Buster's New Year Selection

While Christmas music is rife, there aren't all that many tunes celebrating the holiday that comes along one week later, New Year's Day. If I asked you to name a New Year's song, you would probably reply "Auld Lang Syne" and then draw a blank.

But over the years there have been quite a few records marking the New Year, which I discovered by nosing around Internet Archive. I found several different "Happy New Year" songs along with an "Unhappy New Year," and many takes on "Auld Lang Syne," including a polka, a bluegrass version and an "Auld Lang Syne Boogie." In all, I was able to build a 22-song compilation of 78s dating from 1907 to 1956. A few notes about each follow.

Cal Stewart

The oldest platter is Cal Stewart's "Uncle Josh's New Year Pledge," a comic monologue that seems strangely without comedy 113 years later. Stewart was a vaudeville star who made many records in his "Uncle Josh" guise. Although we may find him unfunny, the character was influential - you can find traces of him in Will Rogers and Charley Weaver, among others.

From 1915, we have the Victor Light Opera Company presenting "Gems from Chin Chin," an "orientalist fantasy" by Ivan Caryll and Anne Caldwell that was on Broadway at the time. Such "orientalist" productions were popular at the time. The best known is probably Chu Chin Chow, which came along a few years later. "Gems from Chin Chin" begins with a "Happy New Year" number.

Don Redman

We leap ahead a few decades to Don Redman and his swing arrangement of "Auld Lang Syne" recorded in 1938. The band vocal consists entirely of counting to 20 and then reversing course. Novelty vocals were a feature of Redman's repertoire.

From 1942, we have Bing Crosby's commercial recording of "Let's Start the New Year Right," a song that Irving Berlin wrote for the Crosby-Astaire film Holiday Inn. Crosby's vocal in the film is much livelier.

Dinah Shore recorded an deeply felt wartime version of "Auld Lang Syne" in 1944, with backing by the Sportsmen and an orchestra conducted by the short-lived Albert Sack. This is surely one of the best records in this collection.

At about the same time, the Warsaw Dance Orchestra produced a polka called "New Year" for the small Harmonia label, which specialized in ethnic recordings.

Fred Waring, his choral group and the Pennsylvanians did a stirring version of the Brown and Henderson song "Let Us All Sing Auld Lang Syne" in 1945.

We return to the polka realm with Bill Gale and His Globetrotters, who recorded their "Auld Lang Syne Polka" for Columbia in 1946. Gale, who I believe was from Chicago, was born Bill Gula and had made records in earlier years with his Bee Gee Tavern Band, including a cover version of the "Beer Barrel Polka," a major hit in 1939 for Will Glahé.

One of the lesser-known romantic crooners of the era was the talented John Laurenz, who recorded for Mercury, including "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year" in 1948. I also included this song in last year's Christmas compilation, noting at that time, "If there are any Bowery Boys fans out there, you may be interested to know that Laurenz dubbed Huntz Hall's vocals in the great Blues Busters, in which Satch becomes the world's most unlikely romantic crooner."

Also from 1948 we have "Happy New Year" from Jeffrey Clay, the Serenaders and Dana records honcho Gus Dana. This is a most peculiar children's record, with two youngsters saying goodbye to a depressed sounding "Mr. Old Year" and welcoming in the new. The boy character is played by a young boy, but the girl is a woman trying to sound like a child and mainly coming off as demented. After the baby New Year makes an appearance amidst some unconvincing sound effects, the record turns into a polka. The vocal is presumably by Jeffrey Clay.

Freddy Morgan, Sir Frederick Gas, Doodles Weaver, Spike Jones

Spike Jones and crew trot out their New Year's resolutions in "Happy New Year" from 1948, with contributions from the usual culprits - Sir Frederick Gas, Doodles Weaver, George Rock and Spike himself. Freddy Morgan and Eddie Brandt wrote this wildly politically incorrect nonsense.

Freddie Mitchell

Next comes the "Auld Lang Syne Boogie" from Freddie Mitchell, his honking saxophone and his orchestra. Freddie made this in 1949 for the Derby label, where he led the house band. I uploaded a Mitchell compilation about 10 years ago, and have newly remastered the sound for those who like this type of R&B.

The great vocal duo of Jackie Cain and Roy Kral chose "Auld Lang Syne" for one of their first solo records, which they made for Atlantic in 1949 as the "Roy Kral - Jackie Cain Sextet." This was at about the time that they departed from the Charlie Ventura band.

Also in 1949, the wonderful English singer Vera Lynn produced an emotional reading of "Auld Lang Syne" with the subtitle "The Good-night Waltz." The backing is by Robert Farnon's orchestra and the Mitchell Men.

Songwriters Carmen Lombardo and Johnny Marks came up with a number called "Happy New Year, Darling" in 1946. I haven't found a recording by the Lombardo clan, but veteran bandleader Ted Black did a smooth version in 1949 with a Dick Edwards vocal.

Composer-arranger Gordon Jenkins had a predilection for downbeat songs. You may be familiar with "Goodbye," which Benny Goodman used as his closing theme and which Frank Sinatra featured on his Only the Lonely LP. But Jenkins' "Happy New Year" is surely the most depressing of the group, here in a 1949 recording by the composer with Bob Senn as solo vocalist.

Eddie (Piano) Miller

More sprightly is the next number, a "New Year Medley" from Eddie (Piano) Miller, also from 1949. Miller was one of the first practitioners of the "old-timey" piano sound - a genre I generally avoid. These pianists with their corny effects, sleeve garters and bowler hats were inescapable in the 1950s.

More to my taste is "Haouli Maka Hiki Hou! (Happy New Year!)" from one of the most famous Hawaiian musicians, Genoa Keawe, here with her Polynesians. This record is on the 49th State Record Company label, and dates from 1950, nine years before Hawaii became the 50th state. The name was apparently invented in an excess of postwar optimism about statehood.

The Oklahoma Wranglers - Skeeter, Vic and Guy Willis
with Chuck Wright

The Oklahoma Wranglers were the first incarnation of the Willis Brothers, who later became known for truck-drivin' songs, notably "Give Me Forty Acres (To Turn This Rig Around)." The Wranglers (brothers Guy, Skeeter and Vic along with bassist Chuck Wright, who was billed as the “Silent Old Indian”) made a living backing Hank Williams and then Eddy Arnold while recording such fare as "Unhappy New Year" for RCA Victor in 1951.

Nicola Paone put out many ethnically-tinged records in the 1950s, mostly for his own label. His "New Year Song" was released by RCA Victor in 1952.

Billy Ward and His Dominoes were among the most popular R&B groups of the early 1950s, scoring with "Sixty Minute Man" among others. In 1953, Ward came up with "Ringing in a Brand New Year" for the King label. R&B expert Marv Goldberg isn't sure who sang lead, but says it was probably Billy. It certainly wasn't Jackie Wilson, who succeeded Clyde McPhatter as the group's lead vocalist around this time.

Bobby and Sonny Osborne, with Jimmy Martin

We close our collection with a superb bluegrass reading of "Auld Lang Syne" from Sonny Osborne with the Sunny Mountain Boys. The 18-year-old Sonny was already a veteran musician who had been recording for Gateway for several years. The fiddle solo here is probably the work of Sonny's brother Bobby. The siblings would later be billed as the Osborne Brothers, and would become famous for their incredible 1967 recording of "Rocky Top."

The sound on these is generally excellent - even the 113-year-old record sounds good. Best wishes for a happy and prosperous new year to all!

Jackie & Roy Sing Dory and André Previn

For a final salute to the music of Jackie & Roy, we have this 1963 LP of songs by André and Dory Langdon Previn. It's a fine record that languishes in obscurity and has not been reissued, as far as I can tell.

This may be the best introduction to the Previns as songwriters, along with Michael Feinstein's recent Previn CD. André had of course already made his name as a Hollywood prodigy and virtuoso pianist in the pop, jazz and even classical modes. He had begun working as a classical conductor as well, and in 1962 issued his first recording in that role, with the St. Louis Symphony.

In 1958, Dory Langdon had recorded an album of her songs (improbably titled The Leprechauns Are Upon Me) with Andre's accompaniment. She went on to record several albums as a singer-songwriter in the 1970s and 80s, under the names Dory Previn and Dory Previn Shannon.

By the time of this recording, the Previns' songs were being used in films (they received two Oscar nominations already by the time of Like Sing), and such artists as Doris Day had taken up their work. Day's LP with André, Duet, featured "Yes" and "Control Yourself," which are also on this record, as well as "Daydreaming."

Dory and André Previn

Jackie & Roy are at one with the Previns' material. Jackie is, as always, extraordinary, with her exquisite performance of "Where, I Wonder" a particular highlight. It is a gorgeous (and difficult) song that should be much better known.

The title song is a close relative of André's 1960 instrument hit with the similar title of "Like Young." Both songs, along with such other hit compositions as Nelson Riddle's "Route 66 Theme" and Cy Coleman's "Playboy Theme," were under the spell of Bobby Timmons' influential "Moanin'" of 1958.

We don't know for certain who is responsible for the piano backing or the arrangements. The pianism does not sound like André Previn, so it is probably Roy Kral. The backings are possibly by André. In his notes to his Previn CD, Feinstein makes reference to the arrangement of "Change of Heart" as being by Previn, although I suppose that may just be the singer's assumption.

The cover shows the two couples as being very much in the Kennedy mode of the time, with Roy and André in their sack suits and Dory in a Jackie-esque pink ensemble. A handsome group - and so talented!

Jackie & Roy - Sing! Baby Sing!

My last post started a series devoted to recordings by the great vocal duo of Jackie Cain and Roy Kral. The response was excellent, so here is one of Jackie & Roy's records made for George Wein's Storyville label.

This LP came out in both 10-inch and 12-inch versions; my copy is of the larger format.

10-inch LP cover

The 10-incher comprised early 1955 recordings of a ensemble comprising Kral on piano, Barry Galbraith, guitar, Bill Crowe, bass, and Joe Morello, drums.The four additional tunes on the bigger format replace that group with Joe Rumoro, guitar, Mel Schmidt, bass, and Bob Tilles, drums.

By this time, Jackie & Roy had refined their act to a great degree, evident from the first song, a spirited version of "Sing Baby Sing" from the 1936 musical of the same name. Jackie follows this with a sensitive solo on George Handy's lugubrious "Forgetful," which David Allyn had introduced with Boyd Raeburn, I believe.

A real highlight of the album is the artists' version of "Season in the Sun." Jackie & Roy had begun championing the works of the then little-known writing team of Tommy Wolf and Fran Landesman as far back as 1952. J&R's other Storyville LP include "Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most," the composers' greatest hit, in what may have been its first recording. "Season in the Sun" is a much different kind of song, but hardly inferior in quality, and it shows off the singers' remarkable rapport to perfection.

The artists circa 1955

As was the case with the Charlie Ventura record below, Kral contributed several compositions of his own. I particularly enjoy "Hook, Line and Snare," which features drummer Morello, who was about to join Dave Brubeck at the time of this recording session. It also shows off the singers' bop roots. But all the songs on this one are delightful - and the sound is very good.

I also want to present Jackie & Roy's album of songs by Andre Previn and Dory Langdon, but that will be on another day.

Charlie Ventura with Jackie & Roy and Buddy Stewart

I wanted to pay homage to the great jazz singer Jackie Cain, who died this week, by presenting a selection of her recordings, starting with some early efforts in the studio with Charlie Ventura.

Her four sides on this LP date from 1948, when Cain was 20. She had already formed what would become a lifelong duo with her soon-to-be husband, pianist and singer Roy Kral.

By the time Jackie & Roy joined him, Ventura had enjoyed a certain amount of success with Gene Krupa and as a combo leader recording for Black & White, Crystalette and, starting in 1947, National.

Jackie Cain and Charlie Ventura

Although this 10-inch LP from the early 50s appeared on Mercury's EmArcy label, its contents were drawn from National masters that Mercury had leased or acquired following the smaller label's demise.

The LP's back cover identifies a group comprising Charlie Shavers (tp), Bill Harris (tb), Ventura (ts), Ralph Burns (p), Bill DeArango (g), Chubby Jackson (b), and Dave Tough (d), but that lineup actually only appears on two songs - "Synthesis" and "Stop 'n' Go," from March 1947.

The ensemble for "Pennies for Heaven", from September 1947, is Kai Winding (tb), Ventura (ts), Lou Stein (p), Bob Carter (b), and Shelly Manne (d).

Kai Winding, Buddy Stewart,
Charlie Ventura

"Synthesis" and "Pennies from Heaven" feature the exceptional vocalist Buddy Stewart, who was equally adept at bop and ballads. Stewart died in a car accident in 1950 before reaching his considerable potential.

Jackie & Roy came on board for an October 1948 session that resulted in "Euphoria," "F.Y.I.," "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles," and "Gone with the Wind," a solo feature for Cain, as well as the instrumental "If I Had You." The personnel for the 1948 dates is a little murky, but includes trombonist Bennie Green.

1949 ad

Ventura styled his band as playing "bop for the people," and several of these numbers are bop-flavored. Sometimes this involves adding "ba-doo-da-la-lee-bop" frills to an old tune like "Blowing Bubbles," and sometimes it is more substantive, such as in "Euphoria." Ventura had a swing-based style that was more like Illinois Jacquet than Charlie Parker, but he was a fluid player with a full tone and considerable energy.

Jackie & Roy's appearances with Ventura brought them to public notice, starting a highly regarded career lasting until Kral's 2002 death.

The sound from these National masters is reasonably good. More from Jackie & Roy to come.

Boots Mussulli, Conte Candoli, Jackie Cain, Charlie Ventura, Roy Kral