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Last broadcast on Sun, 3 May 2009, 21:00 on BBC Radio 2.
Synopsis
Amidst the flurry of anniversaries, our first show of the new month gives us the chance to indulge in a few personal favourites and turn up some new gems, in particular Carmen McRae's fine rendering of an Artie Shaw song, Winter In May.
We also revisit the Duke Ellington's album, In A Mellotone, from which we play the Herb Jeffries number I Don't Know What Kind Of Blues I Got. This album has long been a favourite of ours, containing as it does some of Duke's finest creations of the 1940s. It also features the Blanton-Webster band, so-called because of the huge effect that the two newcomers - bassist Jimmy Blanton and tenor sax-man Ben Webster - had on the band's output.
It was a short-lived period - Ben moved on to other things in 1943 and Jimmy died tragically young in 1942 - but their influence reverberated long after their time. The album includes the original versions of two other songs for our Ellington tribute - All Too Soon and I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good.
Recommendations
Sepia’s taking-up of the ‘Jonzo’ Chronological Bing torch continues with the third of their ‘Bing Crosby Through The Years’ albums, this one taking us from June 1951 to April 1952. These completist albums inevitably have material that will only ever be of interest to the historian or the most avid Crosby fan but Volume 3 has a higher percentage of hits than most, including, as we pointed out, an Oscar winner. 26 tracks all-told, John Scott-Trotter i/c most musical backings with some fine contributions from Red Nichols, Matty Matlock, Perry Botkin and others. Good booklet with full info and intelligent comments by Malcolm MacFarlane. Re-mastering by the ever-reliable Robin Cherry. Number is SEPIA 1129.
Singer Mary Ann Mccall’s output is relatively small, so we owe a debt to Alastair Robertson of HEP records for gathering together a good selection from her career between 1939 and 1950 on ‘Mary Ann McCall – You’re Mine, You’ (HEP CD 76), almost all as a band singer – chiefly with Woody Herman but with a couple under the baton of Charlie Barnet, two with Phil Moore, two with Artie Shaw’s late Gramercy Five and four with a jazz contingent that contains Red Rodney, Al Cohn and Gerry Mulligan. Roughly divided equally between rhythm numbers and classic ballads, Mary Ann is comfortable with both; her flexibility and improvising skills well displayed throughout. Alastair provides discographical info & a good essay in the illustrated accompanying booklet.
Bing Crosby
Tracklist
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Eydie Gorme — On The First Warm Day
MCA, MCLD 19385 -
Carmen McRae — Winter In MayLonehill Jazz, LHJ 10256 -
Frank Trumbauer and His Orchestra — In The Merry Month Of Maybe
The Old Masters, MB 109 -
The Andrews Sisters — Beer Barrel PolkaJasmine, JASBOX 7-4 -
Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra — Reaching For Someone (& Not Finding Anyone There)
Jonzo, JZCD - 6 -
Bing Crosby & Jane Wyman — In The Cool, Cool, Cool Of The Evening
Sepia, SEPIA 1129 -
Judy Collins — I Think It’s Going To Rain Today
Rhino, 8122 73392-2 -
Duke Ellington & His Orchestra — I’ve Got To Be A Rug-CutterDJM (Lp Double), DJLMD 8020/A -
Woody Herman Orchestra — I Got It Bad And That Ain’t Good
HEP, HEPCD 76 -
Herb Jeffries — I Don’t Know What Kind Of Blues I’ve Got
BMG/RCA, 74321 13029-2 -
Peggy Lee and George Shearing — All Too Soon
Capitol, CDP 7 98454-2 -
Al Hibbler — I Like A Sunrise
Jasmine, JASCD 671 -
Mel Tormé — All In FunAudiophile, ACD-67
Broadcast
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Sun 3 May 200921:00
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