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| Ralph Marterie |
As the title above proclaims, Marterie's focus was on dancing. He led one of the most prominent bands on campus during the 50s, along with Les Elgart, Ralph Flanagan, Ray Anthony, Les Brown and a few others.
This post includes:
- The 10-inch LP Dancing on the Down Beat from 1953
- The four songs added to that LP to compose the 1956 12-inch LP On Bandstand No. 1
- One additional song from the EP Dancers' Delight, which otherwise repeats three numbers from the LPs just mentioned
So 13 selections in total, some of which were originally issued as singles; "Pretend" and "Caravan" were even hits.
About Marterie: unlike most of his bandleader peers, Ralph (1914-78) had little experience with the prewar bands. He was a trumpeter in the NBC Chicago studio band, then led a Navy band during the war. Thereafter, he returned to Chicago but moved to the ABC band, where he became the leader. The local Mercury label soon offered him a contract, and his career took off.
Dancing on the Down Beat (10-inch LP)
We start off with Ralph's album Dancing on the Down Beat, its title signifying a seal of approval by the music magazine of that name. The cover makes the claim that Marterie was number one on campus. Not sure about that - I haven't turned up a specific campus poll - but his popularity was growing.
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| The Marterie band at the University of Montana |
As mentioned, Ralph had a hit with "Pretend," the song by Dan Belloc, Lew Douglas, Cliff Parman and Frank Levere. But Nat King Cole's vocal rendition was even bigger - it reached number 3 on the Billboard chart.
The flip side of Marterie's "Pretend" was "After Midnight," which Ralph wrote with a person named Schreier. This was probably Mercury's David Carroll, whose birth name was Rodell Schreier. "After Midnight" is notable as a boogie number with a guitar lead that gives it almost a proto-rockabilly feel. Marterie's band was proficient both with big-beat selections and ballads.
Otherwise, the 10-inch album includes :
- "Everything I Have Is Yours," the Burton Lane-Harold Adamson tune from the 1933 pic Dancing Lady
- "Hall of the Mountain King," a not-bad version of the selection from Edvard Grieg's Peer Gynt
- "Through for the Night," a piece by trombonist Trummy Young
- "Downbeat" by bandleader-critic Leonard Feather and a person named Webman
- "Dark Eyes," a version of the Russian song "Очи чёрные [Ochi chyornye]' by the poet Yevhen Hrebinka with a melody borrowed from a piano piece by Florian Hermann; the song was popularized by Feodor Chaliapin
- "La Rosita" by Gus Haenschen and Lester O'Keefe, dating from 1923
On Bandstand No. 1 (12-inch LP)
Mercury issued Marterie's On Bandstand No. 1 in 1956, adding four songs to the eight previously included in Dancing on the Down Beat.
The title and cover again play on the trumpeter's popularity with the campus crowd. (In the photo, the band must be on a break or something.)
The four additional selections are:
- "Darling Je Vous Aime Beaucoup," another Nat Cole hit. The Anna Sosenko song has just appeared on my other blog in a Jack Haskell vocal rendition.
- "Cherry Pink (and Apple Blossom White)," which was a 1955 US hit in Pérez Prado's version of the Louiguy song. (This song was recently posted here in a recording by a much different trumpeter - Chet Baker.)
- "Baritone Boogie," whose baritone sax lead gives the music a strong R&B feel. Marterie was a co-author of the piece.
- "Ciribiri Mambo," an adaptation of the 1898 Alberto Pestalozza song "Ciribiribin" that gained fame as Harry James' theme song. Here, Marterie and Gage Brewer have transformed it quite well into the newly popular mambo.
Dancer's Delight EP
The specter of a ghostly Ralph appears to be haunting the dance floor on the cover of this circa 1953 EP.
The record adds one number to three that are also found in the two LPs above.
The new item - a version of trombonist Juan Tizol's "Caravan" of Ellington fame - was an early 1953 single that did well for Marterie.
29 comments:
This is going to be GREAT! I have at least three Marterie LP's in my collection, plus I have an original 45 of "Caravan" and a different EP than the one posted here.
You did feature Marterie in the past, when he accompanied Vic Damone on some of his Mercury sides.
Fortunately, I don't have any of the records posted here aside from the "Caravan" single, so this should be a great listen.
musicman -Ah yes, forgot about the Damone sides! This is a very good record; I think you'll like it.
Great!
Ralph Marterie!!! For me one of the top acts on the Mercury label in the fifties. Thanks Buster, love this one.
Great
As usual something special. Many thanks Buster. A great start of the sunday.
Thanks as always, folks! Appreciate the comments.
Thanks for introducing me to another great artist!
thank you
Never heard of this bandleader and it is music that I generally would not normally listen to - but as it is you, with your impeccable taste - I'll take a punt and try it out - what's to lose I can easily delete it.
Much appreciate all the effort you have taken to share it with us.
Cheers.
Keek - You bet!
Always a pleasure, SD!
Anon - Ah, it's worth getting to know! Thanks so much for the compliment!
Good playing and arrangements. Even the novelty arrangements feature solid section and solo work. All of it swings. Solid 50's big band stuff!
Pretty rare for you to feature an artist you haven't touched on before. Don't know much about this guy except that some of his album covers make him out to be the Marlboro man. Not sure why, but I made that connection some time back and now that's all I see when I look at his mug. :)
Grover - Yes, it was quite a tight outfit.
Ernie - Yeah, IIRC some of his records are identified as Ralph Marterie and His Marlboro Men. Must have had the cig brand as a sponsor, perhaps on radio or TV.
Ah, that makes sense. :)
Great selections on these albums! "Down Beat" is a fun novelty, "Pretend" features the guitar sound that was a key part of Ralph's version of "Caravan", while "Everything I Have Is Yours" is outstanding, with an excellent Marterie trumpet solo. He had a sound and style that was hard to duplicate. He was often dubbed as "The Man Born For Horn." "Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup" is another great ballad, and the "Baritone Boogie" is lots of fun.
musicman - Agree, a fine set of songs!
Dave from Ardmore thinks it only fair you amend the post with the Esquire Boys recording of “Caravan,” which Ralph plagiarized for his 1954 million-seller version. The original is the record I bought. Marterie just isn’t in the same league with the like-minded bands of Elgart and Flanagan. But he did deserve your attention.
Dave - Excellent idea. I'll do a selection of their recordings for the other blog.
Thanks Buster. I think I only have 1 album with him in my entire collection, but I think it's time to reevaluate his work!
SwingKing - It's not really jazz, but it is very well done!
Hi Buster, I really liked this album. I went ahead and captured the other 4 albums you have shared by this artist.
This was my dads favorite type of music and the music he grew up on. He used to talk all about these bands and singers, good and bad. Growing up, I learned to like this music a lot as my father played it on an old Antique Philco Radio floor model. We had a similar TV/Radio to this. I seem to remember it was a Dumont. Both were from the early 1950s. They were beautiful pieces of furniture. He lovingly keep them in peak condition.
Bryan - Glad you like it! There's a fair amount of big band music on this blog, e.g., Les Brown, Ralph Flanagan, Les Elgart.
I know of all 3 of these guys. More so of Les, because I think he had something to do with Bob Hope?
I need to check out my Big Band folder and see who is lurking in there. About 10+ years ago i bought a 20 CD - 2 disc set that featured 20 of these artists with their greatest hits.
Plus, I have selected other discs from other artists.
I just noticed, I do not have anything from Les Brown or Ralph Flanagan unless they are on the non-catagory hard drive. Sometimes I can be un-organized. Did they, if so, I may have something in Christmas music from them? Who knows.
I do have something from Les Elgart though. Listening to it now. I can just see my dad leading the bands on that old Philco of his as he puttered around Saturday and or Sunday mornings in our garage and yard. And watch out, if my mother came outside, they would be dancing up a storm. My father "loved" to dance.
Bryan - Wonderful memories!
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