A September Serenade, Mundell Lowe, Plus a Vocal Reup

Lately I have been off investigating Tchaikovsky recordings (see posts below), so good friend David Federman has filled the void with three very interesting recordings: a "September Serenade" compilation and two recordings by the splendid guitarist Mundell Lowe, one composed of Alec Wilder originals. My meager offering is a reup of the first album by an unknown but talented vocalist, Marge Dodson.

A September Serenade

David pays homage to September and the changing of the seasons in this mix spanning 40 years of song. His commentary:

"Most of these songs you know, but I'm sure 'A Faded Summer Love,' 'The Trembling of a Leaf,' and 'A Lonely Park,' will be new to most, if not all, of you. Even the familiar may surprise you.

"I have included a gorgeous duet version of 'Autumn Leaves' by Chet Baker and Ruth Young that I'm sure will blow your mind. It follows Yves Montand's 1950 version of the original song, 'Les Feuilles Mortes.' And Ella Fitzgerald's first recording of 'Early Autumn,' is very much a byproduct of the bop era that spawned this glorious ballad. [By the way, I've included a different song of the same name, recorded by Claude Thornhill in 1947.]

"Few have sung 'September Song' as beautifully as Felicia Sanders, another of jazz's many breast cancer victims. Although there is little rock and roll here, the Mamas and the Papas' 'California Dreamin'' is a full-fledged Autumn standard. So is Neil Young's 'Harvest Moon.' 'See You in September' is my one concession to artful teeny-bopper music. The recordings used here is the original, first released by a Pittsburgh group, the Tempos, in 1959. Although the song became a hit for others, I think its first version remains the best.

"Autumn is, I'm afraid, a very sad season - one of loss and departure. While there are some 'happy' songs here like ''Tis Autumn' and 'Autumn In New York,' the majority are sad. Some songs are so glorious, I've supplied two versions. Hence you'll hear both Sidney Bechet's and Bing Crosby's versions of Victor Herbert's 'Indian Summer' as well as Richard Himber's and Billie Holiday's recordings of 'Autumn in New York.'" 

Mundell Lowe

David includes two LPs by Mundell Lowe: New Music by Alec Wilder and The Mundell Lowe Quintet. His discussion of the first named:

"Any album by guitarist Mundell Lowe is an important one. Add in the trumpet of Joe Wilder and the album is elevated to momentous. Cap off the recording with 12 compositions composed especially for Lowe by Alec Wilder and conducted by him for these sessions and it is an historic occasion. Liner notes by Frank Sinatra, an ardent advocate of Wilder's music who recorded a landmark album of his pieces in 1946, only add another jewel to this crowning achievement (see pdf included in album folder).

"What you have here are 12 wonderful compositions for wind octet recorded in June and July of 1956 and released on Riverside that same year. As far as I know, this marvelous record has never been issued on CD and is not available in any digital format."

Marge Dodson

Back in 2011 I wrote, "Although she made only three albums that I can trace, Marge Dodson was well regarded in her day, and for good reason - she was quite a fine singer. There is little information available on her today, but I did ascertain that she continued singing in clubs into the 1970s."

This LP, In the Still of the Night, was her first, done for Columbia in 1959.

See the original post for a link to a newly remastered version.