Mel Torme - Sings Fred Astaire
Sings Fred Astaire Original recording remastered edition (2000) Audio CD
By Mel Torme
Very Good Condition
Though it's sometimes relegated to second or third place among Tormé's best albums of the '50s (behind Mel Tormé and the Marty Paich Dek-Tette and It's a Blue World), it's difficult to hear how Mel Tormé Sings Fred Astaire can't be the best album of his entire career. Featuring an artist at the peak of his ability and talent, a collection of top-drawer songs from the best pop composers ever, and a swinging ten-piece that forms the perfect accompaniment, Sings Fred Astaire is one of the best up-tempo vocal albums ever recorded. Coming hot on the heels of Mel Tormé and the Marty Paich Dek-Tette in 1956, this tribute to Hollywood's most stylish dancer finds Tormé obliging with his nimblest and most elegant singing. Even while Marty Paich's band takes "The Way You Look Tonight" and "Cheek to Cheek" at a breakneck pace that Astaire himself would've had trouble with, Tormé floats over the top with death-defying vocal acrobatics. He's breezy and sophisticated on "They Can't Take That Away from Me," ecstatic and effervescent on "Top Hat, White Tie and Tails" (matching an exuberant solo by trumpeter Pete Candoli), and even breaks out an affectionate croon for "A Foggy Day." A collection of perfect hard-swinging pop with a few ballads thrown in for good measure makes Sings Fred Astaire a masterpiece of the vocal era.
Mel Torme was at an early peak when he recorded this superb session with Marty Paich's 10-piece band in 1956, bringing a personal flair to a program of great Gershwin, Kern, and Berlin songs associated with Fred Astaire. While Astaire brought primarily charm to his vocals on this material, Torme is a superb vocal technician, bounding through the uptempo numbers with an absolute mastery of diction, pitch, and phrasing. There's a mix of enthusiasm and sophisticated ease here that makes this one of Torme's finest recordings. He's aided by Paich's lively, brassy arrangements and an excellent studio band with trumpeter Pete Condoli and saxophonists Herb Geller and Jack Montrose. --Stuart Broomer
Tracklist
| A1 |
Nice Work If You Can Get It
Written-By – G. & I. Gershwin*, George Gershwin |
|
| A2 |
Something's Gotta Give
Written-By – Mercer* |
|
| A3 |
A Foggy Day
Written-By – G. & I. Gershwin* |
|
| A4 |
A Fine Romance
Written-By – Fields*, Kern* |
|
| A5 |
Let's Call The Whole Thing Off
Written-By – G. & I. Gershwin*, George Gershwin |
|
| A6 |
Top Hat, White Tie And Tails
Written-By – Irving Berlin |
|
| B1 |
The Way You Look Tonight
Written-By – Fields*, Kern* |
|
| B2 |
The Piccolino
Written-By – Irving Berlin |
|
| B3 |
They Can't Take That Away From Me
Written-By – G. & I. Gershwin* |
|
| B4 |
Cheek To Cheek
Written-By – Irving Berlin |
|
| B5 |
Let's Face The Music And Dance
Written-By – Irving Berlin |
|
| B6 |
They All Laughed
Written-By – G. & I. Gershwin*, George Gershwin |
Product details
- Audio CD (July 18, 2000)
- Number of Discs: 1
- Format: Original recording remastered
- Label: Rhino
- ASIN: B00004U02F
