This is a follow-up to my post of last November presenting a Columbia LP of ballet music conducted by Efrem Kurtz. That post contains an introduction to the career of this talented conductor who made many records with the New York Philharmonic and the Philharmonic Orchestra.
Efrem Kurtz
I mentioned then that Kurtz was the music director of the Houston Symphony from 1948-54, but had recorded only a few items with that ensemble. Today we are concerned with his Houston recording of two pieces of French ballet music, Erik Satie's Parade (Realistic Ballet) and a suite from Georges Auric's Les Matelots ballet. The sessions were held in Houston's City Auditorium in December 14, 1949. It was a busy day for Kurtz and his charges - all their Columbia recordings were made during that session, including suites from Kiss Me, Kate and South Pacific, plus Fauré's Pavane, used as a filler on the Kiss Me, Kate 78 set.
Auric by George Hoyningen-Huene; Satie by Man Ray
Kurtz was particularly well suited to conducting the Satie and Auric ballets. Before coming to the US, he had been the conductor of the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo for a decade. That was the successor troupe to Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, which premiered those works. Kurtz worked directly with Léonide Massine, who choreographed both ballets.
Satie and Auric were connected through an association with what became known as "Les Six." In 1917, Satie had assembled a group of younger composers he dubbed "Les nouveaux jeunes," including Auric. That group later became the basis of Les Six, with Jean Cocteau as guiding light rather than Satie.
This 10-inch LP is well played and recorded, and the music is delightful.
Here by request is another tribute to the immensely gifted composer-arranger-pianist Michel Legrand, who died a few days ago. It is his 1959 LP Scarlet Ribbons - Michel Legrand's Folksongs for Orchestra, so called even though "Scarlet Ribbons" isn't a folk song at all.
The liner notes tell us that Legrand wanted to include the song even though it was of recent (1949) vintage because of its "charming folk flavor." The Legrand LP dates from mid-1959, just before "Scarlet Ribbons" became a big hit in the version by The Browns. It had previously been recorded by Jo Stafford and Harry Belafonte.
Legrand
Legrand's album is a remarkable example of his gift for orchestration, often using incongruous elements to create something new and unexpected. His version of "Red River Valley" could not be farther from the North Dakota prairies. The opening orchestral figure leads you to think that he is launching into "The Continental"! And his almost cinematic remake of "Goodnight, Irene" is a long way from Lead Belly.
This is what made his work so fascinating, of course. He was a true master of his craft.
FYI - my singles blog has an obscure EP from 1957 with Legrand's arrangements of Angelo Francesco Lavagnino's music for the Italian documentary Lost Continent. It's a pleasing bit of exotica, which was in fashion at the time.
Today I want to look at the early career of Carol Bruce, a talented singer and actor who has appeared on this blog a few times before.
Born in 1919, she first gained notice as a teenage vocalist with Larry Clinton's band. Fortunately, YouTube has a good quality 1938 clip of her with Clinton in "Stop and Reconsider. Bruce had considerable presence even at that early age.
Nineteen-forty was a big year for the young performer. She made her Broadway debut in the Irving Berlin musical Louisiana Purchase, where she made a big splash with her number "The Lord Done Fixed Up My Soul."
Still from Louisiana Purchase, Bruce at center
Life Magazine was so impressed that it devoted two photo spreads to her that year - in addition to a separate article about Louisiana Purchase.
Decca records signed the young vocalist later that year, pairing her with arranger Harry Sosnik. Among her first records were covers of two English hits: "Wish Me Luck as You Wave Me Goodbye," associated with Gracie Fields, and "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square," a Vera Lynn specialty. Bruce copes well with Sosnik's leaden two-beat arrangements.
For her next assignment, Decca changed tack by assigning Bruce eight Latin-flavored numbers, directed by one of the label's top talents, Victor Young. Decca then marketed the set as the Carol Bruce Souvenir Album that is the basis of today's post. (Note: the Discography of American Historical Recordings claims that Sosnik directed these sides. However, the Decca album and labels credit them to Young, and the arrangements sound nothing like Sosnik's earlier charts for Bruce.)
Bruce does well with this material, although she had not yet developed the abundant personality that shines through in her later recordings, such as her 1958 Tops LP, which first appeared here in 2011 and which I have newly remastered.
Today's download includes several bonuses, including the Decca recordings of "Wish Me Luck as You Wave Me Goodbye" and "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square," as well as one of Life Magazine's features on the singer and two songs from Louisiana Purchase. While there was no cast album for the musical, Bruce
recorded the title song and "The Lord Done Fixed Up My Soul" for the
small Schirmer label. Perhaps fittingly, Bruce's rendition of her big
number is reminiscent of the great New Orleans singer Connie Boswell. (I
haven't been able to find out of Schirmer Records was associated with
the publishing company of the same name. However, the songs from Louisiana Purchase were published by Berlin's own company, not Schirmer.)
In 1941, Paramount Pictures bought Louisiana Purchase as a vehicle for its big star Bob Hope, who took over the William Gaxton role. Victor Moore, Vera Zorina and Irène Bordoni repeated their stage roles. Paramount replaced Bruce with another singing actor, Dona Drake, but "The Lord Done Fixed Up My Soul" was only heard in instrumental form.
Meanwhile, Bruce did make it to Hollywood that same year, via a three-film contract with Universal Studios. She sang two songs in This Woman Is Mine, released in August, and another two in Keep 'Em Flying, a November release featuring the insufferable Abbott & Costello. Bruce's big number in the latter film was "You Don't Know What Love Is," a superb Don Raye-Gene de Paul composition that has since become a standard. Universal dropped the song from Keep 'Em Flying, but then included it in Bruce's third and final film for the studio, Behind the Eight Ball, where she was saddled with the nitwit Ritz Brothers.
Although Universal cut "You Don't Know What Love Is" from Keep 'Em Flying, it did put out a promotional record of Bruce's rendition, backed with a number from her co-star, Martha Raye, also dropped from the production. (At least the studio was consistent.) You can find that record on my companion blog.
As Mama Carlson
Bruce eventually had a long career in Hollywood, and today is far better known as an actor than a singer. She is well remembered as "Mama Carlson" in the American television show WKRP in Cincinnati (although not by me - I never watched the show).
Most of today's selections were found during my recent descent into the bottomless pit of Internet Archive, but all have been remastered and are in good to excellent sound.
Three conductors are particularly associated with the music of Carl Nielsen - Erik Tuxen, Thomas Jensen and Launy Grøndahl. Today we explore the legacy of Grøndahl, in the form of Nielsen's Fourth Symphony, "The Inextinguishable."
Launy Grøndahl
Grøndahl was the permanent conductor of the Danish National Orchestra (also known as the Danish National Radio Orchestra, among other names) from 1925-56.
I believe this convincing performance was the first recording of the work, which is probably Nielsen's most performed symphony, along with the 5th. It dates from August 1951. The sound is excellent. My transfer comes from a Danish pressing made for export under the Odeon label.
The transfer was made as the result of a request on another site, but I thought some readers here might enjoy it as well.
Tonight I am atoning for the sins of my youth (actually late middle age) by revisiting some of the blog's earliest posts and fixing their sonic transgressions. Some of these reuploads are by request and some are the result of the blogger's guilty conscience.
Here is the full confession. Clicking on the title will take you to the original post.
Enescu Plays Enescu. This remarkably ugly cover contains some sublime music: George Enescu's second violin sonata as played by the composer and accompanist Céliny Chailley-Richez. Remington's sound is just alright, but the performances are definitive.
Enescu Plays Schumann. In this Remington LP, Enescu and Chailley-Richez tackle Schumann's D minor sonata, with superb results. Enescu was nearing the end of his life, and was becoming fallible as a violinist, but here it matters not.
Kathryn Grayson Sings (expanded). For this post, I took the 10-inch LP and added seven numbers from two 12-inch records from M-G-M's star soprano. The result is a satisfying mix of songs from soundtrack and studio. I fixed the pitch, too.
Johnny Smith - Jazz at N.B.C. Series (expanded). This is another expanded edition, based on one of the great guitarist's 10-inchers and adding a bunch of additional tunes from his Roost sessions. Most cuts feature the fabulous Stan Getz.
Patrice Munsel in Melba (OST). In her only film role, Patrice Munsel played famed soprano Nellie Melba in this 1953 biopic. I've remastered the enjoyable soundtrack, re-recording two of the cuts. I added Spoliansky's "Melba Waltz," written for the film, from a single.
Last month when my transfer setup was down for the count, I went off into the wilds of Internet Archive in search of material to process. I came up with the Christmas 78s found here, and two albums by singers best known for their stage appearances.
Today we have those two sets - Mary Martin in an Album of Cole Porter Songs and Majestic Presents Ella Logan - both remastered for much better sound. And we have another compilation from our friend David Federman themed to this time of year.
January Evenings in Ardmore 2019
David's latest is titled "January Evenings in Ardmore 2019: The Power of Positive Thinking, or Transcendental Medication." For it, he has selected 30 songs ranging from 1914 to 1949. It's a special escapist mix, he tells us: "It is amazing how frequently music of this time lifts spirits." The link is in the comments to this post.
Mary Martin in an Album of Cole Porter Songs
Mary Martin first achieved success in Cole Porter's Leave It to Me! in 1938. She soon became identified with "My Heart Belongs to Daddy," her big number in the second act.
Decca ushered Martin into the studio in early 1940 to inscribe that song and five other Porter numbers, all quite famous with the possible exception of "Katie Went to Haiti," slightly bowdlerized here. It was Martin's first album.
Inside cover of the 78 set
About the time Decca issued the set, Martin was heading to Hollywood for a co-starring role with Bing Crosby in Rhythm on the River. But her biggest successes were on Broadway in years to come - South Pacific, Peter Pan and The Sound of Music.
Decca's sound is fairly good, and Ray Sinatra's backings are workmanlike. Martin is transcendent. I posted two of her LPs in the early days of this blog. They are still available.
Majestic Presents Ella Logan
Ella Logan was not an "overnight success" when she achieved fame in 1947 as a member of the original cast of Finian's Rainbow. Born in Glasgow, she had been a band singer both in England and the US. In the 1930s, there were a few singles for Parlophone in London, and quite a good number for Columbia and Brunswick in the US.
But her first album was made for the small Majestic label in March 1946 - before her Finian's Rainbow stardom. Majestic came up with a odd assortment of material for Logan to warble - everything from "Loch Lomond" to "Give My Regards to Broadway." One notable item is Willard Robison's "Book at My Bedside" (attn: David F.). The sound is OK, as are the backings by Frank De Vol.
Logan only made one more LP on her own - a 1954 Capitol album where she took on songs from Finian's Rainbow. (She also appears on the original cast LP, of course.) Capitol's record appeared on this blog several years ago and is still available.
I had a request for more music from the American Recording Society, so I chose this performance of Douglas Moore's Symphony in A. It's the first recording of the work, and was one of the first releases in the ARS catalog.
Moore's symphony originally was issued by itself on a 10-inch LP. My transfer comes from a slightly later 12-inch LP reissue, where Moore's composition was coupled with Randall Thompson's Symphony No. 2. The Thompson work also originally appeared on a 10-inch disc, which I posted back in 2012. That transfer is still available, so I have not included it here.
Douglas Moore
Moore was a longtime Columbia University professor who was and is known primarily for his operas, notably The Devil and Daniel Webster (1938) and The Ballad of Baby Doe (1956). His Giants in the Earth won the Pulitzer Prize in 1951, when this present LP was recorded. The Symphony in A is dedicated to the memory of Stephen Vincent Benét, the librettist for The Devil and Daniel Webster (which is based on a Benét short story).
10-inch LP cover
The Thompson and Moore symphonies were the fourth and fifth issues from the American Recording Society, established in 1951 by the Alice Ditson Fund. Since its founding in 1940, the Fund has supported performances of music by American composers. The ARS catalog was largely devoted to conservative orchestral works, of which the Moore work is a prime example.
The earliest ARS recordings were conducted by the expatriate American Dean Dixon. Here, he leads a capable performance by the "American Recording Society Orchestra," which, according to discographer Michael Gray, is actually the Vienna Symphony. The sound, emanating from what sounds like a small hall, is relatively good.
The Moore symphony has been recorded four times, including a CRI release and a much more recent Albany Records issue.
Sylvia Syms' 1956 Decca Singles
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*Cash Box *April 28, 1956The vocalist Sylvia Syms was, until 1956, a niche
attraction. She had issued LPs on Atlantic and the obscure Version label,
and t...
2 weeks ago
About This Blog
Many blogs feature music from old LPs; usually rips from CD reissues. Very few (like, none) concentrate on the music from the 10-inch LPs that were fairly common from the first several years of the long-playing record, roughly 1948-57. This blog does. We also make room here for other LPs and even 78 and 45 singles from the pre-stereo era.
The title of the blog is an homage to an R&B record of the same name by Bullmoose Jackson and His Buffalo Bearcats. (Not sure why a moose would be fronting a band of bearcats, nor why they would be from Buffalo when Jackson was from Cleveland.) The Moose was selling double-entendre blues; we are promoting primarily pop music and classics, although all genres are welcome here!
