Maryla Jonas Remastered

Ten years ago I transferred three LPs with the playing of a forgotten pianist named Maryla Jonas (1911-59).

Jonas led a difficult life, well chronicled in a Wikipedia entry. From Poland, she fled the Nazis to Brazil and eventually the US. She was able to reestablish her career enough that she made a series of recordings for Columbia, centered on Chopin.

These performances are extraordinary, combining technical control with depth of feeling - often melancholy.

The LPs I transferred, all of Chopin, are newly remastered.

Piano Music of Chopin

Jonas' first album came from 1946, with a mixed program as follows:

Mazurka in B-Flat major

Mazurka in F minor, op. 68, no. 4

Mazurka in G minor, op. 67, no. 2

Mazurka in B minor, op. 30, no. 2

Nocturne in E minor, op. 72, no. 1

Nocturne in C sharp minor, Op posth

Waltz in D-flat major, op. 70, no. 3

Waltz in G-flat major, op. 70, no. 1

Polonaise in B-flat major, op. 71, no. 2

LINK

Chopin - Mazurkas

Jonas recorded two programs of Mazurkas, in 1947 and 1949. These were combined in a 1953 Columbia Entré LP:

Mazurka in F major, op. 68, no. 3

Mazurka in G major Op posth

Mazurka in C minor, op. 56, no. 3

Mazurka in E minor, op. 41, no. 2

Mazurka in A-flat major, op. 41, no. 4

Mazurka in C minor, op. 30, no. 1

Mazurka in A-flat major, op. 24, no. 3

Mazurka in A minor, op. posth. 'Notre temps'

Mazurka in C-sharp minor, op. 30, no. 4

Mazurka in E minor, op. 17, no. 2

Mazurka in C major, op. 24, no. 1

Mazurka in A minor, op. 17, no. 4

Mazurka in A-flat major, op. 17, no. 3

Mazurka in A minor, op. 59, no. 1

Mazurka in G-sharp minor, op. 33, no. 1

Mazurka in A minor, op. 67, no. 4

Mazurka in C-sharp minor, op. 63, no. 3

Mazurka in C major, op. 7, no. 5

LINK

Chopin - Nocturnes

In 1950, Columbia recorded Jonas in five Nocturnes:

Nocturne in E-flat major, op. 9, no. 2

Nocturne in B major, op. 32, no. 1

Nocturne in G minor, op. 15, no. 3

Nocturne in B-flat minor, op. 9, no. 1

Nocturne in F minor, op. 55, no. 1

LINK

The Early Sylvia Syms, Vol. 1

Sylvia Syms was a remarkably good singer, especially early in her career. Today at the instigation of friend and vocal connoisseur Dave Federman, I'm starting a series that will present Sylvia's first three LPs, plus a bonus item or two.

Dave actually asked me for Syms' third album, but I think it's best to do these things in my usual chronological order, which gives the blog a veneer of orderliness not otherwise found in my affairs.

About Sylvia Syms

Sylvia Syms

Born Sylvia Blagman in Brooklyn, Syms (1917-92) was a club singer in New York throughout the 1940s. Her first records were for the small DeLuxe label in 1947. (Those records have not surfaced so far in my searches.) 

She was both an actor and a singer; her best-known part was as Bloody Mary in South Pacific. Her booming contralto, good cheer and depth of feeling must have made her perfect for the role. Those qualities are in evidence in this collection.

Syms was well regarded throughout her career, without ever becoming well known - or if her friend the pianist Barbara Carroll is to be believed, without working all that often. The vocalist died on stage at the Oak Room in the Algonquin Hotel, doing what she did so well.

As is often the case with singers who made their livings in smoke-filled clubs, her voice was freshest when she was younger, Her best-known LP is a late one - Syms by Sinatra, conducted by her great admirer Frank Sinatra, who otherwise only led LPs for Alec Wilder, Peggy Lee and Dean Martin. But her best records are from the 1950s.

Songs by Sylvia Syms (10-inch version)

Sylvia made two 10-inch LPs, both of which will appear here. It's not clear which was first - they both date from about 1952 - but let's start with the better known of the two: Songs by Sylvia Syms on Atlantic, which at the time had a substantial roster of New York club singers along with its formidable R&B contingent. The album was later expanded into a 12-inch LP, which we'll get to in the next section.

This record - at least the 10-inch version of it - was recorded in the early hours of March 8, 1952, following Barbara Carroll's set with her trio (with Joe Shulman on bass and Herb Wasserman on drums). The group is excellent, if under recorded.

Barbara Carroll, Joe Shulman, Herb Wasserman

Syms, who is in strong voice, begins has set with a real find - "There's Something About an Old Love," by bandleader Will Hudson and Lupin Fein. It's a song that can sound sentimental, but here Sylvia brings an appealing wistfulness to her singing that elevates the piece.

Syms does the same for a much better-known composition - Porter's "Down in the Depths (On the Ninetieth Floor)." The premise can seem contrived, but Sylvia is so sincere and so into the lyrics that the artifice is dispelled. She begins with the almost never heard verse, which sets off the Latin-tinged chorus extremely well.

Syms then tempts fate by presenting an even more overexposed song - "Mountain Greenery." Here she shows her jazz ability through subtle shadings of both the melody line and the rhythms. Her good cheer is irresistible.

The Duke-Harburg "What Is There to Say" is another cabaret favorite, but again Syms' leisurely and well considered reading does full justice to the song, which comes from the Ziegfeld Follies of 1934.

"Imagination" was one of the first Johnny Burke-Jimmy Van Heusen songs. Dating from 1940, it was a hit for the Tommy Dorsey and Glenn Miller bands. Sylvia reveals the depths in the song.

Benny Carter's "Lonely Woman" is the prize of the LP. It's been said that the song was written for Syms. I'm not sure that is true; I've also read it was written in the 1930s. Whether or not intended for Sylvia, she certainly makes it her own. It's heart-rending.

Next, she shows her range with a rollicking version of "Can't You Just See Yourself." This comes from the 1947 musical High Button Shoes, set in 1913. Cahn and Styne's excellent song - although it does reflect the influence of "Surrey with the Fringe on Top," at least lyrically - is one of Syms' best performances. She bends the melody at the outset, letting us know she's about to have fun. And she does, clearly delighted by the prospect of imagining herself "in a gingham gown, little pink ribbons tied in my hair." Just a delight.

The Gershwins' soaring "Love Walked In" ends the program of the 10-inch LP. While Sylvia's reading is perfectly fine, it does lack some of the exhilaration implicit in Ira's lyrics.

Songs by Sylvia Syms (12-inch version)

In early 1954, Atlantic decided to expand the 10-inch album into the 12-inch format that was taking over the market. Apparently, the cover artist thought that the best way to attract an audience was to design a swirl such as you would see in the smallest room in your house.

For the four additional songs, Atlantic brought in a highly accomplished septet conducted and arranged by the talented Johnny Richards. They provide a perfect complement to the trio sounds heard on the 10-inch edition.

Johnny Richards

The songs were complementary as well, with Syms at her playful best throughout the set. First up is "Paradise," which can be best described as overheated in Sylvia's hands. This is rhythm singing at its finest. "Paradise" is a Nacio Herb Brown and Gordon Clifford item from 1931 that is generally sung so as to suggest great ardor in a romantic sense. With Syms, it's frankly sexual. The soloists are Al Cohn on tenor sax and Kai Winding on trombone.

"Comes Love" is now a standard, although it originated in a hayseed epic called Yokel Boy that ran for several months on Broadway in 1939. Charles Tobias, Lew Brown and Sam H. Stept were the songwriters, Judy Canova the singer. Syms wrings every bit of juice out of the number.

Murray Mencher and Billy Moll wrote "I Want a Little Girl" in 1930, a song that Sylvia turns into "I Want a Little Boy."

The final song added to the 12-inch version of the LP is No, No, Nanette's "Tea for Two," written by Vincent Youmans and Irving Caesar. Sylvia greatly manipulates the simplistic melody line, showing off her jazz ability.

Bonus Track - "Don't Wait up For Me"

Syms recorded four single tracks for Atlantic in November 1953. I located one on Internet Archive. It's a moody "I'm-leaving" song written by Sylvia's fellow cabaret performer Charles DeForest titled "Don't Wait Up for Me."

DeForest has appeared on my other blog with his early recordings for Bell.

Atlantic's label claims that Syms' accompaniment is by Larry Clinton and an orchestra, but that may not be so. At the time Clinton was recording for Bell. He backed DeForest on two songs and among others was the bandleader for a singer named Sylvia Sims. I have the records, and Sims is not Syms to my ears.

Whoever did the charts, they are well in tune with this sad song that is nonetheless effective.

DeForest and Syms also recorded for the short-lived Version label, which as far as I can tell only issued three albums. (The other was a reading of Balzac by deejay-announcer Ken Nordine. Version was a niche label.) My next Syms post will be her Version LP.

LINK

Bach for Easter with Robert Shaw

To mark Easter this year, we have the Robert Shaw Chorale's performance of Bach's profound Cantata Christ lag in Todensbaden (Christ Lay in the Bonds of Death), BWV 4.

The composition itself is an early one by the composer, dating from 1707 when he was in Mühlhausen. It is believed that he wrote the piece for an Easter performance that year.

The work is considered a "chorale cantata," a form that is generally based on a hymn tune, in this case Martin Luther's work of the same name published in 1524. For Bach, this chorale style would be succeeded by the recitative and aria format he would soon begin to use.

The Easter Cantata that is known to us today is a version that Bach performed in 1724 and 1725 at services in the Thomaskirche Leipzig.

Robert Shaw

This excellent performance dates from 1946. It was recorded in New York's Town Hall, I believe during the same sessions as the Cantata BWV 140 Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme (Awake, a Voice Calls Us, also known as Sleepers Awake).

The performers are listed on the cover as the RCA Victor Chorale and Orchestra, but the choral group is of course the Robert Shaw Chorale. Although some movements are designated as "duet" or "aria" as well as "chorale," in this performance Shaw allots all sections to the chorus.

The contemporary reviews I have found were generally positive. Here is the American Record Guide: "That Mr. Shaw's Chorale makes a fine and impressive sound is certainly no news, and we have come to expect clarity in their singing of contrapuntal passages. This we certainly get in the opening chorus, though somewhat to the detriment of the orchestra. If the conductor has not probed the depths of the mystery expressed in the first section he gives the hallelujahs with proper spirit and sweep."

LINK

Abravanel Conducts Music by Randall Thompson

A year ago I transferred Howard Hanson's classic recording of Randall Thompson's The Testament of Freedom. Today we have a fine stereo recording of that 1943 work, coupled with the composer's Symphony No. 1 (1930).

These come to us from Maurice Abravanel and the Utah Symphony in a 1978 recording. It was among the last that the conductor would make before his retirement the following year.

Maurice Abravanel

Like the other late Utah-Abravanel discs that have been presented here, this is a fine achievement, well recorded and rewarding to hear.

As I wrote a year ago, The Testament of Freedom was not without its detractors among critics. But David Hall of Stereo Review was a proponent, even if he had his doubts about the Utah performance: "The deeply moving texts for men's chorus from the writings of Thomas Jefferson can stir American souls in much the same way that the patriotic texts for Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky can affect a contemporary Russian. Regrettably, however, Maurice Abravanel simply fails to give the music the rhythmic vitality it needs."

My own view is different: I found the Hanson to be overdone, and the Abravanel to be more effective because it is less bombastic. A year ago I quoted a review from The New Records that summarizes my feeling about the piece: "Mr. Thompson's work manages to be impressive without being melodramatically sensational and, from a technical standpoint, is quite well-wrought."

Randall Thompson

Hall of Stereo Review explains the genesis of the other work on the Angel LP: "Thompson's First Symphony seems an odd piece on first hearing because it is 'unsymphonic' - for instance, it makes no use of sonata form. The jacket notes fail to explain the reasons for this, but in his article 'The Music of Randall Thompson' (Musical Quarterly, January 1949), Elliott Forbes tells us that this symphony was an outgrowth of the composer's setting of two odes of Horace for soloist, chorus, and orchestra (they were planned as a sequel to his Five Odes of Horace completed in 1924). Thompson evidently despaired of the new odes ever coming to performance and therefore in 1929 rescored them for orchestra alone as the First Symphony."

Hall finds the first symphony to be inferior to Thompson's second (which has appeared on this blog in a reading led by Dean Dixon). To me, comparisons like this are curiously pointless. The first symphony, here in what appears to be its first recording, is a fine, ingratiating work in its own right, although much different from the second.

The composer's own view of the work, as conveyed in the liner notes to the Angel recording: "My First Symphony was written during the years 1925-29. This was an age of exuberance and high spirits between the two World Wars. This period represents an emergence of a feeling that American music must sound American. The Symphony is sometimes reflective and sometimes tinged with sentiment and tenderness, but it is not problematic and is not a contest between comedy and tragedy. It is what is known as 'pure' music, having no story to tell, only a series of musical sections, displaying reflection, serenity, vitality and intensity."

Born in 1899, Thompson would live for another six years following this recording. He is most associated with Harvard, although he also taught at Wellesley, Virginia, and the Curtis Institute, where he was president for a term.

LINK

A 'Warning Shot' from Si Zentner

My previous post from Si Zentner's big band showed him as a interpreter of the pop songs of the day, including his own hit version of "Up a Lazy River."

Today his band takes on Jerry Goldsmith's music from the 1966 thriller Warning Shot, along with other themes from the same brilliant composer.

Jerry Goldsmith

Warning Shot was a return to the big screen (and they were big back then) for David Janssen, who had just completed a highly successful run on television's The Fugitive. The actor had been in Hollywood since the mid-50s, and would continue to star both in films and on TV until his early death in 1980.

Warning Shot was one of those Hollywood productions where the supporting actors were primarily famous faces - Steve Allen, Ed Begley, Joan Collins, Lillian Gish, George Sanders, Keenan Wynn - all that were missing were Jonathan Winters and the Three Stooges.

The story did inspire a taut and entirely characteristic score from Goldsmith, done ample justice by a extraordinary studio band led by Zentner. Let me acknowledge here the important contribution by arranger Bob Florence, who often worked with Si as a lead arranger for Liberty records.

Bob Florence

Music from Warning Shot takes up one side of the record. The second side is a recap of some of Goldsmith's other themes. This is with the odd exception of Livingston and Evans' oldie "Mona Lisa," apparently included because Goldsmith used it as source music in one Warning Shot scene.

The first number on side two is the "Von Ryan March" from Von Ryan's Express, which is oddly reminiscent of the theme song from the television show Hogan's Heroes, which had premiered in 1965. Then again, both are descendants of the Kenneth Alford's "Colonel Bogey March" as whistled by the prisoners in 1957's The Bridge on the River Kwai, in the memorable Malcolm Arnold arrangement.

Si Zentner

The three remaining cuts are varied, but all played well by Zentner's band. First is Goldsmith's theme from The Prize, which was billed as "the bold new look in love and suspense," taking place in the unlikely setting of the Nobel Prize awards.

Much different is the theme from A Patch of Blue, a film with Sidney Poitier and Elizabeth Hartman, with Shelley Winters as the meanie.

Finally, we have the theme from the popular television program The Man from U.N.C.L.E., one of a spate of spy-themed shows then in vogue.

The arrangements on side two are by big-band veteran Don Dimick. This side has its charms, but the best music is on side one.

There was no soundtrack LP from Warning Shot; this is one of those "music from" albums, but highly effective in its own right. The sound is excellent.

LINK

A Beethoven Program from Berlin

Paul van Kempen

Conductors and soloists who did not record in the stereo era are often forgotten. A good example is Fritz Lehmann, recently heard here in a Romantic overtures program. He died in 1956. Another is Paul van Kempen, who lived from 1893-1955 and was active as a conductor for little more than 20 years.

For longer-lived artists, their stereo recordings often overshadow worthy readings of the same pieces made in the mono era. This was the case with pianist Wilhelm Kempff and to a lesser degree violinist Wolfgang Schneiderhan.

So today we have a program of Beethoven featuring those three musicians in Deutsche Grammophon recordings from Berlin made in 1952-53, before the stereo era.

The program begins with the Consecration of the House Overture, continuing with the Violin Concerto and the Piano Concerto No. 4.

Consecration of the House Overture

The recordings all come from the Jesus-Christus-Kirche, DG's invariable recording site for the Berlin Philhamonic during this period. Van Kempen's Consecration of the House Overture from 1952 provides a hugely dramatic opening to the program in one of the most effective performances I have heard. The contemporary critics called it "imposing" and "forceful, idiomatic."

The sound here and throughout the program is excellent mono. These transfers all come from US Decca's licensed pressings from DG masters.

Violin Concerto

Like van Kempen, Wolfgang Schneiderhan (1915-2002) had a extensive career playing in orchestras before he began a full-time career as a soloist. The Vienna native had been the concertmaster of that city's famed Philharmonic from 1937-51. The next year he was to make a famous set of the Beethoven sonatas with Kempff. This recording of the concerto comes from the next year.

Wolfgang Schneiderhan

Schneiderhan's stereo recordings are far better known, not least because he had introduced his own adaptation of Beethoven's cadenzas for the piece. The composer did not write those cadenzas directly for the violin concerto, but rather for his adaptation of that work for the piano. But here we have what I believe are the cadenzas by Joseph Joachim. (Please correct me if I am mistaken.)

In her obituary for Schneiderhan, Anne Inglis wrote in The Guardian, "Wolfgang Schneiderhan’s first commercial recording of the Beethoven Concerto (under Paul van Kempen, for DG) was long considered a benchmark: its purity, dignity and sense of inner calm were often favourably compared with the more extrovert, even glamorous qualities claimed by its various rivals."

The truthful sound from 1953 is well in tune with the performance of Schneiderhan and the Berliners under van Kempen.

Piano Concerto No. 4

Wilhelm Kempff (1895-1991) elicited superlatives from the critics throughout his life and thereafter. Here's Dabid Mermelstein in the Wall Street Journal: "The German pianist Wilhelm Kempff was blessed with more attributes than any artist seems entitled to, even a great one like him. Intelligence, grace, tonal beauty, technical aplomb and interpretive rigor were hallmarks of his playing."

Wilhelm Kempff

Kempff recorded both mono and stereo Beethoven concerto cycles. "His stereo set from 1961, with Ferdinand Leitner conducting, still rightly sits prominently on many record shelves," Mermelstein wrote. "And were I sent to that proverbial desert island, I wouldn’t want to be without his mono survey from 1953, with Paul van Kempen on the podium. I cannot recall another cycle that possesses authority and poetry in such equal measure."

The pianist was inclined to ruminate about music. Here is what he said about the opening of the fourth concerto in 1951: "The orchestra is silent. But is not the piano also silent in its own way? These first bars should not really be played at all; it is just a listening to the soul ... There is infinite charm in this allegro moderato, in which Beethoven proves his genius as a composer. Everything is spiritual, and even the dramatic development only serves to show what peace of soul really is."

I am inclined to prefer the more straightforward approaches of Maurizio Pollini and Noel Mewton-Wood.

Ad in The Gramophone

But the Kempff-van Kempen recording is rightfully considered a classic, although not uniformly. The critic of The Gramophone, Malcolm MacDonald, complained that the first movement lacked "effortless repose" and that the cadenzas - which I believe are Kempff's own - were "unsuitable."

Here, too, the sound is excellent. These recordings come from my collection and Internet Archive.

LINK

The 'Cool Canaries' Chirp with George Shearing

"Cool Canaries" is typical terminology from the 1950s. It lets us know that we're going to hear some singers, and they are cool, man.

And they are cool - Billy Eckstine, Teddi King and the Ray Charles Singers, the latter of whom has appeared here a few times recently.

That said, in the 1950s, "cool jazz" had a specific meaning, and none of these artists will remind you of, say, Chet Baker's balladry.

George Shearing

Even so, they are all talented musicians, appearing here in the company of George Shearing's Quintet, which had a well-defined sound by this time - piano and vibes in unison, often with the guitar along, supported by bass and drums, with frequent solos by the leader.

The recordings date from 1951-54. Let's discuss them by the vocalists involved.

Teddi King

Teddi King

A native of Boston, Teddi King (1929-77) began her recording career with Nat Pierce and His Orchestra in 1949. (I've added two of those songs to the set as a bonus.) She began touring with George Shearing in 1952, when the six songs on this LP were recorded.

The set is successful even though the first item we hear is her weakest performance. King's a singer I admire, but she did occasionally make a meal out of some meager rations. "The Love Nest" was written by Louis Hirsch and Otto Harbach for the 1920 musical Mary, but by the 1950s was best known as the theme of the Burns and Allen Show on television. King takes the opening stanza - "Just a love nest, cozy and warm / Like a dove nest down on the farm" very slowly and intensely, as if it contained some profound meaning. Most of the performance is like that.

Things improve for the other numbers. Next up is "I Wished on the Moon," a standard written by Ralph Rainger and Dorothy Parker for The Big Broadcast of 1936. Bing Crosby introduced it; the first recording was by Billie Holiday with Teddy Wilson. Teddi does not suffer in comparison.

Four of the King-Shearing songs were issued on EP in England

"Love (Your Spell Is Everywhere)" (often called "Love (Your Magic Spell Is Everywhere)") comes from the 1929 film The Trespasser, where Gloria Swanson made her talkie debut by singing. The music is by the versatile Edmund Goulding, also the film's director, working with Elsie Janis, who was just as multifaceted, being an actor and screenwriter as well as lyricist. The song is well suited to King's emotive way of singing.

"Moonlight in Vermont" was a relatively new song when Teddi and George recorded it. Margaret Whiting had a hit with it in 1944. It was far and away the best-known song written by Karl Suessdorf or John Blackburn.

The next selection is an obscure one, but still a song that King had in her repertoire for some time. "Midnight Belongs to You" is a song by Clark and Gentile, of whom I know nothing. It's worth hearing in this sincere rendition.

The final number from Teddi is another standard introduced by Bing - "It's Easy to Remember (and So Hard to Forget)." A Rodgers and Hart song, it comes from the 1935 film Mississippi.

The bonus items with Nat Pierce's orchestra are covered at the end of the post.

The Ray Charles Singers

What is notable about the Ray Charles Singers' selections is that they were all written by Shearing himself. Leading off the LP is the most famous song of the group - "Lullaby of Birdland." Shearing wrote the piece for New York's Birdland club to use as its signature instrumental. He recorded it as such in 1952. George David Weiss (under the name B.Y. Forster) wrote the lyrics thereafter, which were first recorded by Ella Fitzgerald in 1954. The song itself was based on Walter Donaldson's "Love Me or Leave Me." Regardless, it's a brilliant, infectious work even if Weiss/Forster's words aren't up to Shearing/Donaldson's music.

Ray Charles in 1975

A few months after Ella's session, Shearing and Charles got together for their recording date, adding three other songs to the schedule along with "Lullaby." The other items were all written by a lyricist I believe to be Bill Hegner. They are attractive numbers that should be better known - "Nothing New Under the Sun," "Slowly but Surely" and "Adieu."

The Charles troupe does not sound much like they do in the albums I have posted already, and while they are highly accomplished and great to hear, they were not a jazz group. For whatever reason, the vocals on all these numbers were buried in the mix, which didn't do justice to either the vocalists or the songs. I've raised the singers' level accordingly.

"Lullaby of Birdland" and "Adieu" were issued on singles, but as far as I can tell this LP was the only outing for the other songs.

Billy Eckstine

Billy Eckstine

Billy Eckstine was associated with the bop movement throughout his early career, leading a big band with luminaries of the new jazz. But on record, his biggest successes were as a balladeer, so when he moved to the M-G-M label in 1947, they recorded him primarily with plush backings provided by Hugo Winterhalter. A string of hits ensued.

In 1951, Eckstine met up with Shearing for what I believe to be their only recordings together. Billy is in sonorous voice for two standards. "Taking a Chance on Love" comes from the 1940 musical Cabin in the Sky. Ethel Waters introduced the Vernon Duke melody, with words by John Latouche and Ted Fetter.

English EP - the two did not sing together; the photo is a composite

Walter Donaldson returns with "You're Driving Me Crazy (What Did I Do?)," a 1930 song from Smiles, where it was performed by Adele Astaire and Eddie Foy, Jr. Here, too, Donaldson's work was the basis of a well-known jazz number: "Moten Swing."

Bonus Songs with Teddi King

Teddi King made several recordings with pianist Nat Pierce's short-lived big band in 1949 and 1950. Two of them are included as bonuses.

Nat Pierce

Pierce had organized a stentorian band in the mold of Kenton, with idiosyncratic arrangements reminiscent of George Handy's work with Boyd Raeburn. Surprisingly, this is less noticeable in the jazz piece - "Goodbye Mr. Chops" - than it is in the nominal ballad, Don Raye and Gene de Paul's "You Don't Know What Love Is."

King's vocals are in two different styles as well - Anita O'Day hip in "Goodbye Mr. Chops" and more straightforward, if somewhat mannered, in the ballad. Her approach was more settled when she recorded with Shearing a few years later.

These are nonetheless impressive performances, well recorded for the small Motif label. Internet Archive is the source of the two 78s. The Cool Canaries LP is from my collection.

LINK to Cool Canaries and Teddi King bonus tracks

New Transfer of Shearing's First American Recordings

This unusual cover adorned the LP version of George Shearing's 1947 sessions for the Savoy label - his first American recordings.

I transferred the album many years ago, but have never been happy with the sound. Now I've done a new version with much better sonics, if hardly modern or even good for the time.

This is Shearing before his familiar quintet sound, with only bass and piano backing.

LINK to previous post on Shearing's 1947 recordings