The Christmas Song - Nat King Cole

The Christmas Song

Nat King Cole

Capitol SW 1967

1962

This is probably my favorite Christmas album of all time, although there are many others that I prefer musically.  I like Cole fine (particularly during his jazz period) but he's far from my favorite crooner.  I love this record because my parents had it and it is the first Christmas record I remember listening to.  I have to admit that as a child I was not all that happy with it.  It doesn't have any of the kiddie Christmas songs I loved back then.  "Deck the Hall" was the only song on it I really liked.  Fortunately I'm not a kid anymore and I mostly can't stand those kiddie songs unless they've been rocked up.  I have not even thought about trying to acquire some of those children's albums I liked as a kid, but this one I was happy to track down.  I actually have two of them.  This is my original which I bought used, but it has a little wear so when Capitol reissued it I bought a new one just to have a perfect copy.  I listen to both however.  The new one sounds great, but I like the warmth of the old one as well even with its crackles and pops which reminds me of my parents' old copy which was pretty beat up by the time my sisters and I got done playing it to death every Christmas.  This album is a reissue of Cole's 1960 album "The Magic of Christmas" but with the substitution of Mel Tormé and Robert Wells' great classic "The Christmas Song" in place of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" which seems like a generous trade to me.  The reissue also has superior cover art.  Cole recorded the song multiple times in his career dating back to 1946 but this generally is regarded as the definitive version.  I have never roasted a chestnut but this song evokes the feeling of Christmas in me more than any other.  Ralph Carmichael's orchestral arrangement is relatively restrained and I would miss it if it wasn't there.  Cole's vocal is incredibly rich and warm and he also adds a nice piano solo in the break.  For me it is the perfect Christmas song and I never get tired of hearing it.  It is such a great song that the rest of the album pales in comparison but it is still mostly engaging.  "Deck the Hall" has a lot of energy and almost swings in spots.  "Adeste Fideles" is one of my favorite tracks although I could do without the chorus.  Cole sings it with authority even in the Latin part.  He sings "O Tannenbaum" in German which I prefer to the English version.  I've never liked the song much, but his voice makes it compelling for me.  I don't really like "O, Little Town of Bethlehem" either and Carmichael's sappy arrangement doesn't help any.  Cole sings it beautifully but I still find the song dreary.  The album bounces back with a lively version of "I Saw Three Ships," I even like the support of the chorus for once.  Side one concludes with "O Holy Night" which shows off Cole's vocal skills to great effect.  I've never been able to sing the song myself, but he handles it with ease although I do find the chorus obtrusive.  Side two opens with "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing" which Cole's graceful vocal rescues from Carmichael's heavy-handed arrangement.  "A Cradle in Bethlehem" is the least famous Christmas song on the album and deservedly so.  I loathe it and off the top of my head I think this is the only recording of it that I have.  It is slow and devotional and no matter how prettily Cole sings it I'm never going to like it.  "Away in a Manger" is also devout and sappy, but I find it more palpable because it is a better song.  "Joy to the World" is appropriately jubilant and is one of my favorite tracks.  "The First Noel" suffers from a really heavy arrangement but Cole's vocal is fabulous, one of his best on the album.  I'm not a fan of the song but this is one of the best versions I know.  Carmichael redeems himself with a stirring arrangement of "Caroling, Caroling" which is an easy lay up for Cole.  This is another one of my favorite songs on the album.  It concludes with "Silent Night" which could have been written for Cole it suits him so well.  It is such a lovely and delicate performance, I find it much more moving than most versions of the song.  It brings the album to a tender and satisfying conclusion.  I react much differently to this album than I did when I was a kid especially since I'm now older than Cole was when he recorded it.  I really appreciate the feeling and depth that Cole brings to this music.  It is way too religious for my taste but I still love it although I would love it more with a few more secular carols.  It does have a pleasing consistency of tone and sound and if you are an adult and like Christmas I don't see how you won't like it.  I don't really like Christmas anymore myself and I still love this record.  Recommended to people whose idea of a nice Christmas is good company and a tasty cocktail.

Nirvana Symphony - Toshiro Mayuzumi

Nirvana-Symphony

Toshiro Mayuzumi/NHK Symphony Orchestra with Chorus conducted by Wilhelm Schüchter

Time Records 58004

1962

I haven't done a post on any classical records although I do have a few hundred of them.  Mostly this is because I feel unqualified and have nothing I want to say about them.  I took a musical appreciation class in college and took music performance classes in grade school, but my formal musical knowledge is rudimentary at best.  There are some classical records I really love, but what am I going to say about Bach or Mozart that doesn't make me sound like an idiot?  I like and listen to all kinds of music now that I'm old, but I have always been a rock guy and that's never going to change.  That's how I approach all music, not so much in terms of "it has a good beat and you can dance to it," but rather as a visceral and emotional experience.  Classical music typically requires concentration and effort to fully appreciate whereas I'm generally just along for the ride.  Nonetheless I am going to take a crack at this record because it did make a big impression on me when I heard it.  I only became aware of this album last year when I read the memoir of Bob Dylan's former girlfriend Suze Rotolo.  She rhapsodized about the album which she heard in the early 1960s while she was dating Dylan.  Intrigued, I tracked down a copy of the album.  The Japanese version of the album has been reissued and is easy to find, but I opted for a vintage copy of the American edition because it features cover art by Yoko Ono.  I have to admit my listening experience was not as profound as the one Rotolo described in her book, but I'm not a spiritual guy.  I would say my experience was more akin to psychedelia than religion.  Mayuzumi composed the Symphony in 1957-1958 at which time he was also a prolific film composer (I am a fan of his modernist score for Mizoguchi's "Street of Shame.")  Modernism definitely informs this album, Mayuzumi even cites Schoenberg and Varèse in his liner notes.  I think film soundtrack music is also an influence, there is a program music aspect to parts of it.  However the work is most strongly influenced by traditional Japanese religious music, in particular Buddhist temple bells.  Mayuzumi went so far in his bell fascination to name his three movements "Campanology I, II and III."  "Campanology I" is titled "Suramgamah" which is the name of the Buddhist sutra sung by the chorus in the piece.  It begins slow and ominously like the soundtrack to an old horror film or a gloomy gothic romance.  The orchestra simulates the chiming of a temple bell and the music is heavy and atmospheric punctured by sharp instrumental spikes.  It has an other-worldly feel to it that is appropriate for a spiritual journey to Nirvana, although it might just as well be the soundtrack for a journey to hell since the music is so foreboding.  It gradually gives way to a more sedate passage with languorous bell chimes that announces the beginning of the sutra sung by a male chorus.  The music that accompanies the chorus consists largely of bell sounds and the sutra is soothing and mesmerizing.  Eventually the sutra abruptly shifts tone becoming more staccato and urgent boosted by slashing string notes and percussive effects ultimately becoming quite dramatic before petering away into "Campanology II" which is titled "Mahaprajnaparamita."   It is a short instrumental piece featuring sedate orchestral passages in a more Western modernist style punctuated by bits of bell type sounds.  It evolves into a drone (which I wished lasted longer) that rises to a crescendo to end the piece.  Side two opens with "Campanology III" titled "Finale" which begins with a Buddhist chant with minimal accompaniment once again typically bell-like.  The chant is polyphonic and hypnotic (Mayuzumi compares it to a Gregorian Chant in his liner notes which I think is apt.)  It is followed by a cacophonous orchestral flurry that simulates the ringing of multiple bells.  This section is extremely dynamic and powerful and I find it the most compelling music on the record particularly when the chorus joins in with the orchestra.  It gradually transitions to a more sedate passage of elongated string notes and the chorus slowly chanting producing a very pleasing drone sound.  The bell sounds return and the music swells building to a roaring climax that gradually ebbs away to the sound of chiming bells as the piece concludes.  I'm basically just crudely describing what I hear, but it is quite a musical journey.  I can easily understand why Rotolo was so taken by it.  When I listen to it late at night it does seem to have a magical almost transformative quality and I do find myself emotionally engaged by it in a manner that I rarely experience listening to modern classical music perhaps because of Mayuzumi's experience as a film composer.  I'm not a Buddhist nor am I religious, but when I was younger I read a bunch of books on Zen Buddhism so I do have some idea about what Mayuzumi's intentions are, but I think even someone who hears the word "Nirvana" and only thinks of Kurt Cobain would be engaged by this music.  As a dumb rock guy, I am not really doing this work justice, but I do believe it can be enjoyed the way rock fans enjoy progressive rock or even psychedelic rock.  It takes me on a trip.  Recommended to fans of Györgi Ligeti who dig Quicksilver Messenger Service.

It Keeps Right On A-Hurtin' - Johnny Tillotson

It Keeps Right On A-Hurtin'
Johnny Tillotson
Cadence CLP 3058
1962 

Several years ago I was browsing the vinyl in a thrift store when I came across a couple of Johnny Tillotson records in very good condition.  I flipped one of them over and was irked to see there was writing on it until I realized it was autographed.  I'm not a big enough Tillotson fan to get excited about that, but I felt a pang when I saw the record was autographed to Teddy.  Teddy obviously was a big fan and since this vintage original pressing was in such good condition presumably treasured this album.  The fact that the record was in a thrift store suggested to me that Teddy had died and Teddy's heirs disposed of this record in the easiest manner available to them aside from the trash.  There was no way I was going to leave this record to rot in a thrift store, so I bought both albums to give them a good home for a few more decades (hopefully.)  I've always thought of Tillotson as a pop artist, but this album consists largely of country music classics.  The liner notes aptly describe the record as "Johnny Tillotson's Favorite Songs of Loneliness" as it is loaded with heartbreak songs.  I'm not adverse to a good heartbreak song, but a steady stream of 12 of them makes for pretty dreary listening.  Tillotson is a good singer with a tender expressive voice, but he lacks the depth to put over many of these songs.  He is hopelessly outclassed by Hank Williams on "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" and "I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love with You)" and fares even worse taking on Patsy Cline with "I Fall to Pieces" and Cline and Andy Williams on "Lonely Street."  He does better with Brenda Lee's "Fool #1" but I still prefer her version.  He's not mature enough to put over songs like "Funny How Time Slips Away," Faron Young's "Hello Walls" or Jim Reeves' "Four Walls."  He benefits from the more pop-flavored arrangements of "Take Good Care of Her" and especially Hank Locklin's "Send Me the Pillow You Dream On" which was a top 20 hit for him.  He does great with Irving Berlin's oldie "What'll I Do" which proves surprisingly suitable for a country arrangement to which Tillotson adds a little teenage melodrama to give it extra oomph.  The best song is easily Tillotson's own composition "It Keeps Right On A-Hurtin" which was a big hit single on both the country and pop charts.  It is a classic heartbreak song that Tillotson sings with convincing feeling.  Aside from the title track this is a marginal record but I do enjoy it.  The songs are all good and the arrangements by Archie Bleyer are tasteful and restrained by countrypolitan standards.  Tillotson is a very likeable singer with a pleasant voice.  However with his boyish tone and smooth style I do think that he is much better at singing pop.  Recommended to fans of Ricky Nelson.

Christmas with the Everly Brothers and the Boys Town Choir - The Everly Brothers and the Boys Town Choir

Christmas with the Everly Brothers and the Boys Town Choir
The Everly Brothers and the Boys Town Choir
Warner Bros. Records  W 1483
1962

I put this one on while we were trimming the tree and didn't make it through side one before my wife demanded I take it off and put on some "real Christmas music."  I get her point, this is the least festive, most solemn Christmas record in my collection.  It is extremely "churchy" which has some nostalgic appeal for me because I grew up singing many of these songs in church accompanied by old ladies with high voices and an organ, which is pretty much what this record sounds like.  The liner notes refer to the Everlys singing Christmas carols as boys with their neighbors back home in Kentucky which seems like a charming idea for an album - get the Everlys a small back-up group like the Jordanaires to harmonize with, maybe a piano and a guitar and make an intimate, heartfelt Christmas album.  That is not this record.  The choir dominates this record, overwhelming the Brothers' low key vocals with their lovely but lifeless vocalizing.  The Everlys seem like guest performers on their own album.  There are even two tracks, "Away In a Manger" and "Angels, From the Realms of Glory" that don't feature the Everlys at all just the choir.  The Everlys' contribution to the album is so slight, it feels like a rip-off.  I suspect the boys just went in the studio and knocked out their contribution in a couple of hours.  I was extremely disappointed when I first heard this album and it is only my immense love for the Everlys' work that keeps it off my purgatory shelf.  I think it is by far their worst record.  The arrangements are stodgy and lethargic, the album lacks emotion and inspiration.  Nonetheless there are parts of it that I do enjoy.  The first verses of "Adeste Fideles," "The First Noel" and "Silent Night" sound terrific but then the choir takes over and I lose interest.  Don's solo vocal on "What Child Is This?" is very appealing with only minimal interference from the choir.  This is my favorite track and it suggests what a good record this might have been without the choir.  Phil's solo turn on "O Little Town of Bethlehem" is nice as well but suffers from the obtrusive choir being too high in the mix.  I wish there was some way I could erase the choir from this record, even though I would be left with only about 10 minutes of the Everlys singing given the fragmentary nature of their contribution.  This record rarely makes onto my turntable, but I do play it once in a while on a chilly December night when my family is not around to complain about it.  In the darkness of the living room with the Christmas tree lights blinking it brings back not entirely welcome memories of school pageants and midnight Christmas Eve masses.  Recommended to people who consider Santa Claus sacrilegious. 

I Left My Heart in San Francisco - Tony Bennett

I Left My Heart in San Francisco
Tony Bennett
Columbia CS 8669
1962

Here is a post for Ralph Sharon who died back in March.  Sharon played piano and did arrangements for Tony Bennett for many years and was credited by him with introducing him to his trademark song "I Left My Heart in San Francisco."  I rhapsodized about my long love affair with this song in my post on "Tony's Greatest Hits Volume III" so I won't repeat that here.  It is easily the best song on the record and Sharon's delicate piano lines contribute greatly to the song's atmospheric effect.  The song was written by George Cory and Douglass Cross who gave the song to Sharon who forgot about it for awhile.  He came across it again prior to Bennett's 1961 appearance at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco and worked up an arrangement.  They did the song and predictably it went over big.  In early 1962 Bennett went into the studio with Marty Manning and recorded the song as a single.  It was originally the b-side to the sappy show tune "Once Upon a Time" recorded at the same session and also on this album.  Bennett sang up a storm on that song, but it can't hold a candle to the greatness of "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" so inevitably DJs flipped over the single and "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" became a massive hit.  In response Columbia cobbled together this album using older tracks.  The oldest is Cole Porter's "Love For Sale" recorded using a Sharon arrangement in 1957.  This is one of my favorite tracks.  Sharon employed an exotic samba style approach to the song and Bennett gave it a swinging interpretation that enlivened the cynical lyrics.  Sharon also arranged "Taking a Chance on Love" which Bennett recorded with Count Basie and his Band in 1958.  This is another favorite.  I'm a fan of Basie and he gave the song a swinging jazzy sound.  Bennett is a great crooner, but I like him best as jazz singer and this song allows him to show his chops.  These two songs exemplify the special relationship between Sharon and Bennett, he brought out the best in Bennett's style.  Charles Chaplin's classic "Smile" was recorded and released as a single by Bennett in 1959.  It is a sentimental song that invites a melodramatic interpretation, but fortunately that isn't Bennett's style.  Despite a mawkish arrangement from Frank Burns, Bennett sings strongly but with emotional restraint, one of the better versions of this song that I've heard.  A 1960 session with Frank DeVol yielded "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows."  It is a show tune from 1917 adapted from Chopin and originally performed on stage by the Dolly Sisters.  DeVol's arrangement is typically heavy-handed with mushy strings and ethereal background singers, but Bennett's vocal is strong enough to cut through most of the goop.  He makes the song sound almost contemporary with his wistful, romantic style.  Another 1960 session with Cy Coleman produced "Marry Young" and "The Best is Yet to Come" which was released as a single that year.  Coleman wrote both songs with Carolyn Leigh.  "Marry Young" is a lovely romantic song with a very warm vocal from Bennett.  "The Best is Yet to Come" is one of Bennett's best songs.  The swinging arrangement supports Bennett's swaggering vocal.  It is a classic performance.  Coleman and Leigh's "Rules of the Road" was recorded in 1961 with Ralph Burns conducting and arranging.  It is a terrific song given a gently swinging setting that puts it right in Bennett's wheelhouse.  Bennett forcefully sings the worldly lyrics as if he really relates to them.  Later in 1961 Bennett recorded "Candy Kisses" and "Tender is the Night" with Marty Manning.  "Tender is the Night" was written for the movie of the same name and was even nominated for a best song Academy Award.  It is appropriately dramatic but also kind of dreary despite Bennett's resonant vocal.  The country song "Candy Kisses" is a lot better.  Bennett sings with a lot of feeling despite Manning's stiff accompaniment.  Manning also arranged and conducted "Have I Told You Lately" at the same session where Bennett recorded "I Left My Heart in San Francisco."  It was written by Harold Rome for the Broadway show "I Can Get It For You Wholesale" which made Barbra Streisand a star.  I think the arrangement is too slow and stodgy but Bennett sings it with a lot of enthusiasm.  Despite the hodge podge construction of this album and the multitude of arrangers, it has a cohesive and consistent sound to it.  I think that is a tribute to Bennett's style and vision, which is strong enough to overcome weak arrangements or indifferent material.  The title track is an immortal classic and the three Coleman/Leigh tunes are first rate.  I also really like "Love For Sale" and "Taking a Chance on Love."  So that's six strong tracks out of twelve and the remaining six all have some merit.  I mostly bought this record because I dug the cover, but it turned out to be a really good album as well.  Recommended for staring out at the San Francisco Bay on a foggy day.

Carolyn Hester - Carolyn Hester

Carolyn Hester
Carolyn Hester
Columbia CS 8596
1962

Carolyn Hester's third album and her debut album for Columbia Records.  In my post on "Joan Baez in Concert Part 1" I mentioned that I've never understood Baez's immense popularity during the folk boom.  As a corollary to that, I understand even less why Baez became a big star and Carolyn Hester did not.  Hester seemingly had it all.  She had a terrific voice, more relaxed and expressive than Baez and equally polished and powerful.  She was a good guitarist.  She had better taste in material, earthier and less corny.  She was just as attractive as Baez, perhaps even more so.  Bob Dylan was smitten with her, he called her "double barrel beautiful" in his memoir "Chronicles Volume One."  In his book he discussed the circumstances that led to him playing harmonica on three cuts on this album and gave her credit for introducing him to the album's producer John Hammond and thus launching his own career on Columbia Records.  Dylan also expressed envy towards Richard Fariña for being married to Hester.  Prior to marrying Mimi Baez, Fariña was indeed married to Hester and in David Hajdu's book "Positively 4th Street" he paints an unflattering picture of Fariña using Hester to launch his own music career.  Hajdu claims it was Fariña's idea for Dylan to play on this album but Hester disputes this.  However it happened, Dylan did make his recording debut on this record, which is largely why this record is hard to find and rather pricey.  Dylan's presence on this record overshadows Hester practically, which is a shame because this is a wonderful record in its own right.  Besides Dylan, Hester is also accompanied by guitarist Bruce Langhorne and bassist Bill Lee for much of the album.  The album opens with Albert E. Brumley's classic gospel song "I'll Fly Away" which features Dylan, Langhorne and Lee adding instrumental support to Hester's robust vocal.  It is one of my favorite tracks on the album.  Dylan makes the most of his opportunity blowing up a storm.  The religious theme continues with "When Jesus Lived in Galilee" which was popularized by John Jacob Niles who collected the song in Kentucky. "Los Biblicos" is derived from "Los Bilbilicos" an old song in Ladino, the Jewish language derived from medieval Spanish.  Hester sings the lyrics popularized by Theodore Bikel which are considerably different from traditional versions although the imagery of the songs are similar featuring unhappy lovers listening to nightingales sing.  This hauntingly beautiful music has an exotic Middle Eastern flavor that reflects its Sephardic origin and the interplay of the guitars is exquisite.  If you don't believe that Hester could sing as well as Baez, check out her gorgeous vocal on this song.  "Yarrow" is a ballad of Scottish origin collected by Francis Child that is generally known by the title "The Dowie Dens of Yarrow."  It is a stirring tale of a ploughboy vying with 9 gentlemen for the love of a lady, who is attacked by the gentlemen.  He defeats them all and then is treacherously stabbed in the back by the lady's brother.  It is another one of my favorite tracks on the album.  Pushed along by the two guitarists playing fast-paced runs, Hester's passionate vocal brings the old song to life.  "Dink's Song" will be familiar to those who have seen the Coen Brothers' film "Inside Llewyn Davis" where it is heard several times.  The bluesy song was first documented by John Lomax in Texas in the early 1900s.  It was also part of Dylan's early repertoire and appears on the bootlegs identified as the "Minneapolis Hotel Tape" recorded in 1961 (you can hear its first legitimate release on "The Bootleg Series Vol. 7.")  Hester's vocal really sends me, she sings it with such feeling.  "Swing and Turn Jubilee" is a lively dance song made popular by Jean Ritchie who collected it in Kentucky.  She is joined again by Dylan, Langhorne (on fiddle) and Lee who provide considerable propulsion for the tune.  "Once I Had A Sweetheart" is a folk song that was popular in the Appalachians although it is apparently of English or Scottish origin given its resemblance to the traditional ballads "As Sylvie Was Walking" and "Green Grow the Lilacs."  I first heard it on Pentangle's version on "Basket of Light" and it remains one of my favorite Pentangle songs, but Hester's performance is equally wonderful.  Her stunning vocal gives me chills and for me it is the best track on the album.  According to Hajdu, Dylan taught Hester "Come Back, Baby" because she wanted to learn a blues song for her album.  The song was written by Walter Davis and was recorded many times, my favorite version being Ray Charles' performance on "Ray Charles," his debut album for Atlantic. Hester sings it convincingly, her Texas background serves her well on this tune.  Dylan's harmonica adds some color to the song although his solo is practically just a single sustained note.  "Dear Companion" is another Appalachian song popularized by Jean Ritchie.  It features a broken hearted girl singing about an unfaithful lover and Hester sings it with much tenderness.  It is one of her best vocals on the album, it cuts right through me.  "Galway Shawl" is an Irish folk song that Hester sings a cappella.  It is another excellent performance.  "Pobre De Mi" is more commonly known as "Por Un Amor" a Mexican Ranchera style song by Gilberto Parra.  I remember hearing it on my father's mariachi records when I was a kid and Linda Ronstadt also did a version of it on "Canciones de mi Padre."  Hester sings it capably in Spanish demonstrating her range and versatility.  Langhorne's playing adds a lot to the song as well, some of his best work on the record.  "Virgin Mary" is an African-American spiritual song that is also known as "Pretty Little Baby."  It is a Christmas song about the birth of Jesus.  Hester sings it beautifully but it is my least favorite track.  It reminds me of Joan Baez, who had it in her early repertoire.  I just love this record, it is one of my favorite folk records of the 1960s.  Hester is magnificent but some credit should also go to Bruce Langhorne whose tasteful accompaniment does a lot to enhance the atmosphere and dynamic quality of Hester's sound.  This did not go unnoticed by Richard Fariña who would later employ Langhorne for a similar effect on his own records.  If there was any justice in this universe, this record would have made Hester a big star like Baez.  I guess she did get the last laugh though, because many of her records are now pricey collectables and you can find Baez albums in the bargain bin.  For the typical price of a nice first pressing of this album in a used record store, you can buy just about every album Joan Baez ever recorded.  I was fortunate enough to find a good quality first pressing for about the price of 4 or 5 used Joan Baez albums which I consider one of my best scores ever.  I don't usually endorse pricey collectables especially when there is a reasonably priced CD alternative, but this record is just about worth the price.  Hester's voice was made for vinyl, this is a great sounding record.  Recommended to fans of early Sandy Denny.

Two of a Mind - Paul Desmond and Gerry Mulligan

Two of a Mind
Paul Desmond and Gerry Mulligan
RCA LPM-2624
1962

I picked this up in Yreka which is a small town off Interstate 5 near the Oregon/California border.  We often stop there on our way to Oregon to have lunch.  It has a small historic downtown that dates back to when the town was a gold rush boomtown.  I was wandering around there after lunch a couple of years ago and went into a thrift store and checked out the vinyl.  I wasn't expecting to find much, maybe some vintage country records but instead I found this.  I'm a big fan of Gerry Mulligan and buy anything he's on.  Desmond I like okay but I don't go out of my way to hear him.  I think Mulligan performs best when he is partnered with someone who will push him a little, like Miles Davis or Thelonious Monk.  Desmond's approach is too similar to Mulligan's classic style, if they weren't playing different horns I'd hardly be able to tell them apart at times.  They complement each other very well, but the results are more entertaining than challenging, but what the heck sometimes you just want to have fun.  The two men are backed up by bassists and drummers, but as with Mulligan's classic quartet with Chet Baker there is no piano.   The album opens with "All The Things You Are."  Desmond and Mulligan introduce the song trading lines until Desmond takes a lengthy swinging solo which is followed by Mulligan's solo which seems tentative at first but picks up steam as he goes along.  The song concludes with the two playing contrapuntal lines bringing the song to an energetic finish.  There must be a thousand jazz interpretations of "Stardust" around and Desmond and Mulligan's take on the song isn't particularly interesting although it is lovely and Mulligan's solo is romantic and full of feeling.  Desmond's solo is fluid but sounds cold and technical by comparison.  Once again the two men join in to play contrapuntally at the conclusion of the song.  Desmond composed "Two of a Mind" which concludes side one.  It is an uptempo, driving tune with some spirited playing from both men.  It gets me bopping and is one of my favorite tracks on the album.  Mulligan composed "Blight of the Fumble Bee" which according to the liner notes was named by Mulligan's girlfriend, the actress Judy Holliday, after hearing a playback in the control room.  It is classic Mulligan as he takes a simple riff and expounds on it in a thrilling solo.  Desmond's solo sounds more like empty virtuosity to me, it swings but it lacks Mulligan's manic drive and intensity.  The frenetic contrapuntal playing that concludes the song features a riff on "Flight of the Bumble Bee" which presumably inspired the song's odd title.  My favorite cut on the record is "The Way You Look Tonight" which is dynamic and exciting with some terrific contrapuntal passages.  At the end of the song, Desmond overdubs a third saxophone line creating a dense and vibrant be-bop sound that really sends me.   Mulligan's solo is smoking hot as well.  "Out of Nowhere" is also a swinging tune with another powerful Mulligan solo.  The kinetic contrapuntal playing at the end of the song would give the album a strong finish except that the song abruptly shifts at the finish into a brief slow jam that is crudely faded out, almost as if they were starting a new song and then changed their minds.  The tight arrangements and contrapuntal playing are typical of Mulligan's style so his fans should really enjoy this record.  People who are accustomed to hearing the cool cerebral jazz Desmond played with the Dave Brubeck Quartet may be surprised to hear how effectively he can blow hot when the opportunity arises.  Recommended to fans of Mulligan's quartet with Chet Baker.

Joan Baez In Concert Part 1 - Joan Baez

Joan Baez In Concert Part 1
Joan Baez
Vanguard VSD-2122
1962

Joan Baez's third album for Vanguard.  Even though it is a live album it does not contain any songs from her first two albums.  Curiously Vanguard replaced the original cover with the cover photo from "Joan Baez in Concert Part 2" at some point.  I like the original cover better.  I've been reading David Hajdu's book "Positively 4th Street" which is about Baez, Bob Dylan, Richard Fariña and Mimi Fariña.  It is an interesting read and it got me wondering about Baez's enormous popularity during the folk boom which I've never really understood.  Growing up in the Bay Area I knew Baez more as a political activist than as a singer.  I saw her once at a rally at Sproul Plaza when I was at Berkeley although I can't remember if she sang or even what the rally was about, probably anti-draft registration or anti-apartheid.  Musically I only knew her for her hit cover of the Band's "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" which I didn't like much as well as her songs on the Woodstock soundtrack which I didn't really like much either.  Baez's pure soprano voice bothered me, it reminded of my grandmother singing hymns in church.  I probably would have never bought any of her records were it not for my interest in Fairport Convention.  That great band triggered my interest in English folk music, particularly the Child Ballads which were a big part of Baez's early repertoire prior to hooking up with Dylan.  This was the first Baez album I bought and I bought it because it had a version of "Matty Groves" which of course was one of Fairport's most famous songs.  It is one of three Child Ballads on this record, the other two are "Geordie" and the haunting "House Carpenter" and they are my favorite cuts on the record.  She sings the songs beautifully and they benefit from her rich voice.  I prefer the Fairport version of "Matty Groves" which rocks and has a passionate vocal from Sandy Denny.  Baez's version is lovely but pales in comparison even though it is her most stirring performance on the album.  "House Carpenter" though really sends me, I listened to it over and over when I got this record and I still really like it.  None of the other songs interest me as much, but there are a few that I appreciate.  "What Have They Done to the Rain" by Malvina Reynolds was Baez's first protest song and it is more subtle than most songs of that type.  I like her subdued version of "Gospel Ship" which she got from the Carter Family and I enjoy the moonshining ballad "Copper Kettle" by Albert Frank Beddoe.  The other songs don't appeal to me much.  "Lady Mary" is pretty but dull and "Black Is the Color" too genteel for my taste.  She opens the album with Anne Bredon's "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" although it is listed as a traditional song.  Her version sounds stilted compared to the superior versions by Quicksilver Messenger Service and Led Zeppelin.  I find her beautiful vocal on Woody Guthrie's "Pretty Boy Floyd" to be counter-productive, it does not suit the words or spirit of the song at all.  Her ventures into world music with "Danger Waters" and "Ate Amanha" are lively but unconvincing.  "Kumbaya" makes me cringe, it brings back unwanted childhood memories of folk masses in church and hippie camp counselors and teachers with acoustic guitars in grade school.  I played this album to try and figure out why Baez was so popular in her time and it is still a mystery to me.  I guess she was a transitional figure bridging the sappy pop music of the 1950s and the earthiness of the folk tradition.  Oh yeah and that amazing voice.  I prefer my folk music rougher and more immediate, but I appreciate Baez's integrity.  Recommended to people who prefer Judy Collins over Judy Henske.

Sentimentally Yours - Patsy Cline

Sentimentally Yours
Patsy Cline
MCA 90
1962

This was Patsy Cline's third studio album originally released on Decca Records.  I picked this up in the 1980s.  I recently saw the Living Sisters tribute to Patsy Cline at Disney Hall in Los Angeles and was reminded of how great Cline was and how much her music meant to me.  It was a terrific concert - I never would have imagined I would ever see John Doe or Shirley Manson covering Patsy Cline (beautifully done too.)  I came to Patsy Cline pretty late.  As a child I hated country music.  My father had a Hank Williams record that he liked to blast on his stereo and whenever he did, I would leave the room or if possible the house.  I thought it was horrible, though fortunately I've since realized I was wrong.  I still have dismal memories of road trips on Interstate 80 crossing Nevada as a child with only country music stations on the radio and my sisters and I writhing in agony and praying for a top 40 station to come in at some point.  Eventually in my late teens I came to like country music mostly because of country rock records by the Byrds, the Flying Burrito Brothers and especially Linda Ronstadt's "Silk Purse."  Nonetheless I remained lukewarm about it until 1985 when I saw the Patsy Cline biopic "Sweet Dreams."  I saw it in a nice theater with really good sound and hearing her incredible voice just blew me away.  What a sublime gift she had.  I dedicated myself to collecting everything of hers I could find on vinyl and the tapes I made from those records were the soundtrack for my road trips for many years.  Aside from her "Greatest Hits" record, this is my favorite of Cline's albums.  It is split between country songs and pop standards, but since she brings a country feel to the pop songs and a pop sensibility to the country songs the songs flow together very smoothly.  I love the entire record but I guess my favorite cut would be "Lonely Street."  My father had Andy Williams' album of the same name, so I know the song quite well, but Cline really makes the song her own with just a stupendous vocal performance.  It gives me the chills.  She sings with so much feeling and sincerity, the heartache she brings to the music is almost palpable in songs like "She's Got You," "Strange," "I Can't Help It (If I'm Still In Love With You)" and "You Were Only Fooling (While I Was Falling In Love)".  You'd have to have a heart of stone not to melt when she sings "You Belong To Me" or "That's My Desire."  Even a corny old chestnut like "You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want To Do It)" sounds fresh and powerful when she sings it.  Every time I hear this record I fall in love with her all over again.  Recommended for anyone who has ever had a broken heart, meet your patron saint.

Instant Party - The Everly Brothers

Instant Party

The Everly Brothers

Warner Bros.  W1430

1962

The Everlys' fourth album for Warner Bros. - the first two were really good, the third was not so good.  This one is like the third, "Both Sides of an Evening" - it is another concept album, relies heavily on pop standards and showtunes, and is disappointing.  The concept this time is that this is a party record (a lot less fun than a Beach Boys party unfortunately) and it alternates slow tracks with faster tracks presumably for variety in dancing.  Most kids nowadays would want a lot higher b.p.m. then they are going to get from the Everlys for their dances.  There are also a bunch of recipes and party games that the brothers supposedly endorse on the back cover.  I doubt the modern kids would care much for those either.  That really was a different world.  I love the Everlys and would listen to them sing just about anything, but I'd rather it was rock, folk or country.  If I have to hear "Autumn Leaves," "Bye, Bye Blackbird" or "Oh My Papa" they do them as well as anyone I suppose, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't rather hear "Cathy's Clown" or "Lucille."  The only memorable song on this record is "Step It Up and Go" which they apparently learned from their father, Ike.  It is a lively rocker with a country flavor that suits them well.  Papa Everly is also responsible for the only other notable songs on the record, "Ground Hawg" and "Long Lost John."  The rest is pleasant but forgettable.  I'm happy I have this record and I play it sometimes, but unless you are a big fan you probably can skip it.  As for being a party record, well maybe in a rest home.  Recommended for party people with delicate dispositions.