ANDRÉ PREVIN & HIS PALS - Modern Jazz Performances of Songs from Pal Joey (1957-1991) RM / APE (tracks+.cue), lossless

Pianist André Previn, bassist Red Mitchell, and drummer Shelly Manne perform eight songs that debuted in the show Pal Joey. Best known is "I Could Write a Book," which quickly became a standard, but the other, more obscure songs such as "Take Him," "Zip," and "Do It the Hard Way" are also generally good devices for jazz improvising. An enjoyable set of straight-ahead trio music. by Scott Yanow
Tracklist:
1 I Could Write a Book 4:52
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
2 That Terrific Rainbow 6:04
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
3 Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered 5:37
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
4 Take Him 3:35
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
5 Zip 3:40
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
6 It's a Great Big Town 3:34
7 What Is a Man? 3:19
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
8 I'm Talkin' with My Pal 5:02
9 Do It the Hard Way 4:05
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
Credits:
Bass – Red Mitchell
Drums – Shelly Manne
Lyrics By – Lorenz Hart
Music By – Richard Rogers
Piano – André Previn

ANDRÉ PREVIN AND HIS PALS - West Side Story (1960-1990) RM / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

The last of a series of showtune albums recorded by the trio of pianist Andre Previn, bassist Red Mitchell and drummer Shelly Manne finds the all-star group focusing on the music of West Side Story (Previn and Manne alternated leadership, and it was the drummer's good fortune to have the famous My Fair Lady album under his own name). This CD reissue has eight of the main themes from the famous musical, including "I Feel Pretty," "Maria" and "America." As usual, the melodies are treated respectfully yet swingingly, and Andre Previn in particular excels in this setting. by Scott Yanow
Tracklist:
1 Something`s Coming 2:35
2 Jet Song 4:46
3 Tonight 5:22
4 I Feel Pretty 6:45
5 Gee, Officer Krupke! 4:53
6 Cool 3:18
7 Maria 5:26
8 America 4:51
Credits:
Bass – Red Mitchell
Drums – Shelly Manne
Piano – André Previn
Written-By – Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim

LOTTE LENYA - Lotte Lenya Sings American & Berlin Theater Songs of Kurt Weill (1988) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Employing the same Richard Avedon portrait that graced the cover of the 1970 double-LP The Lotte Lenya Album, this collection is an abbreviated version of that compilation, cut down to fit the length limit of a single CD. The Lotte Lenya Album was nothing more or less than a two-fer repackaging of the single LPs Lotte Lenya Sings Berlin Theatre Songs by Kurt Weill and September Song and Other American Theatre Songs by Kurt Weill. For this version, the last four songs from the former ("Was Die Herren Matrosen Sagen," "Ballade vom Ertrunkenen Mädchen," "Lied der Fennimore," and "Cäsars Todd") have been deleted to bring the total running time down to 70 minutes. Thus, the first eight tracks find Lenya in Germany in 1955, singing mostly in German songs composed by Weill with lyrics by Bertolt Brecht from their stage works Die Dreigroschenoper ("The Threepenny Opera"), Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny ("Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny"), and Happy End, while the last 12 tracks find her in the U.S. in 1957, singing in English songs from Weill's Broadway musicals Knickerbocker Holiday, Lady in the Dark, One Touch of Venus, The Firebrand of Florence, Street Scene, Love Life, and Lost in the Stars. Lenya always disputed the notion that there were two Weills, the Berlin Weill and the Broadway Weill, but she ended up reinforcing that argument with these two LPs, and juxtaposing two-thirds of one with all of the other on this disc does not disprove it. Lenya was the definitive interpreter of the Brecht/Weill catalog, of course, and when she came to make the recordings here she had been singing (and recording) songs like "Seeräuberjenny" ("Pirate Jenny") and "Surabaya-Johnny" for more than a quarter-century. It's no surprise that she sounds assured on the first eight tracks, which use the original orchestrations for small jazz band conducted by Roger Bean. It's a different story with the Broadway tunes that make up tracks 9-20, however, as Maurice Levine conducts a string orchestra on songs for which other singers have done memorable treatments, including "September Song," "Saga of Jenny," "Speak Low," and "Lost in the Stars." With her limited range and German-accented English, Lenya is not the best interpreter of this material, and she does better with the less familiar songs, such as "Sing Me Not a Ballad," which actually was written for her to sing in the unsuccessful operetta The Firebrand of Florence. As such, the decision to excise a third of the Berlin album is all the more questionable. by William Ruhlmann  
Tracklist:

1 September Song 3:45

Maxwell Anderson / Kurt Weill
2 It Never Was You 2:26
Maxwell Anderson / Kurt Weill
3 The Saga of Jenny 3:58
Ira Gershwin / Kurt Weill
4 Foolish Heart 3:10
Ogden Nash / Kurt Weill
5 Speak Low 2:49
Ogden Nash / Kurt Weill
6 Sing Me Not a Ballad 4:15
Ira Gershwin / Kurt Weill
7 Lonely House 3:36
Langston Hughes / Kurt Weill
8 A Boy Like You 2:26
Langston Hughes / Kurt Weill
9 Green-Up Time 2:34
Alan Jay Lerner / Kurt Weill
10 Trouble Man 3:42
Maxwell Anderson / Kurt Weill
11 Stay Well 3:01
Maxwell Anderson / Kurt Weill
12 Lost in the Stars 3:59
Maxwell Anderson / Kurt Weill
13 Song of Ruth 2:08
Kurt Weill / Franz Werfel
14 The Solomon Song 3:37
Marc Blitzstein / Bertolt Brecht / Kurt Weill
15 Song 3:05
Bertolt Brecht / Paul Dessau
16 Song of a German Mother 2:24
Bertolt Brecht / Hanns Eisler
17 So What 3:21
Fred Ebb / John Kander
Lotte Lenya feat: Harold Hastings
18 What Would You Do? 3:25
Fred Ebb / John Kander
Lotte Lenya feat: Harold Hastings 
19 It Couldn't Please Me More (A Pineapple) 3:17
Fred Ebb / John Kander
Lotte Lenya feat: Jack Gilford / Harold Hastings
20 Married 2:41
Fred Ebb / John Kander
Lotte Lenya feat: Jack Gilford / Harold Hastings
21 Moritat Vom Mackie Messer 2:52
Bertolt Brecht / Kurt Weill
Lotte Lenya feat: Turk Murphy
22 Mack the Knife 3:11
Marc Blitzstein / Bertolt Brecht / Kurt Weill
Lotte Lenya feat: Turk Murphy
23 Mack the Knife 8:34
Marc Blitzstein / Bertolt Brecht / Kurt Weill
Lotte Lenya feat: Louis Armstrong

SAMMY DAVIS JR & BUDDY RICH - The Sounds of '66 [1966]

If a pop singer is backed by a jazz band, he/she doesn't automatically turn into a jazz singer -- having jazz accompaniment doesn't necessarily make you jazz. But if a pop singer likes to swing, having jazz accompaniment is certainly a plus. Like Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis, Jr. was a jazz-influenced pop singer who knew how to swing hard. And when Davis joined forces with drummer Buddy Rich in 1966, swinging hard was inevitable. The Sounds of '66 documents a 1966 show in Las Vegas, where Davis was backed by Rich's big band. Although Rich had a reputation for being difficult to work with and could be a loose cannon at times, he was an extraordinary musician -- and if you were able to get along with the volatile drummer (musically or personally), he could certainly add a lot of fire to your performances. Fire is exactly what Rich brings to The Sounds of '66; he clearly inspires Davis to go that extra mile on performances of songs that range from "Come Back to Me" to Sammy Cahn's "If It's the Last Thing I Do" and Frank Loesser's "Once in Love With Amy." Even "Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead" (a song that listeners generally associate with The Wizard of Oz) is hard-swinging -- Davis and Rich approach the E.Y. "Yip" Harburg/Harold Arlen song as aggressive big band pop, not children's music. A major departure from the famous Wizard of Oz version, Davis and Rich's version is definitely an adult interpretation. Not every album that Davis recorded in the '60s is great, but lovers of traditional jazz-influenced pop can't go wrong with this excellent CD.  by Alex Henderson 
Tracklist:
1  Come Back to Me 4:12
Burton Lane / Alan Jay Lerner 
2  I Know a Place 2:27
Tony Hatch 
3  What Did I Have That I Don't Have? 3:43
Burton Lane / Alan Jay Lerner 
4  What the World Needs Now Is Love 3:04
Burt Bacharach / Hal David 
5  Once in Love With Amy 2:45
Frank Loesser 
6  Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead 1:48
Harold Arlen / E.Y. "Yip" Harburg 
7  What Now My Love 3:07
Gilbert Bécaud / Pierre Delanoë / Carl Sigman 
8  What Kind of Fool Am I?  3:07
Leslie Bricusse / Anthony Newley 
9  If It's the Last Thing I Do 3:24
Sammy Cahn / Saul Chaplin 
10 Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone 3:26
Sidney Clare / Sam H. Stept 
Credits
Arranged By, Conductor – Ernie Freeman, George Rhodes
Featuring – Buddy Rich And His Orchestra

SAMMY DAVIS JR & BUDDY RICH - The Sounds of '66 [1966]

RM [1996] Reprise / CBR320 / scans

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SAMMY DAVIS JR Sings, LAURINDO ALMEIDA Plays [1966] CCM / FLAC

The intimacy inherent in this collection places 1966's Sammy Davis, Jr. Sings and Laurindo Almeida Plays in a class unto itself. As he had done on the highly conceptual All-Star Spectacular in 1962 and California Suite in 1964, multi-talented entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. has created a unique and thoroughly fascinating outing. The ten selections feature Davis and Brazilian instrumentalist/arranger Laurindo Almeida, who made a name for himself as an accompanist for Carmen Miranda before delving into the decidedly American art form of West Coast cool jazz with saxophonist Bud Shank in the mid-'50s. Here, the pair effortlessly complement each other inside the very intonation and tenor of their respective crafts. Davis' incisive abilities as an emotive performer bring a pervasive dramatic quality to the wide range of material covered. When compared to fellow Rat Packer Frank Sinatra's reading of "Here's That Rainy Day," Davis' vocals lean into the song, resulting in a palpable sense of melancholia. He evokes a similar sentiment on the achingly poignant version of Cole Porter's "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" as well as the hopelessly optimistic "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows." However, the real magic woven into this collaboration is without a doubt Davis' incorporation of several significant Broadway melodies. "Where Is Love" -- taken from Lionel Bart's Oliver -- is a stunning, if not mesmerizing, interpretation. "Joey, Joey, Joey" bears an earthy closeness, offering what is arguably a defining moment as the tune transcends its place within the stage production Most Happy Fella, becoming an exceptional and exquisite ballad. [In 2004, Collectors' Choice Music reissued Sammy Davis, Jr. Sings and Laurindo Almeida Plays as part of the label's complete restoration of Davis' 1960s Reprise Records catalog.]  by Lindsay Planer 
Tracklist 
1 Here's That Rainy Day  2:15
Written-By – Burke/Van Heusen
2 Two Different Worlds  3:21
Written-By – Frisch, Wayne
3 The Shadow Of Your Smile  4:12
Written-By – Mandel, Webster
4 Where Is Love   3:00
Written-By – Lionel Bart
5 Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye  4:01
Written-By – Cole Porter
6 I'm Always Chasing Rainbows  2:20
Written-By – Carroll, McCarthy
7 We'll Be Together Again  3:14
Written-By – Fischer, Laine
8 Joey, Joey, Joey  4:18
Written-By – Frank Loesser
9 The Folks Who Live On The Hill  3:40
Written-By – Kern/Hammerstein
10 Speak Low  3:32
Written-By – Weill, Nash
Credits
Classical Guitar – Laurindo Almeida
Vocals – Sammy Davis Jr.

SAMMY DAVIS JR Sings LAURINDO ALMEIDA Plays [1966]

[2004 RE] Collectors' Choice Music / FLAC / scans

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DINAH SHORE - Columbia and RCA Recordings 1942-1948 [1999] 2CD / FLAC

Vocalion's two-disc The Dinah Shore Collection focuses on the singer's RCA and Columbia period, spanning her most popular years. At first glance, it appears to be an excellent summation, including no less than 50 songs and many great performances. Unfortunately though, the compilers must have assumed that listeners had no need for several of Shore's biggest hits of the era, including "I Walk Alone," "Anniversary Song," and "(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons." There's also a troubling four-year gap (1942-1946) that coincides with the World War II recording ban. (In fact, except for the first five songs, the entire set consists of recordings from 1946-1948.) The odd part here is that Victor -- a division of RCA, so no trouble for the compilers from a licensing standpoint -- continued to release material during those years. It begs the question: Why did Vocalion skip almost two dozen Hit Parade entries? Regardless of what's missing, there's still a lot of great material here and it's presented in the best sound ever heard for these recordings -- it's just that The Dinah Shore Collection is obviously tailored to collectors and vocal-music obsessives.  by John Bush   
Track Listing - Disc 1
1 On a Bicycle Built for Two 2:27
2 Manhattan Serenade 3:09
Harold Adamson / Louis Alter
3 You and I 2:42
Meredith Willson
4 Mad About Him, Sad About Him, How Can I Be Glad Without Him Blues 2:35
Dick Charles / Larry Markes
5 You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To 2:56
Cole Porter
6 Shoo-Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy 3:04
Sammy Gallop / Guy Wood
7 Coax Me a Little Bit 3:13
Nat Simon / Charles Tobias
8 Two Silhouettes 3:10
Ray Gilbert / Charles Wolcott
9 The Gypsy 2:58
Billy Reid
10 Laughing on the Outside (Crying on the Inside) 3:09
Ben Raleigh / Bernie Wayne
11 I Got Lost in His Arms 3:19
Irving Berlin
12 That Little Dream Got Nowhere 3:14
Johnny Burke / James Van Heusen
13 All That Glitters Is Not Gold 3:10
14 Come Rain or Come Shine 2:56
Harold Arlen / Johnny Mercer
15 Doin' What Comes Natur'lly 3:11
Irving Berlin
 16 You Keep Coming Back Like a Song  2:23
Irving Berlin
17 I May Be Wrong (But I Think You're Wonderful) 2:49
Harry Ruskin / Henry Sullivan
18 You, So It's You! 3:08
 19 Who'll Buy My Violets? 2:49
E. Ray Goetz / José Padilla
20 A Rainy Night in Rio 2:42
Leo Robin / Arthur Schwartz
21 You'll Always Be the One I Love 2:50
22 Through a Thousand Dreams 2:58
23 (I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons 3:29
William Best / Deek Watson
24 The Kerry Dance 2:25
25 Dixie 2:46
Traditional
Track Listing - Disc 2
1 The Thrill Is Gone 3:26
Lew Brown / Ray Henderson
2 There'll Be Some Changes Made 2:41
Billy Higgins / W. Benton Overstreet
3 Georgia on My Mind 3:23
Hoagy Carmichael / Stuart Gorrell
4 (What Can I Say) After I Say I'm Sorry? 3:17
Walter Donaldson / Abe Lyman
5 Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man 3:19
Oscar Hammerstein II / Jerome Kern
6 They Didn't Believe Me 3:11
Jerome Kern / Herbert Reynolds
7 Mama, Do I Gotta? 3:01
Manny Curtis / Victor Mizzy
8 When Am I Gonna Kiss You Good Morning? 2:37
Eddie DeLange / Ted Grouya
9 Ask Anyone Who Knows 3:14
Bob Marcus
10 Poppa Don't Preach to Me 3:05
11 Tallahassee 2:53
Frank Loesser
 12 Natch 2:34
Paul Cooper / Matt Dennis
13 Tea for Two 3:19
Irving Caesar / Vincent Youmans
14 My Romance 3:18
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
15 It's De-Lovely 2:56
Cole Porter
16 I'm Yours 3:18
Johnny Green / E.Y. "Yip" Harburg
17 When a Woman Loves a Man 3:14
Bernie Hanighen / Gordon Jenkins / Johnny Mercer
18 Bill 3:22
Oscar Hammerstein II / Jerome Kern / P.G. Wodehouse
19 Crying for Joy 3:05
20 In a Little Bookshop 3:20
21 Love That Boy 2:39
22 This Is the Moment 3:13
23 Buttons and Bows 2:03
Ray Evans / Jay Livingston
24 Little White Lies 2:23
Walter Donaldson
25 Always True to You in My Fashion 3:07
Cole Porter
Credits
Dinah Shore Primary Artist, Vocals
Axel Stordahl Conductor
Nathan Vancleave Conductor
Paul Weston Conductor
Harry Zimmerman Conductor

DINAH SHORE - The Dinah Shore Collection : 

Columbia and RCA Recordings 1942-1948 

[1999] Vocalion / 2CD / FLAC /scans

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BOBBY SHORT - My Personal Property [1963] Atlantic

My Personal Property is Bobby Short's album of songs written by pop and show composer Cy Coleman, all of them except the title track with lyrics by Carolyn Leigh. Short is a longtime musical friend of an earlier generation of similar writers such as Cole Porter, Noël Coward, George Gershwin, and Rodgers & Hart, but he proves just as compatible with Coleman, if not more so. Coleman got his start in Tin Pan Alley, penning standards like "The Best Is Yet to Come" and "Witchcraft" before moving to Broadway with the musicals Wildcat ("Hey Look Me Over") and Little Me. His jazzy, upfront style and strong melodies are perfect for Short's forceful interpretative style, and Leigh's sly, witty lyrics are equally appropriate to a singer used to wringing every humorous nuance from Cole Porter. Short has learned to vary his approach over the years, not playing and singing flat out on every number, and that allows him to be delicate and precise on "I've Got Your Number," for example, without any loss of power. The piano-bass-drums arrangements are augmented by a couple of conga players here and there, to good effect. Coleman has had some important interpreters, including Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett, but Bobby Short is worthy of such company, and he demonstrates that Coleman is worthy of the company of the classic songwriters he usually covers. by William Ruhlmann  
Tracklist
1 The Best Is Yet to Come 3:44
Cy Coleman / Carolyn Leigh
2 Witchcraft 2:19
Cy Coleman / Carolyn Leigh
3 I've Got Your Number 3:59
Cy Coleman / Carolyn Leigh
4 It Amazes Me 2:30
Cy Coleman / Carolyn Leigh
5 Its 2:37
Cy Coleman / Carolyn Leigh 
6 On the Other Side of the Tracks 2:48
Cy Coleman / Carolyn Leigh
7 My Personal Property 3:43
Cy Coleman / Dorothy Fields
8 Hey, Look Me Over!  2:00
Cy Coleman / Carolyn Leigh
9 I Walk a Little Faster 2:16
Cy Coleman / Carolyn Leigh
10 Here's Hoping 2:39
Cy Coleman / Carolyn Leigh
11 You Fascinate Me So 2:51
Cy Coleman / Carolyn Leigh
12 Rules of the Road 2:11
Cy Coleman / Carolyn Leigh
Credits
Arranged By, Piano – Bobby Short (tracks: All)
Bass – Beverly Peer (tracks: All)
Drums – Dick Sheridan (tracks: All Except 7), Gene Gammage (tracks: 7)
Percussion – Valdo Ramirez (tracks: All), Willie Rodriguez (tracks: All)
Written-By – Carolyn Leigh (tracks: All Except 7), Cy Coleman (tracks: All), Dorothy Fields (tracks: 7)

BOBBY SHORT - My Personal Property 

[1963] Atlantic / CBR320 / scans

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