Rosemary Clooney: 'Sentimental Journey'

by Bob Powers

G21 Music Writer

To read this article in Deutsch, Francaise, Italiano, Portuguese, Espanol, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, copy and paste the complete URL ("http://www.g21.net/ps116.html") and enter it in the box after you click through.

Bob Powers

Rosemary Clooney and a big band go together. When she was a youngster, fresh out of her hometown -- Maysville, Kentucky -- she and sister Betty toured the nation with Tony Pastor's band.

Now in her 73rd year, Rosemary again is working with a big band, namely the youthful Big Kahuna and the Copa Cat Pack. Don't worry about that hard-to-remember moniker. The Cat Pack plays with verve, enthusiasm and the energy that's often available only to the young.

Rosemary appears to have been invigorated by having leader Matt Catingub's boys stirring up a storm while playing golden chestnuts from the past. Rosemary's new album, "Sentimental Journey" (Concord Records) concentrates on mostly familiar tunes from the past, with a couple of new ones that demonstrate Ms. Clooney has been listening to new material.

In an interview that I wrote for a biography published by Concord, Rosemary said, "I started working with the band and the whole premise of it, the fact that they're young musicians who decided to listen to big bands and work that way. Jobs for aspiring big band players are hard to come by these days."

As it happens, Allen Sviridoff manages the band and has been Rosemary's manager for many years.

"Sentimental Journey" contains 16 songs, all of which fit neatly into the wonderful arrangements by Rosemary's longtime conductor John Oddo (he did nine) and the multi-talented Catingub, who wrote the others. Catingub plays alto sax or piano on several of the tracks.

Ms. Clooney sounds better than she has in years. Breathing problems that became noticeable a few years ago seem to have disappeared. She takes care in sustaining notes and seems to have found a way to sound much as she did 20 years ago. It's obvious that Rosemary feels good and life is perking along.

The tunes on "Sentimental Journey" are gems, blessed by some of the best composers in pop music history. The album leads off with "That Old Black Magic," which she finds a way to make sound new and ferocious. The beautiful "I'm Glad There is You" gets a new bent as the arraignment pushes the tempo slightly.

There are no so-so tracks on the album. "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" zings with the Copa Cat Pack whipping up the beat. "You Go to My Head" sounds great. Rosemary looks back at the old days with the spritely "I'm a Big Band Singer." Later on, she sings a tribute to Frank Sinatra called "The Singer."

The final two cuts on the album were recorded at the 2000 Rosemary Clooney Music Festival in Maysville, Ohio. The annual affair, held the last weekend in September, raises money for the renovation of the old Russell Theater downtown, where Rosemary's film, "The Stars Are Singing" received its world premiere.

"Sentimental Journey" indeed. This is the best Rosemary Clooney album in years. If you care about good music, performed by one of the greatest pop singers of our time, Check it out.

Short Takes

Performers on the beloved Hammond B-3 organ are passing from the scene, with few evidences of youngsters moving in to take their place. One of the best was Brother Jack McDuff, who died a few months ago. Concord Records have issued McDuff's last recording. "Brotherly Love" contains nine boisterous tracks, with sidemen including B-3 player Joey DeFrancesco and guitarist Pat Martino. The excellent Red Holloway, who played with McDuff's touring group, is around here, too. It's an excellent album and for jazz organ fans, it will be a treasure.

Ralph Sutton and Johnny Varro are two of the better swing pianists in the business. "A Pair of Kings" (Arbors Records) gives the pair plenty of room to play some of the best tunes from the golden days. Providing accompaniment are bassist Phil Flanigan and drummer Ed Metz Jr. Highlights include Duke Ellington's "What Am I Here For?" and a Fats Waller medley that is 15 minutes in length. You'll wear a smile while listening to this excellent album.

The New York Voices perform jazz versions of popular tunes. Their latest album on Concord, "Sing! Sing! Sing!" provides a great deal of fun as the vocal quartet has fun with such songs as "Save Your Love for Me" (a Buddy Johnson hit from the 40s), "Early Autumn" (made popular by Woody Herman), and "In a Mellow Tone."

+++ The Previous POWERSSOUND +++ THE NEXT POWERSSOUND +++