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Mel Tormé, Rob McConnell And The Boss Brass
''Mel Tormé, Rob McConnell and the Boss Brass'' is a 1986 studio album by Mel Tormé, accompanied by Rob McConnell's ''Boss Brass'' Big band. Tormé and McConnell's follow up album, '' Velvet & Brass'' was released in 1995. Track listing # "Just Friends" (John Klenner, Sam M. Lewis) - 4:46 # "September Song" (Maxwell Anderson, Kurt Weill) - 4:55 # "Don'cha Go 'Way Mad" (Illinois Jacquet, Jimmy Mundy, Al Stillman) - 4:30 # " A House Is Not a Home" (Burt Bacharach, Hal David) - 3:37 # "The Song Is You" (Oscar Hammerstein II, Jerome Kern) - 3:45 # " Cow Cow Boogie" (Benny Carter, Gene DePaul, Don Raye) - 4:00 # "Handful of Stars"/"Stars Fell on Alabama (Jack Lawrence, Ted Shapiro)/( Frank Perkins, Mitchell Parish) - 5:34 # Duke Ellington Medley: "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)"/"Do Nothing Till You Hear from Me"/"Mood Indigo"/"Take the "A" Train"/"Sophisticated Lady"/"Satin Doll" (Duke Ellington, Irving Mills)/(Ellington, Bob Russell)/(Barney Bigard, Ellington ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mel Tormé
Melvin Howard Tormé (September 13, 1925 – June 5, 1999), nicknamed "The Velvet Fog", was an American musician, singer, composer, arranger, drummer, actor, and author. He composed the music for "The Christmas Song" ("Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire") and co-wrote the lyrics with Bob Wells. Early life Melvin Howard Tormé was born in Chicago, Illinois, to William David Torme, a Jewish immigrant from Poland, and Betty Torme (née Sopkin), a New York City native. He graduated from Hyde Park High School. A child prodigy, he first performed professionally at age four with the Coon-Sanders Orchestra, singing "You're Driving Me Crazy" at Chicago's Blackhawk restaurant. He played drums in the drum-and-bugle corps at Shakespeare Elementary School. From 1933 to 1941, he acted in the radio programs ''The Romance of Helen Trent'' and ''Jack Armstrong, the All-American Boy''. He wrote his first song at 13. Three years later his first published song, "Lament to Love", became a hit for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
September Song
"September Song" is an American standard popular song composed by Kurt Weill with lyrics by Maxwell Anderson. It was introduced by Walter Huston in the 1938 Broadway musical production ''Knickerbocker Holiday.'' The song has been recorded by numerous singers and instrumentalists. Origins The song originated from Walter Huston's request that he should have one solo song in ''Knickerbocker Holiday'' if he was to play the role of the aged governor of New Netherland, Peter Stuyvesant. Anderson and Weill wrote the song in a couple of hours for Huston's gruff voice and limited vocal range. ''Knickerbocker Holiday'' was roughly based on Washington Irving's ''Knickerbocker's History of New York'' set in New Amsterdam in 1647. It is a political allegory criticizing the policies of the New Deal through the portrayal of a semi–fascist government of New Amsterdam, with a corrupt governor and councilmen. It also involves a love triangle with a young woman forced to marry the governor Pet ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cow-Cow Boogie
"Cow Cow Boogie (Cuma-Ti-Yi-Yi-Ay)" is a "country-boogie"-style blues song, with music was written by Don Raye, and lyrics were written by Benny Carter and Gene De Paul. The song was written for the 1942 Abbott & Costello film '' Ride 'Em Cowboy'', which included Ella Fitzgerald as a cast member. Background The song utilizes the folklore of the singing cowboy in the American West. In the lyrics, the cowboy is from the city and tells his "dogies" (motherless calves) to "get hip." First recording The first recording was by Freddie Slack & his Orchestra, featuring vocalist Ella Mae Morse in 1942. The record was the second release by Capitol Records and their first million-seller/ number one on the charts record. Morse learned the song from hearing Fitzgerald on a soundtrack she had acquired, even though the song had been cut from the movie. Morse also recalled recording the song in a single take, which she had thought was only a rehearsal. Other recordings *The November 3, 1943 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jerome Kern
Jerome David Kern (January 27, 1885 – November 11, 1945) was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in over 100 stage works, including such classics as " Ol' Man River", "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man", " A Fine Romance", "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes", "The Song Is You", "All the Things You Are", "The Way You Look Tonight" and "Long Ago (and Far Away)". He collaborated with many of the leading librettists and lyricists of his era, including George Grossmith Jr., Guy Bolton, P. G. Wodehouse, Otto Harbach, Oscar Hammerstein II, Dorothy Fields, Johnny Mercer, Ira Gershwin and Yip Harburg. A native New Yorker, Kern created dozens of Broadway musicals and Hollywood films in a career that lasted for more than four decades. His musical innovations, such as 4/4 dance rhythms and the employment of syncopation and jazz progressions, built on, rather than rejec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oscar Hammerstein II
Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II (; July 12, 1895 – August 23, 1960) was an American lyricist, librettist, theatrical producer, and (usually uncredited) director in the musical theater for almost 40 years. He won eight Tony Awards and two Academy Awards for Best Original Song. Many of his songs are standard repertoire for vocalists and jazz musicians. He co-wrote 850 songs. He is best known for his collaborations with composer Richard Rodgers, as the duo Rodgers and Hammerstein, whose musicals include ''Oklahoma!'', '' Carousel'', '' South Pacific'', ''The King and I'', and ''The Sound of Music''. Described by Stephen Sondheim as an "experimental playwright", Hammerstein helped bring the American musical to new maturity by popularizing musicals that focused on stories and character rather than the lighthearted entertainment that the musical had been known for beforehand. He also collaborated with Jerome Kern (with whom he wrote ''Show Boat''), Vincent Y ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Song Is You
"The Song Is You" is a popular song and jazz standard composed by Jerome Kern with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It was written for their musical ''Music in the Air'' (1932) and sung in that show by Tullio Carminati. In the subsequent 1934 film, the song was recorded and filmed but cut from the final release. An instrumental of the song can still be heard under the opening credits. An early hit in 1932 was by Jack Denny and his Waldorf–Astoria Orchestra (vocal by Paul Small). In later years the song became often associated with Frank Sinatra, becoming the last song he performed with Tommy Dorsey. Many other artists have recorded the song over the years. "The Song Is You" is the recurring musical theme of the 2003 Guy Maddin film '' The Saddest Music in the World''. Nine different versions of the song were arranged for the film by composer Christopher Dedrick, whose work received a Genie Award. Composer Alec Wilder writes that the song "attempts too dramatic a state ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hal David
Harold Lane David (May 25, 1921 – September 1, 2012) was an American lyricist. He grew up in New York City. He was best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach and his association with Dionne Warwick. Early life David was born in New York City, a son of Austrian Jewish immigrants Lina (née Goldberg) and Gedalier David, who owned a delicatessen in New York. He is the younger brother of American lyricist and songwriter Mack David. Career David is credited with popular music lyrics, beginning in the 1940s with material written for bandleader Sammy Kaye and for Guy Lombardo. He worked with Morty Nevins of The Three Suns on four songs for the feature film ''Two Gals and a Guy'' (1951), starring Janis Paige and Robert Alda. In 1957, David met composer Burt Bacharach at Famous Music in the Brill Building in New York. The two teamed up and wrote their first hit " The Story of My Life", recorded by Marty Robbins in 1957. Subsequently, in the 1960s and early ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Burt Bacharach
Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; born May 12, 1928) is an American composer, songwriter, record producer and pianist who composed hundreds of pop songs from the late 1950s through the 1980s, many in collaboration with lyricist Hal David. A six-time Grammy Award winner and three-time Academy Award winner, Bacharach's songs have been recorded by more than 1,000 different artists. , he had written 73 US and 52 UK Top 40 hits. He is considered one of the most important composers of 20th-century popular music. His music is characterized by unusual chord progressions, influenced by his background in jazz harmony, and uncommon selections of instruments for small orchestras. Most of Bacharach and David's hits were written specifically for and performed by Dionne Warwick but earlier associations (from 1957 to 1963) saw the composing duo work with Marty Robbins, Perry Como, Gene McDaniels and Jerry Butler. Following the initial success of these collaborations, Bacharach went on to write hits for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
A House Is Not A Home (song)
"A House Is Not a Home" is a 1964 ballad written by the team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David for the 1964 film of the same name, starring Shelley Winters and Robert Taylor. The song was recorded by American singer Dionne Warwick at Bell Sound Studios in New York City, and was a modest hit in the United States for the singer, peaking at #71 on the pop singles chart as the B-side of the top 40 single, "You'll Never Get to Heaven (If You Break My Heart)". Another version of the song, by Brook Benton, which was the version that appeared in the film, was released at nearly the same time. It debuted two weeks earlier on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Benton's version split airplay with Warwick's, and ultimately peaked at #75. Warwick's version of "A House Is Not a Home" fared better in Canada, where it was a top 40 hit, peaking at #37. The ballad made the R&B top 10 in Cashbox by both Warwick and Benton, with neither artist specified as best seller. Despite its modest initial success, th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Al Stillman
Al Stillman ''(né'' Albert Irving Silverman; 26 June 1901 Manhattan, New York – 17 February 1979 Manhattan, New York) was an American lyricist. Biography Stillman was born to Jewish parents Herman Silverman and Gertrude Rubin ''(maiden).'' He adopted the name "Albert Stillman" as a professional pseudonym. He chose the name, reportedly, because it was the recognizable surname of a well-known New York banking family. He was Jewish. He attended New York University. After graduation, he contributed to Franklin P. Adams' newspaper column, and in 1933 became a staff writer at Radio City Music Hall, a position he held for almost 40 years. Stillman collaborated with a number of composers: Fred Ahlert, Robert Allen, Percy Faith, George Gershwin, Ernesto Lecuona, Paul McGrane, Kay Swift, and Arthur Schwartz. Many of his collaborations with Allen were major hits in the 1950s for The Four Lads; the Stillman/Allen team also wrote hit songs for Perry Como and Johnny Mathis. Stillman was in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jimmy Mundy
James Mundy (June 28, 1907 – April 24, 1983) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, arranger, and composer, best known for his arrangements for Benny Goodman, Count Basie, and Earl Hines. Mundy died of cancer in New York City at the age of 75. Discography *1937–1947: ''Jimmy Mundy 1947–1947'' (Classics) *May 1946: "Bumble Boogie" / "One O'Clock Boogie" (Aladdin 131) *June 1946: "I Gotta Put You Down Pt 1" / "I Gotta Put You Down Pt 2" (Aladdin 132) *1958: ''On a Mundy Flight'' (Epic) *2002: ''Fiesta in Brass'' (Golden Era) As arranger ;With Chet Baker *'' Baker's Holiday'' (Limelight, 1965) With Al Hibbler *'' After the Lights Go Down Low'' (Atlantic 1957) With Illinois Jacquet *'' The Soul Explosion'' (Prestige, 1969) With Harry James *''Harry James and His Orchestra 1948–49'' (Big Band Landmarks Vol. X & XI, 1969) With Sonny Stitt *''Sonny Stitt & the Top Brass'' (Atlantic, 1962) *''Little Green Apples'' (Solid State, 1969) *''Come Hither'' (Solid State, 1969) ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Illinois Jacquet
Jean-Baptiste "Illinois" Jacquet (October 30, 1922 – July 22, 2004) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, best remembered for his solo on "Flying Home", critically recognized as the first R&B saxophone solo. Although he was a pioneer of the honking tenor saxophone that became a regular feature of jazz playing and a hallmark of early rock and roll, Jacquet was a skilled and melodic improviser, both on up-tempo tunes and ballads. He doubled on the bassoon, one of only a few jazz musicians to use the instrument. Early life Jacquet's parents were Creoles of color, named Marguerite Trahan and Gilbert Jacquet,The Sons and Daughters of Jean Baptiste Jacquet (1995) When he was an infant, his family moved from Louisiana to Houston, Texas, and he was raised there as one of six siblings. His father was a part-time bandleader. As a child he performed in his father's band, primarily on the alto saxophone. His older brother Russell Jacquet played trumpet and his other brother Linton pl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
