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The J's with Jamie Return, Plus Who Wants to Be Happy? (and More)
Today we celebrate the return of favored vocal group the J's with Jamie (although under another name) and we offer two other items, both courtesy of old friend David Federman - his compilation of "I...
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The Vagabond Alfred Drake, Plus Singles
This post presents Alfred Drake's sole operetta recording, Friml's The Vagabond King, dating from 1951, and adds nine of his lesser-known single sides from that period, including four Kiss Me. Kate...
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Ravel and Debussy from Cleveland, Rodziński and Leinsdorf (Plus a Bonus)
The Cleveland Orchestra did not spring into being upon the accession of George Szell to the music directorship in 1946. Three chief conductors had preceded him: Nikolai Sokoloff, Artur Rodziński and...
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The J's with Jamie - Hey, Look Us Over! Plus Their Columbia Singles
So far this blog's slow-motion look at the career and recordings of the J's with Jamie hasn't included that group's best LP - their first, Hey, Look Us Over! That's because I owned only a mono copy...
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Berlioz and Weinberger from Cleveland and Rodziński
Artur RodzińskiToday we have more of the recordings Artur Rodziński made with the Cleveland Orchestra during his decade as its music director (1933-43). They include one of their first recordings, of...
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The Matt Dennis Transcriptions, Plus a Bonus
Nearly a decade ago, I posted a set of 12 transcriptions that singer-songwriter-pianist Matt Dennis made for the C.P. MacGregor company circa 1947. They were derived from a Tops budget LP from the...
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Nikolai Sokoloff Conducts
Three music directors preceded George Szell to the Cleveland Orchestra podium. Two - Artur Rodziński and Erich Leinsdorf - have been represented here, but founding music director Nikolai Sokoloff has...
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My friend and occasional collaborator John Morris has come up with a discography of Matt Dennis' MacGregor transcriptions. This allows me to shed some light on the recording dates (years, at least) for...
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Opening Night at 'Promises, Promises'
Burt Bacharach and Hal DavidBurt Bacharach and Hal David were the pre-eminent songwriters of the 1960s, but they were neophytes on Broadway when their Promises, Promises opened in late 1968.That debut...
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Elliot Lawrence
Elliot Lawrence started at the top as a Broadway conductor. His first show as music director was Bye, Bye Birdie, and he won a Tony for his second - How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying....
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Leinsdorf Special - Mozart, Schubert, Rachmaninoff and the Strausses
Erich Leinsdorf's early career is less remembered than his Boston Symphony tenure and his later spell as guest conductor at major orchestras. On this blog, I've looked at several of his neglected first...
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Early Schubert and Mendelssohn from Louis Lane, Plus a Summer Bonus
This post continues my traversal through the recording of George Szell's predecessors and assistants in Cleveland. Recently we have heard from Nikolai Sokoloff, Artur Rodziński and Erich Leinsdorf, and...
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Memphis 1954
Click to enlargeI've been indolent lately, so rather than bringing you some music, I am providing the next best thing: a photo of a record store!I will admit that you have to be a record nerd to like...
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Vaughan Williams' Symphony No. 5 and Serenade to Music
Ralph Vaughan Williams' middle symphonies can be neatly separated into the visionary 3rd and 5th and the anguished 4th and 6th. Many conductors prefer the latter variety: the 4th has inspired 32...
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Vaughan Williams' Pastoral Symphony and 'In the Fen Country'
My post of Ralph Vaughan Williams' Symphony No. 5 and Serenade to Music elicited a request for his similarly seraphic Pastoral Symphony, again in the definitive reading led by Sir Adrian Boult.Longtime...
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Much More Early Pérez Prado
Those of you with a long history with this blog may recall that in the dim past I offered a few LPs by mambo king Pérez Prado that were devoted to his earliest recordings. Those posts date back to 2009...
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Historic Delius Recordings from Sammons, Moiseiwitsch and Harrison, Plus Bonuses
The composer Frederick Delius (1862-1934) benefited from the impassioned advocacy of conductor Sir Thomas Beecham during his lifetime and until Beecham's own demise in 1961.So pervasive were the...
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'Toscanini's Hep Cats' - The New Friends of Rhythm, Plus Maxine Sullivan
The New Friends of Rhythm, 1938: Sylvan Shulman, Harry Patent, Zelly Smirnoff, Laura Newell, Tony Colucci, Alan Shulman, Louis KievmanThey were known as "Toscanini's hep cats," at least to the Victor...
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Tchaikovsky's 'The Seasons' with Morton Gould and Lev Oborin
Detail of Tchaikovsky portrait by Nikolai KuznetsovThe headline says this post is devoted to Tchaikovsky's The Seasons. So why does the Morton Gould record cover below say The Months?That's something...
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Singles from The Martins and Ralph Blane
Ralph Blane and Hugh MartinThe songwriting team of Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane were successes from the beginning of their partnership, which began with the 1941 musical Best Foot Forward. It was a...
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