Les Brown: Concert At The Palladium (1954)

I bought these three 10-inch vinyls back in 1954 when a full-time university student. They were my very first LP purchases. I had little spare cash, but managed to save up the 25 shillings. Though the covers are a bit battered now, the discs themselves have come through the 54 years remarkably well. Just before the US Labour Day in '53 Les took his band into the Hollywood Palladium for a 3-week engagement and happily for us arranged to have the whole gig tape recorded. This album brings us the cream of those performances. I believe this band was the best Les fronted. Arrangers, Wes Hensel (also on trumpet), Frank Comstock ,Van Alexander and Skip Martin tailored their charts to bring out the best of the band's soloists -- Dave Pell (tenor), Ronnie Lang (alto), Ray Sims (trombone), Don Fagerquist (trumpet) and Vernon Polk (guitar). Vernon was the brother of vocalist, Lucy Ann Polk. The vocals on this gig were taken by Butch Stone (Baby), Jo Ann Greer (Back In Your Own Backyard) and Stumpy Brown, Les's young brother (I Would Do Anything For You). Stumpy joined the band a few years earlier at the age of 18. If I had to choose my two favourite tracks I'd probably give the nod to Hensel's "Montoona Clipper" and the Comstock arrangement of "Speak Low" both on disc 1. Pell's remarkable solo against a background of continuous ninth chords on "Montoona" is a real show stopper and Comstock's orchestration for "Speak Low" I think is superb. While at Columbia a few years later, Frank did some brilliant backings for Rosie Clooney and the Hi-Lo's. Brilliant stuff! I have these vinyls also which I may post later. Just as a post script: Why this material was released on three 10-inch discs by the Australian Festival label I don't know. The radio station for which I worked had the same album but on two 12-inch Vogue discs. Maybe it's more lucrative to market 3 small ones rather than two biggies. Anyhow, here are the 25 tracks grouped in three downloads.

Disc 1:

1) Opening Announcement By Les Brown
2) Montoona Clipper
3) Caravan
4) Strange
5) Baby
6) Speak Low
7) Rain
8) Street Of Dreams
9) Brown's Little Jug

Download



Disc 2:

1) I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart
2) Back In Your Own Backyard
3) Invitation
4) You're The Cream In My Coffee
5) Midnight Sun
6) Begin The Beguine
7) Happy Hooligan
8) I Would Do Anything For You

Download

Disc 3:

1) Laura
2) Jersey Bounce
3) From This Moment On
4) Crazy Legs
5) Flying Home
6) One O'Clock Jump
7) Cherokee
8) Radio Theme

Download

Urbie Green + 20 Trombones (1968)

Picked this one up in '68 for $3.50 (we'd gone decimal by then). I was always an Urbie fan so would've bought it anyway. But confess to being mesmerized by all the Project 3 guff on the back cover -- "Stereo has come of age", "Project 3 has achieved total sound!" and " Project 3 surpasses the state of the art" blah blah. Those were the 35mm magnetic tape days of course promoted very successfully by Enoch Light and the boys. Sadly my gear in those days wasn't exactly top shelf, so much of the "natural presence" was lost on me. But in this case Urbie and his 20 mates did it for me musically and I've never felt tempted to donate this disc to charity. The story goes that aside from Urbie none of the trombonists knew what was going to happen until they arrived at the studio. Freelance musicians on a recording date rarely know what they are going to record. They simply get a message to show up at a studio at a certain time and that's it. At the first session the first two or three trombonists to arrive were standing around chatting and unpacking their instruments when in walked three more trombonists. They all looked at each other in surprise. Six trombonists? Four, possibly five is the maximum usually for a session. They were checking their engagement books for a date mix-up when in walked two more and so on. When all 20 were assembled they were told what was up. For most of them this was a unique and exciting experience and they played accordingly. Their names are listed on the cover. In the studio the 20 were split into two groups of ten, facing each other, with Urbie in the middle. At one end of the two rows the rhythm section was set up -- Tony Mottola, Barry Galbraith and Bucky Pizzarelli on guitars, George Duvivier on bass and either Grady Tate or Bobby Rosengarden on drums. Arrangements were by Lew Davies. And just one other point of interest. This is the only disc bought by me on which the tracks bear no resemblence to the label. Horizon Records messed up big time on this one! Cover and labels matched, but not the tracks. Wonder if it's a collector's item? Probably not. Just a curiosity.

Side 1:
1) Got The Blues
2) When It Rains
3) Mood Indigo
4) Sunny
5) Just Dropped In

Side 2:
1) Blue Flame
2) The Party
3) Perdido
4) The Green Bee
5) I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues
6) How Come You Do

Download



.

Wonderful World Of Andy Williams

Have owned several Andy Williams albums over the past 50 years but this is the only one that has survived my periodic culls. Two reasons: Claudine and Andy's bros. The Claudine Longet saga is an interesting one. When this disc was cut she was billed as Claudine Williams having wed Andy in '61. She had 3 children to Andy. A lead dancer in the Las Vegas production of "Folies Bergere" when they met, her career however blossomed as a singer/actress after their marriage. I recall her occasional appearances on Andy's Tv shows in the 60s. As a young 30-year-old in those days with gallons of testosterone in the pipeline, I was seduced. So was Herb Alpert at A&M Records apparently who signed her up for a few solo albums after an appearance opposite Ben Gazzara in an NBC love story called "Run Wild, Run Free". In this she was showcased singing the popular ballad "Meditation" which was released as her first single. Her first full album "Claudine" hit the shelves in early '67. A few more Tv roles and solo albums followed. She was even seen on the big screen alongside Peter Sellers in Blake Edwards' "The Party". While her acting was described as pretty average, most critics acknowledged a considerable "screen presence" (if you get my drift). By 1970 she and Andy decided their match wasn't made in heaven after all and two years later she was lured into another web, this time spun by one Spider Sabich, an Olympian ski champ. By '74 Claudine and her 3 children had moved into Spider's A-frame set among the jet setters of Aspen, Colorado. But alas the hapless Spider's days were numbered. By April '77 Claudine was behind bars in the Pitkin County jail convicted of "criminal negligence" for "accidentally" pumping a bullet into Mr S. Details of the dirty deed remain unclear to this day. But a 30-day jail term and two years' probation later saw her free to become romantically linked with her defence lawyer! I rest my case. Now, what of Dick, Don and Bob, Andy's talented brothers. It all started in the local church at Wall Lake, Iowa, where Andy's dad, Jay, organized a Williams family choir. Later the family moved to Des Moines where the Williams Brothers obtained their own radio show on station WHO. After war service the guys reassembled, teamed up with comedienne Kay Thompson, to form one of the most popular nightclub acts of the late 40s. They eventually disbanded but agreed to get together again for this album. Andy and the bros have a nice clip on YouTube ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hkUpW9ZCBQ). Check it out.

Side 1:
1) Canadian Sunset (Williams Brothers)
2) Sing A Rainbow
3) Dream (Williams Brothers)
4) This Is All I Ask
5) Wives And Lovers
6) First Born (Entire Williams Family)

Side 2:
1) A Fool Never Learns
2) Noelle
3) Pennies From Heaven (Williams Brothers)
4) September Song
5) Let It Be Me (Andy & Claudine)
6) Softly As I leave You

Download

"Well, Goodness Gracious Me!"

Sellers followers from way back will identify the quote in my title for this post. If it draws a blank just Google "Peter Sellers + Sophia Loren" and see what pops up. Had a poke around YouTube yesterday and, wouldn't you know it, found a number of clips from "The Party" referred to in my previous posting. One of these that really grabbed me features our Claudine singing a Mancini song I hadn't heard before called "Nothing To Lose". Here she is with all her breathy, little-girl innocence bit. Sellers clowns in the background of course. Understand A&M released the song as a single. I'll embed the clip along with Andy and his brothers doing "Winter Wonderland" from one of his early Christmas shows. Just before I do though, must mention a discovery I made on YouTube about 2 years ago. Had found an MP3 of "Breezin' Along With The Breeze". Turned out to be from the soundtrack of a movie called "The Long, Long Trailer" starring Lucille Ball and then current hubby Desi Arnaz. Later looked for a YouTube clip but got more than I bargained for -- the whole flamin' film! -- albeit on ten 10-minute uploads. The quality wasn't too bad as I recall, but haven't been tempted. Would rather use my 2G monthly quota for other things. Anyhow, here's the two clips referred to above.

Joanie Sommers: Softly, The Brazilian Sound (1964)

Mellowed after a few glasses of vintage red, I've been known to dim the lights and let this vinyl work its magic. Since I added it to about my library about 43 years ago the musical marriage of Joanie and Laurindo has never ceased to cast its spell on me. Brought together by the then relatively new 60s bossa nova movement, Warner Bros Records knew they were taking a gamble pairing a "rhythm" singer with a Brazilian guitarist. While Laurindo had done some scoring and backgrounds for several movies, he had limited experience as arranger and musical director required for fronting the sizeable instrumental ensemble gathered for these sessions. But as you can hear for yourselves, both artists adapted beautifully. My fav tracks? A couple of "new" tunes introduced by Miss Sommers: Laurindo's melody "Old Guitaron" with lyrics by Johnny Mercer, and the ballad called "Once" (Ils S'Aimaient). But I love 'em all. Enjoy!!

Side 1:
1) Meditation
2) Dear heart
3) Watching The World Go By
4) Quiet Nights
5) Once
6) Softly As I leave You

Side 2:
1) I Could Have Danced All Night
2) I'll Remember April
3) You Can't Go Home Again
4) Carnival
5) Old Guitaron
6) That's All

Link