''Johnny Hartman, Johnny Hartman'' is a studio album by American singer

Johnny Hartman John Maurice Hartman (July 3, 1923 – September 15, 1983) was an American jazz singer who specialized in ballads. He sang and recorded with Earl Hines' and Dizzy Gillespie's big bands and with Erroll Garner. Hartman is best remembered for hi ...

, released in 1977 by

Musicor Records Musicor Records was a New York City-based record label, active during the 1960s and 1970s. The label was founded by songwriter Aaron Schroeder and distributed by United Artists Records. In 1965, UA employee and A&R man Arthur Talmadge (a co-fo ...

. Gene Novello produced the record and co-wrote all of the songs. Fred Norman served as

arranger In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orches ...

and conductor. The title of the album is a play on ''

Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman ''Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman'' is an American satirical soap opera that aired in daily weeknight syndication from January 1976 to July 1977. The series follows the titular Mary Hartman, an Ohio housewife attempting to cope with various bizarre ...

,'' the satirical television series popular at the time.

Reception

Upon its release, the album received mixed reviews. ''

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'' selected it as one of their "Recommended LPs for Jazz," , and said, "Hartman swings into this album, then mellows into his usual clear, smooth vocal style.... Strong string and horn sections compliment this album." The review listed "Starting Now," "Suzanne," "Onery Little Critter," and "Hello Mrs. Jones" as "Best Cuts." Music critic Robert Palmer, writing in

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of the three main music industry trade magazines in the United States, along with '' Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 under the name ''Music Vendor'', but in 1964 it was changed to ''Record Wo ...

, said, "Johnny Hartman isn't as confused as Mary, but 'Johnny Hartman, Johnny Hartman' plays on the title of the popular television series nonetheless. This Musicor release ... doesn't really do Hartman justice, although he is in excellent voice." Dave Nathan at

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

reviewed the 1996 reissue, entitled ''The Many Moods of Johnny Hartman'', giving it two out of five stars and saying, "Hartman tries, but even his talent cannot save this material.... eis reduced to warbling (literally) a set of inane tunes composed by Gene Novello.... Not only are the songs mundane, but the arrangements are cloying and the performances, with the exception of Hartman's voice, uninspired and gimmicky." Nathan does offer a positive comment: "The one track which is a cut above the others is a catchy 'I've Only Myself to Blame,' which features some very good alto by an unidentified player. It is the only one which Hartman seems to enjoy doing." The review incorrectly states that the album had never been previously released after it was recorded in 1976.

Reissues

According to Gregg Akkerman, Hartman's biographer, the master tapes of ''Johnny Hartman, Johnny Hartman'' were sold after Musicor went out of business in 1978, and the album has been "repackaged and retitled for unsuspecting Hartman fans several times after his death." Some reissues incorrectly claim that the material was previously unreleased. "It is rather implausible that all the parties concerned had no idea that the album had already been released in the late 70s." Titles of the reissues include: ''The Many Moods of Johnny Hartman'' (1996), ''Johnny Hartman Sings the Songs of Paul Greenwood and Gene Novello'' (1997), and ''You Came a Long Way from St. Louis'' (2003).

Track listing

Side 1

# "Starting Now" (Paul Greenwood, Gene Novello) – 4:53 # "When" (

Sammy Cahn Samuel Cohen (June 18, 1913 – January 15, 1993), known professionally as Sammy Cahn, was an American lyricist, songwriter, and musician. He is best known for his romantic lyrics to films and Broadway songs, as well as stand-alone songs premier ...

, Novello) – 4:43 # "Suzanne" (Greenwood, Novello) – 5:06 # "That's What Makes a House a Home" (Greenwood, Novello) – 3:57

Side 2

# "Ornery Little Critters" (Greenwood, Novello) – 2:58 # "If I Could Only See You Again" (Novello) – 2:58 # "Hello Mrs. Jones" (Greenwood, Novello) – 4:08 # "I've Only Myself to Blame" (Greenwood, Novello) – 3:30

Personnel

– vocals # Fred Norman -

, conductor # Gene Novello – producer # Craig Bishop –

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References

{{Authority control 1977 albums Albums recorded at Record Plant (New York City) Johnny Hartman albums Musicor Records albums