Hugh Shannon

Hugh Shannon considered himself a "saloon singer"; one of his later LPs has that as a title. What he was, though, was a cabaret artist with a wide repertoire and a gusty approach who entertained in the hangouts of the wealthy. He began his career after the war and was relatively successful until his death in 1982.

I don't know if the title of this circa 1958 album was designed to twit his patrons or not; the title comes from an amusing (and relatively obscure) Rodgers and Hart song found on the second side. Otherwise, you will encounter such cabaret staples as "Ace in the Hole," "Three on a Match" and "I'm Shooting High" and some fairly unfamiliar tunes as well. These include "Sweet William," the sticky tale of two flowers in love: one is plucked by a little girl; loneliness ensues. Sentimentality apparently was popular with Shannon's clientele.

Hugh Shannon

To continue the floral motif, several tracks on the LP are graced by the presence of Blossom Dearie on piano; she also duets with Shannon on "Doodle-Dee-Do." She is identified on the cover as "Rosebud Cherie" to bamboozle the folks at Verve, where she had a contract.

This is one of those records that has one title on the cover, another on the back and a third on the label. (There is nothing on the spine, otherwise they could have made it a grand slam of confusion.) The cover also features a highly dysfunctional mink-lined bathtub and is autographed by Shannon to one "Shep" with the zen advice to "Be" - the shortest possible message, I suppose.

This was issued on the small Harlequin label. I've done my best with the sound, which isn't great for the time, but listenable. [Note (July 2023): I've now fixed the pitch and remastered the sound in ambient stereo; it is much better.]

Blossom Dearie

One day at least 35 years ago I went to a local charity sale on my lunch hour and picked up a handful of vocal albums, which were decidedly not one of my interests at the time (jazz and classical music were). But these were records from the 50s, and I was intrigued. My haul included Frank Sinatra's Songs for Swinging Lovers, one of Ella Fitzgerald's Gershwin records, an autographed copy of Carmen McRae's Blue Moon, and Blossom Dearie's first Verve album. And that started a love affair with all four voices and a rather extensive collection of vocal records.

On Saturday, the last surviving member of the quartet, Blossom Dearie, passed away at 82.

My friend Bill Reed of the People vs. Dr. Chilledair blog knew Dearie and can speak first hand of her artistry and eccentricities. I have no such knowledge, but can instead speak of her wee but at times forceful voice, her great taste (although I can do without such efforts as her John Lennon song and "Sweet Georgie Fame"), and her fine pianism. But most of all her elegance, which comes through so well on that first LP.

All of her Verve records and some of her later records can easily be found. Instead I'll offer these non-LP singles from the vocal group she formed in Paris in the 1950s, the Blue Stars. Their claim to fame back then was a vocal rendition of "Lullaby of Birdland." Here we have a French version of "Hernando's Hideway," a vocal edition of the Basie instrumental "Jumpin' at the Woodside," and "Broadway at Basin Street." But seek out those Verve recordings, won't you?