Trudy Erwin

Trudy Erwin (1918-2000) was a talented singer mostly remembered for her movie dubbing assignments and appearances with Bing Crosby. She had a lovely mezzo voice, perfect diction, careful intonation and great warmth. Her career lasted from the mid-1930s into the 1950s. 

This post, a comprehensive overview of her most productive period (1940-52), includes 35 commercial recordings, airchecks and soundtracks.

Early Experience

A native of Los Angles, Erwin was singing in ensembles in her teens. Among her first professional jobs was as period as a member of the Music Maids singing group on Bing Crosby's radio show, starting in 1939. At that time she was known as Virginia (Jinny) Erwin.

The Music Maids, with Jinny Erwin at center

Her first individual professional job, to my knowledge, was doing the singing for Lucille Ball in 1940's Too Many Girls, where she had the dubious honor of introducing the great Rodgers and Hart song "You're Nearer" without a credit. Our collection starts off with her performance from the soundtrack. (The noises you hear in the background are crickets - the scene takes place outside at dusk.)

Also from that film is "I Didn't Know What Time It Was," with a brief concluding vocal by Ball's co-star Richard Carlson.

With Kay Kyser

In 1941, Erwin joined Kay Kyser's band as a replacement for Ginny Simms, making her first recording in November. This was after Simms and Kyser had a personal and professional split, and the bandleader didn't want any more Ginnys (or Jinnys). So Jinny Erwin became Trudy Erwin.

Most of her singing was done as a member of the Kyser vocal ensemble, but she was featured on two records, the first of which was a giant hit -"Who Wouldn't Love You," written by future Frankie Laine music director Carl Fischer with Bill Carey. Trudy shared billing with Kyser mainstay Harry Babbitt. (They were credited as "Trudy and Harry" on the label.)

Like much of Kyser's output, the song veered toward the novelty side of the bandbook, as did her other feature, "There Won't be a Shortage of Love," which traded on the empty market shelves of wartime. Again, "Trudy and Harry" were the singing lovebirds, appropriate considering that the arrangement called for drum effects that sounded like Kyser had hired a woodpecker. (Come to think of it, he would later record the "Woody Woodpecker Song" with Gloria Wood.)

Trudy Erwin in 1942

Trudy's two songs were set down in January and March 1942, respectively. The Musicians Union embarked on a pointless two-year strike in July, and by the time that was over, Erwin had moved back to the Crosby show, as a soloist this time.

With Bing Crosby

This set includes her three commercial recordings with Bing and many high-quality airchecks from his Kraft Music Hall show.

Like other leading artists, Crosby had a big success even during the union ban by recording without union members. He and Trudy had a double-sided hit with songs from the new Rodgers and Hammerstein show Oklahoma! - "People Will Say We're in Love" and "Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin'."

The recording session managed to evade the union ban by not employing any instrumentalists - vocalists did not belong to the union. So the duo's accompanists were the members of "The Sportsmen Glee Club," an expanded version of the Sportsmen Quartet. The performances are pleasant if lugubrious, with the Sportsmen sounding more mournful than gleeful.

Because Trudy also was a member of the Kraft Music Hall cast, she and Bing also had a chance to perform both Oklahoma! songs with orchestral accompaniment.

The "People Will Say We're in Love" performance comes from a September 1943 broadcast. I wish I could say that John Scott Trotter's arrangement is much of an improvement over the Sportsmen, but it just plods along.

In December, another broadcast included a version of "Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin'" with accompaniment by Trotter's crew. Here the band chart is perhaps more flossy than the song and setting deserved.

Bing and Trudy

Also from that broadcast, Bing and Trudy sang "One Alone" from Sigmund Romberg's operetta The Desert Song. Bing calls the song new, probably because it was used in a recent film adaptation. The work itself dates from 1926.

Another 1943 broadcast allotted Erwin a solo spot on a Burke-Van Heusen song that Crosby had recorded the year before - "Constantly." I've included the lead-in to the number, which includes an amusing bit with Bing imitating Kyser and his North Carolina drawl.

"Wait for Me Mary" was the flip side of one of Dick Haymes' first big hits - "You'll Never Know." Bing and Trudy handled the piece sensitively during a September broadcast.

The unlikely 1943 hit "I Heard You Cried Last Night" was the subject of an superb Erwin performance. Written for the B-movie Cinderella Swings It, Helen Forrest and Harry James had recorded it in summer 1942, but Columbia delayed its release for a year. After it became a hit, Dick Haymes followed with an a capella version. Trudy's Kraft Music Hall rendition comes from another September show.

Also that month, Bing and Trudy combined for "The Way You Look Tonight," the Kern-Fields song from 1936 and Fred Astaire's Swing Time. This is one of the best songs and performances in the set. Bing had recorded it with his wife Dixie Lee in 1936.

"My Ideal" comes from an early December show. It's a revival of the 1930 Richard Whiting, Newell Chase and Leo Robin song that was introduced by Maurice Chevalier. The version by Bing and Trudy probably was suggested by the Capitol recording by Whiting's daughter, Margaret. Trudy's obbligato in this performance is strikingly effective.

Rodgers and Hart wrote the standard "My Heart Stood Still" for a West End review in 1927, then had to buy the song back so they could use it in A Connecticut Yankee. Bing and Trudy did well with this classic number.

"The Right Kind of Love," a new song by Mabel Wayne and Kermit Goell, was recorded by a number of artists in 1943, not including Bing. He did program it for an August show as a duet with Trudy. The composition is just OK, but the singing is fine.

Erwin left Crosby's show when she and her husband, Crosby's engineer-producer Murdo MacKenzie, were expecting a child in 1944.

Commercial Recordings

In 1945, Trudy was the featured vocalist on bandleader Ray Noble's summer replacement radio program. Noble also brought in Trudy for one of his many Columbia sessions. One side was "The Wish That I Wish Tonight," a lovely song by M.K. Jerome and Jack Scholl from the classic film Christmas in Connecticut. David Rose and Leo Robin came up with the other side, "So-o-o in Love," another film song, this one from the Danny Kaye specialty Wonder Man. On the film's soundtrack, Virginia Mayo's vocals were dubbed not by Erwin but June Hutton, the subject of an upcoming post.

Both Noble songs are attractive numbers in polished performances. Erwin (misspelled "Irwin" on the labels) is in good form. The trumpet soloist on "The Wish That I Wish" is ex-Miller hand Clyde Hurley. "So-o-o in Love" was even nominated for an Academy Award. Its formidable competition included "It Might as Well Be Spring" (the winner), "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive," "Aren’t You Glad You’re You?," "I Fall in Love Too Easily," "I’ll Buy that Dream," "Sleigh Ride in July," "More and More" and "Some Sunday Morning."

Trudy's next record was her only one as the featured performer - songs for the mainly country label 4-Star in 1946. The result is sterling performances of the well-remembered "To Each His Own" and of "Whattya Gonna Do?" These came out on two different 78s, backed by instrumentals from bandleader and sometime actor Opie Cates. 

"To Each His Own" is a Livingston and Evans song from the film of the same name, and is best known these days for its Ink Spots recording, although it was a hit for Eddy Howard among others. This pressing is noisy, unfortunately.

There may be a third Erwin release on 4-Star - "Would You Believe Me?" - but I haven't found a copy.

At about the same time, Bing came through with another task - a commercial recording of "See You in Cuba" from his 1946 film Blue Skies, which had an Irving Berlin score. The composer called the piece "See You in C-U-B-A" when he wrote it as a prohibition song in 1920. Crosby's partner in the film was the charming Olga San Juan, but Erwin was a better singer.

More Movie Dubs

Crosby became a film producer with the 1945 release of The Great John L., based on the life of boxer John L. Sullivan and set in the late 19th century. Bing engaged Trudy to dub the vocals for Sullivan's love interest, played by Linda Darnell. Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke provided two songs for the character. "A Perfect Gentleman" is a brief period piece. The main event was "A Friend of Yours," a high quality ballad that should be better remembered. Erwin is in prime form for both.

Erwin dubbed the singing voice of Lucille Bremer in two films. There were two numbers in the 1945 musical fantasy Yolanda and the Thief, where Bremer was the love interest of Fred Astaire -"Angel" and "Will You Marry Me?" Both were by Harry Warren and Bremer's patron, producer Arthur Freed. The former is a pleasing melody, wonderfully well performed by Trudy, beginning with her excellent vocalese. The second song is lyrically insipid, reflecting the fantasy aspect of the film. 

The 1946 Jerome Kern filmic bio Till the Clouds Roll By was the source of another opportunity to dub Bremer's vocals: a short but sonorous solo from Trudy on "The Land Where Good Songs Go." The song is briefly interrupted by comments from Robert Walker as Kern, the best friend of the father of Bremer's character. (Walker sounds oddly like Ronald Colman in the part.)

More Radio Spots

In 1946 Trudy made one of the "Personal Albums" that the Armed Forces Radio Service produced for several years. She included "The Coffee Song," a hit for Bob Hilliard and Richard Miles that several artists recorded. It's a shame that she was saddled with an awful backing combo. The pianist thinks he is accompanying a dancing class; his rhythm could not be less suggestive of Brazil.

Trudy Erwin in 1947

The next song is quite a contrast. It comes from the Jack Paar Show, a 1947 summer replacement for the Jack Benny Show. Erwin's relaxed singing blends well with the modern sounds of a band led by the young Jerry Fielding, who himself had been associated with Kay Kyser, as an arranger. Trudy and Jerry present "I Believe," a terrific Cahn-Styne song introduced by Frank Sinatra in It Happened in Brooklyn.

Paar, later a television star, was just starting on network radio with the show. He did so well that the network continued the program in the fall. Our second selection comes from a September 1947 program, again with Fielding's band. The number is "Ivy," which Hoagy Carmichael wrote as the title song for a film starring Joan Fontaine. The melody is memorable but awkward to sing. Trudy handles it deftly.

Erwin also starred on other radio shows, and even an early television program that she shared with old friend Harry Babbitt.

More Songs from Films

Erwin appeared on screen in 1947 in a typical Jack Carson comedy, Love and Learn, where she helped to introduce the main song from the film, "Would You Believe Me?", a relatively popular number that attracted several commercial recordings. The song is presented by a montage to show how popular it had become. (Carson was a songwriter in the film.) The sequence leads up to Trudy as a glossy nightclub singer. M.K. Jerome, Ray Heindorf and Charles Tobias wrote the song.

In 1951, Erwin sang for Lana Turner in the Ezio Pinza starrer Mr. Imperium. Three selections were included. Her own solo was the unusual "My Love and My Mule," by none other than Harold Arlen and Dorothy Fields. Trudy shared the lively Arlen-Fields "Andiamo" with Pinza. Finally, the duo performed Augustin Lara's fabulous "Solamente una vez" (You Belong to My Heart). The great bass has most of the vocal line in the latter two songs.

Intended for Mr. Imperium?

The next item is the one that gave me the idea of doing this post devoted to Erwin. It is "Hello, My Lover, Goodbye," written by Johnny Green and Edward Heyman for the 1931 musical flop Here Goes the Bride. Frances Langford introduced the number in her only Broadway appearance. It's a striking composition that Erwin elevates with her soulful performance in this 1951 recording for M-G-M. 

My unproven theory is that this performance was intended for Mr. Imperium. It could have been used as a Turner/Erwin solo as the climax of the parting scene when Pinza (as a crown prince) is called back to his country to take over from his dying father. Johnny Green was the conductor both of the Mr. Imperium soundtrack and this song, and they are from the same year. I will say it's a better number than "My Love and My Mule."

Finally, another soundtrack assignment, also issued on record with Erwin credited. It is Frank Lehár's "Merry Widow Waltz," with the addition of Paul Francis Webster lyrics. For some reason, the studio's leadership thought Fernando Lamas and Lana Turner would make people forget Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald's performances in the earlier Merry Widow film. Oh well, at least they engaged Erwin to double Turner's singing voice again, partnering Lamas in the recording.

This sampling of Erwin's artistry comes primarily from Internet Archive and my collection.

LINK

Lauritz Melchior - 1942-43 Performances

The lighter side of the great tenor Lauritz Melchior (1890-1973) has been featured here on several occasions (see below). Today we hear from him in the métier that made him famous - opera - along with a selection of songs, primarily from his homeland, Denmark.

These materials come from a pristine 1972 LP reissue kindly supplied to the blog by my friend Matthew Tepper and transferred by me.

The material primarily derives from 1942 studio sessions for Columbia, with the addition of a few live recordings from Buenos Aires in 1943. Much of this material has not been otherwise reissued, including most or all of the non-Wagnerian items.

Wagner Arias

Melchior was famed as the greatest Wagnerian tenor of the 20th century. The two selections on this album make it clear why that was so. His entrance in the Prayer from Rienzi is startlingly powerful; not so much for its volume but for the clarity and impact of Melchior's voice. The second piece is just as strong - "Lohengrin's Arrival."

Astrid Varnay and Herbert Janssen

Reviewing this reissue in Stereo Review, George Jellinek wrote, "The Lohengrin scene (released here for the first time) omits the chorus and presents Astrid Varnay below her best form and Herbert Janssen in the uncomfortable low tessitura of the King, but Melchior’s contribution is strong and finely sustained."

1943 ad

Varnay (1918-2006) was a Swedish-born American soprano. Janssen (1895-1962) was a German baritone. Both were distinguished figures, as was the conductor, the young Erich Leinsdorf (1912-93), then at the Metropolitan Opera and soon to become the music director of the Cleveland Orchestra.

Verdi's Otello

Melchior was primarily known for his Wagner performances, but he also was a notable proponent of Verdi's Otello.

The four performances on this disk are from two sources: the 1942 Leinsdorf sessions in New York with a recording orchestra, and live 1943 performances with the Orchestra of the Teatro Colón led by Juan Emilio Martini. Although the cover notes are at pains to manage expectations about the sound from Argentina, it isn't bad at all. (The studio recordings, from New York's Liederkranz Hall, are all excellent.)

Erich Leinsdorf

Jellinek's comments: "The four Otello excerpts document the firm command Melchior had of a role he was prevented from performing by backstage maneuverings at the Met, and Janssen gives a better account of himself as Iago."

Schubert Songs

The LP's second side is devoted to songs recorded in 1942 with accompanist Ignace Strasfogel, a Polish émigré who also was a conductor and composer. 

Ignace Strasfogel

Melchior's selections were Schubert's Dem Unendlichen and Ständchen, K889. Jellinek: "The Melchior sound is ideal for the majestic Schubert hymn Dem Unendlichen; the tempo he chose for Ständchen is curiously fast yet not ineffective."

Danish Songs

The critics dismissed the songs from Melchior's homeland as "not particularly memorable," although "pleasant" and "amiable". (I can't imagine what they thought of Two Sisters from Boston.) The LP's notes apologetically mentioned that the tenor had insisted on recording these numbers. Columbia does not even give the composer's full names.

The first two songs are by Peter Heise (1830-79) - Lille Karen and Vildt Flyver Hog (Hawks Fly over Land and Sea). Columbia identifies the first as a folk song, but I believe this is the Heise setting.

The following two are by composer-critic Sophus Andersen (1859-1923): Der flyver så mange fugle (So many birds are flying) and Nu brister i alle de kløfter (Spring is coming).

Peter Heise, Peter Lange-Müller, Sophus Andersen

Finally, three songs by composer-pianist Peter Lange-Müller (1850-1926): Kornmodsglansen ved Midnatstid (generally translated as Summer Lightning, although the literal translation is "The grain countershines at midnight"); Skin ud, du klare Solskin (Bright Sunshine, literally "Shine on, you good Sunshine"); and the serenade Renaissance.

Columbia provided no texts nor translations, so I have cobbled together the same for the songs that I could find, even resorting to Google Translate for a few. Otherwise, the download includes the usual scans, reviews and photos, plus a 1972 interview with Melchior.

LINK

The Lighter Side of Melchior

The "lighter side of Melchior" recordings I mentioned above have just been remastered, and a new album added.

The new item is an album of songs from Melchior's first film, Thrill of a Romance from 1945, in which the Heldentenor is transformed into a gigantic Danish Cupid bringing together famed aquatic thespian Esther Williams with war-hero Van Johnson. The tenor takes on everything from Schubert to Victor Herbert to a pop song. Thrill of a Romance also starred the Tommy Dorsey band, so as bonus items I've added three commercial recordings of their songs from the film.

Melchior's follow-up was the 1946 film Two Sisters from Boston. I transferred the Victor album of songs from that movie more than a decade ago, and have now improved the sound and processed it in ambient stereo. As I wrote then, the film "plunders Liszt and Mendelssohn to concoct noisy cod arias that Melchior attacks with some enthusiasm." This time, the bonus is Jimmy Durante's songs from the film - no Liszt of Mendelssohn and quite a contrast to Melchior. (Jimmy's arias are offered separately in a recent post on my singles blog.)

Also newly redone is Melchior's recording of Romberg's famous operetta The Student Prince with Jane Wilson and Lee Sweetland. This 10-inch album comes from 1951. The orchestrations are by Victor Young, who also conducted the ensemble.

The Complete 'By the Light of the Silvery Moon'

After the success of 1951's On Moonlight Bay, the Warner Bros. brought back stars Doris Day and Gordon MacRae for another go at a story loosely based on Booth Tarkington's Penrod stories. The result was 1953's By the Light of the Silvery Moon. Once again, the songs were vintage and once again there was no soundtrack album because Day recorded for Columbia and MacRae for Capitol.

So today, we bring you the two "songs from the movie" LPs the stars produced separately, along with the actual songs from the soundtrack transferred from an ancient bootleg album. Both of the stars' records were of the 10-inch variety, the waning standard for pop LPs at the time. Within a few years, 12-inch LPs would crowd out their smaller siblings.

Day and MacRae were exceptionally charming on film and their albums are just as worthwhile. Plus there is plenty to like in the period songs, with a few exceptions. In this film, MacRae had just come back from serving "over there," so the setting is circa 1918.

Doris' Columbia LP

Day started off her LP with the title song, "By the Light of the Silv'ry Moon." (Note that the song title was also rendered without the elision, which version Warner Bros. adopted for the film's title.) Gus Edwards and Edward Madden wrote the tune for the Ziegfeld Follies of 1909. Edwards himself was the subject of a biopic, 1939's The Star Maker, with Bing Crosby as his celluloid replica. "By the Light" may be the composer's best song.

Doris Day, Gordon MacRae, Rosemary DeCamp, Leon Ames

"Your Eyes Have Told Me So" was a 1919 effort by Walter Blaufuss, Egbert Van Alstyne and Gus Kahn. It's a fine ballad, done winningly by the amazing Day.

She also is excellent in "Just One Girl," with sterling assistance from the Norman Luboff Choir and Paul Weston's orchestra. The waltz, dating from 1898, is by Lyn Udall and Karl Kennett.

One of the best remembered numbers from the score is "Ain't We Got Fun" from 1921. The authors were Richard Whiting, Raymond Egan and Gus Kahn. Doris is good and the choir is OK, but this is better performed as a duet.

In the film, "If You Were the Only Girl" also was sung by the two principals. Here it's a solo and still a winner. It's a 1916 English song by Nat Ayer and Clifford Grey, and a particularly melodious one.

In contrast, Doris can't do much with the awful "Be My Little Baby Bumble Bee." She is alternately coy and declamatory, and the Norman Luboff Choir is no help. The song works much better as a playful duet, such as on the MacRae LP, or in the film where Day is partnered by MacRae's rival, Russell Arms. Henry Marshall and Stanley Murphy wrote the piece in 1912.

The heartfelt Day solo "I'll Forget You" is much better. Ernest Ball and Annelu Burns composed this lovely ballad in 1921. The song is a high point on both albums.

The final song is Day's specialty "King Chanticleer," originally a 1912 instrumental by Nat Ayer that was recorded  by Prince's Band and many others. At some point A. Seymour Brown added words, and this is the basis of a barnyard opera as arrayed by Doris in the picture and on the cover above. It's too hectic for my taste, but musicals need variety, I suppose.

Gordon's Capitol LP

For his Capitol LP, Gordon MacRae had the significant advantage of a singing partner in the person of June Hutton, who was then making records for Capitol, generally accompanied by her husband, Axel Stordahl, a skillful former Dorsey staffer who was at the helm for most of Frank Sinatra's Columbia recordings.

June Hutton

It might be helpful to have a brief explanation of all the various Huttons who made records and films back then. June was the sister of bandleader Ina Ray Hutton. They were no relation to the movies' Betty Hutton and her sister, Marion, once of the Glenn Miller ensemble. None of them were born as Huttons; they adopted the name, presumably because of the popularity of "poor little rich girl" Barbara Hutton.

June followed Jo Stafford as the female voice in the Pied Pipers, going solo in the late 40s. She was quite a good singer. I expect to post the rest of her complete Capitol recordings soon.

Gordon is just home from the war and Doris is ready for marriage

MacRae of course was famous for his appearances on records, radio and films. The record starts off with his solo, "My Home Town Is a One Horse Town (But It's Big Enough for Me)," written by Alex Gerber and Abner Silver in 1920. Appropriately it's a march, with Gordon's character just home from the war.

June and Gordon pair for "Your Eyes Have Told Me So" and the saccharine "Be My Little Baby Bumble Bee." They perform the latter as if it were a vaudeville song, and it works better than the Day reading. 

Hutton had a much less extroverted manner than Day, which shows in "I'll Forget You." She is just as effective, however.

MacRae does wonderfully well with "Just One Girl," conveying his exhilaration irresistibly. He and Hutton then take on the title song, followed by "Ain't We Got Fun." Their two characters are middle class; shouldn't they have corrected the title to "Don't We Have Fun?"

Gordon and June also do well with "If You Were the Only Girl in the World," although Day is uniquely affecting in this number. 

I've added a non-film duet for Hutton and MacRae - "Coney Island Boat," which comes from another exercise in nostalgia, the 1954 Broadway show By the Beautiful Sea. It's the only other song that the two recorded together, also the only Capitol recording that June made without her husband; instead Van Alexander was in charge. The song is by Dorothy Fields and Arthur Schwartz, and was introduced by the talented and versatile Shirley Booth.

The Soundtrack Recording

As mentioned, the soundtrack recordings come from a long-ago bootleg. After some ministrations, the sound isn't bad at all.

The competing "songs from" LPs encompass all the songs on the soundtrack LP, so this is just provided as an alternate (and the original). The film does include other music from the time (save the anachronistic "La Vie en rose"), but I believe it is all instrumental background except for a vocal by Leon Ames (playing Doris' father) on "Moonlight Bay," a reference to the first film in the series.

The sound on the Columbia and Capitol albums is more than adequate. All these recordings, except for the "Coney Island Boat" single, are from my collection.

LINK

More from Maurice Duruflé

Last month in a tribute to the late Sir Andrew Davis, I mentioned the absence from the catalog of Maurice Duruflé's orchestral Trois danses. My friend and frequent commenter centuri quickly reminded me that the composer himself had recorded the work.

I say "reminded me" because I actually own a copy of the record. It contains a stimulating program that also includes Duruflé's Messe "Cum jubilo" and his a capella Quatre motets.

Duruflé (1902-86) was a French composer and organist who was severely self-critical and published relatively few works. A student of Paul Dukas, his lineage to the great Impressionists is apparent. He remained a musical conservative throughout his career.

Marie-Madelaine and Maurice Duruflé

Duruflé and his wife Marie-Madelaine Chevalier Duruflé (1921-99) were notable instrumentalists. Both were organists at Saint-Étienne-du-Mont in Paris. Anthony Tomassini wrote in the New York Times that Marie-Madelaine was "the last great exponent of the French Romantic school of organ playing, which valued elegant grandeur, textural clarity and rhythmic freedom." She is the organist in the Messe "Cum jubilo" on this LP. The Orchestre National de la ORTF is heard both in the mass and in the Trois danses.

Roger Soyer

The mass setting comes from 1966, but its sound world will be familiar to those who know the composer's 1947 Requiem, which itself was modelled on Gabriel Fauré's similar work of 1887-93. The Mass exists in several versions, for chorus alone, chorus and orchestra, and chorus and organ. The version on this LP subsumes all those forces, with soloist Roger Soyer (born 1939), a baritone who frequently appeared on records of the time. The Gramophone's Lionel Salter remarked that he displays "a voice of beautiful quality and a fine legato line."

Salter noted that the mass is based in the plainsong tradition, "hence both the absence of all vocal harmony or polyphony and the flexibility of metre."

The album also includes the Quatre motets sur des thèmes grégoriens for choir alone. Another familiar recording ensemble, the Chorale Stéphane Caillat, is heard in this work and the mass. The motets date from 1960.

Concluding the LP are the Trois danses, which include "Divertissements" and "Tambourin" along with the "Danse lente" that Andrew Davis programmed for his Requiem album. The suite is a relatively early work, written in 1936.

This music is all rewarding and engrossing, and these performances are presumably definitive.

My copy of the album is the US Musical Heritage Society pressing. In preference to that edition, I remastered the original Erato release from 1971-2, as found on Internet Archive. The choral works were recorded by Radio France in 1971. The recording of the Trois danses dates from 1968. Salter's assessment: "The playing of the ORTF Orchestra under the composer is polished and precise, and the recording notably well balanced." The critic dismissed the LP's liner notes as "wooly and superficial," to which I would add incomprehensible. Salter's review, included in the download, is a much better introduction to the music.

Tech note: this recording is presented in a 24-bit, 96kHz transfer. My own view is that this is overkill for an LP transfer and probably for capturing any music. There is, however, a demand for such a product, so I'll provide it to see if anyone notices the difference. My own transfers are made at 24-96 for editing purposes, so I might as well maintain that resolution for the masters. I may do this only for stereo classical recordings, but we'll see. Your views are welcome.

Update: reader Gabriel let me know about distortion on the choral voices in the Four Motets. I have now transferred these pieces from my own copy, the Musical Heritage Society pressing. It is an improvement. The new version is linked below. Also, I've added a 16-bit, 44.1kHz alternative.

LINK [Revised version, 24-bit, 96kHz]

LINK [Revised version, 16-bit, 44.1kHz]

Bull Moose Jackson, 'Big Ten-Inch Record' and Much More

When I started this blog 16 years ago, I decided to focus on 10-inch LPs, a long-forgotten niche and one that I had pursued for many years. What better name, I thought, than the old R&B hit, "Big Ten-Inch Record." Many people think the name is an allusion to the Aerosmith version of the song, but I was thinking of Bull Moose Jackson's 1952 original. I don't believe I've ever heard the later edition.

It's well past time for an homage to the Moose, so I have gone back to the original 78s and prepared this post of 18 songs dating from 1945 to 1952, ending, appropriately, with "Big Ten-Inch." You'll find Louis Jordan style romps, ballads a la Charles Brown, jump blues and instrumental features for Jackson's tenor sax.

A native of Cleveland, Benjamin Jackson (1919-89) first became known as an instrumentalist and sometimes vocalist with Lucky Millinder's big band, which combined jazz with the R&B sound that was gaining prominence in the 40s. The bandleader saw his potential, gave him the nickname "Bull Moose" and eventually became his manager.

The Moose's first records on his own were made for King while he was still in the Millinder band. Found as a country label in 1943, King soon branched out into R&B with the Queen imprint. Jackson was the first artist released on the subsidiary, which was folded back into King a few years later.

The first song in our set, dating from December 1945, is "Going Back to Cleveland Ohio," which is a straight-ahead blues notable for its strong beat, mellow vocal from Jackson, and idiosyncratic lyrics that veer from the fond into the profane when you least expect it - "She looks like a bear / Got hair everywhere / Her name is Trudy / and she's got loads of booty." The powerful backing is by members of Millinder's band, notably pianist Sir Charles Thompson, bass player Beverly Peer and drummer Panama Francis.

The song was retitled "Cleveland Ohio Blues" when it was reissued on King some time later.

Annisteen Allen

The following day, the same group cut "Oo-Oo Ee-Bob A Lee Bob," backing up Millinder vocalist Annisteen Allen, who swung hard and had a loud and cutting delivery that must have been effective live. "Oo-Oo Ee-Bob A Lee Bob" is a cover of "Hey! Baba Ree Bop," which had been a hit for Lionel Hampton, who himself was covering Helen Humes. Allen's record is more dynamic.

Also included in the collection is the flip side, an instrumental called "Jamin and Jumpin," a thinly disguised version of "Sweet Georgia Brown."

Lucky Millinder

As mentioned, Jackson was still in the Millinder band when the above recordings were made. I've included one side from Lucky's band that features the Moose - "Chitlin' Switch," a charming song that was covered by Johnny Otis among others. Jackson is the vocalist, and possibly the sax soloist, although that also might be the work of Sam "The Man" Taylor.

Before returning to King in late 1947, Jackson made a few records for the short-lived Super Disc label, which were reissued on M-G-M later on. The first is "Moose on the Loose," where Jackson shows off his tenor chops on a version of "Flying Home."

The Jackson band on the Savoy Ballroom marquee, New York, probably mid-1940s

"Keep Your Big Mouth Shut" is a enjoyable Louis Jordan-style story blues written by Rudolph Toombs and nicely dispatched by the Moose as the sad-sack protagonist.

The final Super Disc is "Memphis Gal," which is essentially "Going Back to Cleveland Ohio," including an identical final verse, although this time his gal's name is Judy instead of Trudy.

Henry Glover and Sally Nix

Jackson returned to King is August 1947 with an excellent four-song set, all of which are included here and all of which were written by Sally Nix solo or in tandem with producer Henry Glover.

The first is a bouncy boogie-woogie called "Sneaky Pete," a term that can refer to various types of alcoholic beverages, but here is probably a nod to fortified wine. It's very effective (the song, not the wine). For this record, the band was dubbed "His Buffalo Bearcats," a surprising name considering that Jackson hailed from Cleveland.

"I Love You Yes I Do" was one of the Moose's biggest hits. It's a nothing-special ballad, but it was extraordinarily popular on the basis of Jackson's sincere vocal.

Cash Box, November 15, 1947

More to my taste is the raucous boogie "I Want a Bowlegged Woman." That's one of the great titles of all time, and the record lives up to it. "She's gotta be built like an old bass fiddle / Big bow legs with plenty room in the middle," the Moose sings guilelessly.

If anything, "Fare Thee Well, Deacon Jones" is better. This faux-gospel number is set at the funeral of the good Deacon. One "little old lady" jumps up to pay her respects - "He was my old man for years / and he sure could shift his gears," she testifies. The band is the enthusiastic congregation for this one. It ends with the Deacon rising from the coffin and informing the mourners they're all going to hell, via a Cleanhead Vinson style stop-time recitation. The amusing Deacon is unfortunately unidentified.

Cash Box, July 10, 1948

The 1948 recording ban intervened, so Jackson's next session was in February 1949. "Don't Ask Me Why" is a bid to recreate the success of "I Love You Yes I Do." Same story with Henry Glover's "Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide."

"Little Girl Don't Cry" is another ballad - this time the Moose is covering a Millinder record that the bandleader wrote with Doris Davis. It's a good effort on a just-OK song.

The next (and final) ballad is "Not Until You Came Along," by Glover and King honcho Syd Nathan. Moose had enjoyed big hits with ballads, so they kept on a-comin'.

The remaining song from 1949 is "Why Don't You Haul Off and Love Me," a cover of a huge country hit by King's Wayne Raney, written by Raney and Lonnie Glosson. Jackson's cover is better than the original.

"Cherokee Boogie (Eh-Oh-Aleena)" is another cover of a King artist, Moon Mullican. It's the honky-tonk pianist's version of "Hey! Baba-Ree-Bop" adorned with stereotypical "Indian" effects. The tenor solo is probably by Sam Taylor. This comes from 1951.

Finally we arrive at "Big Ten-Inch Record," surely Jackson's best record and one of the finest R&B records of all time. It's one of those double-entendre songs that make use of the stanza break for effect: "I really get her going when I take out my big ten-inch / Record of the band that plays the blues." The unlikely author of this tune is Fred Weismantel, former arranger for Glenn Miller and George Paxton.

Although "Big Ten-Inch Record" was surely referring to 78s (what else?), I adopted it for this blog, which was originally for 10-inch LPs. I later expanded its purview to LPs of all sizes, and lately more and more 78s. The irreverent name almost certainly gives people the wrong idea, because the specialties around here are classical music and vocalists, although I do post music of many types.

Most of the 78s in this set were filched from Internet Archive then cleaned up for consumption. As with many vintage R&B records, the originals were very noisy. I've had some luck removing the sonic detritus for this post, while patching a few sections with lossy copies. You may notice a resulting difference in quality every once in a while. The saving grace is that with 78s - even from small companies - the sound can be very vivid and present.

Jackson largely retired from the music business later in the 1950s, and worked in catering. He was rediscovered in the 1980s and had some success until his death in 1989.

LINK

Hanson Conducts Gould, Barber and Hanson

Howard Hanson

The composer and Eastman School of Music head Howard Hanson (1896-1981) conducted a large number of American music recordings for the Mercury label in the 1950s and 60s.

Recently I posted the first in their "American Music Festival Series," a disc of choral music by Hanson and Randall Thompson. That post also has a link to other entries in the series previously offered here.

Today we have two related entries in the series: Vol. 3, with music by Morton Gould (1913-96) and Samuel Barber (1910-81); and Vol. 15, music by Barber and Hanson.

Hanson was a proponent and exponent of conservative, tonal music These two LPs are good examples of the genre.

Music by Gould and Barber

Vol. 3 of the American Music Festival Series, recorded in 1952, is one of the best entries in the collection. It starts with Morton Gould's wildly colorful Latin-American Symphonette (1940), followed by three popular Samuel Barber compositions, all in Hanson's typically taut readings with the Eastman-Rochester Symphony Orchestra.

Morton Gould

Not all the critics were pleased, of course. The American Record Guide sniffed at the Gould, calling it a "slickly stylized travelogue." Others were more sympathetic. The Gramophone: "A four-movement Sinfonietta is no novelty, but one based on four Latin-American dances is; orchestral arrangements of a rumba, tango, guaracha, and conga by good musicians are no novelty, but ones done with musical rather than commercial ends in view seem, unfortunately, to be so."

Writing in High Fidelity, Alfred Frankenstein complimented Barber's early works, the Overture to The School for Scandal (1931), Adagio for Strings (1936) and Essay No. 1 (1938), as "small-scaled, fine-grained, highly lyrical pieces." He also enjoyed Hanson's conducting. "All these works have been recorded before, but never with such conviction, understanding and deftness," he wrote.

Some writers commented that the sound lacked warmth, a result of Mercury's typical recording style: "There is stridency in his strings but this is a blessing in disguise because it puts a bite in Barber instead of lending the usual lachrymose character to his mighty miniatures," was the American Record Guide's verdict.

Music by Hanson and Barber

For Vol. 15, recorded in 1955, Hanson combined his new Sinfonia Sacra (Symphony No. 5), and his choral work The Cherubic Hymn (1949) with Barber's Symphony No. 1 (1936).

Alfred Frankenstein was taken with the performances: "Whatever reservations one may have about Howard Hanson as a composer, one must go all out in admiration of his conductorial gifts. His performance of the Barber symphony forces a complete revision of one’s attitude toward that far from obscure work. Previous recordings and performances have made it seem pale and well-mannered and guaranteed to do nothing much to anybody; Hanson, however, makes it sing, gives it body and strength and a genuinely impressive symphonic thrust."

Samuel Barber

Meanwhile, the critic did like at least one of Hanson's two compositions: "Hanson’s own Fifth Symphony, subtitled Sinfonia Sacra. is all right, but the Cherubic Hymn is a major achievement. It is a tribute to the spirit and color of the Eastern Orthodox liturgy, and a very good one."

The reviewer of the American Record Guide was more measured: "Hanson is a skilled craftsman, a very skilled craftsman, whose expressive message always has eluded these ears. But composers should compose and they should be heard, and the steady stream of Hansoniana on LP has been a small enough price to pay for his unrelenting dedication to the cause of others."

Howard Hanson

Mercury later combined the Barber recordings on one LP. Cover scans for that album can be found in the Vol. 2 download. Complete scans of the other LPs are included as always, along with reviews and a few ads.

LINK to Vol. 3 - Gould and Barber

LINK to Vol. 15 - Hanson and Barber

For more by these composers, follow the links below this post. Also, vintage recordings of the School for Scandal Overture and Adagio (by Ormandy and Toscanini) can be found on my other blog.

Finally, four of Hanson's earliest recordings, dating from 1939, can be found in a new post on my singles blog, with music by Charles Tomlinson Griffes, William Grant Still, Charles Vardell and Kent Kennan.