Reups: Vaughan Williams, Virgil Thomson, Todd Rhodes and Hot Lips Levine!

It's an all-request day here at Big 10-Inch Record, as if this were some kind of oldies station, one that played classical music, old R&B honkers and Dixieland. On today's schedule: the first recording of a rare Ralph Vaughan Williams work; four notable compositions from Virgil Thomson played by the Philadelphia Orchestra; a collection of R&B singles from Todd Rhodes, his piano and orchestra; and an unusual album from Dixieland maven Henry "Hot Lips" Levine. All these  reuploads were requested by valued readers. They have been remastered to attain the best sound that these hands and ears can provide. The links below will take you to the original posts.

Compositions by Vaughan Williams and John Palmer

This 1954 LP from Concert Hall Society is notable for being the first recording of one of Vaughan Williams' most unusual works, the "Fantasia on the 'Old 104th' Psalm Tune." It's kind of an English approach to Beethoven's "Choral Fantasia," with John Hunt dynamic as the piano soloist. Also on the record are three folk songs for choir in Vaughan Williams arrangements, and two compositions by the American composer John Palmer - a Chamber Concerto and the choral work "Slow, Slow Fresh Fount," a setting of Ben Johnson. The committed performances are by Cornell's Robert Hull leading a chorus from that university along with the Rochester Chamber Orchestra. Here is the link.

Four Virgil Thomson Compositions

Courtesy of friend and blog follower Joe Serraglio, we have two important records featuring the work of composer and critic Virgil Thomson - music from the film "Louisiana Story," "Five Portraits," "Three Pictures" and "Five Songs from William Blake." The recordings date from 1945, 1949, 1954 and 1952 respectively. All are performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Eugene Ormandy and the composer. Mack Harrell is the solo vocalist. This is the second remastering and reupload of these very well performed and important first recordings.

Here is the link to "Louisiana Story" and "Five Portraits." And here's the link to "Three Pictures" and "Five Songs from William Blake."

Big Band R&B from Todd Rhodes

Next is a King LP collecting singles that pianist and bandleader Todd Rhodes made for Vitacoustic, Sensation and King in the late 40s and early 50s. As I wrote back in 2009, "Rhodes' basic style was post-Hampton riff blues, but he varied that with pretty ballads reminiscent of the kind of thing that Johnny Hodges did with Duke Ellington." The sound is fairly good considering it came from the notoriously quality uncontrolled King operation. Here's the link.

Dixieland from Henry "Hot Lips" Levine

I was thinking about which trumpeter first came up with the nickname "Hot Lips" - Henry "Hot Lips" Levine or Oran "Hot Lips" Page. Then I realized that first claim has to be Whiteman-ite trumpeter Henry Busse, who wrote the song "Hot Lips" back in 1922.

Neither Busse nor Page appears here, but "Hot Lips" Levine does. He made a name for himself in the early 40s with a radio program named "The Chamber Music Society of Lower Basin Street," which featured "Dr. Henry Levine's Barefoot Dixieland Philharmonic." I don't think the unshod musicians were as much of an attraction as vocalists Dinah Shore and Lena Horne. But one of our readers did remember Levine and wanted me to reup this rare 1956 LP. I had transferred it a decade ago because it contains a fight song for the Cleveland Indians, who have not won a World Series since 1948. So Levine's efforts weren't too effective (nor were mine). Here's a link for anyone else who remembers Levine or wants to hear his "Indian Uprising" tribute song.

Jeri Southern's First LP, Plus Reupped Singles

The work of that superb singer Jeri Southern was one of my first priorities when I started this blog almost 12 years ago. Relatively early on, I transferred two sets of Southern singles that had not been reissued.

Today I am offering reuploads of those sets along with a new transfer of Southern's first LP, a 10-incher from 1954. The latter is by request from vocal connoisseur John Morris, who wasn't happy with the sound of the commercial transfer he had in hand.

I hope this one pleases him. My own copy of the LP was not in perfect condition, although the results are good, I think, with the quality of the sound not affected too much by some occasional background rustle.

What's important is that Southern's smoky, confidential vocals come through well, along with her own piano accompaniment. Guitarist Dave Barbour and a bassist are on the date as well; supposedly there is a drummer, too, but I don't hear any evidence of him or her. Barbour is fine - he had a great deal of experience with accompanying the vocals of his former wife, Peggy Lee - but he wasn't really needed.

1954 Billboard ad

Southern chose her songs well. All are moody, with the exception of Ray Noble's "The Very Thought of You." Several betray a sense of alienation well suited to Southern's cool but intense approach. "Miss Johnson Phoned Again Today" is a third-person narrative similar but preferable to "Miss Otis Regrets." "Just in Fun" and "(I'm in Love with) The Honorable Mr. So-and-So" are scenes of unrequited and furtive love, respectively. She even includes one out-and-out art song, "Cabin" by Paul Bowles and Tennessee Williams, in which the singer takes the role of an omniscient narrator. The cover notes say "Cabin" was at the time popular with the cabaret set, but I don't recall anyone else recording it.

Warm, Intimate Songs in the Jeri Southern Style was later subsumed in a 12-inch LP called Southern Hospitality, which also included four other songs that Southern recorded with Dave Barbour in 1957.

Jeri Southern Singles

My first post of Jeri Southern singles was almost exactly 10 years ago. It included eight titles from 1955-57 that had not been reissued. I believe that is no longer true, but some of you might be interested in that group and its companion collection, which contained 11 songs dating from 1952-57.

Let me note that the Decca pressings were often not very good - even though almost all of these 45s came from old store stock. Also, my transferring skills back then were not as well refined as today. So while I have remastered all these recordings, there remains some mild background noise, hopefully not enough to spoil some exceptional readings that are very much of a piece with the LP above. The songs include "Don't Explain," "The Man That Got Away," "Bells Are Ringing," "How Did He Look" and "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful," among other gems.

The first collection can be found here. The second collection is here.

On the Town with David F., Plus Two Spy Soundtracks from the 60s

Our friend David Federman has come up with another imaginative compilation, called "The Great Escape: Days & Nights on the Town," with the setting being Manhattan. Today I am presenting his collection along with my own offering - two more of the soundtrack records I transferred many years ago and recently found lurking on an old backup drive. Previously I posted two Bob Hope soundtracks from the 50s. Today we have the scores from two of the lesser spy movies that were so popular in the 1960s.

The Great Escape: Days & Nights on the Town

As usual David has skillfully mix-mastered 30-some songs from the last century into something more than the sum of its parts. The selections date back to 1930, and include many favorites - the Boswell Sisters, Mabel Mercer and Blossom Dearie - along with newer artists such as Meredith d'Ambrosio and unexpected delights such as the Washboard Rhythm Kings.

Says David, "I took my trusty time machine for some bumpy rides into the recent and distant musical past for a great escape to New York City. I steered my contraption toward times and places my parents would have fled to - mostly Manhattan, Broadway and Harlem, but with some familiar side steps and stops to lower Manhattan, Central Park and Fifty Second Street."

Wonderful stuff!

The Spy with a Cold Nose

The Spy with a Cold Nose (its name is a take-off on John le Carré's seminal 1963 novel The Spy Who Came in from the Cold) was a 1966 British comedy with a dog as a principal character, thus the title.

The producers brought in prolific film composer Riz Ortolani to provide a score that could not be more 60s-sounding. One of Ortolani's specialties was spaghetti westerns, so you should know what to expect, although this material is lighter in tone. Ortolani's biggest hit was "More" from the cult film Mondo Cane (another dog reference, I guess). That was a few years before this movie came out.

Riz Ortolani

The Spy with a Cold Nose is an enjoyable score, if, as usual with such records, you don't mind the same few themes reappearing dressed in different sonic outfits. The sound is typical 60s; so is the pressing.

A Man Called Dagger

Next we have the low-budget spy film A Man Called Dagger, dating from 1968. As far as I can discern, this one is not a comedy, although you could not tell that from the cover, which manages to depict the bad guy firing his wheelchair-mounted machine gun at our hero, who is bound to a bikini-clad accomplice and is casually lighting a smoke. They all seem to be suspended in mid-air. The cover may be more entertaining than the movie.

Steve Allen

The soundtrack is notable as the only film score composed by comic-pianist-composer-author-etc. Steve Allen. Here he seems to have had the help of Ronald Stein, credited as adapting and arranging the material as well as conducting it. Stein was an immensely prolific film composer, not least during his time with low-brow American-International Pictures.

The music is probably better than the film deserves. Stein takes care to insert references to the James Bond scores; for the vocal version of the film theme, he has Maureen Arthur do her best Shirley Bassey imitation.

In case you are wondering, the male actors depicted on the cover are Nazi bad-guy Jan Murray (who made his name as a Borscht Belt comedian) and hero Paul Mantee (a prolific television actor). I am not sure about the woman's identity, although she may be Eileen O'Neill.

This one came out in stereo, but my copy is mono.

Buster's Smoochy Valentine Collection

I reckon that I am as romantic as the next blogger, and to prove it, I have put together Buster's Smoochy Valentine Collection. It consists of 23 songs from 1908 to 1955, all with "cupid" or "valentine" in the title, except for a couple of renegades as discussed below.

This is a wonderfully varied collection, but I want to caution you that even though my namesake above has been caught in the grasp of overwhelming emotion, these records are not designed to induce romantic feelings. That is, unless you and your significant other can find some erotic interest in old vaudeville routines, polkas with the likes of Bedrich Smeage and His Eight Aces, and records featuring Arnold Stang. If so, these songs will be just the thing for your special night and my best wishes to you both.

As is my custom with these assemblages, let me discuss each selection in chronological order.

Ada Jones and Len Spencer

The oldest comes from 1908 and is straight from the vaudeville stage. Ada Jones and Len Spencer, two of the stars of the day, present a well-honed German ethnic routine, "Katrina's Valentine," a "descriptive specialty" in the not-terribly-descriptive description on the Victor label. It's amazing to me how clear this 112-year-old recording sounds, but the acoustic method was better with voices than instruments.

Herbert L. Clarke

That said, cornet virtuoso Herbert L. Clarke also sounds very good in his 1909 disc of "Ah! Cupid," a number from Victor Herbert's first operetta, Prince Ananias, dating from 1894. I raised the pitch of this one - it dragged as transferred. I believe brass bands of the time did use a high concert pitch.

From 1911 comes another instrumental, "Spying Cupid," written by the "Boy Trumpet Wonder," B.A. Rolfe, here in a version by the English Gramophone Company's house band, the Peerless Orchestra.

Grace Kerns, Andrea Sarto, Reed Miller

"When Cupid Calls" was the closing number from Victor Jacobi's 1916 musical Sybil, on Broadway when this record was made. It was done for Columbia by three noted vocalists of the time, Grace Kerns, Andrea Sarto and Reed Miller.

Next is a group that has appeared before on my other blog - the English Singers, who were important both for reviving the madrigal repertoire and for championing contemporary composers such as Peter Warlock. This 1922 recording of Thomas Bateson's 17th century madrigal "Cupid in a Bed of Roses" was one of their first, made for HMV. At the time, the group included tenor Steuart Wilson, who has appeared on this blog as a solo artist.

Moving away from valentines and cupid for a moment, I did want to include an example of the famous tune "Hearts and Flowers," a sugary specialty if ever there was one, in what is perhaps the only straight-faced version I have ever encountered, dating from 1923 and coming from the Aeolian String Trio. In case you have ever wondered (and I would wonder why if you did), this melody was published by Theodore Moses-Tobani in 1894, but was lifted from a march by the Hungarian composer Alphons Czibulka.

Billy Murray

I've included two versions of "Hearts and Flowers" in this collection, also two versions of the less familiar song "Jimmy Valentine." This song-story seems to have been taken from, or at least inspired by, the 1928 film Alias Jimmy Valentine, based on a famous O. Henry story. The amazingly prolific recording artist Billy Murray and Nat Shilkret's Victor Orchestra present a polished version of the Edward Madden-Gus Edwards song. This is the first electrical recording in the collection.

"Valentine" is a ribald and somewhat distasteful song made somehow irresistible by Maurice Chevalier in this 1928 recording issued in conjunction with the film Innocents of Paris, Chevalier's first American film. This was near the beginning of the singer's career and only a few years after he introduced the song, which would be thereafter identified with him.

Fats Waller and admirers

"Valentine Stomp" is a 1929 recording from its composer, the fabulous stride pianist Fats Waller. These days the short-lived Waller is known for his outsized personality, entertaining vocals and small combo recordings, but in a just world his astonishing pianism would be the main source of his fame.

Marion Harris

The next selection, "He's My Secret Passion," is just an excuse for me to include one of my favorite vocalists, Marion Harris. This Brunswick record, made in 1930 when Harris was 34, was near the end of her recording career. Her detailed interpretation, excellent diction and complete involvement are ideal, in my view.

Cole McElroy was more of an impresario than a musician - he ran dance halls and led dance bands in the Pacific Northwest for years. Cole McElroy's Spanish Ballroom Orchestra took its name from the leader's Portland dance emporium. The vocal on its 1931 recording of "Cupid's Holiday" is by Myer Alexander, who later became Jeff Alexander, a well-known conductor and composer for radio, television and films.

Cole McElroy and band

"Hearts and Flowers" makes its second appearance in a 1938 jazz interpretation from Matty Malneck, ex-Whiteman violinist who was then leading a swing combo. It sounds like he employed harp, accordion, vibes and muted trumpet along with his violin in the attractive ensemble sound here. The discography doesn't list the an accordionist, but perhaps pianist Bobby Van Eps handled the wheeze box.

Jabbo Smith by R. Crumb

The next song, "How Can Cupid Be So Stupid," also from 1938, comes from one of the unsung greats of the swing era, Jabbo Smith. As a trumpeter, Smith was notable for his beautiful tone and lyrical approach. Smith also sings on this record. While his playing as clearly influenced by Louis Armstrong, his vocals are nothing like that of Pops. This enjoyable side marked Smith's last swing-era recording. He was to make a comeback 30 years later.

The fine swing band of ex-Miller reed man Hal McIntyre provides this set's first, inevitable reading of "My Funny Valentine." It boasts strong vocal work from Ruth Gaylor, whose singing brightened many of the big bands of the day without her ever becoming famous. Gaylor clearly has been listening to Helen Forrest - not such a bad model to follow. This Decca side dates from late 1944. Some of Hal's later recordings have appeared here.

Ruth Gaylor sings, Hal McIntyre beams in approval

Now on to a polka, which I know you have been waiting for. Bedrich Smeage and His Eight Aces were a Czech group from (I believe) Michigan. He recorded his "Valentine Polka" for Signature circa 1945. Smeage later did a few numbers for RCA and small Michigan labels.

The prolific trumpeter-vocalist Louis Prima weighs in with "My Valentine," which Majestic released in 1946. Louis surprises us (me, anyway) by turning the vocal duties over to Jack Powers, not that I am complaining.

Next, another polka (or "polka-mazurka"), this one from Joseph Snihur, proclaimed as the "Polka King" on this circa 1946 Sonart release. The decidedly more popular Frankie Yankovic would soon wrest the royal title away. Snihur, of Ukrainian descent, was based in New Jersey and often advertised in the local ethnic newspapers. This rough-and-ready performance is enjoyably gusty.

Arnold Stang

Remember "Jimmy Valentine," whom we covered back in 1928? Nineteen years later, the Lyn Duddy Swing Choir thought it might be a good idea to resurrect the song, give it some new lyrics, and employ the nasal squawk of Arnold Stang as the title character for this M-G-M recording. Stang was even then a star on the radio, and would become an even bigger star on television, where his tiny stature and bug-eyed appearance was a perfect complement to his uber-nerd voice.

Now on to a few songs that could actually be accused of being romantic. First is a 1947 recording from the great Gordon Jenkins, a superior reading of "My Funny Valentine" with a casual yet intimate vocal from Charles LaVere. The singer was by trade a pianist, whose day job at the time was in John Scott Trotter's band on the Bing Crosby radio show. Somehow he started singing with Jenkins on record, and soon they had a hit with "Maybe You'll Be There." I am preparing a post highlighting both LaVere's vocal and jazz talents.

Vocalist Jack Carroll joins us for "The Valentine Song," assisted by the Honeydreamers and Bill MacCrae's band. This was done for the small VITAcoustic label in 1947. Carroll would later become a busy studio singer. His Christmas LP appeared on this blog a number of years ago. The Honeydreamers also have been featured here.

The excellent pianist Paul Smith taped his composition "Cupid Took Me for a Ride" for the Discovery label in 1950. Tony Rizzi is the fine guitarist you hear.

Now on to one of my favorites from the set - Blackie Crawford and the Western Cherokees with their Western swing recording of "Stupid Cupid" (not the Connie Francis tune, I probably don't need to add). Blackie and the gang did this one for the Coral label in 1950. Although I doubt many of you have heard of this group, they did have a distinguished pedigree, having served as the backing band for Lefty Frizzell, George Jones and Ray Price. Read more about them in this excellent article.

We close with "Cupid" from the little-known McDonald Sisters, recorded for Modern in 1955. Although the artists' name might be unfamiliar, their sound is not - they were a vocal clone of the Chordettes.

All recordings were remastered by me from lossless originals found on Internet Archive. The sound is generally quite good - even from the acoustics.

Have a nice Valentine's Day, everyone!

Cy Coleman Plays and Sings Arlen's 'Jamaica'

Pianist and songwriter Cy Coleman also was a talented singer. Still, most of his records showcase his piano playing, where he was a virtuoso, rather than his vocal skills, where his natural gifts were modest. The most notable exception to this rule was a 1966 Columbia LP of his own compositions, which is quite wonderful, with his gift for wry interpretation on full display.

There are a few other examples of his way with a lyric, and today we have the first vocal recordings he made, per the superb Coleman biography, You Fascinate Me So, written by friend of the blog Andy Propst. Those four vocals are found on a LP of songs from the Arlen-Harburg musical Jamaica.

Ricardo Montalban and Lena Horne

When the record came out in 1957, Jamaica had just opened on Broadway. It was the second consecutive Arlen musical to take place in the Caribbean; his 1954 House of Flowers had a Haitian setting. Today the earlier musical is better remembered - it has the superior score - but Jamaica ran for much longer, possibly due to the star power of Lena Horne in a leading role. The production was not without its problems - here is a good article on the backstage dramatics.

Before Jamaica's opening, record companies lined up to exploit this potential blockbuster of a show by presenting their own takes on the Arlen score. There were four such LPs, per Andy's book, including jazz interpretations by Phineas Newborn Jr. and Don Elliott, along with Coleman's effort for the small Jubilee label.

It might seem odd to task Coleman with singing the score's quasi-patois lyrics, but he does well with Yip Harburg's topical and ironic words, supported by a vocal group. The vocal numbers are "I Don't Think I'll End It All Today," "Napoleon," "Little Biscuit" and "Push De Button." Oddly, the LP does not include "Ain't It the Truth," one of the best known songs from the score.

The cover notes get a few spellings wrong, so let me list the backing musicians. On the vocal numbers they are Romeo Penque, flute, Skeeter Best, guitar, Aaron Bell, bass, and Osie Johnson, drums. On the instrumentals, Barry Galbraith and Dan Perri replace Best. The arrangements are by Coleman and Bell.

The young piano prodigy,
courtesy You Fascinate Me So

As a bonus, I've added two of Coleman's early singles. "Sabia" and "Caprice" come from his first recording session, in March 1950. "South" and "In a Little Spanish Town" are from two years later. All show off Coleman's bristling piano technique. The first two items appeared on the blog several years ago in an LP compilation. These particular transfers come from the original 78s and have better sound. They were remastered from lossless originals found on Internet Archive. The sound from the LP, sourced from my own collection, is fine as well.

The cover presents one minor mystery - Coleman is shown against a backdrop of the Shubert Theater's marquee, but IBDB says the show was staged at the Imperial.

Andy's biography tells us that this LP came at a turning point for Coleman - he was just about to embark on a career as a composer for the stage, working with Carolyn Leigh. His greatest successes were yet to come.

By the way, Andy's latest book, The 100 Most Important People in Musical Theatre, just came out a few months ago.