Caterina Valente

[Jim R]

I've seen a clip of her performing a duet with Luiz Bonfa (doing "Manha de carnaval") on an old TV show, and I was quite impressed and enchanted. I already knew the name, but have not heard much of her music over the years. I picked up a compilation CD ("The Breeze and I"), and it's pretty interesting... if somewhat uneven. Even the stuff I didn't particularly like... I gotta give here credit, she had some nerve- and style. From doing just a bit of research, it seems that she was highly respected as a singer by some jazz people (Leonard Feather and Mel Torme, for example), but she sang EVERYTHING under the sun (spoke several languages, I presume). She must have been incredibly popular in europe. (BTW, I'm using the past tense here because I'm referring to her older work from the 50's and 60's, but I believe she's still around (still recording?).

The question is, has anybody out there explored much of her work? Any fans of hers?

Here's what I would like to find (and no, I'd rather not pay the Amazon price of $40+ ):

CATERINA VALENTE & LUIZ BONFA

[Jim R]

BTW, note how her outfit (and her hair) match the Organissimo color scheme.

[king ubu]

Not that I know much of her recordings... only a stray track here and there. She sure could (can?) sing, but often she sang stupid popular stuff... (Schlager is the word in German... commercial crap)

But this one is on my radar ever since I read some quite nice reviews when the reissue came out:

[brownie]

She was indeed a very big pop star in Germany and neighboring countries in the '50s and '60s. Never cared much for her type of singing (and the songs she covered!).

The only jazz date I have from her is the two tunes she performed with Chet Baker back in 1958 ''I'll Remember April' and 'Everytime We Say Goodbye'). She did a serious job but lacked style on those. But worth checking for the Baker contributions. They have been reissued on a Philology anthology (Chet Baker, Newport Years, vol. 1).

Know she recorded with a Basie aggregation in the '80s but never got around to hear it!

[king ubu]

With Sacha Distel:

With Edith Piaf & Jean Marais:

[king ubu]

With Chet:

And here's another more recent (very recent?) reissue:

Also, if you check the discography page of her website, you'll see that them Britons at Duttons have several discs available.

As I said: I don't know any of them, so don't take this as a recommendation!

[king ubu]

And here's an article (found it on the news page of her site) that may give you a bit of an image about her popularity:

The many faces of Caterina Valente

By Anne-Marie Loughnane

- “She’s German isn’t she?”

- “No, she’s Italian. I’m sure of it!”

- Wrong! She’s French. Anyway, she’s a great comedienne”

- She’s a Singer!

- I’d call her an actress. Saw one of her films the other day on TV

- She’s a great guitarist. A Brazilian musician friend of mine reckons she’s the only foreigner who can play the Bossa Nova

- Have you seen her dance? Incredible!

- And what a laugh she is. Met her once!

- She’s got a new CD our. “GIRLTALK”

Small wonder that the public is still confused about the multi-talented Caterina Valente. In Germany, at the mention of her name, sighs of affection and admiration can be heard and then, “But of course she’s German” The same can be heard in France and Italy. The British are not too convinced that she isn’t American after her successful career in both the UK and the US. Despite her Japanese career surprisingly enough she is never taken for Japanese! Thanks to her enormous talent for language and culture she is still baffling the world over her nationality. As for her role in the entertainment world? Well that poses another ongoing question, doesn’t it?

Caterina Valente may not have the superstar status of Frank Sinatra or Barbra Streisand but she is certainly eminent when it comes to multinational talent. She has warmed the hearts of more people than any superstar by coming close to them through their cultures and languages. She doesn’t only give a concert in a country; she records in the language and performs in such a way that she becomes a part of them. So we keep guessing. Where is she from?

She stormed the charts in Germany with “Ganz Paris träumt von der Liebe” and Tipitipitipso” becoming the queen of German Schlager. In Italy romantic ballads like “Nessuno al mondo” and “Till” brought he Gold records. The Grand Prix du Disque was her award in France for “Bimbombey” and she topped the charts in US and UK with “Malaguena” and “The Breeze and I”.

On meeting this great lady, which was in a restaurant run by a friend of mine, I found her to be radiant, youthful, beautiful and a bundle of laughs, just as I remembered her on TV in England when I was a kid. (My Mum was a big fan) Caterina was quietly celebrating he son, Eric’s birthday. Alex, her younger son was there too. Two of the most down to earth charming guys you could meet. Talented and good-looking! The bond between mother and sons was clearly evident. I was introduced and what fun we had. That’s Caterina, one of the guys and still a big star.

I asked her (no I didn’t ask her what nationality she was): Do you see yourself as a singer first and foremost?

“I consider myself an Entertainer! (She pauses and ponders for a second) But deep in my soul I’m a musician. My passion is music.

(She recalls) I remember in Hamburg in 1951, our mother told us about this sensational Juggler Erik van Aro, who was working at the same theater that we did. So we went out to see him and he totally floored us. Not only was he a great Juggler but in his act he played the drums, and well, let me tell you!(Her face lightens up) While playing he started to juggle first with one piece of the drum kit and ending with the whole set of drums. Everything was musically choreographed. Fantastic! To make a long story short, I married him!

When asked about her second husband Roy Budd she proudly proclaimed that he had been one of the most gifted pianists and composers from England. (So what nationality is this lady?)

On reflection she says: “This must be one reason why I married them. They were as passionate about music as I was. Thank God!”

I asked her about her new CD and how it came about

“In Gstaad at the Cinemusic festival honoring Oscar winning Michel Legrand. I was in awe of the special guest star, Cathrine Michel, solo harpist with the Paris Opera. And what a fine lady! We got into some real Girltalk later that evening and the project was born.

My son Eric produced the whole thing and the arranger was and old family friend Gianni Ferrio. Working with them was totally relaxing for me. In the past I was always up against deadlines, time schedule and pressure. This was different. First of all I was able to choose the material freely; no limits; no “you can’t record this”, “ you can’t do it that way”. Girltalk represents who I am today, as a musician as well as a woman. I chose songs that touched me deeply, that I really wanted to sing such as “Papa n’as pas voulu” the first song I ever performed on stage at the age of five. I remember it vividly and never forgot the lyrics. Gianni did a wonderful job arranging the songs, especially the Bolero, which I grew up with and is dear to my heart. A risky decision but we managed it. I promised myself I would record it one day, after once shocking my musicians backstage by singing the whole thing by heart whilst it was being danced on stage choreographed by Bejart. We were the second half of the show. Yes, Gianni has done a great job. Imagine, The Bolero for 6 harps and 4 voices!

Secondly I have 2 very fond memories, which somehow are related to this album. In 1958 the pressure was finally taken of me whilst recording “A toast to the Girls” It was the first time I wasn’t up against a deadline. I wasn’t expected to record 2 albums in a day. Why this changearound? I was pregnant with Eric. So you see he was present the only other time I was allowed to relax during recording. He has been a wonderful producer, organizing everything to suit my needs. The other memory is of Gianni. In 1972 Italian TV asked me to do one of my vocal acrobatic numbers. Just one problem. They had already seen all of them! I jokingly said “What am I supposed to do? Paganini’s Moto Perpetuo?” Gianni coolly asked: What key? We did it! Very jazzy. Italian TV loved it and musicians of the Scala in Milan are still talking about it. No boundaries where Gianni is concerned. Producing this CD was, as you see, very personal and enjoyable.

Caterina has wonderful memories of working with such artists as Chet Baker, Buddy Rich, Woody Herman, Michel Legrand not to mention Lous Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerlad as well as Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye and especially Perry Como who said: “ Ella Fitzgerald my be jazzier, Marlene Dietrich more sensual, Eleanor Powell a more complete dancer, Shirley MacLaine funnier, but there is no way you will find a woman like Caterina Valente who is a world class singer, dancer, actress and guitarist all in one.

It was also on the Perry Como Show that the Bossa Nova was first introduced to American Audiences way before Joao and Astrud Gilberto with Stan Getz did their recordings. Caterina had just finished a tour in Brazil where she met all the great Brazilian Musicians. On her way back to Europe she stopped off in New York for the Perry Como Show. During a rehearsal break Caterina took up her guitar and sang some of the songs she had heard in Brazil. The producers were so impressed that they insisted she do one in the show. Since then Brazilian music has been closely related with Caterina Valente.

But what nationality is she? Should you ever ask her this question she would probably answer quite nonchalantly, in 5 or 6 languages, whilst juggling oranges, playing the guitar and dancing a Samba simultaneously: “ both my parents were Italian, one lived in Sweden, the other grew up in Russia. They got married in Finland, I was born in France, my first Husband was German my second English. I’ve lived in the Italian part of Switzerland for the past 42 years. It’s easy. I’m European! Seriously though I am Italian in possession of a German passport from my German Husband.”

So there you have it. Officially! She’s Italian!

The rest of the family were or are very talented right form her mother who was a clown without makeup who could play 33 instruments, her father who was the first ever to play Bach Fugues and Chopin waltzes on the accordion, not to mention her greatest inspiration, her beloved brother Silvio, the true musical genius of the family, to her sons Alex a sound engineer and Eric a record producer as well as singer in his own right.

The year 2000 was quite a year for Caterina. 2 CD boxes containing a total of 18 CDs covering her Polydor and part of her Decca years as well as a live recording of Kurt Weill material were published. Now she is presenting her latest CD, GIRLTALK.

So why are there rumors of her retirement? Simple, She constantly turns down invitations to take part in shows in France, Germany and Italy since they just tend to reminisce about her past career. All 65 years of it.

Today Caterina can be spotted in the audience at Jazz concerts in Munich, Operas in Milan, the Ballet in Paris and the Theatre in London.

So how do you stay so youthful with such a busy life?:

I feel great. I’m happy and relaxed and have a lot of time to do the things I really want to do for myself. I’ve had a successful career and am proud of doing a good job. I have two great kids, lots of friends and I’m enjoying myself, so I guess it shows.

It certainly does! One last question. Any projects for the future?

- (a twinkle in her eye) I’ve finally learned to say NO, however I love surprises, don’t you?

© eraki entertainment

[Jim R]

She sure could (can?) sing, but often she sang stupid popular stuff... (Schlager is the word in German... commercial crap)

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Yes, so it seems- the good, the average, and the stupid. I'm probably a bit more tolerant of some of the more "easy listening" type material than some jazz fans, but some of the highly commercial, overexposed tunes I could do without.

Thanks for the photos! I like that one with Sacha Distel... too bad I can't see the name on the guitar's headstock.

Brownie, thanks for mentioning the sides with Chet. I forgot to mention it, but I do have those (the only Valente recordings I had until I bought that compilation CD). She didn't impress me a great deal on those, but she really did a beautiful job with Bonfa on that (unidentifed) TV show. Did she have her own show in europe? I noticed on eBay that she hosted (according to the seller) an episode of "Hollywood Palace" back in the late 60's. I was surprised... I don't know how active she was in the U.S. (I don't remember seeing her on variety shows when I was growing up).

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Edit: Wow, more info added while I was posting. Nice to see that photo with Chet. I guess I need to check out her website (hadn't thought of that ) Thanks!

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And thanks, Tjobbe.

Edited July 15, 2005 by Jim R

[tjobbe]

Hi Jim,

to be honest in my mind she is similar like some other 50/60's german jazz musians only known as the "Schlagersänger" and got that "mark on her skin", although she might have done a lot of contribution to Jazz in general.

If you would ask someone on the street here about the musical style you assotiate with her name you won't here many naming Jazz.

Cheers, Tjobbe

Edited July 15, 2005 by tjobbe

[king ubu]

Sacha Distel... too bad I can't see the name on the guitar's headstock.

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This should help to clear things.

But then, what did he play before 1957? Is this the same one?

[king ubu]

1.Sweet Georgia Brown

2.Whe In Paris Shadows Fall

3.The Breese And I

4.Take The "A" Train

5.Lil' Darlin'

6.Poinciana

7.Cute

8.St.Louis Blues

9.Stompin' At The Savoy

10.I Love Paris

11.Solitude

12.I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm

13.Malaguena

14.I'm Getting Sentimental Over You

15.Till

16.Canto de Ossanha

Bob Ojeda,trumpet; Byron Stripling,trumpet;

Sonny Cohn,trumpet; Johnny Coles,trumpet;

Melton Mustafa,trumpet; Thad Jones,cornet;

Clarence Banks,trombone; Dennis Wilson,trombone;

Mel Wanzo,trombone; Bill Hughes,trombone;

Danny House,alto sax; Eric Dixon,tenor sax;

Danny Turner,alto sax: Kenny Hing,tenor sax;

John Williams,baritone sax;

Tee Carson,piano; Freddie Green,guitar;

Lynn Seaton,bass; Dennis Mackarel,drums;

Oct.1985,Miami

Edited July 15, 2005 by king ubu

[JSngry]

I don't know how active she was in the U.S. (I don't remember seeing her on variety shows when I was growing up).

Funny, I think I remember seeing her on Sullivan with some regularity, but maybe not.

[Jim R]

Sacha Distel... too bad I can't see the name on the guitar's headstock.

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This should help to clear things.

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Believe me, I have lusted over that one for several years (in fact, some of that seller's guitars have been illustrated in books that I own). BTW, I do think it's the same L5 as the one on that LP cover. Distel has had a number of guitars, though- seems like every time I see a photo of him, he's using a different one. Anyway, the guitar in the image you posted above (hidden headstock) was something different... not a Gibson.

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Jim, you could be right. She may very well have gone over my head (and past my ears) at the time.

[brownie]

Never realized she was French. And Paris-born

[Jim R]

I thought she was Italian (and Paris-born).

[mikeweil]

Hi Jim,

to be honest in my mind she is similar like some other 50/60's german jazz musians only known as the "Schlagersänger" and got that "mark on her skin",  although she might have done a lot of contribution to Jazz in general.

If you would ask someone on the street here about the musical style you associate with her name you won't here many naming Jazz.

Cheers, Tjobbe

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Couldn't agree more. Of all German Schlagerstars, she swung the most, but she also was a natural entertainment talent with genuine humor, without the educated wit most display. Don't blame her she chose to make some money, but she recorded some serious music along the way. Maybe Bear Family, who reissued most of her early singles, will reissue soem of the jazz stuff some day. I virtually grew up with her music - when I was a kid, she was all over German tv - I thought most singers were downright awful, but kind of liked her.

Gitte Haenning is another name in that category, but Valente certainly has more chops and swing.