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Tormé, in his later years a chubby but jovial entertainer in clubs and theaters across the country, began his career as a heartthrob during the 1940s. His unusual voice led someone to labeling him as "The Velvet Fog" It made a certain amount of sense, as even in his salad days, Tormé tended to sound like a young man with a bad chest cold. Tormé later told interviewers that he hated the "fog" designation.
Concord Records, who over the past couple of decades has taken into its catalog some of America's most talented jazz figures, has a number of albums by Tormé in its vaults. Many of the Tormé discs are available by ordering at your favorite music dealer or direct from the company.
For this special release (two discs for not much more than the price of one), the choices are superb. These sessions occurred in the late 1980s as Tormé worked with the Marty Paich Dek-Tette. On both discs, Tormé sounds strong and relaxed. His pipes wind themselves around some excellent music. One of the discs is a studio session from August 1988, featuring some excellent choices. The disc opens with "Sweet Georgia Brown," then moves in logical order to "Walk Between the Raindrops," and "When You Wish Upon A Star" mixed with "I'm Wishing," (it's Tormé at his very best).
There's a salute to Latin music with the catchy "Bossa Nova Potpourri," followed by a medley composed of "The Trolley Song" and "Get Me to the Church on Time." The gorgeous ballad, "More Than You Know," demonstrates what miracles could be fashioned by Tormé, even on a song that's been recorded by many other singers. The album ends with nice arraignments of "The Goodbye Look," "The Blues," and "For Whom the Bell Tolls" and "Spain (I Can Recall)."
The second disc comes from a concert in Tokyo during December, 1988. Paich has the Dek-Tette in good form. "Name" musicians playing that night included trombonist Dan Barrett, trumpeter Jack Sheldon, clarinetist Ken Peplowski and John Von Ohlen, best remembered for his work with the Stan Kenton Orchestra.
Some of the tunes are repeated from the studio session. Tormé opens the evening with his swinging version of "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing." There's a nifty version of "Just in Time," and Tormé swings big time with a stunning version of "When the Sun Comes Out." This is seriously great performing. The 13-tune extravaganza winds up with Tormé's best-known composition, a wonderful reading of "The Christmas Song."
Concord management deserves congratulations for continuing to bring forth some of the most entertaining music in the universe. Mel Tormé fans should love every second of this bountiful package of great music.
No Room for Argument
All right, I've just written 500-words of praise for the Mel Tormé double set, and here I am looking at another Concord Records release. Oops, didn't like this one.Wallace Roney is a respected trumpet player who at times reminds the listener of a young Miles Davis. Roney's new album, "No Room for Argument" mixes music with politics, race relations and history. It's an uneasy combination that has received respectful reviews from others.
"No Room for Argument," according to the liner notes by Roney, "is about heritage, mentors, wisdom, responsibility, and spirituality. It represents inclusion -- not exclusion. It is about time to share."
Roney has surrounded himself with some good musicians, but the results are uneven and sometimes seem bewildering. I did enjoy Roney's salute to John Coltrane, which includes portions of "A Love Supreme."
However, too often the album sounds like an attempt to exclude all save those who find favor in dissonance and a lack of melody. Roney is an oustanding trumpet player. He might be well advised to cut back on his mysterious songs, favoring something that contains a beat.
First, it's necessary to lure the audience into the church, where you then can start preaching to the unconverted. Roney wants listeners to buy his message while we're not quite sure what the message might be.
Entries, Anyone?
Some time ago, the publisher of G21 conferred with me about celebrating the fact that this column had reached the 100 mark. We conducted a contest prior to the contest, asking readers to suggest what they might have to do in order to win a nice prize.I decided to call for entries in an essay contest. Participants need only to write 250 words or less why they like jazz. Write about your first exposure to jazz, any brushes with jazz musicians, or even how jazz proves a cool companion during a night of insomnia.
What's the prize? It's a beauty: "Bill Evans Trio: The Last Waltz."
This beautiful set, consisting of 8 CDs, was recorded at the famous Keystone Korner in San Francisco, just days prior to Evans' death in September of 1980. If you were to visit your favorite record store, the set would cost you about $125. If you win, your 250-word essay will be worth about 50 cents per word. No bad, huh?
Deadline is approaching fast. Send your entry to me at rpowers@ee.net by March 6.
Hurry!
