany Beardslee, whose recordings with Robert Craft (Berg's "Altenberg Lieder" in particular) for Columbia are now forgotten glories. You might also resurrect Craft's pioneering first album of Gesualdo madrigals. But here I go again, using you as my last resort in otherwise hopeless quests. Thanks for all the many prayers you've already answered.
Belated thanks to all for the comments!
David - Not sure that I have any of Craft's recordings, other than the odd Stravinsky item. I am sure I don't have the Gesualdo. I will look for the Berg - but again, it's unlikely.
Thank you!
When Sablon was offered to be in what would be Astaire and Rogers' last RKO musical, 'The Story of Vernon and Irene Castel', he "refused the part of the French singer played by Louis Mercier because he thought it too small, but his voice is used on the soundtrack". [imdb.com]
MG38 - Thanks! I did not know that.
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