Variety (January 1961)

MUSIC y'SstltTY "Wednesday, January 25, 1961 Jocks, and Disks , By HERM SCHOENFELD A1 Alberts (Swan : “OH MY PAPA” 'Shapiro-Bernstein*;, the hit of several years ago, comes back in a good version that may earn a new round of spins. “I’M ALONE” (S;>rir.gfon*» is a fair ballad entry. Siel Torme & Margaret Whiting (Verve-: “V/HAT’S NEW AT THE ZOO” ‘Stratford*!, another tune “Do Re Mi” is a cute novelty with b g poiernial for the moppet trade. Sammy Kaye’s orch also has a nifty slive of this tune on the Decca la¬ bel. “Hey, Look Me Over.” from the “Wildcat” score, is a routing piece of material. Henry Mancini Orch <RCA Vic¬ tor: “THE GREAT IMPOSTER" ; (Tree!) Is a solid ballad crooned with an appealing smoothness by this singer, “THANK YOU FOR • CALLING” (Blackwood!) is an: other pleasing side. i Laurie Davis (Guaranteed): “DON’CHA SHOP AROUND” • (David Jones!) is a routine (rocking sound belted in typical Style by this songstress. “RED BLOODED, TRUE BLUE AMERICAN BOY” • Meridian'5') is another familiarly ; tailored rhythm side. Huey Snr*h & The Clowns (Im¬ perial': “SOMEONE TO LOVE” ; 'Travis'*) is a good slow rocking : number belted in the approved j way by this lead singer and combo. Best Bets THU EVERLY BROS . EBONY EYES (Warner Bros.) . . . Walk Right Back The F.rerly Bros.’ “Ebony Eyes ” (Acuff-Rose* ) is a country flavored ballad with one of those morbid themes, which this duo belts in its usual effective manner. “Walk Right Back ” (Crickett ) is a rhythm slice also due for spins . * * ♦ DON GIBSON . _ THE WORLD IS WAITING FOR THE SUNRISE (RGA Vidor) . . What About Me Don Gibson’s “ The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise ” (Chappel!*1 is another standout version of a great oldie which keeps coming back periodically. “ What About Me" (Acuff-Rose-) is a v.eat side a'so delivered in hit style. * * * LARRY ELGART . ARKANSAS HOLLER (MGM) . This Heart Of Mi-e Larry Elgart’s “Arkansas Holler " (Touring Music*) is a swinging piece of Americana pertormed in standout style by the Elgart orch. “ This Heart of Mine ” (Triangle*; gets a smooth instrumental slice. * * * * LOLITA . COWBOY JIMMY JOE (Kaj>?>) . Theme From ‘A Summer Place’ Lolita’s “ Cowboy Jimmy Joe ” ( Schaeffer !) gives this German songstress another neat side to carry on in the tf.S . market despite the language barrier. “Theme from ‘A Summer Place’’’ (Witmark*) is a good slice of the recent hit. m * * ADAM W ADE . TAKE GOOD CARE OF HER (Coed) . Sleepy Time Gal Adam Wade’s “Take Good Care of Her ” (Paxton*) is a good teenslanted ballad delivered in very effective style by this singer. “Sleepy Time Gal ” (Whiting*), the oldie, also gets a vocal that’ll win plays. * * * STEVE LAW RENCE . PORTRAIT OF MY LOVE (United Artists) . Oh* How You Lied Steve Lawrence’s “ Portrait of My Love" (Picadillyt) is a class ballad with an excellent lyric which the singer projects with com¬ mercial impact. “Oh, How You Lied" ( Maxana *) is a nice ballad side. * • * * TONY MARTIN . . . . DON’T WORRY (Dot) . . . . . To Be Alone Ton y Martin’s “Don’t Worry" reintroduces this veteran singer in a rocking format due to get widespread attention among the coke set. “To Be Alone" XRandy-Smith* ) is another ballad in an all-out delivery. * * * AL MARTINO . LITTLE BOY, LITTLE GIRL (20th Fox) . My Side Of the Story Al Martino’s “ Little Boy, Little Girl" (Delstone) is a sentimental saga made into an appealing side by this singer’s skillfully re¬ strained vocal. “My Side of the Story ” (Sigma*) is an okay, but con¬ ventional ballad with a light beat. Album Reviews (Southdale-Northern*) gets an ex¬ cellent orch and choral workover under the baton of the tune’s com¬ poser. “LOVE MUSIC” (South¬ dale-Northern*', from the same pic, is a rich-sounding melodic entry. Terry Philips (Coral': “FEAR” (Berry : is a routine rhythm ballad belted in okay style by this singer. “FIND A HORSESHOE” (Westside) is another familiarly cut side. Dakota Staton (Capitol': “HEY LAWDY MAMA” (Northern*) is a sharp rhythm tune effectively belted by this blues songstress against a swinging background. “ALL IN MY MIND” (Figured is a solid rocking ballad. Jon E. Holiday (Atlantic): “TILL THE END OF TIME” (Joy*i gets a typical contemporary-styled workover that’ll give this version some juke plays. “YES I WILL LOVE YOU TOMORROW” CAldon* > is an okay ballad rocking ballad entrv. Beverly Wright: “CRY LIKE THE WIND” (Stratford*', from the “Do Re Mi” is a novelty with from impressive atmospheric ballad in this fine rendition. “ALI BABA” (Clifton!) is an interesting rocking version of the old Arabian Nights tale. Buddy Kilien (Scarlet-: “TIL YOU COME BACK AGAIN” “THE LITTLE MORON” (Travis!) is a swinging rhythm slice slanted for the juve hoofers. Glorious Wilson & The Belles (Fairbanks): “I HEAR BELLS— DING DONG” (Fairbanks*) is a i so-so rocking Item delivered with metallic sharp-ness by this song¬ stress and combo. “TRY ME AND YOU’LL SEE” (Fairbanks*; is a fair slow rocker. Marian Williams (Savoy): “BLOOD SAVED ME” (Cross¬ roads*) is a typical gospel slice de¬ livered in stirring style by this per¬ former. “LORD MY KEEPER BE” (Savoy!) is another strong side for the religioso spinners. Sammy Salvo (Hickory): “A MUSHROOM CLOUD” (AcuffRose!) is an interesting topical number with a peace message and a good melody. “DON’T CAST YOUR SPELL ON ME” (AcuffRoset) is a bright rocking ballad delivered neatly by this singer. Kenny Dana (Shell): “ROME WASN’T BUILT IN A DAY” (Saxon!) is a well-written ballad given a very mannered rendition by this singer. All The Words” (Saxon-!) is a light rhythm ballad projected in pleasing style. J *ASCAP. tBML LAWRENCE WELK Features FRANK SCOTT'S Harpsichord on. a Great New Dot Album and “Single” “CALCUTTA”...Following his Top-Hit “Lgist Date!” _ Alaii Lomax’s Folk Series On Atlantic Label Shaped Into Solid Disk Project Another rich musical harvest from the heartland of the Ameri¬ can folksong has been gathered by Alan Lomax into fascinating set of LP’s which Atlantic Records has packaged with taste and intelli¬ gence under the overall title of “Southern Folk Heritage Series.” Recorded on location in a docucentary approach which the Lomax family has used successfully in past explorations into the origins of American folk music, the new Atlantic series Is distinguished by the range and quality of its ma¬ terial, the lucidity of Lomax’s writ¬ ten commentary and the level of its recording technique. Each of the seven disks In this series impresses with its freshness and authenticity. In an LP titled “Sounds of the South," a sampling from the white and Negro instru¬ mental and vocal mu^ic, religious and secular, makes an excellent in¬ troduction to the other six LPs. In the “Blue Ridge Mountains Music” platter, there are some superlative examples of “blue grass” music played and sung by mountaineer fiddling combos. Two of the LPs, “Roots of the Blues” and “The Blues Roll On” are firstrate con¬ tributions to the archeology of jazz. One of the most compelling disks in the series is “Negro Church Mu¬ sic,” in which variousTead singers reach peaks of almost unbearable intensity. A companion LP, “White Spirituals.” while of con¬ siderable interest, is pallid by com¬ parison. Finally, “American Folk Songs for Children” presents a rural “Mother Goose” repertoire of remarkable originality, earthiness and charm. A project of decisive significance towards the understanding of America’s musical roots, these LPs i have enough energy to break through as commercial clicks as j well. Herm. Phil Silvers-Nancy Walker: “Do Re Mi” (RCA Victor). Tlje Jule Style-Betty Comden-Adolph Green score for the Broadway musical, “Do Re Mi,” has been fashioned into a click original cast package. Smart lyrics and an assortment of melodic ideas add up to a lively disk session with broad appeal. In Nancy Walker and Phil Silvers, the show has two savvy handlers of the material songs, while in John Reardon and Nancy Dussault, two fine voices dish up numbers like “I Know About Love,” “Asking for You" and the charming “What’s New at . the Zoo.” Excellently recorded and attractively packaged, this will be among the top Broad¬ way "entries of the current season. Dakota Staton: “Dakota” (Capi¬ tol). This is a nifty song session by a slick blues songstress. Backed by a swinging combo headed Dy Benny Carter, Miss Staton works over an appealing program of songs, including some new entries among a flock of standards. Worxing in uptempo .and soft ballad grooves, she delivers numbers like “Don’t Leave Me Now,” “On Green Dolphin Street,” “Meat Me At No Special Place,” “Pick Yourself Up” and “Weak for the Man.” Bert Kaempfert Orch: “Wonder¬ land By Night” (Decca). German pop . maestro Bert Kaempfert’s style, W'hich clicked on the tone which titles this LP, gets a full showcasing in this Instrumental package, featuring the trumpet of Cherly Tabor and a vocal ensem¬ ble. All the arrangements are lush and sweet, easy to take even in large doses. In addition to sev¬ eral of Kaempfert’s own numbers, there are standards like “On the Alamo,” “Tammy,” “La Vie En Rose” and “As I Love You.” “We Insist” (Candid). Subtitled the" “Freedom Now” Suite* this is an ambitious work by Max Roach and Oscar Brown Jr. who have pegged it to the current struggle of the Negro people in Africa and America. A pastiche of folk themes and jazz motifs, the music is comprised of five long numbers, titled “Driva’ Man,” “Freedom Day,” “Tritych’,’ “All Africa" and “Tears for Johannesburg.” The performance is marked by some superlative vocal solos by song¬ stress Abbey Lincoln. Also fea¬ tured are tenor saxist Coleman Hawkins and conga drummer Michael Olatunji. Gene Estes: “The Greatest Stereo Vibraphone in Recording History” (Carlton). Part of this label’s ‘‘Vir¬ tuoso” series, this set spotlights ?a fancy vibraphone performance by Gene Estes. Recorded for maxi¬ mum stereo effect, this music should attrack the audiophiilems who wants striking sound kicks. Estes also plays with a sure swing¬ ing beat and, back by a small com¬ bo, works over tunes like “Lady Be Good,” “Give Me the Simple Life,” “Deed I Do,” “Fascinating Rhythm,” “Stomping at the Savoy,” and some Estes originals. Paul Lynde: “ReceQtly -Released” (Columbia). One of the “New Faces” discoveries, Paul Lynde is a sharp monologiat whose routines have now found themselves in the groove. It’s a very funny stuffedshirt-deflating entry in which Lynde does two of the pieces he Longplay Shorts Twentieth Fox Records has concluded a deal with Ray Ventura’s Versailles Records, Paris label, for the release of two LPs a year by Caravelli & His Magic Violins. Deal was handled by Duke Niles, Ameri¬ can representative for Versailles, and Henry Onorati, 20th Fox prez . . . Olatunji will record another “Drums of Passion” album for Col¬ umbia under John Hammond’s aegis . . . Strand Records will debut its 25-album schedule at its distributor meet in N. Y. this week . . . Diane Trask’s next album for Columbia will be called “Diana Trask” while Aretha Franklin’s next LP for the same label will be tagged “Aretha” . . . Two versions of the music from. “The Connection,” Lewis Allen’s film version of Jack Gelber’s off-Broadway play are now on the' market. The Blue Note label has an original cast recording with Freddie Redd, Jackie McLean, Larry Ritchie and Michael Mattos, and the Felsted label has a treatment by Howard McGhee . . . The N. Y. Philharmonic, Columbia. Masterworks diskers, set for a four-week tour beginning April 17 in which 10 concerts will be played in Japan and one in Anchorage, Alaska. Decca and its subsid labels, Coral and Brunswick, are kicking off the new year with 23 albums together with an incentive plan for dealers . . . Ferrante & Teicher, United Artists Records’ not selling team, due on the Ed Sullivan show Sunday night (29) . . . Eydie Gorme, on the same label, guesting on the Perry Como show Feb. 8 . . . UA Is addingto its soundtrack LP program with release of “The Misfits” next month . . . Swedish jazz on the Metronome label is being represented in the U. S. on the Atco label with Harry Arnold’s band set of “I Love Harry | Arnold and All His Jazz.” The Argo label has also acquired a MetroI noine set cut by Benny Bailey with a Swedish all-star group. did on the recent tv revival of “New Faces,” namely, “The Trip of the Month” and “The Family Just Across the Moat.” Also there are some poetry recitations with a sardonic point, takeoff on a lady’s drama club and a sex lecture to ''adolescents. “The Split Personality of Paul Gilbert” (HiFiRecord). This an¬ other comedy LP entry recorded during a performance by Paul Gil¬ bert in Palm Springs. It's a typi¬ cal nitery routine of blue yarns, one-liners, parodies on tv, etc. Gil¬ bert has a fast delivery in the tra¬ ditional comic’s style, as distin¬ guished from the “new wave.” His point of view may not be novel, but Gilbert knows how to pack laughs into a performance. Ray Charles: “Dedicated To You” (ABC Paramount). Ray Charles has been building a steady pop following in both the singles and album fields. With this “Dedi¬ cated To You” package he’s sure to enlarge the pop pack. In it he widens his scope by singing with’ a background of big choral and string arrangements that excellent¬ ly complement his. vigorous style. Marty Paich’s arranging and con¬ ducting help Charles get through such titles as “Sweet Georgia Brown,” “M a r g i e,” “Ruby,” “Marie,” “Diane” and “Stella By Starlight” in fine style. Julie London: “Send For Me” (Liberty). There is plenty of Julie London available in this package. She’s displayed here as a swinger, a belter and a moody ballad thrush. She gets her roman¬ tic message across on all in no uncertain terms and the title song as well as “What’s Your Story Morning Glory:,” “I Must Have That Man," “Tafii’t What You Do* (It’s The Way That Cha Do It),” among others are the better for it. “Sometime-Anytime” (Washing¬ ton). This is a fdllowup to Evelyn Lohoefer’s successful kidisk “Come And See The Peppermint Tree” and should do as well. The spirit is gay and humorous and, the presentation is bright enough to capture and hold moppet in¬ terest. Storyteller Lee Reynolds and vocalists Donald McKayle and Catherine Stephenson give it a likeable tone. Spotted in the combo that supplies an appropriate back¬ ing is jazz guitarist Charlie Byrd, Herm. German Oldie Roundup A Fast Package Click Frankfurt, Jan. 17. A new click here is the unusual longplay platter that Electrola has just brought out in West Germany, Called “The Most Expensive Pro¬ gram of the World,” it came out as a post-Christmas special and in the first five days 15,000 copies were sold. The 43 tunes arranged on the longplay are a combine of memories of the good old times. They include Marlene Deitrich’s warbling of “I’m Lola,” Max Schmeling singing “The Heart of a Boxer” and Zarah Leander's original record, “ich bin ein Star” (I am a Star). Voices of such great German artists as Hans Albert, Siegfried Arno, Willi Forst, Lotte Lenya, Richard Tauber, plus Paul Robe¬ son, Mistinguett, Josephine Baker, and the origihal orchestras of Louis Armstrong, Jack Hylton, Eduard Kuenneke, Mischa Spoliansky and Karl Reich-Bremen with his singing canary birds are all on the disk. The platter was produced by Hamburg journalists Ulrich Klever and Walter Haas, the same pair who released a book titled “Dio Geschichte der Schallplatte” (Th# Story of Records) in 1959. The book, brought out by Ullstein in Germany, was a success, and since the pair delved into the history of records in Europe, they decided to reproduce some of the most popular record rarities of the last thirty years. Clebanoff to Tour Chicago, Jan. 24. Herman Clebanoff, longhair ma¬ estro (Clebanoff Strings) and Mer¬ cury pactee, is down for an exten¬ sive tour over the 1961-62 concert season, with Columbia Artists booking. Dates will cover the Coast, parts i of the midwest, southwest and I south.