A Jazz Version of Percy Faith's Music

In 1960, Percy Faith was already famous for his own records and for the many hits he arranged for pop vocalists. He also had written or adapted quite a few songs that had become popular.

By that time Columbia had many Faith albums in its catalog, but its budget arm, Harmony, apparently wanted to market an LP of Percy's music in the then-new stereo format, as opposed to putting out old-fashioned mono reissues.

At about this same time, jazz renditions of pop music became popular. These often encompassed the score from a particular musical, but they also touched the songbooks of pop composers (e.g., André Previn Plays Songs by Vernon Duke).

So (and this is my educated guess) the label might have brought the two concepts together for the album The Songs of Percy Faith, as played by the Lansdowne Jazz Group, a collection of top-shelf English pros. That LP is the subject of today's post.

The Lansdowne ensemble probably took its name from a London recording studio that Dennis Preston and Joe Meek had opened a few years before. That locale had quicky developed a reputation in the jazz community and was presumably where this session (actually two of them) was taped.

The result is very pleasant light jazz from experienced pros, whose names may be familiar to you. Since the cover notes are confusing, let me first provide this key to who is playing where. 

The songs:

• 01 My Heart Cries for You
• 02 Nervous Gavotte *
• 03 Song for Sweethearts
• 04 Be Patient, My Darling
• 05 The Last Dance
• 06 Music Until Midnight
• 07 Swedish Rhapsody *
• 08 Duet
• 09 Da-Du
• 10 The Stars
• 11 Goin' Home Train
• 12 Tropic Holiday *

The musicians:

• Kenny Baker (trumpet) 
• Johnny Scott (flute) on *
• Tony Coe (alto sax)
• Danny Moss (tenor sax)
• Dave Lee (piano)
• Dill Jones (piano), soloist in "Swedish Rhapsody" and most likely on *
• Phil Seamen (drums)
• Martin Slavin (vibes, arranger)
• Jack Fallon (bass) on * 
• Arthur Watts (bass otherwise)

[The liner notes are ambiguous as to whether Dill Jones plays on all the selections with an asterisk or just "Swedish Rhapsody."]

A few words on the music and the players follow.

The first selection, "My Heart Cries for You," was a huge hit in 1950. Percy didn't write it but he did arrange it from an old French melody that had been revived in the 1930s. Carl Sigman added the words. Faith and Columbia honcho Mitch Miller had wanted Sinatra to record it, but Frank told Mitch the piece was "crap." So Columbia brought in new singer Al Cernik, renamed him Guy Mitchell, and he had the hit. It's a pleasant, simplistic tune, one that may remind you of "The Chipmunk Song."

Kenny Baker

The version here features the powerful and agile trumpeter Kenny Baker, who was then performing with his Baker's Dozen in addition to his studio and concert work.

Johnny Scott

The "Nervous Gavotte," a more interesting work with a dislocated rhythm, is taken from Faith's 1951 LP Carefree Rhythms. It is the first number with flutist Johnny Scott as the lead. He later became better known as John Scott, and composed quite a number of film scores.

Scott is a full-toned flutist, with his fluent work set off by the vibes playing of Martin Slavin, who arranged all the songs on this set.

Tony Coe

"Song for Sweethearts (Come Close)" is a pretty piece that Faith and Sigman wrote for the 1954 LP Songs for Her, where it had a vocal by Betty Cox. The featured soloist on this LP is the acrobatic alto saxophonist Tony Coe, who was then in Humphrey Lyttleton's band.

Sigman and Faith wrote "Be Patient, My Darling" for a 1953 Lu Anne Simms single. Kenny Baker is again featured.

Danny Moss

"The Last Dance" originated with a 1956 Faith single. Featured here is the robust tenor sax of Danny Moss (presumably; the liner notes identify him as "Danny Ross," possibly conflating Moss with Ronnie Ross). Moss was then with Johnny Dankworth's band.

Faith's original is much more legato; Moss and group take a punchy approach. Percy's is more in tune with the title, certainly.

Dave Lee (in later years)

Faith wrote "Music Until Midnight" for Mitch Miller's oboe on their joint 1953 album of the same name. The melody line is carried by the alto of Tony Coe, who also contributes a fine solo. This is one of the best performances on the LP. Dave Lee has the thankless task of carrying the piano ostinato behind the theme.

Dill Jones

Faith also did not write "Swedish Rhapsody;" he arranged it from Hugo Alfven's Midsommarvaka (Swedish Rhapsody No. 1), which you can find here in the composer's own early stereo recording (well worth hearing). On the Lansdowne album pianist Dill Jones and Johnny Scott take a light approach that is most pleasing. Jones was a Welsh musician who emigrated to the US in 1961 and had some success in New York thereafter. Percy's own memorable recording of the "Swedish Rhapsody" was a chart topper in 1953.

"Duet" is another excellent theme that provides the basis of a well-fashioned solo work out by Danny Moss, who impresses. This another title from the Music Until Midnight LP.

Percy's "Da-Du" comes from a 1952 single that had a vocal by the Ray Charles Singers, recently featured here (with more to come).

Phil Seamen

"The Stars" was originally a 1957 single, and here the stars are Kenny Baker, Martin Slavin and Dave Lee. There is more fascinating interplay between Slavin and Lee in this one. You will notice the support of drummer Phil Seamen here (and elsewhere on the disc). A persuasive side.

"Goin' Home Train" is a strong swinger powered by Seamen and the walking bass of Arthur Watts, not to mention Danny Moss' tenor. This song is from Faith's 1958 album Carefree (not the same as the earlier Carefree Rhythms; the two discs only have the song "Carefree" in common).

And now the final number, which actually was the impetus for this post. Friend and frequent commenter centuri (the French conductor Jean Thorel) asked me if I had this LP; it contains one of his favorite Faith compositions - "Tropic Holiday," originally on the 1953 album Adventure in the Sun; redone on the 1966 disc Bim! Bam!! Boom!!!  I sent my transfer along to Jean, who enjoyed the jazz performance a great deal, as did I.

Although the album starts with its (to me) weakest material, it does build to become most enjoyable - I hope you agree. The early stereo is vivid.

LINK

An Easter Bouquet from Buster

Buster looks a little glum here, doesn't he? Not that the Great Stone Face smiled much, and really there may not seem to be much to grin about these days. But it is spring, and with it comes the Easter holiday, a celebration of renewal that is all the more pertinent in a time of pandemic.

To help make the time pass, I've put together "Buster's Easter Bouquet of Hits" themed to the holiday. As usual it is an eclectic bunch, including 32 samples of jazz, country, pop, polka, boogie, religious material and ethnic fare. Believe me, my designation of most of these as "hits" is more than a little optimistic. But they all have their points of interest, which I elucidate below, covering the collection in chronological order.

The first item is the oldest record ever presented on this blog. It is "Hosanna," an Easter song dating from 1901-4. The exact date is uncertain because Columbia recorded it with two different singers at different times, using one on some pressings and the other on others. I believe this singer is Bernard Bégué, a Met baritone who somehow makes this lugubrious hymn even more dreary. Not a stellar start to the collection, I know, but historically notable.

The prolific tenor Harry Macdonough recorded "The Palms" twice, once in 1906 and once in 1913. I believe this transfer emanates from the latter date, and is taken from a circa 1920 pressing. Macdonough was the head of Victor's New York studio in addition to being one of its top artists. Again, this is hardly what you would call lively, but things improve later on.

Joel Mossberg

But not right away. I wanted to include a few items from the important ethnic catalogs that the record companies were building at the time. The first is "Hosianna Davids Son" from the Swedish-American baritone Joel Mossberg. It dates from 1916.

Next we have a pleasant spring interlude, complete with bird calls, called "Down In Lily Land at Easter Time," with your guides Billy Burton and James Hall (pseudonyms for the popular recording artists Charles Harrison and Andrea Sarto, the latter of whom appeared in my Valentine collection). This comes from 1917.

"The Old Rugged Cross" is one of the most famous songs associated with Easter. Here is an 1921 recording from Oscar Seagle, a prominent musician and music teacher active in the early 20th century. He looks kind of rugged himself, I'd say.

Oscar Seagle

From 1922 comes the Trinity Quartet, another busy recording ensemble, here comprising soprano Lucy Marsh, contralto Elsie Baker, tenor Lambert Murray and baritone Clifford Cairns. Believe me, these folks were all over the Victor catalog for some time. They present "Christ the Lord is Risen To-day," an Easter song penned by Charles Wesley some 200 years earlier.

Another ethnic number for you - "Zlozcie Troski (Take Care)," a Polish song with Karol Dembek singing and Wincenty Czerwinski speaking, dating from 1922. I wanted to include this because of the Lady Liberty motif on the OKeh label. Immigration to the U.S. was becoming much more restricted during these years, with increasingly stiff quotas being imposed several times.

Frieda Hempel

The prominent German soprano Frieda Hempel regales us with "Alleluia - A joyous Easter Hymn" on a 1924 HMV recording with an anonymous backing.

Finally we come to a lively number that could actually be called popular, even if not strictly (or at all) Easter-related. It is "Hallelujah!" from the Youmans-Grey-Robin score for the 1927 Broadway smash Hit the Deck. Our rendition is courtesy of two of the busiest recording artists of the time - the talented tenor Franklyn Baur and Victor director of light music Nat Shilkret. Note that although Shilkret is credited on the label, the ledgers say that Leonard Joy directed the session. Regardless, it's a wonderful song.

The Westminster Central Hall

We're back in England for the next number, coming from the Choir of the Westminster Central Hall, a prominent Methodist church in London. Arthur Meale directs a good 1928 reading of "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross."

Also from England, an old friend, tenor Steuart Wilson, who has appeared on this blog before. Here he takes up "This Joyful Easter-tide" in an arrangement by Arthur Somervell. I believe the anonymous accompanist is Gerald Moore. This comes from circa 1929.

Sir Walford Davies, 1929

One of my favorite numbers from this collection is the Sir Walford Davies Easter processional "O Filii et Filiae," conducted by the composer in St. George's Chapel, Windsor. As usual with such on-site recordings of processionals, the choir sounds distant at first, becoming more prominent as the hymn proceeds. Here, the engineer made them much too dim, so I have adjusted the gain so you can at least hear what is going on. The recording dates from 1931.

Clifton Webb, 1934

One of the two most famous pop songs associated with Easter comes from 1933 and the Irving Berlin revue, As Thousands Cheer. Introducing the "Easter Parade" were Clifton Webb and Marilyn Miller. Webb was a song and dance performer on Broadway for many years before moving to Hollywood. Victor had him record the song with Leo Reisman's orchestra.

Recognizing a good thing, Berlin reused "Easter Parade" in films several times - in Alexander's Ragtime Band, Holiday Inn and the 1948 picture named for the song. The music has a back story as well - Berlin first published it 1917 with different lyrics, "Smile and Show Your Dimple."

Webb and Reisman weren't the only contenders in the "Easter Parade" of recordings, of course. Brunswick had Freddy Martin and his soupy saxes step in for a Vocalion release that same year. An enjoyable effort, with an uncredited vocal trio, presumably plucked from the band.

Warwick Braithwaite

It wouldn't be Easter without a go at the "Halleujah Chorus" from Handel's Messiah. This 1939 recording surprisingly comes from the Sadler's Wells Chorus and Orchestra, whose main stock-in-trade was opera, not oratorio. It's a good effort, led by the then Sadler's Wells music director, Warwick Braithwaite - very broad and grand, the sort of thing you seldom hear these days.

Now we return to the other "Hallelujah!", the one from Hit the Deck. Bandleader Will Bradley revived the song for a 1939 Columbia flagwaver featuring drummer Ray McKinley. The arranger was Leonard Whitney.

Will Bradley

Kenny Baker

In a much different vein is a 1942 release, "Easter Sunday with You," from tenor Kenny Baker, who made his name on Jack Benny's radio show, then appeared in many films. Harry Sosnik leads the band in this Don Reid-Henry Tobias song. Baker made a specialty of such sweet, sincere material, in later years moving into the religious repertory. He was a fine singer.

Guy Lombardo and his brothers are most associated with New Year's Day, certainly, but they also had a shot at other holidays. Here is their 1945 plea, "I Want a Bunny for Easter," with the usual stiff vocal from a band trio. This number was from songwriter Dave Franklin, whose big hit that year was "Lily Belle."

One of the best records in this set is "Hallelujah Morning" from the Brown's Ferry Four, one of the first country super groups. The Four consisted of the Delmore Brothers, Grandpa Jones and generally either Merle Travis or Red Foley (sources differ on who appears on this recording). The Four recorded sacred material for King in the late 40s, including this Alton Delmore composition in 1946. This particular pressing has some 78 noise, but it is far superior to the commercial reissue, which is cut, off-pitch, over-filtered and has had echo added.

Freddie Mitchell could and did make anything into a boogie, and here he turns "Easter Parade" into "Easter Boogie," attributing the composition to himself and two other folks, not including Irving Berlin. It's characteristic, with the usual tinkling from the upright piano and honking from the tenor sax. Those tinkles and honks comes to us from 1949.

Vaughn Monroe

I am not a fan of the moaning of baritone Vaughn Monroe, but here he does well by an unfamiliar seasonal tune, "It's Easter Time," dating from 1950. He is backed by the Moon Maids and the Moon Men, who were named in honor of his first big hit, 1941's "Racing with the Moon."

The other big Easter song, leaving aside "Easter Parade," is "Peter Cottontail" (formally, "Here Comes Peter Cottontail"), from the team of Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins. They also wrote "Frosty the Snowman," thus providing anthropomorphic kiddie tales for two different holidays. The hit version of the Easter song was by Gene Autry in 1950, but I am partial to the work of a lesser singing cowboy, Jimmy Wakely, who was one of Capitol's biggest stars. His relaxed baritone is just right here, as always.

1950  Billboard ad

I can't resist adding another "Peter Cottontail" to the pile, this one from the usually swinging and swaying but here mostly bouncing Sammy Kaye and his vocal Kaydets. Sammy's Columbia record appeared in 1951 - late to the party but welcome nonetheless.

Tommy Sosebee

Country singer Tommy Sosebee was dubbed "The Voice of the Hills" by his management or the Coral record company - and he did have an excellent voice, in fact, displayed well in his 1951 recording of the unfamiliar "She's My Easter Lily." Well worth hearing.

Record mogul Norman Granz started a fashion for jazz soloists appearing with string accompaniment when he paired Charlie Parker's alto sax with a bed of strings in 1950. Trumpeter Roy Eldridge got this treatment in 1952 with a recording of "Easter Parade" with lush backing from arranger George "The Fox" Williams. It's not the most successful example of the genre, but not displeasing either.

The Anita Kerr Singers (Kerr at front)

I am a great admirer of the singer-arranger-composer Anita Kerr, who brings us an Easter hymn, "The Strife is O'er, the Battle Won," adapted from Palestrina. But this 1952 record is just not one of her best. A shame because she made so many good ones!

In a much different vein is "The Bunny Hop," a hit for Ray Anthony in 1954. But here we eschew Ray's Capitol platter in favor of Lee Roy and His Band, on the Epic label. "Lee Roy" was in fact Ray's brother, who sometimes played baritone sax in Ray's band. I find this sibling record rivalry to be odd, to say the least. I do love the song, though.

Duke Ellington

Capitol was not above making the great Duke Ellington record some lesser material during his tenure with the label. Case in point is the "Bunny Hop Mambo" from 1954, which is just what is seems to be, only disjointed on the Duke's end. The "hop-hop-hop" in this one is more like "lurch-lurch-lurch."

Fortunately, Frankie Yankovic's "Bunny Polka," also from 1954, is not the "Bunny Hop" in disguise, but rather a piece by the bandleader and his arranger, Joe Trolli. This is not one of the Polka King's most regal accomplishments, but pleasant even so.

Country pop singer Rusty Draper had a number of big records for Mercury in the mid-50s. The unfamiliar "Easter Mornin'" from 1954 was not one of his  successes, but entertaining in its unassuming way. The conductor is famed producer Hugo Peretti.

I hope you will not mind one final reprise of "Easter Parade," in a smooth arrangement for the Men of the Robert Shaw Chorus, here conducted by Ralph Hunter, who succeeded Shaw as conductor of the Collegiate Chorale at about the same time as the record came out (1954).

Our final number is the little-noticed "Two Easter Sunday Sweethearts," the flip side of English singer Vera Lynn's 1954 pressing of "Du Bist Mein Liebshoen." But even "Du Bist" was a minor record compared to Lynn's big hit that year, "If You Love Me (Really Love Me)." In the ad at bottom, Lynn arrives on the HMS Queen Elizabeth bearing a big present of "If You Love Me" for the American market, with the other record tucked in her handbag.

I hope everyone has a good holiday. We always host a family gathering on Easter Sunday, but not this year. Facetime will have to do. I am grateful even so for all the blessings that have been bestowed on me over the years, not the least of which are the loyal readers of this blog. My best to you all.

1954 Billboard ad (click to enlarge)