|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
72.35.141.110
Listening to this pair on Concord, it's hard not to feel that Mel Torme was under-appreciated. He had a wonderful voice, truly "velvety" sounding especially in later years. In my opinion, he was better than Sinatra. And unlike Sinatra, his voice actually got better as he aged. These 80s recordings with Shearing are just great. The two really had a certain chemistry that make these a pleasure to listen to. Here's a clip of "it might as well be Spring".
Edits: 03/28/15Follow Ups:
Opus 33 1/3
One of my best audio buddies (lost to us last year) knew more about the technicalities of music than I do and he always maintained that Torme was a better singer than Sinatra. The first time he mentioned that I was a bit surprised since I was only aware of Sinatra's overall popularity. But that inspired me to begin listening to Torme, not something I'd done before, and I could appreciate that he was a fine singer. His "Shubert Alley" album is a great place to start for those not familiar with him.
"You can't know what the "best" is unless you have heard everything, and keep in mind that given individual tastes, there really isn't any such thing." HP
was Mel at Tanglewood with Cleo Laine. Ansolutely stunning and surpassed all expectations. Incredible!
"Man is the only animal that blushes - or needs to" Mark Twain
Not sure about that. Anyone may seem unappreciated compared to Sinatra, who, dare I say it, may be said to have been over-appreciated. Mel didn't make movies or marry movie stars, and he perhaps was not as appealing to women as the young Sinatra, but he was every bit as much of a giant in his profession with a myriad of musical talents other than vocal. I guess you could say he peaked in popularity in the late 40s/early 50s and then basically "hung around" well into the 90s, but perhaps because he did not fall and rise and fall so much as did Sinatra,
He made more than twenty movies, although none very famous. He married two actresses, Candy Toxton and Janette Scott, both beauties. He had great taste in women, at least looks wise.
Edits: 03/28/15
(Just kidding.) Frank was as well known for his philandering as for loving Ava.
But this is a silly pissing contest, and it's my fault for starting it. My only point was that Mel was BIG, in his day.
In the 80s, I and a friend went to hear and see Mel Torme' at a local club in Georgetown, DC. His performance was impeccable, as always, but his in between comments on women in his life and marriage were almost equally entertaining. He bitched quite a bit about his alimony payments. As an amateur singer, myself, I really appreciate Torme's absolutely accurate pitch and his overall musicianship. His improvisations are always "smart" and surprising at the same time.
Pretty close. They're both stunning! Top is Candy Toxton. Bottom is Janette Scott. Makes it almost worth the alimony.
Ava was a drunk, anyway. Albeit a beautiful one.
Yes, indeed. Mel Torme and George Shearing are stunning on the Concord releases. My fav. of the two is An Evening with George Shearing and Mel Torme, followed by Top Drawer. Beautifully produced and mastered and an intimate performance.
Mel Torme on drums
Jim
"If less is more, just think how much more more would be!" - Frasier Crane.
-----------------------------
Russco Studio Pro B/Syntec S220/Empire 2000E/3-Technics SL1210mkII/DL103R/Yam C-6 pre-Yam M-4 amp-KLH 6 spkrs-Outlaw sub
Terrific. This guy had everything: singer, songwriter, author, drummer, actor. The only thing he didn't have is Sinatra's sex appeal. Sad that he wasn't better known.
he was very well known and appreciated in his peak years. He probably made a fortune during his life time just on income from tunes he wrote, alone, such as "The Christmas Song". Most entertainers would kill to "fail" as badly as Mel Torme'. If you name the top 5 male vocalists from about 1940 to 1980 (when the public actually gave a crap about jazz and male vocalists), you could not leave him out. Worst you can say about his success is that he was not as spectacularly successful as Sinatra.
"I think you're just too young"
Thanks for the compliment: I'm over sixty although that may be too young to have known him in his prime. I certainly didn't mean to indicate that he failed, just that he perhaps didn't get the notoriety that some of his fellow entertainers like Sinatra and Bennett did.
Very excellent and illuminating article by Terry Teachout about Torme. See link.
out shined his recordings. They may not have heard "Live In Tokyo" on Concord Jazz
"Man is the only animal that blushes - or needs to" Mark Twain
I think a New York critic first coined the phrase "The Velvet Fog" to describe Mel Torme's voice after he had heard a live performance, maybe at Carnegie Hall (not sure) in the very late 1940s. The voice if anything got a little more foggy in later years just in terms of tonal quality, but he never deteriorated vocally before he finally stopped performing altogether, at his death. His voice just changed and mellowed.
I've got the 2-LP recording, "Live at Mister ....'s" (maybe "Mister Charley's"), made live in the club in the mid-1980s, with Gerry Mulligan on hand. It's fabulous, my favorite Mel. I've nearly worn mine out in more than 20 years of ownership. I recently picked up the Shearing collaboration, only to find I already had a copy. Some of the studio recordings from what must be the early to mid-50s are just a bit too shmaltzy for me, with strings and choral accompaniment.
.
Thanks for the reminder. Just pulled out my copy. Picked it up a few years ago for around $5. Very nice indeed, Mulligan is playing with Mel right now.
"Live at Marty's". It's available on CD, too. Highly recommended.
I remember he was Judge Harrys favorite on Night court. I bet that revitalized his career.
Proudly serving content-free posts since 1984.
it's not so easy to play drums with that part of the anatomy.
Ah yes, the "Velvet Fog".
Great looking wife, too.
Post a Followup:
FAQ |
Post a Message! |
Forgot Password? |
|
||||||||||||||
|
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors: