Gordon Jenkins' Almanac

Composer-arranger Gordon Jenkins made just this one LP for RCA Victor's short-lived subsidiary, "X" Records, but it's a good one.

His not-terribly-original concept was to write a new song for each month in the year, and call it Gordon Jenkins' Almanac. None of the songs became hits, but even so, the record is pure delight.

The album dates to 1955. It and about six single sides were Jenkins' sole contributions to the "X" Records catalog before RCA disbanded that mark in 1956. Jenkins then moved on to Capitol.

Gordon Jenkins

"X" was actually Jenkins' third record label. The first records under his own name came out on Capitol in 1942. One of the label's earliest signings, he appears on about a dozen sides for the company, issued either under his own name and or as accompanist for Capitol vocalists. Early in the LP era, the label collected eight of those singles on the 10-inch LP Time to Dance with Gordon Jenkins, which I shared many years ago. I am preparing a newly remastered version of the LP, and including the additional singles as a bonus. 

Jenkins' biggest hit for Capitol came after he left the label. It was his song "San Fernando Valley," recorded by label co-founder Johnny Mercer with Paul Weston's orchestra in 1944.

Jenkins' next stop was Decca, which kept him busy with his own recordings (including the popular and trend-setting Manhattan Tower), his orchestrations for such singers as Dick Haymes, and his work with the Weavers. He brought that group to the label and had a handful of huge hits with them before they were blacklisted in 1952.

In late 1954, Jenkins moved on to RCA Victor, which engaged him to produce and record for its new subsidiary, "X" Records.

Gordon Jenkins' Almanac is a good compendium of his various styles. There are riff-based big band sounds such as "January Jumps," a march, waltzes, blues, night music, and his trademark sad song, in this case "Blue December," which portrays a lonely man reflecting on the upcoming holidays.

Bonus Single

I mentioned that Jenkins recorded several singles for "X" Records. One is included as a bonus with the LP. Although neither number is a Jenkins composition, both are of interest.

The single's "plug" side was "Goodnight, Sweet Dreams." Supposedly a "Lindeman-Stutz-Barefoot" composition, it bears more than a passing resemblance to the Weavers/Jenkins' greatest hit, "Goodnight, Irene." The uncredited soloist sounds very much like Lee Hays of the Weavers. Whether this was the still-blacklisted Hays incognito or merely a sound-alike, it makes for an enjoyable tune. The Weavers themselves would soon re-emerge to record a live album on Christmas Eve 1955 that was released by Vanguard in 1957 to much acclaim.

Stuart Foster

The "X" single's flip side, mentioned in tiny type in the ad above, is "Young Ideas," taken from the score for the TV musical The King and Mrs. Candle and written by Moose Charlap and Chuck Sweeney. It's a good song, treated to a superior vocal by Stuart Foster, a talented singer who never hit it big but whose skill and versatility made him popular with bands and in the studio. He will be the subject of an upcoming post.

The LP comes from my collection. Its sound was surprisingly opaque, so I brightened it up a touch. The single, conversely, was strident, so I have tamed it a bit. I found that 78 on Internet Archive.