Swing (Feb-Dec 1951)

ARBO-GASPS ON RECORD 171 SEPTEMBER SONG (Walter Huston . . . Decca Personality Series). Veering from the popular norm, the rendition by the late actor is as composer Kurt Weill meant it to be. Huston introduced the song in 1938 in the Broadway musical, "Knickerbocker Holiday," and it's been recorded by virtually every top-flight artist. But this is the one we like best, because it was meant to be done as Huston did it. If you're looking for lilting voice quality, you won't find it here. Huston tells a story and tells it well. But not a la Sinatra. It's the story of an elderly man lamenting, in music, the fact that he's too old to catch a girl . . . that he waited too long while young and the time is now short. But he's singing to a "someone" who's with him at the time; so all is not bad. He'll have something to make his November and December brighter. To out-cliche a cliche, this one is haunting, but really. And the Walter Huston voice makes it, if anything, the most beautiful of the bunch. Soon or currently available at local dischouses. DAVE BRUBECK TRIO (Fantasy Records). The hottest thing to come out of the West since Kenton. The piano of Brubeck, the bass of Ron Grotty, and Callen Tjador on the drums, make for the most pleasing and interesting stuff we've heard in years. The Brubeck Trio plays "different" music in a most inoffensive and sparkling manner. They imitate no one and their own new treatment is good enough for us. Such sides as "Tea for Two," "Black Magic," and "September Song" will give you the idea. Only once, when the trio grows to the Brubeck Octet for "The Way You Look Tonight," are the Brubeckians overly wild. Overlooking that side (and it's not a trio waxing, anyway) we believe Fantasy has a winner. DAVID ALLEN (Discovery). "The Touch of Your Lips" and the flip, "I Gan't Believe That You're In Love With Me" should propel Allen on the way to stardom. His style is his own and that's recommendation enough . . . since the style is good. Watch for his new ones ... he gets better as he goes along . . . and he can go nowhere but up. SOMETHING I DREAMED LAST NIGHT (Kay Penton-Teddy Wilson). Just a word. We talked about this in the last SWING. Kay with a torchy, sentimental and melodic vocal . . . maestro Wilson with the perfect piano assist. Formerly on Musicraft, it's now on MGM as a re-release. Teddy Wilson is currently with MGM in New York and thinks the song good for the top now. We think so . . . have always thought so . . . and we look for it to connect. Wonder, by the way, what happened to Kay Penton since the record (on Musicraft) first came out about 15 years ago? It's from "George White's Scandals" (1935). We loved it then . . . which dates us, doesn't it? GUMBOS AND GOODIES about which things must be said and questions asked: The show of many Arbogasts and one Sully and a Pete has been searching frantically for a thing called "Freelancing Again" by a guy named Jack Mason. We came across it on the Coast about two years ago and spotted it as a natural. We were chagrined to find that it went the way of most good music lately . . . namely nowhere. We'd like to find it, though, and give it the boost we think it needs. If anybody has it or knows where it can be found (locally or anywhere), please give us the word. It is backed by "Moonlight in Vermont" by Mason, if that'll help. But we don't remember the label. HELP! Tab this for a sleeper: Vocal duet by Joe Stalin and the Russian Minister of Finance on the "Red Bank Boogie" ... a different treatment of a Volga theme. And Mahatma Nehru and the Bombay Symphony Orchestra on "I Only Want A Buddah, Not A Sweetheart." It was J. P. Yeghn who once said, "Time heals all wounds." He was wrong. I've been wearing a Benrus over my blackeye for six months and I still can't see a thing. Which is an excuse for winding this thing up. Not the Benrus . . . the column.