Kalo Posted December 6, 2007 Report Share Posted December 6, 2007 He swung like an MF, had technique up the wazoo, yet still repels, to my ears... Come to think of it, also a well-nigh perfect summation of my feelings about George Shearing. Not only did Shearing and Torme collaborate; they were also both musically blind in their respective fashions. (Though I've never heard stories about Shearing being a major dick.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomastreichler Posted December 6, 2007 Report Share Posted December 6, 2007 Some more recommendations: I Dig The Duke, I Dig The Count (Verve) 1960/61 as the title implies, Torme sings Ellington and Basie associated tunes backed by a superbly swinging big band Live At The Maisonette (Rhino, paired with the less memorable "At The Red Hill") 1974 live set with backing by the Al Porcino Big Band (IMHO Torme sounds best in front of a big band) Sing Sing Sing (Concord) 1992 live date with a combo including Ken Peplowski, Peter Appleyard and John Colianni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertrand Posted December 6, 2007 Report Share Posted December 6, 2007 John Lennon once referred to him as 'Mel Torment'. Cracks me up every time I think of it. I totally forgot about Night Court. He was just weird on that. Bertrand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brownie Posted December 6, 2007 Report Share Posted December 6, 2007 All of the albums he recorded with Marty Paich are highly recommended! Mel is honey to my ears on those sessions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hot Ptah Posted December 6, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 6, 2007 John Lennon once referred to him as 'Mel Torment'. Cracks me up every time I think of it. I totally forgot about Night Court. He was just weird on that. Bertrand. In his autobiography, Mel states that his long time manager affectionately referred to him as Mel Torment. Mel states that he knew when something was seriously wrong because his manager would call him something other than Mel Torment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stereojack Posted December 7, 2007 Report Share Posted December 7, 2007 All of the albums he recorded with Marty Paich are highly recommended! Mel is honey to my ears on those sessions! These are a great place to start. Mel's solid musicianship and Paich's ingenious charts are a great match. I was put off by the hipster thing for a long time, but about 30 years ago, a fan turned me on to "Live at the Maisonette", which I really liked. The cat can really sing! Aside from a few 60's albums on which Mel was forced (?) to sing a few inappropriate tunes like "Secret Agent Man", Mel's catalog is quite strong. In his later years, the voice was not quite as supple, but the style is intact. I like all of his Concord records. Recently on YouTube I saw an early 70's TV performance on which Mel sang the Paul Williams song (made famous by the Carpenters) "I Won't Last a Day Without You". I'd never paid much attention to the song, but I gotta say Mel nailed it! He hits and holds a note at the end that took my breath away. BIG fan here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmonahan Posted December 8, 2007 Report Share Posted December 8, 2007 All of the albums he recorded with Marty Paich are highly recommended! Mel is honey to my ears on those sessions! These are a great place to start. Mel's solid musicianship and Paich's ingenious charts are a great match. I was put off by the hipster thing for a long time, but about 30 years ago, a fan turned me on to "Live at the Maisonette", which I really liked. The cat can really sing! Aside from a few 60's albums on which Mel was forced (?) to sing a few inappropriate tunes like "Secret Agent Man", Mel's catalog is quite strong. In his later years, the voice was not quite as supple, but the style is intact. I like all of his Concord records. Recently on YouTube I saw an early 70's TV performance on which Mel sang the Paul Williams song (made famous by the Carpenters) "I Won't Last a Day Without You". I'd never paid much attention to the song, but I gotta say Mel nailed it! He hits and holds a note at the end that took my breath away. BIG fan here! He sang "I Won't Last a Day without You" on the excellent, if short, album he did with Buddy Rich ("Together Again--For the First Time") That one was reissued by Jazz Heritage a few years ago. Like "Torme" that I mentioned earlier in this thread, it was originally put out by Gryphon, which was an RCA label, I think. Torme and Rich were evidently close friends. The version of "Blues in the Night" on that album is cool. I'm with you, Jack...as usual! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalo Posted December 8, 2007 Report Share Posted December 8, 2007 Been posted here before but here it comes again. This Rick Moranis parody perfectly captures the smarmy, clueless hipsterism of our Mel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teasing the Korean Posted December 8, 2007 Report Share Posted December 8, 2007 (edited) I know I'm in the minority on this one, but I really like Mel's two funky/groovy/now sound albums he did for Capitol circa 1970. Tracks include "Sunshine Superman," "Spinning Wheel" and - get this - "Take a Letter Maria." Somehow albums such as this really capture that era well, for better or for worse. That green and purple Capitol label rarely disappoints. Edited December 8, 2007 by Teasing the Korean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalo Posted December 9, 2007 Report Share Posted December 9, 2007 I know I'm in the minority on this one, but I really like Mel's two funky/groovy/now sound albums he did for Capitol circa 1970. Tracks include "Sunshine Superman," "Spinning Wheel" and - get this - "Take a Letter Maria." Somehow albums such as this really capture that era well, for better or for worse. That green and purple Capitol label rarely disappoints. I'd be curious to hear these. Was it Torme or Bennett who claimed that being "forced" to record contemporary hits by his record company literally made him vomit? "Mel Torme or Tony Bennett Retches Today's Hits!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Storer Posted December 9, 2007 Report Share Posted December 9, 2007 I rarely feel the need to listen to Mel Tormé, and all I have by him are some Concords that I got from eMusic, sitting on my hard disk. But when I do listen to him, I always enjoy it. When someone can sing that well, it's hard for me to hold his hipster thing against him. On the other hand, Mark Murphy and Kurt Elling give me the creeps. I think Tormé just has better taste. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Beat Steve Posted December 10, 2007 Report Share Posted December 10, 2007 What's so bad about this hipster thing? Isn't it just as legit as doing the umpteenth incarnation of pretending you are THE singing ALL-AMERICAN BOY that the mom next door would love to take on as your son in law (as epitomized by all those big band crooners and schmaltz youngsters that preceded the vocal stylings of Mel Torme et al?). And even if this hipsterism was a bit mannered, isn't it maybe even less phony than all this A&R-invented "Guy next door" attitude of all those singing band boys of those days? Or is it that you have to be a limited singer/croaker in the style of Babs Gonzales or a weirdie like Harry Gibson but certainly not a GREAT singer (by the usual yardstick) in order to have your hipsterism taken more seriously? :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hot Ptah Posted December 10, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2007 (edited) What's so bad about this hipster thing? Isn't it just as legit as doing the umpteenth incarnation of pretending you are THE singing ALL-AMERICAN BOY that the mom next door would love to take on as your son in law (as epitomized by all those big band crooners and schmaltz youngsters that preceded the vocal stylings of Mel Torme et al?). And even if this hipsterism was a bit mannered, isn't it maybe even less phony than all this A&R-invented "Guy next door" attitude of all those singing band boys of those days? Or is it that you have to be a limited singer/croaker in the style of Babs Gonzales or a weirdie like Harry Gibson but certainly not a GREAT singer (by the usual yardstick) in order to have your hipsterism taken more seriously? :D Or how about the phony pose of so many rock and pop singers that they are rebels outside "the system", bad boys to whom "the rules" do not apply (as they drive away from the concert in their block long limo to their private jet, so that they can be whisked away to their mansion in the most exclusive suburbs or their castle in England). Edited December 10, 2007 by Hot Ptah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nessa Posted December 11, 2007 Report Share Posted December 11, 2007 I used to really enjoy Mel but after a personal experience about 25 years ago I can't "hear" him. I'm sure an earlier post prompted the "warning" earlier in the thread. Talented vocalist - real asshole. Sorry. Another Merkin posting neg stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost of miles Posted December 11, 2007 Report Share Posted December 11, 2007 (edited) Who could ever forget Mel's star turn in that cinematic classic, Girls Town? The Rhino set is a very good comp of early Mel. I have yet to score a copy of TORME, which I've heard others swear by. Edited August 13, 2010 by ghost of miles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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