Archiefit wrote:

What CD is Once Over Lightly On?

It's not on CD although I am not 100%. I have the LP - which I saved because I love Jo Stafford but I burnt it onto CD.


 

I listened to some big band music this weekend - namely Les Brown. I picked up his two cd set Live At The Palladium at Half Price Books for $5.

I think since Les Brown was relegated to being Bob Hope's studio band, I never took the Brown orchestra seriously, especially in the 50s and 60s but they had a nice sound.

I just heard the best Woody Herman recording I think I ever heard. It was a radio broadcast of the song "Golden Wedding" from 1944. On drums is David Tough who died tragically in 1948. This recording really swings!



 

As for what non-Bing records I've been listening to, as I listen again to my Jonzo collection I'm interested to read in the notes the origins of some of the songs so I've been going to Youtube to find them. Some movie excerpts I've enjoyed are 'Too Marvelous for Words' from Ready, Willing and Able (1937) and 'Mexicali Rose' and 'You Must have Been a Beautiful baby' (1939). Many, of course, I couldn't find.

I've been enjoying a brace of early 1960's, lively "live" jazz piano led trio albums by the late Billy Taylor. Impossible for me not to tap my foot to. "Uptown" - and some UK members on here, may remember his trio's instrumental of his own composition (and title of the second, 1963 album) of "I Wish I Knew (How it Would Feel to be Free)". This track served as the theme tune for the now late but decades long BBC television "Film …" review programme. For twenty-six years, it was written and presented by Barry Norman whose much admired BBC TV film biography documentary series, "The Hollywood Greats", memorably profiled Bing in 1985. 

Also, some "Flanagan and Allen" - a singing and comedy duo, much beloved in the UK from the pre-war and wartime "variety" days. Their wistfully gentle and intimate songs have for decades, here been a byword for nostalgia. Their most famous hit, "Underneath the Archers", was actually cowritten by Bud Flanagan himself. I've been driving my household to distraction by repeatedly (and largely inaccurately) "singing" their "Strollin'" number. 

Finally, a rare foray into late last year's album charts, ABBA's new one, "Voyage". My friends are still scratching their heads. As am I.

Last edited by Ian Kerstein (26/2/2022 5:59 pm)

Ian Kerstein wrote:

Lobosco wrote:

ModernBingFan0377 wrote:

Funny thing about that, I didn't really like him at all before this, he seemed overrated to me. Especially with the endorsements from Bing and Frank. However hearing of his Alzheimer's disease and realizing that he's truly the last of the original crooners (along with Johnny Mathis), I decided to give him a try. The "Who Can I Turn To" album is very good.

Here's the video that did it for me. It caused me to really take note of Tony!



 

Yes, it's a most moving report, isn't David? I'm so pleased it's given you the opportunity to revaluate Mr Bennett. I've been a huge fan of his for thirty-five years, now (even meeting him a couple times). I fully appreciate, though as I've also found (and to a far greater extent) with another favourite of mine (and Bing's), Mel Tormé – Tony's singing isn't everyone's cup of tea. It was so touching to see his instinctively polite and humble response on being praised by reporter, Anderson Cooper over these, his final concert performances. These were echoes typical of Tony's behaviour before his Alzheimer's diagnosis - even though sadly, he'd soon forgotten performing them. I do so hope his wife (and now full time carer) Susan's heartfelt wish for the manner of his eventual passing, is granted.
 

Yes, I wish I would have fully appreciated Tony Bennett sooner.

I want to check out the new ABBA recording. I consider them "modern" compared to what I usually listen to. I have been really focusing on listening to the big bands of Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Woody Herman, and Bunny Berigan more lately.

As we speak right now, I am listening to forgotten vocalist Ginny Simms...



 

Oh this is lovely! Thank you David and Graham for highlighting this immediately beguiling singer and the information. I have never knowingly before heard Ginny Simms' beautifully mellow (but still somehow simultaneously light) voice. It's such a shame that she is now forgotten, although for some reason, her name does seem to ring a vague bell. I would love to listen to some more available examples of this attractively sounding (and appearing) lady. Any initial suggestions?

Graham Pascoe wrote:

Ginny Simms had a couple of hit records in Australia in the early 1940s, with Kay Kyser. I played one of them on my radio program this week. As for non-Bing music I listened to this week, Greg van Beek's last program played some good records from 1968 and introduced me to three I'd not heard before by Frank Sinatra, The Mills Bros and a duet by Jimmy Durante and Maurice Chevalier, The Ginny Simms record was 'Why don't we do this more often'.

Graham - you have a radio programme! May I enquire as to its name and is there any way of accessing it online in the UK? Just one thing, should you take requests - I think it best for all concerned that you keep this information to yourself. I'll only bombard you with endless demands to play tracks from "Fancy Meeting You Here", Lol! 
 

Last edited by Ian Kerstein (04/3/2022 12:50 pm)

I've always found it incredible that despite advanced old age and now Alzheimer's, Tony (to the best of my knowledge), whenever I've attended a concert of his or seen him on television, has never seemed to require monitors or cue cards.. Unlike Sinatra and very latterly, dear Perry Como - or when I attended his final UK tour, Andy Williams, Mr Bennett seems to have this incredible long term memory facility for lyrics. Memory can be so contradictory, can't it? 

Ian, you asked about my radio program. Pardon me for the late response but we've been away on our annual beach holiday. Each Monday morning from 9-11 o'clock I present Morning Music on our local (Bathurst, New South Wales) community radio station, 2MCE-FM. It's popular music from the pre-rock era (mostly). We stream on 2mce.org and are currently on Daylight Saving/Summer time but will put our clocks back one hour to East Australian Time on April 3rd.. If hope you van tune in some time.

No, Ian, my programs aren't archived.

A belated Happy Easter and holiday to everyone.

Just to pick up slightly from a message of Ron's on this subject (from five years ago).

Although not strictly categorised as a singer but with a rich legacy of rhythm and having introduced many classics of the Great American Songbook, I've been enjoying some of the recordings made by dancing great, Bing friend and sometime co-star, Fred Astaire. During this bank holiday Monday, while washing and tidying away after the departure of some Easter guests, I took a listen to Fred's two final solo albums.

As some of you may be aware, these were laid down during the same 1975 UK visit for his "A Couple of Song and Dance Men" duet project with Bing. Of particular interest for this listen was the less familiar of the two solo LPs, "Attitude Dancing". Featuring songs not as instantly familiar with Astaire such as, "That Face", there's also some contemporary numbers of the day. All were arranged by later Bing stalwart, Pete Moore (even with funky disco beats and twangy electric guitars featuring on the title track), this gave the album a most modern (albeit 1970's) feel, in complete contrast from Fred's more recognisable recordings from his musical film days.

His complimenting LP from the same sessions, "They Can't Take These Away from Me", contains a dozen of his traditional film hits ("Cheek to Cheek", "Top Hat", Etc). Although still relatively contemporarily, Mr Moore's arrangements on this one are a little more muted and sympathetic towards those musical film days of Fred's.

As heard on the Crosby album, Fred was still in decent voice throughout, although age and (according to a later biography he collaborated on) decades of LA smog had by then "husked" it a little. However, although a less conventional sounding Astaire, both albums have the required toe tapping effect with Fred's famed interpretative skills remaining as undiminished as ever. For once, washing those endless dishes and repositioning furniture proved to be most pleasurable indeed. 

Last edited by Ian Kerstein (20/4/2022 6:59 pm)