Variety (March 1954)

Mindy Carson: "This Above All"- "Speedy Gonzales" (Columbia). Mindy Carson, has been looking for her first smash disk for. a long time and this, coupling shapes UP as her strongest bid to date. "This Above. All" is ah exceptionally fine ballad with a strohg best and Miss Carson .projects it. fdr maximum results with a solid lift from Jimmy Carroll's orch and chorus. "Speedy Gonzales!’ is a clever novelty in a swinging Latin format that could also hit big. Georgia Shaw: "A Fool, in the Ways of Love”-"There Must Be Some Mistake? (Decca). Decca’s young vocalist, Georgie Shaw, who broke through with his first "Till We Two Are One" disk, has a • strong followup coupling in this release. "Ways of Love,” a strong ballad with a torch theme, gets a sock commercial treatment for strong jock and juke-potential. Flip is another fine entry with a good lyric idea. Doris Day: "I Speak to. the Stars"-‘‘The Blue Bells of Broad- way" (Columbia). Doris Day has loved*’-"Lcft Me Tell- You About Louisa" (MGM). Dean Parker Is one of the crop of younger, vocalists who are aiming to make it with one big record. Parker has fine clear pipes which he handles tastefully. "Beloved" is a lilting .ballad with good chances. "Louisa" is a fair tune. Lita Rota: "Just a Dream or Two Ago"-"I Was a Fool in Love" (Lon- don). British songstress Lita Roza is a fine stylist and she gets good material in "Just a Dream," a pleasing ballad with a. good' idea; She also impresses on “Fool In Love." . Album Reviews Les Compagnons de la Chanson (Angel). Les Compagnons, French vocal combo which has played the U.S. several times, have packaged a set of French songs for a spe- cialized market. Most of the songs are delivered in French, but the language barrier is unimportant because of the simple v and beauti- ful harmonization. "I Believe/’ in English, is among the least im- Best Bets MINDY CARSON Columbia . GEORGIE SHAW Decca THIS ABOVE ALL ... . Speedy Gonzales A FOOL IN THE WAYS OF LOVE There Must Be Some' Mistake DORIS DAY Columbia . I SPEAK TO THE STARS ..Blue Bells of Broadway another beautiful ballad in "Speak to the Stars," from the Warner Bros, pic, "Lucky Me." It’s in the "Secret Love" groove and could grow to be just as big. Reverse is a bonnie lassie Scottish melody takeoff with Miss Day delivering colorfully. Henri Rene Orch: "The Happy Wanderer"-"My Impossible Love" (RCA Victor). A European import, “Happy Wanderer" is a marching song with a catching melodic line and good lyric; In this version, Henri Rene’s musette, backed by orch' and -chorus, come up with a stirring and colorful side. Flip is an attractive instrumental show- casing Rene's musette. Jane Tuny: “Such a Night"-"It’s You, It's You I Love" (Decca). "Such a Night," which was launched by Johnnie Ray for Co- lumbia, gets another workover by Jane Turzy in a way that spot- lights the rhythm & blues indigo quality. It’s solidly commercial. Dinah Washington, for Mercury, gives it a rocking ride slanted for the r&b market. On the Decca flip, Miss Turzy belts another bright rhythm number but in a more con- ventional groove. Redd Evans: "Trapped”-‘Tdle Gossip" (Redd E>. Redd Evans, songwriter and publisher, is one of the best song demonstrators in the business and, qpw on his own label, he makes a good bid for the wider pop market with a couple of stand- out numbers. "Trapped" is an unusual 1 material piece which Evans gives a stylish rendition to. "Idle Gossip" is a change-of-pace .slow ballad on which. Evans is not so comfortable, but he underlines the tune’s commercial potential. Jo Stafford - Frankie Laine: "Rollin’ Down the Line"-‘*Goin’ Like Wildfire" (Columbia*. The Stafford-Laine team has turned up with several hits for Columbia, but these sides are in a too familiar groove for smash impact, Although both are bright enough to garner lots of jock and juke spins. "Rollin’" is one of those country- type rhythm numbers with a repe- titious lyric, while "Wildfire" is another irt the same groove with no particular distinction. Jud Conlpn Rhythmaires: “He’s Gotta Be Right for Me”-"It Doesn’t Have to Be" (Trend)/ "Right for Me” is a snappy rhythm item de- livered in ace style by Jud Con- Ion’s vocal combo backed by organ and rhythm section. It’s a good sound with definite juke potential On the reverse, Jerry Duane’s vocal is impressive, although a bit too mannered for best results. Johnny Parker: "RUnnin’ Around In Circles”-"The Way I Feel" (Coral). Johnny Parker has an un- usual vocal style that straddles both the blues and pop markets. That baritone waver could be off- beat enough to hit on the rhythm number, "Circles," with Neal Hefti’s orch furnishing expert backing. "The Way I Feel" is a ■low-tempoed ballad which Parker also handles commercially. Dean Parker: "Be Mine, De- pressive things they do while "Moulin Rouge’’ is among the best in the album. HMY, Brit. Columbia Launch EP Program London, March 23. HMV and Columbia Records are launching extended play, 45 rpm disks in April to become the first companies here to introduce dough- nuts to British turntables. First list includes Furtwangler conducting the Vienna Philhar- monic, Toscanini and the NBC Symphony' Orchestra, Gigli, Mario Lanza. Arthur Fiedler and the Bos- ton Promenade Orchestra, the Benny Goodman Quartet, Tommy Dorsey, Sidney Bechet and his New Orleans Feetwarmers, Tony Mar- tin and the Ralph Flanagan orch. Prices for the new disks range from $2.25 for the ^ longhairs to $1.30 for the pops. LAWRENCE WELK •nd his ' CHAMPAGNE MUSIC 134th Consecutive Wwk, Araoon Ballroom, Sants Monica, Calif. * Exclusively on Coral Records DARKTOWN STRUTTERS BALL and I LOVE YOU With Jimmy Wakely RCA, through its dew quasi-indie Label X, Is making a major contribution to the history of jazz with its new program ‘of reissues selected from its archives.* With its first installment'of nine albums, in a series that will eventually comprise over 100, Label X ft filling in the gaps in the "available repertoire of ja zz classics. For mu- sicologists, discophiles and jazz students, this series ranks among the, most important to be released, in recent years on the new SDfifidS « , J , 'Most of the sides in this first block of albums go back at least 25 years to one of the most important periods in traditional jazz. One set is devoted to the Original Dixieland Jass Band of 1918, a legendary combo of white jazzmen who are credited With making the first recordings in the field. Other groups In the Series include Jelly Roll Morton's Red Hot Peppers of 1926, Benny Moten’s Kansas City Jazz of 1927, Johnny Dodds’ Washboard Band of 1929, Eddie Condon’s Hot Shots of 1929, Ben .Pollack’s Orchestra with Benny Goodman of 1926-29, Jimmy Lunceford’s .Chickasaw Syn- copators’ of 1930, and sets by Jimmy Yancey and Rex Stewart's Orchestra cut in 1940 dnd ’41. Flrstrate liner notes are written by Bill Grauer Jr. and Orrin Keepnews, who are handling the jazz reissue program for Label X. Both Grauer and Keepnews have been doing a similar jazz history on wax via their own Riverside Records operation. Herm. v Ostfeld Joins Bourne Ray Ostfeld has been added to the plugging staff at ABC Music, Bourne subsid. Ostfeld will work under Charlie MacGregor, who was named ABC’s professional manager a couple of weeks ago. Prince Geo. Hotel, N.Y., Places Hi-Fi Platters On Cafe Allegro Menu Full dimension sound and a full course dinner is now part of the bill-of-fare at the Cafe Allegro in New York’s Prince George Hotel. Operating under {he romantic tag of "Classics By Candlelight," the medley of high-fidelity and tasty cuisine should keep the room’s chef and disk jockey hopping. It’s a pleasant and comfortable room yet large enough to take the hi-fi volume projected via special ly constructed equipment. Setup was installed by John R, Andrew’s Music of Distinction outfit and it gets the most out of the wax. On opening night (18) it got a little too much out of the platters and the sound enveloped the room. However, the initial sound tests were made when the room was empty and it’s expected that they’ll be able to control the sound once they get an estimate of how much the tablers’ ears can take. The music menu runs the gamut from Bach to Richard Rodgers. Each diner receives a card with 36 longplay albums from which to make a selection. Format is simple. The waiter carries each selection to,.an attractive deejay, Sally Jessup, up front and you can eat or drink to Copland’s “El Salon Mexico," Ravel's "Daphriis and Chloe," etc., with no cover or mini- mum. When the volume is right the equipment reproduces a bril- liant sound. Gros. Howard Letts, RCA Victor as- sistant • general manager, returns to N. Y. today (WedJ after a two- day o.o. of the Indianapolis plant. Wolf; Quartet In D Minor ft Italian Serenade in G (Columbia; $5.95). The w.k. Serenade, with Its gay, sentimental rhythms, and the seldom-played Quartet, a dramatic, impassioned work on a rather he- roic scale, get fine readings by an accomplished group new to Col, the New Music Quartet. Roberta Peters Album (RCA Victor; $5.45), Victor presents the talented young Met soprano in a choice selection of Italian op- eratic arias, adding three num- bers sung by Lily Pons, Luisa Tet- razzini and Amelita Galli-Curci for interesting contrast. It’s a good merchandising stunt, but earlier disking methods make this slightly unfair to the oldtimers. Miss Peters stands up very well on her own, and, album is worth having. Schumann; Etudes Symphon- iques & Bjpahms: Variations on a Theme by Paganini (Angel; $4.95). Two sets of romantic yet sturdy variations played poetically and expressively by a gifted pianist in Geza Anda. Rossini: D Signor Bruschino (Vox; $5.95). Engaging, tlineful short cortiic opera, well sung by an Italian group of artists, makes a sprightly recording and good fun. Elda Ribetti and Carlo Rossi are accomplished * romantic leads. Alfven: Midsummer Vigil & Svendsen: Carnival in Paris (M-G-M; $4.85). The lyric Alfven and gay Svendsen, plus some shorter Norse pieces, make up an attractive, representative disk of modern Scandinavian composers. Royal Opera House Orch of Lon- don plays them with spirit and skill, Ibert: Concertino da Camera & DebuSsy; Rhapsody for Saxophone (Capitol; $3.98). French sax virtu- oso Marcel Mule handles the eva- nescent Debussy and more exotic, flavorsome Ibert with skill, as well as round smooth tone and fine mu- sical quality. Paris Philharmonic under Manuel Rosenthal assists. Bron. Florence Foster Jenkins’ Pft&IETY 10 Best Sellers on Coin-Machines 1. 2 . 3. 4. 5. 6 . 7. 8 . 9. 10 . SECRET LOVE (8) OH, MY PAPA Second Group FROM THE VINE CAME THE GRAPE TILL THEN JONES BOY LOVIN’ SPREE Eartha Kitt_^ ... Victor BELL BOTTOM BLUES . ....... Teresa Brewet Coral figures in parentheses indicate number of weeks song has been in the Top 101 Low-Fi Victor Reprise It is not very likely that this wishful thought will ever come to pass, but in this era of offbeat and tongue-in-cheek and anything- for-a-laugh approach to entertain- ment an album such as RCA Vic- tor’s "A Florence! Foster!! Jen- kins!!! Recital!!!!" could become a freak vogue of a sort. Just about in the same degree that Mrs. Jen- kins—a "Broadway Rose" of so- pranos, excepting that she had a bankroll-r-enjoyed a certain "fol- lowing." It was a cruel following, as only ' a less than * once-over- lightly listening of this "concert cameo" will attest. It was sizeable enough to gross $6,000 in a one- nighter at Carnegie Hall, after Mrs. Jenkins for years wrangled the rafters of the grand ballroom of the now defunct Ritz-Carlton Hotel, in New York, at $2.50 a head. The Carnegie tariff presuma- bly was higher. Mrs. Jenkins died a month. and a day after her one and. only Carnegie cavort on Oct, 25, 1944, which Francis Robinson, asst, man- ager of the Met, .reports, in his album liner, caused the N. World-Telegram’s music critic, Robert JBagar, to observe, "She was exceedingly happy in her work. It is a pity so few artists are. And the happiness was 'communicated as if by magic to her hearers. . . She died at 76, so Mrs, Jenkins must hive survived many a "bro- ken heart” at her Ritz-Carlton capers. George R. Marek, manager of RCA Victor’s artists & repertoire* wanted to label this "recital" a "low-fidelity album," which would be fidelity indeed. Cosine McMoon, her longtime accompanist, gets credit in the billing, which inci- dentally, has those single, double, triple and quadruple exclamation marks as* indicated above. The platters, were private recordings which Marek assembled from divers sources, including pianist McMoon. The. excerpts are Mozart’s "Mag- ic Flute” aria: "Queen of the Night"; Liadoff’s "Musical Snuff- box" in English (lyrics by Adele Epstein); another original, "Like a Bird,’’ by Mrs. Jenkins, music by McMoon; "The Bell Song" from Delibes’ "Lakme" (in French); and McMoon’s, “Serenata Mexicana," in Spanish. Reverse, side leads off with a flute and piano accomp to David’s "Charmant Oiseau’’ (in French) from “Pearl of Brazil"; Bach-Pavlovish’s "Biassy" in Rus- sian based on Bach’s Prelude 16 (words by , Pushkin); "Adele’s Laughing Song" from Johann Strauss'. * “Fledermaus" (English version by Lorraine Noel Finley). That’s a lot of credits and a question whether it’ll be worth the bother. Somehow, in the abstract, it coipes off more-pitied-than- scorned, although who should pity this septuagenarian soprano (sopra- no?) who apparently printed her own money and was able to indulge this infliction on a certain, group, . -;ApeU Brazil Pub To U. S. Brazilian publisher Cesar R. Ba- har fined into New York Monday (22)’ for an o.o. of .the music biz scene. Bahar also heads SBACEM. Broadcast Music Inc.’s Brazil af- filiate. He’ll be guesting with Henri Rene, RCA Victor musical direc- tor. I L i \ L i • > i ♦