From the Back Room: Anita Ellis in the 40s, Vol. 1

One of the surprises in my recent post of "Buster's Back Room" of unrealized projects was the interest in vocalist Anita Ellis. So today we start a three-part series covering her work in the 1940s, with almost all of the material derived from non-commercial releases.

This first volume comes from three sources: Lang-Worth Transcriptions, a V-Disc and several Personal Albums from the Armed Forces Radio Service. There are 21 songs in all.

For these "From the Back Room" items, the transfers, etc., are prepared with the usual care, but my seemingly endless commentary may be mercifully abbreviated.

About Anita Ellis

Ellis (1920-2015) was born in Montreal but moved to Hollywood at a relatively early age. Her parents both sang (her father was a cantor), instilling a love for vocalizing in both her and her brother, Larry Kert.

Anita was singing on local radio before age 16, went to study at the Cincinnati Conservatory, and before long began singing there on a local station. She discovered her crippling stage fright during a brief period as a dance band vocalist. Thereafter the radio studio was her haven. She did quite well there, a regular both on the Personal Album programs and on the Red Skelton show, while making the transcriptions also heard in this collection.

Eventually she would work as a vocal double for the movies. That aspect of her art will be sampled in the next volume.

There's more about Ellis on James Gavin's site.

Lang-Worth Transcriptions

Anita made at least two sets of Lang-Worth Transcriptions with Mitchell Ayres' orchestra in 1945. These were all well chosen songs from the period - "Stardust," "My Heart Sings," "Stormy Weather," "You Always Hurt the One You Love," "More and More" and "Strange Music."

This collection also includes two of my own favorites: "Invitation to the Blues," by Allan Roberts, Arthur Gershwin and Doris Fisher, and "Sleigh Ride in July," by Johnny Burke and Jimmy Van Heusen. Both are rueful songs of misbegotten romance, the type of material that Ellis with her simplicity and sincerity did so well.

Mitchell Ayres

Her Only V-Disc

Although Anita did several Personal Albums for the AFRS, she recorded only one V-Disc. The V-Disc Discography speculates that this material was taken from 1945 appearances on New York's WNEW with the Merle Pitt ensemble.

The two numbers were both popular at the time - "He's Home for a Little While" by Kermit Goell and the irredeemable "Good Good Good" by Allan Roberts and Doris Fisher. (I liked their work above but not this time.)

Songs from Personal Albums

We also have 11 songs derived from various iterations of the AFRS Personal Album programs that sometimes featured Ellis.

Dennis Morgan and Anita Ellis
recording for AFRS (Morgan is not heard here)

Based on the material, my sense is that these programs date from 1944-46. I don't have any details on the accompanists.

1945 ad

The lesser-known songs are "Tonight I Shall Sleep with a Smile on My Face" by Duke Ellington, Irving Gordon and Mercer Ellington, and Alec Wilder's "I'll Be Around" - and the latter is not all that unknown.

Otherwise we have "I'm in the Mood for Love," "Shoo Shoo Baby," "I Never Mention Your Name," "I'll Be Seeing You," "Blue Skies," "Can't Help Lovin' That Man of Mine," "More Than You Know" and "Summertime."

Anita is in excellent voice throughout these programs, and sings all numbers with a high degree of artistry. 

After some tinkering, the sound through this set is quite good, regardless of source. That said, the pitch from the transcriptions and Personal Albums was often questionable; I've adjusted it.

LINK

From the Back Room: Janáček and Slavický

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 items, the transfers, etc., are prepared with the usual care, but my commentary may be less extended than usual.

I was surprised and pleased to see the interest in these early 1950s recordings on the Supraphon label. 

Leoš Janáček

The influence of Czech composer Leoš Janáček and, more broadly, of Moravian folk music permeates the works in these performances from 1952-53.

Janáček (1854-1928) himself is represented by his Lachian Dances, based on music from the Lachian area of Moravia, a Czech region. The dances, dating from 1889, were his first mature composition.

Klement Slavický

These were influenced by Antonín Dvořák's Slavonic Dances of 1878 and 1886, and in turn both influenced the Three Moravian Dance Fantasies by Klement Slavický (1910-99), which date from 1951.

Leading the Janáček dances is one of his pupils, Břetislav Bakala (1897-1958), a specialist in the composer's music. He conducts the Brno Radio Symphony Orchestra in these 1952 recordings.

Břetislav Bakala, Karel Ančerl

The Slavický work is directed by the distinguished Karel Ančerl (1908-73). The orchestra is the Czech Philharmonic, which he led from 1950-68.

Here is what critic Andrew Porter wrote in The Gramophone: "Janáček was from Lachia, and in this fascinating set of six Lachian Dances we find, in pure and lively form, rhythmic and melodic motifs which recur in his operatic and orchestral music. It is amazing to discover how much variety and complexity of rhythm is possible, within the two-bar phrases that make up most of the music. This is an immensely attractive score.

"Klement Slavický ... recalls Dvořák rather than Janáček. The outer pieces are bright and arresting, the central one more tranquil, and within each there are contrasting sections. This is also a pleasant work. The Slavický score is evidently very well played, and is well recorded."

The Lachian Dances are occasionally heard in this country; the Moravian Dances Fantasies not at all, to my knowledge. The performances here are indeed excellent and the recordings are good for their day.

LINK

From the Back Room: Sue Raney Singles

This is another post resulting from my offer of the contents of Buster's Back Room. One of the most requested was Sue Raney, a gifted singer who has never achieved the renown she deserves. Sue is one of our greatest living vocalists, although her name would surely be unfamiliar to most people.

Here we are concentrating on her early years, when she already was a voice with few peers, collecting all her non-album singles for Capitol, along with some singles from the Imperial label, plus a bonus obscure release from 1974.

This post is an expanded and reworked version of one that I published many years ago. There are 23 songs in all.

Capitol Singles

The first Capitols

Raney was first heard on a record issued by small label from Kansas City (which I do not have). She was signed by Capitol in 1956, when she was about 17. Here first release seems to be from the Ray Anthony-Mamie Van Doren filmic escapade The Girl Can't Help It. Sue was allotted a number called "Ev'rytime," not to be confused with Martin and Blane's "Ev'ry Time." Sue is superb in this good song from Tony Iovello and Mel Levine, backed by Ray's orchestra. It's an amazing performance for a 17-year-old.

Soon thereafter, the label issued the "promotional debut record" above, with one of the cool picture labels it was then using for some promos. The initial plug side was "What's the Good Word, Mr. Bluebird," a conventional period pop item; still, it is not unattractive.

Capitol also promoted its discmate (see below), the title tune from the teen-angst weepie The Careless Years, which Sue handles nicely. IMDb tells us that this was heard on the soundtrack as well, where she also did something called "Butterfingers Baby," but I somehow let that number slip through my fingers and you won't find it here. (Actually, I don't think it was issued on record.)

Picture sleeve for DJ copy

"Please Hurry Home" and "Don't Take My Happiness" were next, followed by her vocal chorus on a Nelson Riddle record of "Til There Was You," an excellent version that was issued before The Music Man opened on Broadway. All these predate Raney's first LP.

The year 1958 brought "My, My, How The Time Goes By" and "Periwinkle Blue," followed by 1958's "The Restless Sea" (quite wonderful) and "Ever," Raney's own composition.

Then in 1959 there were "I Don't Look Right Without You" and "Swingin' In A Hammock." From 1960, backed by Bill Holman, we have "Biology," "Too Soon," "One Finger Symphony" and "The Word Got Around." 

"Biology" is a raucous quasi-rocker, "Too Soon" a pleasant ballad. In general, these singles attempted to hit the halfway point between vocal pop and rock. They are enjoyable although the rock instrumentation and backing singers seem more dated than, say, Nelson Riddle's chart for "'Til There Was You." Bob Bain's rockabilly-style guitar solo in "Don't Take My Happiness" is very enjoyable, though.

Imperial Singles

In the 60s, Raney moved on to Philips for one LP and no singles (as far as I can tell), then to Imperial for several LPs and a clutch of 45s. My collection of the Imperial singles is not complete but does include six songs.

The first such item is "Try to See It My Way," a Bacharach-David song from the TV special On the Flip Side, beautifully done. It was backed by "There Goes My Everything," a country song that became a pop hit for Engelbert Humperdinck.

Next is the title tune to the 1967 suspense film Wait Until Dark, a fine Mancini composition with Livingston and Evans supplying the words. It was backed by "Parade (A Banda)," a hectic Brazilian song that was popular back then. The latter does provide an opportunity for Sue to demonstrate her vocal chops.

The best number in this group - at least to me - is her version of "Knowing When to Leave," a Bacharach-David song from the 1968 musical Promises, Promises. Her subtle singing, even amidst the busy Bill Byers arrangement and cramped recording, is a wonder. Too bad it's backed by the worst song in the bunch, the lamentable flower-power tune "Early Morning Blues and Greens."

Finally, on the obscure Alithia label, there's a bonus cut of Raney's own "Never Say Goodbye" from 1974. The song is good, but the backing, with its loud electric bass and soul-style backing group, screams the early 70s, which to me is not a good thing.

Please note: I mentioned that I was going to add two transcriptions, from Sue's appearances on The Navy Swings and Treasury Department Guest Star programs, but it slipped my mind that these did not contain unique material, only cuts from Sue's first two Capitol LPs. So I have not included them.

LINK to Capitol and Imperial singles

From the Back Room: Two from Marty Paich

The cool fellow above is the distinguished pianist-arranger-composer Marty Paich (1925-95), who issued many fine albums under his own name and as music director for others. Today we have one LP where he shares the lead role with John Graas; and other that is devoted to the Marty Paich Octet. The former was recorded first, so we'll discuss it first.

This is another in a series of posts from Buster's Back Room, where I keep the many projects I have completed but never offered on this blog.

For these "From the Back Room" items, the transfers, etc., are prepared with the usual care, but my usual long-winded commentary may be abbreviated.

Jazz Studio 2 from Hollywood

For this 1954 LP, Decca assembled an octet of leading West Coast jazz musicians - Don Fagerquist (t), Milt Bernhart (tb), John Graas (frh), Herb Geller (as), Jimmy Giuffre (ts, bar, cl), Howard Roberts (g), Paich (p), Curtis Counce (b) and Larry Bunker (d),

Paich wrote one item - "Paicheck" (which it was) - and arranged two standards - Jimmy Van Heusen's "Darn that Dream" (a cool school specialty) and David Raksin's "Laura."

John Graas

Graas, one of the few jazz French horn players, wrote two numbers - "Graas Point" and "Here Come the Lions," while arranging Gershwin's "Do It Again."

Graas (1917-62) recorded fairly prolifically through the 1950s and until his early death, both as a leader and with the Stan Kenton band, among others.

Herb Geller

The LP starts out lyrically with Howard Roberts' guitar introducing "Laura," followed by graceful solos from Herb Geller on alto and Don Fagerquist on trumpet. Milt Bernhart follows with a more assertive break on trombone, before Graas' horn completes the slow tempo section, which is followed by a more swinging close.

Milt Bernhart

So it goes throughout the album. Graas' "Here Come the Lions" has a very catchy theme; Paich's "Paicheck" is an uptempo workout. The soloists for all items are identified in the included discography; note that the information there is in order of recording, not the order presented on the LP. 

LINK to Jazz Studio 2 from Hollywood

The Marty Paich Octet / Tenors West

The year 1955 was ground zero for the great LP switcheroo, where labels took their old 10-inch albums, added a few songs and reissued them as 12-inch albums.

Today we have a good example, starting with the 10-inch Marty Paich Octet LP, recorded for GNP in February 1955, relatively late in the 10-inch LP lifecycle. In a few paragraphs, we'll discuss how this turned into the 12-inch album Tenors West.

Jack Costanzo

For the February session, consisting entirely of Paich compositions, the musicians were: Harry Klee (f, as, ts), Bob Cooper (ts), Bob Enevoldsen (ts, vtb), Jack DuLong (bar), Conte Candoli (t), Paich (p), Joe Mondragon (b), Art Mardigan (d) and Jack Costanzo (bgo). The latter appeared on the two-part Caribbean-themed "Ballet du Bongo."

Harry Klee, Joe Mondragon

Also featured were flutist Harry Klee in "Paich-ence" (using the composer's name in the title was big back then) and bassist Joe Mondragon in "The Dragon."

In November of the same year, more or less the same crew assembled for another recording session, with Jimmy Giuffre taking the place of Bob Cooper and Frankie Capp the drum chair of Art Mardigan. This time there were no Paich compositions.

The added tunes were the Gerry Mulligan theme "Line for Lyons," Billy Strayhorn's "Take the 'A' Train," Hal Hopper's "There's No You" and the Count Basie-Harry Edison "Shorty George."

When the 12-inch version came out in 1957, GNP downplayed the Marty Paich Octet, stressing the tenors of Giuffre, Cooper, Klee and Bob Enevoldsen (who also played valve trombone), and adopting the Tenors West title from one of Paich's compositions.

For this post, I've presented the 12 numbers as follows: first the 10-inch LP in its original order, followed by the songs added to the 12-inch Tenors West LP.

LINK to the Marty Paich Octet / Tenors West

From the Back Room: Early Sarah Vaughan, Vol. 1

The Divine One - Sarah Vaughan, that is - was a god from the time she first stepped into a recording studio, in 1944, and just kept growing in age and vocal grace.

This is the first of three volumes that will present her recorded legacy from that first date with Billy Eckstine's band through to her joining her first major label - Columbia - in 1949. Almost all of these recordings are taken from the original 78s. The three volumes encompass 56 recordings.

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 items, the transfers, etc., are prepared with the usual care, but my commentary may be less garrulous than usual.

The First Recording

Vaughan (1924-90) was "discovered" in 1943 by bandleader-pianist Earl Hines - or was it Eckstine, Hines' vocalist? Both claimed her; she was quite the vocal prize.

When Billy went out on his own, Sarah joined him. Their only recording session together was in September 1944, where she sang "I'll Wait and Pray," written by Eckstine arranger-trombonist Gerald Valentine. Not a great song, but Sarah must have liked it - she later recorded it for Musicraft.

The Eckstine band - filled with boppers such as Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker - is raucous on this De Luxe release. Sarah herself is immediately recognizable.

Young Billy Eckstine

With Dizzy Gillespie

Vaughan went out on her own in late 1944, remaining close friends with Eckstine. Her earliest recording date as a solo was with a Gillespie group for the small Continental label. The first number from that session is the contrived "Signing Off," by pianist-promoter Leonard Feather and Jessyca Russell.

The same group is heard in "Interlude," which is the vocal version of Gillespie's bop anthem "A Night in Tunisia."

Next is the amusing blues "No Smokes," which concerns itself with the cigarette shortage during World War II. There are two versions - one from the 78, and an alternate take from a early LP reissue on Remington.

The final song from this session is the Brooks Bowman standard "East of the Sun."

Sarah gets an earful from trumpet immortals 
Roy Eldridge and Dizzy Gillespie

In the first half of 1945, Vaughan continued to record with Gillespie ensembles, which now included Charlie Parker. The Guild issue of "Lover Man (Oh, Where Can You Be?)" identified the song as being by Kurt Weill-Maxwell Anderson, but this is actually the familiar piece written by Jimmy Davis, Jimmy Sherman and Roger Ramirez and associated with Billie Holiday.

For Continental, Sarah and Dizzy covered Peggy Lee's "What More Can a Woman Do," another forgettable Feather-Russell song called "I'd Rather Have a Memory than a Dream," and the standard "Mean to Me."

Stuff Smith, Tony Scott, Dickie Wells, John Kirby

Stuff Smith

Violinist Stuff Smith engaged Vaughan to sing his new composition "Time and Again" with his Trio for the Musicraft label (where she would later record herself). Not a great song, but Sarah handles it confidently.

Tony Scott

Clarinetist Tony Scott brought her in for a date on the Gotham label, where she sang the Duke Ellington standard "All Too Soon," with lyrics by Carl Sigman. Gillespie was on this session as well, identified on the record label as "B. Bopstein."

John Kirby, Buster Bailey

Bassist-bandleader John Kirby featured Vaughan on a three songs included in a 78 album recorded for the Crown label in 1946. Her songs are the standards "You Go to My Head" and "It Might as Well be Spring" along with "I'm Scared," which leads off the album. In "It Might as Well Be Spring," Sarah's coda and vocalese were indicators of things to come.

Also with Kirby, Vaughan recorded the Peter DeRose-Bob Russell song "I Can Make You Love Me," which elicits one of her best performances. She must have liked the song; she recorded it again a few months later for Musicraft.

One with Dickie Wells

Dicky Wells

Trombonist Dicky Wells made his name with Count Basie, with whom he played for most of 1938-50. He was on a break from the band when his Big Seven backed Vaughan on "We're Through," by the important pianist-songwriter Tadd Dameron. The lyrics are by Anne Greer. 

Sarah would soon make several recordings with Dameron for Musicraft; she also would record with the trumpeter on the Dicky Wells session, George Treadwell, whom she would marry later in 1946.

The Musicraft recordings mentioned will be in Vol. 2 of this series. Vaughan would record for that label until she joined Columbia.

LINK

From the Back Room: Böhm's Brahms 1

My recent post offering to present recordings I had prepared but never posted (Buster's Back Room) produced a variety of responses.

Several of you asked for one of my favorites - the conductor Karl Böhm - in a 1959 recording with the Berlin Philharmonic of Brahms Symphony No. 1. So here it is in my "From the Back Room" series. The transfers, etc., are prepared with the usual care, but my at times talky commentary may be abbreviated.

Karl Böhm

In this reading of Brahms' weighty Symphony No. 1, Böhm displays his usual careful balancing of the orchestral choirs, producing a performance of rare depth.

Here is what Martin Bookspan had to say in Stereo Review: "Bôhm gives us a solid. middle-European performance of Brahms’ granitic work. It is a reading of substance and dignity and is superbly well played by the orchestra and beautifully recorded by the engineers in both the mono and stereo editions. If I continue to prefer Klemperer's Angel recording (35481), it is because the octogenarian brings more of himself to his re-creation of the music. But I'd rate this new Bôhm version close behind that of Klemperer."

The sound from this original pressing is resonant but very good.

LINK

From the Back Room: Jane Powell at M-G-M

My recent post offering to present recordings I had prepared but never posted (Buster's Back Room) has so far produced a variety of choices.

I developed this 23-track tour of Jane Powell's career at M-G-M shortly after my post of her complete Verve recordings, but wondered if anyone would be interested. It turns out that quite a few of you do want to hear her, so here she is.

This selection is not comprehensive. For one thing, some of her film soundtracks have appeared on this site before, so are not included in this collection; links to those soundtracks are at the end.

For these "From the Back Room" items, the transfers, etc., are prepared with the usual care, but my gabby commentary may be abbreviated. In this case, not much abbreviated.

A Date with Judy

Elliott Ness, er, Robert Stack, Jane Powell, Elizabeth Taylor, Scotty Beckett

First we have four songs from the 1948 hit A Date with Judy, Judy being Powell, and her best friend being Elizabeth Taylor.

The film was notable for introducing "It's a Most Unusual Day," by Harold Adamson and Jimmy McHugh, which is irresistibly joyous in Jane's hands. As with all the songs from this film, it doesn't seem to have been issued commercially, so this comes from a soundtrack bootleg.

Also from this film is the oldie "Through the Years"; "Love Is Where You Find It," which M-G-M also allotted to Kathryn Grayson that year (in The Kissing Bandit); and "I'm Strictly on the Corny Side," by Alec Templeton of all people. The latter is a duet with Scotty Beckett.

Nancy Goes to Rio

Ann Sothern and Jane Powell

This one from 1950 involves Nancy (Jane) going to Rio, where she meets up with her mother (Ann Sothern) and encounters the usual misunderstandings and complications, which involve mother and daughter inadvertently competing for the same stage role.

All this enables Jane to sing "Magic Is the Moonlight," by María Grever with English lyrics by Charles Pasquale (a duet with Sothern); "Love Is Like This," music by Pixinguinha, English lyrics by Ray Gilbert; and "Musetta's Waltz" from Puccini's La bohème.

These all come from M-G-M singles.

Four Songs from The King and I

UK EP cover

Also in 1950, M-G-M records decided Powell would be a good match for the songs from Rodgers and Hammerstein's new show The King and I. So she and arranger-conductor David Rose went to the studio to record "Something Wonderful," "We Kiss in a Shadow," "I Whistle a Happy Tune" and "Hello, Young Lovers." Magnificent songs, fine performances.

Probably at the same time, the label had Powell and Rose record "The Echo Song" by Earl Brent, a Hollywood songwriter. M-G-M may have bought or even used this work for a film project; it's not clear. The flip side of "The Echo Song" was "Paris" from the soundtrack of Rich, Young and Pretty. That LP can be found here, newly remastered.

Small Town Girl

Farley Granger, Jane Powell, Bobby Van

Small Town Girl from 1953 is best known for Bobby Van's jumping around town like a human pogo stick. Farley Granger is a big-town fellow who falls for Jane. Bobby Van is her other, somewhat reluctant suitor.

Powell sings "Small Towns Are Smile Towns" and "The Fellow I Follow," both by Nicholas Brodszky and Leo Robin. These were not, I believe, released commercially. The recordings come from a soundtrack bootleg.

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

The score for 1954's Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is well known, but I have included Powell's three songs because they are not often heard these days.

The numbers are "Wonderful, Wonderful Day, "When You're in Love" and "Go'in Co'tin'," the title of which has more apostrophes than words. The songs are by Johnny Mercer and Gene de Paul.

Deep in My Heart

Deep in My Heart: Jane Powell in organdy, Vic Damone in an ill-fitting suit

Deep in My Heart was a quasi-bio of composer Sigmund Romberg, and is almost enjoyable if you can stand Jose Ferrer. It comes from 1954.

Jane has two specialties. First, a duet with frequent partner Vic Damone, who begins with "The Road to Paradise," leading to the duet "Will You Remember (Sweetheart)," both from 1917 operetta Maytime, with lyrics by Rida Johnson Young.

Powell also sings "One Kiss," from Romberg's operetta The New Moon, with Oscar Hammerstein's lyrics.

Hit the Deck

"Chiribiribin": Vic Damone, Jane Powell, Tony Martin,
Kay Armen, Russ Tamblyn, Debbie Reynolds 

Hit the Deck hit the theaters at about the same time that Hollywood's interest in musicals hit the skids. It did have a tuneful score drawn largely from Vincent Youmans' catalogue.

We begin with "Sometimes I'm Happy," which is another duet for Jane and Vic Damone.

Then the musical ensemble gathers around the piano for a go at Pestalazza's "Chiribiribin" (here called "Chiribiribee"). Jane is in the ensemble; the wonderful Kay Armen takes the lead. I've included it because I enjoy the performance, especially Armen's contribution.

Jane takes the lead in "Why, O Why," then teams up with Damone for "I Know that You Know."

Addendum: reader RayK let me know that I left Jane's "Lucky Bird" out of this collection. I've now rectified this oversight. The new link is below.

That was all for Jane's career at M-G-M. Her Verve recordings were next.

* * *

This collection does not include Powell's first two films - Song of the Open Road and Delightfully Dangerous; nor does is encompass Athena, which soundtrack was released on Mercury and has appeared here previously, or 3 Sailors and a Girl, done on loan at Warner Bros., which has been posted here. And I previously mentioned Rich, Young and Pretty. These have all been remastered in ambient stereo fairly recently.

Finally, I haven't included the underrated score for Royal Wedding, which I had planned to make a separate post - and will still do so if anyone is interested. The transfer is done; the gabby commentary yet to come.

LINK to new file with "Lucky Bird"