Bob Dorough

[minew]

Heard his "3 is the Magic Number" from the Iridium CD Friday on the radio. Occasionally hear one of his cuts - no mistaking the distinctive voice -and think, 'I should pick up some Bob Dorough." Is the Iridium CD a good place to start. Where else?

[brownie]

Great fan of Bob Dorough ever since I heard him on the two tracks he recorded with Miles Davis back in 1962: 'Blue X-Mas' (still my favorite Xmas song) and 'Nothing Like You'.

Several favorite albums (none is really easy to find nowadays):

- 'Devil May Care' reissued a few years ago on Bethlehem,

- 'Just About Everything' reissued on Evidence, that one should be available,

- 'Who's On First', the BN live date with Dave Frishberg. Love that one. Worth the Search!

The just released Iridium live date is a pretty good place to start!

Bob Dorough is an infectuous pleasure.

Also worth searching is 'Hoagy Carmichael Stardust Memories' on A-Records where he, Barbara Lea and Jim Ferguson go through the Carmichael repertoire. Very nice, that one too!

[Bright Moments]

Bob Dorough is an infectuous pleasure.

i dig that devil may care cd!

BD's lyrics to Parker's yardbird suite are GREAT!!

[clinthopson]

I'm a huge fan of Bob Dorough, have been since I first heard "Just About Everything" in the 50's.

I think his version of "Baltimore Oriole' is the definitive version of that great Carmichael song.

His 1987 "Songs of Love" on the Italian lable Orange Blue has one of his originals, "Just For Now," which I think is one of the prettiest ballads I've ever heard.

His 2000 "Too Much Coffee, Man" is guaranteed to have you ROFLYAO.

Bobby Dorough is of my triumvirate of great hipster singers along with Dave Frishberg and Blossom Dearie.

I can't get enough of those cats.

[Noj]

That "Three Is The Magic Number" song is really weird. I mean, what's so magical? Cracks me up every time he says "yeah, 30."

Oddly enough, the lyrics from the De La Soul song that sampled it didn't make sense either.

[Michael Fitzgerald]

Three *is* well-established as a very significant number - come on, Holy Trinity anyone? And the song does lay out some of the other things: a father, mother, baby; faith, hope, charity; etc.

Of course, numerologists could make the case that any number is a magic number.

Mike

[bertrand]

I haven't heard the song in years, but doesn't it mostly focus on the mathematical properties of 3?

Bertrand.

[Michael Fitzgerald]

Well, if basic multiplication counts, then yes. But remember the audience for this stuff.

========================

Three is a magic number

Yes it is, it's a magic number

Somewhere in the ancient, mystic trinity

You get three as a magic number

The past and the present and the future

Faith and hope and charity

The heart and the brain and the body

Give you three as a magic number

It takes three legs to make a tripod or to make a

table stand

It takes three wheels to make a vehicle called

a tricycle

Every triangle has three corners

Every triangle has three sides

No more, no less

You don't have to guess

When it's three you can see it's a magic number

A man and a woman had a little baby

Yes, they did

They had three in the family

And that's a magic number

3-6-9, 12-15-18, 21-24-27, 30

3-6-9, 12-15-18, 21-24-27, 30

Now, the multiples of three

Come up three times in each set of ten

In the first ten you get 3, 6, 9

And in the "-teens" ten it's 12, 15, and 18

And in the "twenties" you get 21, 24, 27

And it comes out even on 30

Now multiply backwards from three times ten

3 x 10 is 30

3 x 9 is 27

3 x 8 is 24

3 x 7 is 21

3 x 6 is 18

3 x 5 is 15

3 x 4 is 12

And 3 x 3 is 9

And 3 x 2 is 6

And 3 x 1 is 3 of course

Now dig the pattern once more

Three! 3-6-9

Twelve! 12-15-18

Twenty-one! 21-24-27, 30

Yeah, thirty

Now multiply from 10 backwards

3 x 10 is 30 (keep goin')

3 x 9 is 27

3 x 8 is 24

3 x 7 is 21

3 x 6 is 18

3 x 5 is 15

3 x 4 is 12

And 3 x 3 is 9

And 3 x 2 is 6

And 3 x 1... What is it?

Three!

Yeah...

That's a magic number

A man and a woman had a little baby

Yes, they did

They had three in the family

That's a magic number

========================

Mike

[Bright Moments]

I haven't heard the song in years, but doesn't it mostly focus on the mathematical properties of 3?

Bertrand.

yes, bertrand.

back to yardbird suite - were there any other "tribute" songs to charlie parker AFTER he died?

[minew]

Lyrics to the De La Soul version, which I also enjoy:

Pos:

3

That’s the magic number

Yes it is

It’s the magic number

Somewhere in this hip-hop soul community

Was born 3 mase, dove and me

And that’s the magic number

(what does it all mean? )

Difficult preaching is posdnuos’ pleasure

Pleasure and preaching starts in the heart

Something that stimulates the music in my measure

Measure in my music, raised in three parts

Casually see but don’t do like the soul

’cause seein’ and doin’ are actions for monkeys

Doin’ hip hop hustle, no rock and roll

Unless your name’s brewster, ’cause brewster’s a punky

Parents let go ’cause there’s magic in the air

Criticising rap shows you’re out of order

Stop look and listen to the phrasin’ fred astaires

And don’t get offended while mase do-se-do’s your daughter

A tri-camera rolls since our music’s now set

Fly rhymes are stored on a d.a.i.s.y. production

It stands for da inner sound y’all and y’all can bet

That the action’s not a trick, but showing the function

Everybody wants to be a deejay

Everybody wants to be an emcee

But being speakers are the best

And you don’t have to guess

De la soul posse consists of three

And that’s the magic number

Dove:

This here piece of the pie

Is not dessert but the course that we dine

And three out of every darn time

The effect is mmmm when a daisy grows in your mind

Showing true position, this here piece is

Kissin’ the part of the pie that’s missin’

When that negative number fills up the casualty

Maybe you can subtract it

You can call it your lucky partner

Maybe you can call it your adjective

But odd as it may be

Without my 1 and 2 where would there be

My 3

Mase pos and me

And that’s the magic number

Focus is formed by flaunts to the soul

Souls who flaunt styles gain praises by pounds

Common are speakers who are never scrolls

Scrolls written daily creates a new sound

Listeners listen ’cause this here is wisdom

Wisdom of a speaker, a dove and a plug

Set aside a legal substance to feed ’em

For now get ’em high off this dialect drug

Time is a factor so it’s time to count

Count not the negative actions of one

Speakers of soul say it’s time to shout

Three forms the soul to a positive sum

Dance to this fix and flex every muscle

Space can be filled if you rise like my lumber

Advance to the tune but don’t do the hustle

Shake, rattle, roll to my magic number

Now you may try to subtract it

But it just won’t go away

Three times one?

(what is it? )

(one, two, three!)

And that’s the magic number

(yo, what’s up? )

(1, 2, 3)

(I say, children, what does it all mean? )

(woah-woah-wo, 1, 2, 3)

(I wouldn’t lie to you)

(no more no less, that’s the magic number)

(no more no less)

(what it is? )

(no more no less)

(is this the future? )

(no more no less)

(do the shang-a-lang)

(no more no less)

(no one on the subway ever chats to me)

(no more no less)

(anybody in the audience ever get hit by a car? )

(no more no less)

(how high’s the water, mama? )

(no more no less)

(how high’s the water, mama? )

(no more no less)

(three feet high and rising)

(no more no less)

(three)

(that’s the magic number)

[Noj]

Now you may try to subtract it

But it just won’t go away

Three times one?

(what is it? )

(one, two, three!)

And that’s the magic number

I love De La, but that lyric always irked me.

I love this part in Dorough's original, "a man and a woman had a little baby, they had threeeeeeee in the family, and that's the magic number."

[RDK]

Thanks for the heads-up on this disc. Saw Dorough at Iridium the last time i was in NYC and he puts on a fun show. Gonna have to grab this one...

[nmorin]

I forget the album (Devil May Care?), but whatever early album has "Baltimore Oriole". Best version of that tune I've ever heard.