Requisites
Julie Is Her Name ~ Julie London | By Eddie Carter
This morning’s choice from the library is the debut album by Julie London. She was a talented actress who starred in several forties and fifties Hollywood films, a sexy pinup model and nightclub singer with a stunning figure to match her luxurious voice. Julie Is Her Name (Liberty LRP 3006/LST 7027), is a half-hour journey of intimate music that’s perfect to enjoy while unwinding after a long day or to help spark a romantic evening ahead. Accompanying Julie on vocals are Barney Kessel on guitar and Ray Leatherwood on bass. My copy used in this report is the 1955 US Mono reissue made at Capitol Records Pressing Plant in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The second pressing turquoise labels are distinguished from the Deep Groove original by a small circle around the center hole on each side.
Side One starts with her biggest hit, Cry Me A River by Arthur Hamilton, a high school classmate. Julie sings the lyrics with elegance and warmth as she turns the tables on a lover who hurt her and now finds himself the recipient of a broken heart. Barney and Ray complement her with their subtle supplement into a gentle fadeout. I Should Care by Sammy Cahn, Alex Stordahl, and Paul Weston was written in 1944, appearing in Thrill of a Romance, a year later. The trio approaches the romantic theme efficiently. Julie caresses the lyrics softly and tenderly, and Kessel has a lush interlude in between that’s seductively silky. Barney and Ray lead the way into I’m In The Mood For Love by Dorothy Fields and Jimmy Hugh. Julie reflects the song’s tenderness with deep sensitivity ahead of a gorgeous ending.
I’m Glad There Is You by Jimmy Dorsey and Paul Madiera is tailor-made for Julie’s provocative delivery of the lyrics. Kessel and Leatherwood are splendidly entertaining in support before the trio’s lush climax. Can’t Help Lovin’ That Man was first heard in the 1927 musical, Show Boat as Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man. It’s one of Oscar Hammerstein II and Jerome Kern’s most famous songs. The ensemble presents an exquisite example and Julie shows respect to the lyrics with a bluesy vocal interpretation that flows smoothly. Cole Porter’s I Love You was introduced in the 1944 musical, Mexican Hayride. The trio begins deceptively at a slow tempo before the pace moves upward and Julie turns loose a little gaiety on a swinging statement.
The second side gets underway with Say It Isn’t So by Irving Berlin from 1932. Julie’s indelible opening chorus characterizes a sincere plea to the man she loves to reassure her that the rumor he no longer loves her and is planning to leave isn’t true. Her haunting words are delicately expressed with Barney and Ray providing the gentle groundwork preceding a calm climax. Up next is It Never Entered My Mind, a show tune that premiered in the 1940 musical, Higher and Higher. This well-recorded standard from the pen of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart speaks of loneliness, regret, and remorse. Julie and Kessel make it an intimately personal duet that’s deeply poignant with an emotional emphasis on love and sorrow anyone can identify with.
Julie and her bandmates take a slow tempo trip to Easy Street next. This jazz standard was written by Alan Rankin Jones in 1940 and transports us to a place where life is good, and people are comfortable, content, and happy. Her lyrics are equally carefree and dreamy. Barney and Ray augment the vocalist with a soft supplement and Barney gets a brief solo ahead of the close. George & Ira Gershwin introduced S’ Wonderful in the 1927 musical, Funny Face. It later became a popular jazz standard with many notable recordings. Kessel starts the song vigorously with an enthusiastic introduction segueing into a dazzlingly agile melody by Julie who then slows down to wrap up the song reinforced by Kessel and Leatherwood’s backing.
No Moon At All by David Mann and Redd Evans is a jazz standard that was composed in 1947. It’s a romantic tune, and Julie beckons her lover like a siren with seductively sultry lyrics on the melody. Barney and Ray accompany her as she plans a night of romance beginning with one kiss. Laura by David Raskin and Johnny Mercer needs no introduction. It’s a timeless 1944 standard that became a hit after the Film-Noir drama of the same name. Julie sings the first chorus of the haunting melody without any accompaniment. Kessel and Leatherwood add their serene support as her voluptuous vocals are profoundly moving into a gentle coda. The finale, Gone With The Wind by Allie Wrubel and Herb Magidson is a passionately tender showcase by Julie and the duo who back her delicately into a graceful fadeout.
The Mono copy of Julie Is Her Name was produced by Bobby Troup (who would become her second husband) and engineered by John Neal. John Kraus who also engineered albums on Atlantic, Capitol, Contemporary, Dot, Jazz West, and London worked on the Stereo reissue. I was pleasantly surprised with the sound quality for a record nearly sixty-six years old, it’s quite good. Julie’s vocals are seductive, and Barney Kessel and Ray Leatherwood respond with sheer beauty behind her. The Capitol Records reissues have a misprint, the tracks are reversed on both sides. The Side Two songs are on the Side One label and the Side One songs, on Side Two. How this error was overlooked, I’ll never know, especially since Capitol uses the original Liberty pressing back cover, but that seems to be the only issue with my copy.
Torch singing became Julie’s specialty over her fourteen-year recording career, and she made thirty-one albums at Liberty, earning her the nickname, The Liberty Girl. She also found success on television, becoming most famous for her portrayal of Dixie McCall on the series, Emergency for six years. A chain smoker since she was sixteen, Julie suffered a stroke in 1995 and developed lung cancer a few years later. She passed away from cardiac arrest at age seventy-four on October 18, 2000. If you’re seeking some easy-listening, jazz vocals for your library, make a note to pick up Julie Is Her Name by Julie London on your next vinyl hunt. It marks the beginning of a terrific jazz vocalist and is a lovely way to spend the evening with that special someone!
~Can’t Help Lovin’ That Man, Gone With The Wind, I Love You, I Should Care, I’m Glad There Is You, I’m In The Mood For Love, It Never Entered My Mind, Laura, ‘S Wonderful, Say It Isn’t So – Source: JazzStandards.com ~Cry Me A River, Easy Street, No Moon at All – Source: Wikipedia.org © 2021 by Edward Thomas CarterMore Posts: choice,classic,collectible,collector,history,instrumental,jazz,music,vocal
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Eddy Louiss was born on May 2, 1941 in Paris, France. Playing in his father Pierre’s orchestra in the 1950s, his primary instrument became the Hammond organ. The original family name was Louise, which he changed to the current spelling. As a vocalist, he was a member of Les Double Six of Paris from 1961 through 1963.
For 13 years, between 1964 and 1977, Eddy played with leading French musician Claude Nougaro. Leaving Nougard, he ventured out on a solo career. He went on to work with Kenny Clarke, René Thomas, and Jean-Luc Ponty. In 1971 he was a member of the Stan Getz quartet with René Thomas and Bernard Lubat. The quartet recorded the 1971 Getz album Dynasty.
After suffering artery problems, Louiss had his left leg amputated in the early 1990s, following which he made few public appearances.
In duet, he recorded with pianist Michel Petrucciani in 1994, and accordionist Richard Galliano in 2002. His later recordings, such as Sentimental Feeling and Récit proche, combined jazz with rock and world music.
Hammond organist and vocalist Eddy Louiss, who was awarded the Prix Django Reinhardt in 1964, passed away on June 30, 2015 in Poitiers, France.
More Posts: bandeader,history,instrumental,music,organ,vocal
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Theodore “Wingy” Carpenter was born on April 15, 1898 in St. Louis, Missour. Losing his left arm as the result of an accident during his early teens, the amputation was performed by a noted surgeon who was an uncle of jazz musician Doc Cheatham. Sometime later, he took up the trumpet and by 1920 he was working in traveling carnival shows. In 1921 he toured with Herbert’s Minstrel Band.
By 1926 he had settled in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he worked with Wes Helvey, Clarence Paige, Zack Whyte, and Speed Webb. In 1927, he played in Buffalo, New York, with Eugene Primus. Off and on from late 1926 through 1928, he was featured on the Whitman Sisters’ Show with pianist Troy Snapp’s band.
During the early 1930s, Wingy was featured with Smiling Boy Steward’s Celery City Serenaders and another Florida band led by Bill Lacey. In the mid-1930s, he began regular touring with bandleaders including Jack Ellis, Dick Bunch, and Jesse Stone. In the late 1930s, he settled in New York City, where he worked with Skeets Tolbert and Fitz Weston.
From 1939 on working as the leader of his own band, Carpenter had periods at well-known clubs such as The Black Cat, The New Capitol, Tony Pastor’s The Yeah Man, and other venues. He continued to lead his band through the 1960s, playing occasional dance dates. Several of his works are still accessible as MP3 downloads, including Look Out Papa Don’t You Bend Down, Preachin’ Trumpet Blues, Put Me Back in the Alley, Rhythm of The Dishes and Pans, and Team Up.
Trumpeter, vocalist and bandleader Wingy Carpenter, one of several one-armed trumpeters who worked in the music business, passed away on July 21, 1975, in New York City.
More Posts: bandleader,history,instrumental,jazz,music,trumpet,vocal
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Eugene Thomas Puerling was born on March 31, 1929 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He created and led the vocal groups The Hi-Lo’s and The Singers Unlimited. He won a Grammy Award for Best Vocal Arrangement for Two or More Voices in 1982 for his arrangement of A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square as performed by The Manhattan Transfer. A Latin song he arranged for Singers Unlimited, “One More Time, Chuck Corea,” inspired by Chuck Mangione and Chick Corea, has been adapted and used by marching bands, drum and bugle corps and jazz ensembles.
His vocal arrangements and chord structures were classic and instantly recognizable. In addition to the afore-mentioned he contributed to Rosemary Clooney’s TV show. His vocal arranging ability and his ability to arrange musical backing by Frank Comstock’s band and several others were widely regarded. Puerling’s innovative use of vocal harmony influenced many groups and musicians, including Take 6, The King’s Singers, The Free Design, Brian Wilson, The Manhattan Transfer, Chanticleer, and the band Glad, the latter three also commissioned him to create original arrangements for them.
Vocalist and vocal arranger Gene Puerling, whose vocal arrangements collection is being housed at The University of North Texas College of Music and Music Library, passed away on March 25, 2008.
Three Wishes
Jon Hendricks told Nica what his three wishes would be when she inquired:
- “Knowledge of God.”
- “Art.”
- “Love.”
*Excerpt from Three Wishes: An Intimate Look at Jazz Greats ~ Compiled and Photographed by Pannonica de Koenigswarter
More Posts: baroness,history,instrumental,jazz,music,pannonica,three,vocal,wishes