A Dance Date with Ralph Marterie

Here's a very enjoyable LP from Ralph Marterie that takes you to a dance at what appears to be a country club. The wonderful cover artwork presents an idealized mid-50s scene, with the couple about to hear music by Marterie.

They would have been fortunate, because Ralph had an excellent, tight ensemble at the time - a big band with R&B inclinations, and even a country tune in the set.

The album comes from 1954, but presents songs that had appeared or were about to appear as singles or on the EPs below.

The LP starts off with a real winner - a scorching version of "Bumble Boogie" with Ralph tracing the flight of the bee on his trumpet - amazingly, too, although there is one clumsy edit that may have covered up a clam (to mix up bees and mollusks).

"Bumble Boogie" of course comes from "The Flight of the Bumblebee," an interlude in Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's 1900 opera The Tale of Tsar Sultan. In 1946 pianist Jack Fina had the idea of adapting it into a piano piece, which he then recorded with Freddy Martin's orchestra. More about that below - the Martin single is included as a bonus track.

The second item is much different - the "Love Theme (from The Glenn Miller Story)," here just called "Love Theme." It's a lovely, sensitive version of an early Henry Mancini composition. There was a version with words, too. Don Raye added the lyrics, making "Love Theme" into the ballad "Too Little Time." Steve Lawrence's version is included as a bonus.

"The Creep" is the handiwork of British bandleader Ken Mackintosh, writing as "Andy Burton." The busy lyricist Carl Sigman added words, not included in this recording.

"Purple Shades" is a slow number written by Dooley, Douglas and Lavere. "Douglas" is probably Lew Douglas, who was associated with Marterie's label, Mercury. "Lavere" is possibly the Chicago-based jazzman and sometimes singer Charlie Lavere, I have to hang down my head, because I don't know who Dooley might be. [Update: reader Boursin found the copyright registration for the song. The authors are Lew Douglas (as surmised), Frank Lavere and Phil Dooley. Thanks, Boursin!]

The song "Deep Forest" has a distinguished lineage. It was co-written by famed bandleader-pianist Earl Hines, British pianist-songwriter Reginald Foresythe and noted lyricist Andy Razaf. Hines first recorded it in 1932.

We're back in boogie territory with "Dry Marterie," which the bandleader himself co-wrote.

"Detour" is a Western swing standard wrote and first recorded by Paul Westmoreland and His Pecos River Boys. The hit version was by Spade Cooley, which can be found in this collection. Both Westmoreland and Cooley utilized vocalists, but Marterie's version is an instrumental boogie (of course).

Next is a standard, "Moonlight in Vermont," first recorded by Margaret Whiting in 1944. The authors were  Karl Suessdorf and John Blackburn. Marterie's version was possibly prompted by the popular 1952 recording from guitarist Johnny Smith, with a tenor sax solo from Stan Getz.

"Pennsylvania Turnpike" is a rousing riff song of uncertain provenance. In this ode to blacktop, the band warns us, "Don't you hitchhike / And you better not ride a bike!"

Reissue cover on the budget Wing label.
Apparently Ralph always carried a trumpet.

The bandleader Noro Morales wrote "Oye Negra" along with Johnny Camacho, and recorded it in 1942. For some reason, Marterie's single version was titled "Bongo Guitar (Oye Negra)." The bongo name was dropped for the LP.

From about the same time as "Oya Negra" was "Take the 'A' Train," one of the signature Ellington numbers, written for the band by Billy Strayhorn.

Another boogie closes the LP - the lively "Chicken Boogie," which Marterie wrote with arranger Billy VerPlanck. The latter worked freelance for many of the bands of the time, and played trombone in some of them. He may well have arranged some of the other songs on this album. 

This latter song has a robust baritone sax solo from Charlie Spero, who is heard periodically in the album. The Mercury Records discography does not list a guitarist in the band, although one is heard throughout the set. That soloist may be George Barnes, although I believe he had left Chicago for New York by the time this LP was recorded.

The sound of the disc is really fine - clear and punchy.

Bonus Songs

Jack Fina and Bumble Boogie

"Bumble Boogie" was pianist Jack Fina's claim to fame. His 1946 version with Freddy Martin was a huge hit, and he soon went out on his own, with Martin's backing. Fina claimed to have written the piece, both on the label and later in the intro to a V-Disc he recorded. He did arrange it, but the composer was Rimsky-Korsakov, of course (sa-kov).

Young Steve Lawrence and his early hit

Steve Lawrence did well for King records with his recording of "Too Little Time," the "Love Theme from The Glenn Miller Story." His singing is suitably impassioned. His style is undoubtedly from the Sinatra school (and arranger Glenn Osser from the Axel Stordahl academy), but his phrasing here is reminiscent of the big voice belters who were then popular. It's a coincidence, but Steve even sounds like the marvelous country singer Marty Robbins, who was yet to have a pop hit when this record was made. This record was a indicator of Steve's great talent. His complete King recordings can be found here.

LINK to Dance Date and bonus songs

From the Back Room: Royal Wedding

This is an addendum to my recent post of songs from Jane Powell's career at M-G-M. It's separate because I wanted to focus on the score of this film, 1951's Royal Wedding, because it is so good and should be better known. The composer was Burton Lane and the lyricist Alan Jay Lerner, who also wrote the screenplay.

This post consists of a transfer of the 10-inch LP.

There's a bonus of more Fred - four songs from the original 78 album of The Barkleys of Broadway, the 1949 film with Ginger Rogers.

Fred Astaire and Jane Powell

In the film, Fred Astaire and Jane Powell play a brother-sister song and dance team who take a show to  London in time for the 1947 wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten. The usual musical-comedy entanglements ensue, but they end up married to their true loves (Sarah Churchill and Peter Lawford, both inert).

The important thing is the music, and it's splendid, although only the first song on the LP had any currency, then or now. It is "Too Late Now," a gorgeous ballad that Powell presents with her usual emotional intensity.

The next song on the LP, "Ev'ry Night at Seven," is actually the first musical number in the film; it's from the show-within-a-show that Astaire and Powell were to take to London. Astaire is exceptional, as always.

"The Happiest Day of My Life" is Powell's inexplicable paean of attachment to Lawford.

Powell, Astaire and the hat he left in Haiti

"I Left My Hat in Haiti" is a riotously colorful production piece, dated but with a witty Lerner lyric.

"Sunday Jumps" is the number where Fred dances with a hat rack in place of his absent sister. No vocal here, but a chance for the excellent M-G-M Orchestra to show off, under Johnny Green.

"Open Your Eyes" is another lovely ballad for Powell. It takes place on a ocean liner, and devolves into a set piece when the ship hits rough seas.

"You're All the World to Me" is the musical accompaniment to Astaire's famed "dancing on the ceiling" routine. It's quite a good song, which in retrospect has been overshadowed by Fred's dance.

"How Could You Believe Me" etc.

"How Could You Believe Me When I Said I Love You When You Know I've Been a Liar All My Life" is a comic number with the brother-and-sister duo playing low-lifes. It's broad, as the photo above suggests. This kind of number was also used as a change of pace in M-G-M musicals ("Be a Clown," etc.),

This brief discussion does not do the songs justice - it's a very good score. The film was a box-office success but is not all that well remembered, possibly because of the weak supporting cast, including a hammy Keenan Wynn in a dual role.

These musicals were notable for their brilliant orchestrations. In this case, the credited orchestrator was Skip Martin; IMDb tells us that the uncredited Conrad Salinger, Robert Franklyn, Paul Marquardt and Albert Sendrey contributed.

LINK to Royal Wedding

The Barkleys of Broadway

M-G-M issued four songs from 1949's The Barkleys of Broadway in a soft-cover 78 album that I transferred 12 years ago for my other blog. I've now revisited the files and the sound is much improved.

Here is my assessment from back then: 

The plug song from this production was the (to me) almost unlistenable "My One and Only Highland Fling," with the performers adopting broader accents than would be heard in your local high school's presentation of Brigadoon, and the added detraction of Rogers' wavering intonation. But things improve thereafter, and Astaire is terrific in the other numbers - although "Shoes with Wings On" isn't much of a song.

To me, one of the great pleasures of this package is the work of Conrad Salinger (and perhaps other studio hands) on the arrangements, which are simply glorious, and extremely well played by the orchestra led by Lennie Hayton. The sound on these original 78s is very vivid.

"Shoes with Wings On"

I should add that Astaire is excellent in "You'd Be Hard to Replace" by Harry Warren and Ira Gershwin, and in a reprise of the Gerhswins' "They Can't Take That Away from Me."

By the way, the songs from most Astaire-Rogers films are available here.

LINK to The Barkleys of Broadway

From the Back Room: Music by Balakirev

Mili Balakirev (1837-1910) is known more for his influence on other composers, such as Tchaikovsky, than for his own music.

Young Balakirev

That said, Balakirev's Islamey, Tamara and Russia are heard now and then. And his Overture on Themes of Three Russian Songs, which leads off today's LP, has even appeared on this blog before - in the Kansas City Philharmonic recording led by Hans Schwieger. It's an appealing work. When I posted the Kansas City disc, I noted that Schwieger had chosen "scores that were unusual but still appealing."

The performances on today's LP are old-school Russian, and of uncertain vintage. They have a rough and ready feel that is something of a shock to Western sensibilities. But they also are authentic for their period.

Nikolai Anosov

The Overture on Themes of Three Russian Songs is conducted by Nikolai Anosov (1900-62) with the USSR State Symphony Orchestra, which I believe is now the Moscow State Symphony. Anosov was the orchestra's music director from 1945-50.

Also on this LP is Balakirev's complete incidental music for a production of Shakespeare's King Lear, a rarity. The overture is occasionally heard, but the set of incidental music as it appears here not so.

Leo Ginsburg

The King Lear music is conducted by Leo Ginzburg (1901-79), who leads the USSR Radio Symphony Orchestra, now known as the Tchaikovsky Symphony.

Both works were written in 1858, early in Balakirev's career, when he was barely in his 20s. The Overture on Russian Themes is an overt expression of the Russian musical nationalism that the composer promoted.

But what of the Shakespeare music? Leon Botstein has written: "Since Shakespeare had been appropriated by the French and German in translation, [Russian] nationalist intellectuals used Shakespeare to demonstrate that Slavic languages ... could transmit the English original of the world’s greatest playwright just as well as German or French ... Not surprisingly, many nineteenth-century Russian and Czech composers were eager to write symphonic music designed to accompany or evoke popular nationalist productions of Shakespeare’s plays."

The Overture on Russian Themes is vividly played, as was the Russian manner at the time. If you listen into the third minute of the overture, you will hear a familiar theme later used by Tchaikovsky in his Symphony No. 4. The recording is reasonably good mono.

The recording of the King Lear incidental music is more opaque. It features, if that is the right word, the empty-tub tympani and squalling brass that once were common in Russian recordings. Here too the performances are vivid.

This particular pressing dates from 1962, a few years before the establishment of the Melodiya company. The pressings are on the MK label, "MK" being an abbreviation for "Mezhdurodnaya Kniga," or "International Books," an export arm. In this case, MK sent the pressings to the US company Artia, which packaged them and bundled them off to its notoriously spotty distribution network.

Sorry, but I've been unable to find the dates of the recordings; the year listed in the file metadata represents the publication date of this record.

This is one of my "From the Back Room" posts that respond to reader requests.

LINK

From the Back Room: 'Private Hell 36'

Some of you were interested in hearing Leith Stevens' jazz noir score for the 1954 film Private Hell 36, which the protean Ida Lupino co-wrote and starred in. So here it is in the latest "From the Back Room" post.

I didn't need much encouragement to post this score, because it is a fine example of the gritty jazz music that Stevens was producing at the time. It makes a good companion for the roughly contemporaneous Wild One, which I covered in depth here.

Many of the same West Coast musicians appear in both scores - Shorty Rogers, Jimmy Guiffre, Bud Shank, Milt Bernhardt, John Graas, among others.

Jazz Scores for Cops and Robbers

The Private Hell 36 score appeared on a 10-inch LP when the film came out. In 1959, Coral incorporated those tracks in a compilation 12-inch album called Jazz Themes for Cops and Robbers. The label filled out the bigger edition with four newly recorded items by Leith Stevens and orchestra (not sure if those had appeared on singles or not), all from current television shows.

Leith Stevens

The titles will sound familiar if you picked up on the recent post TV Jazz with Marterie, Rugolo and Martin. (Every label had to have one of these compilations.) The four new items (here in stereo versions) are: "The M-Squad Theme," "The Thin Man," "The Perry Mason Theme" and "Peter Gunn."

These are of course enjoyable, but you will note that these numbers from the late 50s reflect a mood that was lighter than during the film noir period - which was winding down even as Private Hell 36 was being released.

The download includes the Private Hell 36 music first, followed by the additional Cops and Robbers themes, along with complete scans from both LPs.

LINK to Private Hell 36 / Jazz Themes for Cops and Robbers

From the Back Room: Anita Ellis in the 40s, Vol. 2

This is the second in a three-part series devoted to vocalist Anita Ellis' recordings in the 1940s. (The first installment is here.)

Today in this "From the Back Room" post, we have Anita's 10 sides for Mercury Records and her dubbing assignments for Rita Hayworth in Gilda and for Vera-Ellen in Three Little Words, plus one item with Eddy Duchin. There are 21 cuts altogether.

Ellis had become popular on the radio and via AFRS recordings by the time these songs were recorded. She was already a polished artist when her first commercial disc was made.

Mercury Recordings

I have found 10 recordings that Ellis made for Mercury in 1946 and 1947. Most of these dates were conducted by Harry Geller, a former big band trumpeter who later led his own ensemble and worked in films.

Harry Geller

Anita's first number is "Either It's Love or It Isn't," a Doris Fisher-Allan Roberts song used in the Bogie noir Dead Reckoning. There it was mouthed by Lizabeth Scott, dubbed by Trudy Richards - interesting because Scott later came out with an LP of her own. It's a good tune, little remembered these days.

Like its discmate above, "The Old Lamplighter" was recorded by any number of artists at the time. Several artists did well with the Charles Tobias-Nat Simon song, Ellis not among them, although her version is entirely sympathetic. The Browns had a big hit with the number in 1960.

The Romanian composer Iosif Ivanovici wrote "Waves of the Danube" in 1880, and Al Jolson and Saul Chaplin adapted it into "The Anniversary Song" for The Jolson Story in 1946. Anita's version is heartfelt.

Johnny Green and Yip Harburg wrote the semi-standard "I'm Yours" in 1930. Ellis and Geller revived it as the flip side of "The Anniversary Song."

Burke and Van Heusen wrote "As Long as I'm Dreaming" for Bing to warble in 1947's Welcome Stranger. A nice song that's no longer heard in a sincere reading and an overly complex arrangement from Geller. The flip is another current song, "Ask Anyone Who Knows." I believe the hit was by the Ink Spots.

Eddie Kassen and Desmond O'Connor wrote "How Lucky You Are" in 1947. Now forgotten, this lovely postwar song is done well by Ellis. Several other artists recorded it back then. The flip side was a revival of "They Can't Take that Away from Me," which the Gershwins penned for Fred Astaire 10 years earlier. Dick Maltby's arrangements for this coupling are just as fussy as some of Geller's. Anita's warmth shines through, though.

Erich Wolfgang Korngold wrote the excellent song "Love for Love" for the film Escape Me Never, with lyrics by Aldo Franchetti and Ted Koehler. Peg La Centra dubbed Ida Lupino in the film.

"Golden Earrings" is from the film of the same name; music by Victor Young, words by Livingston and Evans. The biggest hit version was by Peggy Lee, but Anita's is a worthy contender.

Dubbing Hayworth

Rita Hayworth as Gilda

It may not be apparent in her earlier work, but one of Ellis' most enduring characteristics was her ability to sound sultry. This made her a perfect match for Rita Hayworth in the latter's defining role as Gilda, a very dark film noir with a happy ending. (Don't tell anyone I told you.)

Allan Roberts and Doris Fisher wrote two fine songs for the film - "Amado Mio" and, most famously, "Put the Blame on Mame." Anita's vocal performances are justly almost as famous as Hayworth's visuals. The singer's recordings of the two numbers for Standard Transcriptions will appear in Vol. 3 of this series.

One with Eddie Duchin

The US Navy sponsored The Eddy Duchin Show, a public service program sent out to radio stations on transcription discs. We have one song from this series that featured Duchin, a popular pianist - "What Is This Thing Called Love." It's a Cole Porter song from 1929 that Ellis does in her best alluring Gilda manner. I've also included the spoken intro - contrived, as those things usually were. The song, however, is one of the best things in this set.

Three Little Words

Three Little Words lobby card

When M-G-M put their biopic of songwriters Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby into production in 1949, the producers engaged Ellis to dub Vera-Ellen, who was playing Jessie Brown Kalmar, partner and wife of Fred Astaire's Bert.

Anita had three songs. The first was the charming duet with Astaire, "Where Did You Get That Girl?" This is presented in two versions - the first as heard on the soundtrack, the second as presented on a single. The former has a more extended instrumental close; the latter has an extra vocal chorus, which I believe may be a clone of the first chorus. Note that Ellis received label credit for her singing, unusual at the time.

Next, Anita has a solo with "Come On, Papa," adopting a thick quasi-French accent.

"Nevertheless (I'm in Love with You)" one of the most enduring Kalmar-Ruby songs, is an Astaire-Ellis duet. Again, this is presented in two versions, the first from the soundtrack, the second with a additional (cloned) chorus at the end, as it appeared on the Three Little Words LP.

Finally, the song that turned me into an Anita Ellis fan several decades ago - her version of "Thinking of You," a matchless combination of warmth, tenderness and just fine singing. One again, two versions: from the single, which clones an earlier phrase at its conclusion, and the soundtrack, which continues with Latin dance music for another 30 seconds or so.

The music director and conductor on the film was the 20-year-old André Previn. The listed orchestrator was Leo Arnaud, assisted by the uncredited Robert Franklyn, Wally Heglin and Conrad Salinger.

The third and final volume of Anita Ellis' 1940s recordings will include 24 songs recorded for Standard Transcriptions.

LINK to Anita Ellis in the 1940s, Vol. 2 

A Progress Report from the Back Room

I did not expect that my "From the Back Room" items would be as popular as they have been. I am grateful for all who responded to my first post - and the many who have commented as the series has gone on.

So far, the posts have included:

• Two volumes of Sarah Vaughan's earliest recordings, with one to come

• One volume of Anita Ellis' 1940s recordings, with two to come

• An overview of Jane Powell's M-G-M career, with one bonus post scheduled

• A set of recordings from Gloria Wood, with her Wood by the Fire LP yet to be transferred

• An early version of Mahler's first symphony, in its first recording

• A coupling of Bloch's rare (and excellent) Trois Poèmes Juifs with Herbert's Cello Concerto

• Eleanor Steber's Songs at Eventide

• A selection of recordings from the GR-E-EAT Thurl Ravenscroft

• Sue Raney's complete Capitol singles along with several later sides

• Early recordings of Janáček's Lachian Dances and Klement Slavický's Moravian Dance Fantasies

• Two LPs featuring the great jazz arranger Marty Paich

• Karl Böhm's 1959 recording of Brahms' First Symphony

In process are the following:

• Bob Manning's pre-Capitol recordings

• Buddy Clark's 1934-38 recordings with Xavier Cugat, Eddy Duchin, Johnny Hodges and solo; also his Lucky Strike and Associated Transcriptions from 1937-40

• Presenting Charlie Cochran, from the late cabaret talent (Correction: blog reader and contributor George tells me that Cochran is happily still with us; the Charlie Cochran who died was another musician)

• Kay Swift's complete compositions (these are not as voluminous as you might think)

• Leith Stevens' music from Private Hell 36, plus bonus cuts

• Bobby Hackett on Commodore - 14 songs from 1938 and 1944

• The Foursome with Bing and Dick Powell, among others

• Ancient Russian recordings of Balakirev's Overture on Russian Themes and King Lear Incidental Music

With others to come. Thanks again for all the comments!

From the Back Room: Gloria Wood

Gloria Wood was a supremely talented singer who had the misfortune of being best known for the novelty records she made with Kay Kyser and later for Capitol records, although her career was far more diversified than those outings.

Today's "From the Back Room" post is the completed version of a project I started more than a decade ago, devoted to bringing together most of her singles output from the 1940s and 50s.

For these "Back Room" posts, the transfers, etc., are prepared with the usual care, but my commentary may be less elaborate than is sometimes the case.

This particular post includes 33 songs.

About Gloria Wood

Wood (1923-95) was the daughter of a professional singer, which set a career path both for her and for her older sister Donna. The elder sibling sang with Horace Heidt and then with Kay Kyser. When Donna died of a heart ailment at age 29, Gloria succeeded her in the Kyser band. Gloria would go on to be one of the most in-demand studio singers, for her rare virtuosity and range.

First Records with 4 Star

These days 4 Star records is mainly remembered as a country and western outfit, but the small West Coast outfit also recorded other types of music in its early days, mainly Latin outfits but also a few jazz and big band records as well. Wood's first records, dating from 1945 and 1946, were with these ensembles.

The 4-Star-5 was a traditional jazz combo with such well-known musicians as Zutty Singleton and Gus Bivona. Gloria's first record with that crew was a cover of Hoagy Carmichael's new "Memphis in June," followed by three songs by the obscure West Coast singer-composer Slim Coates: "Hitch Your Wagon," "Some Guy" and "Toy Boy." The first is, predictably, the best of the lot, but Coates' songs are not bad.

Wingy Manone

Wood's next assignment was with another traditional jazz figure, Wingy Manone, who led a raucous band backing her in the standard "My Blue Heaven" and the trumpeter's own "I Must Be Dreaming." She acquits herself well in both songs.

Finally, big band vet Ted Fio Rito used her voice on two songs, his own "Now That You're Gone" and the standard "East of the Sun." She's particularly impressive in the former.

With Kay Kyser

Kay Kyser

Kay Kyser had a polished and versatile band, but it was known for novelty records. Gloria's first record with the group in 1947 was a notable and catchy example. "The Possum Song" has the subtitle "Six, Tall, Slim, Slick, Sycamore Saplin'," which I cannot explain to you. This song was the work of singer-songwriter Terry Shand, working with a Dunham, who might or might not be bandleader Sonny Dunham.

Next was one of several duets with longtime Kyser singer Harry Babbitt, a polished performer. Gloria works well with him on Jack Brooks' "Saturday Date." Gloria then worked with the Campus Kids vocal group on the mock calypso "There Ought to Be a Society (For the Prevention of Cruelty to Poor Unfortunate Lovers)."

Now comes the big hit - "Woody Wood-Pecker," by Ramey Idriss and George Tibbles. Wood (who would have seemed to have been preordained to sing this song) manages to avoid having to imitate Woody's annoying laugh, and is otherwise charming.

Another Hoagy Carmichael song (and another faux calypso), "Too Much-a Manana" also did well for Gloria and Kyser.

Babbitt and Wood combined for another major hit, Frank Loesser's "On a Slow Boat to China." Finally, we have 1949's "I'll Wait," with Gloria billed over Harry Babbitt for the first time.

Kyser would soon wind down the band and Wood was off for a freelance career, working with Jud Conlon's Rhythmaires among others.

Capitol Recordings

Gloria recorded several songs for Capitol records in 1953. These started with two songs with keyboard player Buddy Cole, notably Vincent C. Fiorino's "Red Canary," which Cole (presumably) gave an African feel. Percussion is prominent, along with piccolo and a fascinating bass line produced in a manner unknown (to me).

"Hello Sunshine" has an old-timey feel that is accentuated by Wood's virtuosity, a tuba, banjo and some effects that Cole probably produced from his organ.

The next song is something of a classic. "Hey Bellboy" has Gloria singing insanely high (and loud), both by herself and in duet with Pete Candoli's trumpet, alternating with sexy calls of "hey bellboy!"

"Hey Bellboy" EP

"By the Waters of Minnetonka" has Wood singing the melody quite high both in harmony with her own voice and with Candoli's trumpet. She also sings a chorus conventionally.

"Anybody Hurt?" has her scatting both extremely high and fast. Both this and "Hey Bellboy" were written by Candoli and Tom Mack.

Finally, for "Oh, Honey" she moved on to Dave Cavanaugh's semi-R&B outfit. Dave's band plays a riff over and over while Gloria alternately pleads "Oh, honey, please!" and again ascends into the stratosphere vocally.

Capitol's Music Views magazine devoted a two-page spread to Wood's vocal heroics in 1953. The pages are below - click to enlarge them.

With Decca-Coral

Wood recorded several songs for Decca-Coral in 1955. First was "Lover-Lover (Why Must We Part?)" written by Charles Wolcott for the film Blackboard Jungle, but not, as far as I know, used as such in the film. It is, unexpectedly, a country tune, which Gloria does idiomatically.

This was backed by "Teen-Time," which, far from being adolescent fare, is boppish high harmony vocalese accompanied by vibes, clarinet and rhythm.

Coral got in on the "Hey" songs with "Hey Mister," which leaves out the vocal pyrotechnics in favor of a simple ballad accompanied by growl trumpet, tenor sax groans and clarinet. The flip side is "I Keep Telling Myself," a nice tune with a good arrangement from George Cates.

Finally, Wood moved from Coral to the main Decca label for a single with another former Capitol artist, Jimmy Wakely. "Are You Satisfied?" melds Gloria's vocalese with some awkward harmony with Wakely. "Mississippi Dreamboat" is semi-R&B. Neither Jimmy nor Gloria seem convinced.

A Few Unpolished Diamonds

Billboard ad

In 1956 Gloria surfaced on the rejuvenated Diamond label, once headquartered in New York and headed by Irving Gwirtz. That concern went under in the 1940s, leaving a trail of lawsuits, but Gwirtz and Diamond seem to have be resurrected in Hollywood in 1956. At least a "Gwirtz" is listed as co-author of the tune "The Rock and the Roll," which apparently was the B-side of the record. "Honey Bee" (with the "vocal magic of Gloria Wood") was the plug side.

"The Rock and the Roll," as you might imagine, is rock 'n' roll. The label proclaims this to be a Billy May arrangement, and there are some trumpet squeals that might suggest his hand in the charts.

"Honey Bee" is an awful song, a marriage of "Be My Little Baby Bumble-Bee" of Doris Day infamy with the vocal approach of Teresa Brewer.

There are a few other Diamond sides that I don't have, and at least one 45 on Zephyr.

The Columbia Singles

Billboard ad

Wood was back with a major label in 1957, landing at Columbia Records, where she made a few singles and one LP that came out in early 1959. All were with Jerry Fielding.

The first item, "Back Door," is rock 'n' roll, although sung at a high level. The flip, "Mr. Sorrow," is a downcast ballad. At least this one gives Gloria a chance to be expressive, which she does beautifully. Fielding wrote both songs. 

The second single coupled a song co-written by Wood and Fielding, "Heartless Kisses," another R&R effort, with "I Won't Be a Fool Again," which is even more rock-lite.

The material on Gloria's Columbia LP, Wood by the Fire, is better than the singles. I have the LP if there is interest.

LINK

From the Back Room: the 1893 Version of Mahler's First Symphony

Mahler's Symphony No. 1 is one of his most fascinating and beloved works. The edition that is performed today is, however, not the first or second version of the work. The final 1899 edition replaced an 1893 version that had somewhat different orchestration, an additional movement, and titles for the symphony and its movements that were later discarded.

Today's "From the Back Room" post is the first recording of that 1893 version, which was titled The Titan after the book by Jean Paul. This recording dates from 1970, with the Welsh conductor Wyn Morris leading the New Philharmonia Orchestra.

The young Gustav Mahler

Mahler wrote the first version of the symphony in 1888, and conducted it in Budapest that year. This version is now lost. He revised the orchestration in 1893 for a performance in Weimar. For this second version (the one recorded here), he retained the movement titles he had appended in 1888.

Part 1 - Aus den Tagen der Jugend

I. Frübling und kein Ende [Spring without End]

II. Blumine (Andante) [Flowers]

III. Mit vollen Segeln (Scherzo) [Under Full Sail]

Part 2 - Comedia humana

IV. Totenmarsch in Callots Manier [Funeral March in Callot's Style; aka The Huntsman's Funeral Procession]

V. D'allinferno al Paradiso (Allegro furioso) [From Hell to Heaven]

The brief Blumine is the movement that the composer dropped from the published edition. It is sometimes performed and even recorded with the 1899 version, but this is a solecism. It only makes sense to perform the 1893 version in toto, and even then just for its historical importance. As the Mahler expert Deryck Cooke wrote, reviewing this recording in The Gramophone:

If one gladly welcomes this first-ever recording of the 1893 version of Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, it’s purely on account of its great historical and musicological interest. It cannot be emphasised too much that this ‘version’ of the work no longer exists, for practical purposes, since Mahler himself rejected it when he made his final definitive score for publication in 1899. On the other hand, it’s certainly fascinating to be able to hear this early stage of the symphony, with its smaller and less sophisticated orchestration and its extra movement.

Wyn Morris

Here is Cooke's verdict on this particular performance:

[T]he recording is clear enough to make it possible to enjoy Wyn Morris’s remarkably sensitive and powerful interpretation of the five-movement version of the work. He takes the Blumine movement ... just about as slowly as it can be taken - and one feels that the aching nostalgia which results is what the young Mahler would have been aiming at. The Scherzo, following on from Blumine, instead of from the first movement, is taken faster than usual, and so is its trio; this is no doubt inevitable, in the five-movement version, but I find that it robs the scherzo music of its rustic heaviness and the trio music of its charm. But apart from this one dubious point, the overall interpretation has certain special and unusual qualities to recommend it: an absolute fidelity to Mahler’s markings, especially to his lavish use of pianissimo (it’s amazing how much of the first movement is really hushed music), and a fully committed emotional approach to the romantic content of the music.

As Cooke wrote, the recording is "clear enough," but that may be its only virtue. It doesn't possess much presence and the tone at forte is notably edgy.

As for Wyn Morris, his was a talent that was largely unfulfilled. From his 2010 obituary in The Guardian: "Had he come to prominence in the era when truculent, temperamental maestros ruled the roost, the conductor Wyn Morris, who has died at the age of 81, might have achieved far more than he did. His performances could certainly be inspirational, and Morris was not alone in his belief that his accomplishments and reputation failed to do justice to his talent. His irascible, cantankerous nature made him impossible to deal with, however, and time and again even those willing to indulge his erratic behaviour, for the sake of what he had to offer artistically, had to admit defeat."

Morris has appeared on this blog before with the soprano Montserrat Caballé in Debussy's La Damoiselle élue and Chausson's Le Poème de l'amour et la mer. This fine recording is now newly remastered.

LINK to Mahler's Symphony No. 1 (1893 version)

From the Back Room: the Early Sarah Vaughan, Vol. 2

Here is the second installment of a three-volume survey of the recordings Sarah Vaughan made before joining the Columbia label in 1949. Almost all of these transfers are taken from the original 78s. The three volumes encompass 56 recordings; this iteration has 21.

The items in this and the third volume were all made for the small Musicraft label. Today's selections cover April 1946 to October 1947.

This is one of my "From the Back Room" posts, featuring recordings that I've been working on  for some time, but haven't yet published for one reason or another.

For these posts, the transfers, etc., are prepared with the usual care, but my commentary may be less extended (i.e., gabby) than usual.

With Georgie Auld and Tadd Dameron

The earliest session in this volume yielded just one vocal - "A Hundred Years from Today," the Victor Young-Ned Washington song. It elicits a sophisticated performance from Vaughan and Georgie Auld's excellent band, heard in an arrangement by a 20-year-old Al Cohn.

A few weeks later, Sarah had a recording date with a Tadd Dameron ensemble, with more well chosen songs: "If You Could See Me Now" by Dameron and Carl Sigman; "I Can [Could] Make You Love Me" by Bob Russell and Peter DeRose; "You're Not the Kind" by Will Hudson; and "My Kinda Love" by Louis Alter and Jo Trent. Dameron produced all the arrangements, which included strings. "If You Could See Me Now" is especially well done.

Sarah had previously recorded "I Could Make You Love Me" with John Kirby for Crown, which is in Vol. 1 of this collection.

In June, Vaughan was back in the studio with Auld for "You're Blasé" (by Bruce Sievier and Ord Hamilton) in another Cohn arrangement.

Four with George Treadwell

George Treadwell and Sarah Vaughan

Trumpeter George Treadwell, whom Vaughan would marry in a few months, was in charge of a July 1946 date that yielded four songs: "I've Got a Crush on You," "I'm Through with Love" (Fud Livingston, Matty Malneck, Gus Kahn), "Everything I Have Is Yours" (Burton Lane, Harold Adamson) and "Body and Soul" (Johnny Green, Edward Heyman).

"Everything I Have Is Yours" is a particularly confident interpretation, showing the vocal flexibility, even acrobatics that were among Vaughan's hallmarks. 

With Teddy Wilson

Teddy Wilson

The four songs made with Teddy Wilson in August and November 1946 are special, showing Vaughan in fully mature form. The pianist is always a pleasure to hear, of course.

From August: "Don't Worry 'bout Me" (Rube Bloom, Ted Koehler), "Penthouse Serenade" (Will Jason, Val Burton). From November: "Time after Time" (Sammy Cahn, July Styne) and "September Song" (Kurt Weill, Maxwell Anderson). The latter two could have used more Wilson and less Charlie Ventura.

With a George Treadwell Big Band

Vaughan's next date was in July 1947 with a large band assembled by George Treadwell. The songs are: "I Cover the Waterfront" (Johnny Green, Edward Heyman), "I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance" (Victor Young, Ned Washington), "Tenderly" (Walter Gross, Jack Lawrence) and "Don't Blame Me" (Dorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh).

It's notable that the more conventional the backing, the more adventurous Vaughan became vocally. These arrangements are nothing special, but the singing is superb. "Ghost of a Chance," for example, starts with vocalese backed by Jimmy Jones' celesta.

With Ted Dale

Ted Dale

For the rest of her stay with Musicraft, Vaughan made most of her recordings with Ted Dale, who would soon become a music director with NBC.

Their first recordings together were a departure from the bop anthems and standards that had previously been Sarah's fare in the studio. First was the Albert Hay Malotte setting of "The Lord's Prayer," backed by the spiritual "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child" in Harry Burleigh's arrangement. 

The next song they recorded was not initially released; it later came out on LP: "I Can't Get Started" (Vernon Duke and Ira Gershwin). The final piece recorded in this October 1947 session was Alec Wilder's "Trouble Is a Man," which Peggy Lee had recorded a year before, although it went unreleased at the time. Vaughan's version was one of the first to actually reach the market.

LINK