RIP Mitch Miller

[Ted O'Reilly]

There was a childish joke: "What happens when a bee bites you, then a mosquito bites you inthe same spot? "Sting Along With Itch!"

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/100802/entertainment/us_obit_miller

[jeffcrom]

Whatever schlock he produced, I think of Mitch Miller as an important associate of Alec Wilder. They were classmates together at Eastman, Miller played on the early Wilder Octet recordings, and some of Wilder's earliest "serious" music was written for Miller as oboe or English horn soloist. They fell out latter, to an extent, when their careers went in such different directions.

[AllenLowe]

I remember the Washington Mortarium in 1969 or 70 - I was in the press area being hounded by Timothy Leary and Abbie Hoffman, both tripping like mad, while on stage were Pete Seeger and Mitch Miller singing "Give Peace a Chance. Could only happen in the Sixties.

(true story)

[GA Russell]

For some reason, I have always remembered Mitch smiling into the camera with that odd way of keeping time with his arms while the chorale sang "There's Going to to be a Great Day". This was about 1961.

RIP

I believe that Frank Sinatra felt that his tenure at Columbia was undermined by Mitch when he was made the a&r man. I read that somewhere, but I don't know the facts.

I suppose that Mitch was famous for keeping rock & roll off the Columbia label. The company put it on the Epic label.

I once saw Mitch on Play Your Hunch with Merv Griffin. His secret was that he was once a short order cook, and he showed how to crack an egg with one hand and drop it onto the skillet.

[mattes]

RIP Mitch

Mama Will Bark!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRNRaMToK1g

[JSngry]

I believe that Frank Sinatra felt that his tenure at Columbia was undermined by Mitch when he was made the a&r man.

Rosemary Clooney, although not "undermined" in any way, was not pleased with Miller's choice of material for her either.

I think it was Ralph J. Gleason who claimed that Miller told Clooney to sing "Come On-a My House" "like you want to get laid."

Although I appreciate the sentiment, I more than understand how it would grate on Clooney...

[dalemcfarland]

TV said he was pivotal in making Tony Bennett's career, which earns him a ton of points in my book.

[brownie]

Mitch Miller stands next to Charlie Parker at the November 1949 recording date for Mercury - the first Parker with Strings session - along with Ray Brown and Buddy Rich!

[gmonahan]

I believe that Frank Sinatra felt that his tenure at Columbia was undermined by Mitch when he was made the a&r man.

Rosemary Clooney, although not "undermined" in any way, was not pleased with Miller's choice of material for her either.

I think it was Ralph J. Gleason who claimed that Miller told Clooney to sing "Come On-a My House" "like you want to get laid."

Although I appreciate the sentiment, I more than understand how it would grate on Clooney...

The story of Miller and Sinatra is well told in the excellent notes to the huge "Blue Box" of Sinatra's Columbia recordings. Sinatra did blame Miller, and Miller countered that Frank *never* recorded anything he didn't want to record. It's an interesting "he said...he said." My guess is that Miller did recommend the schlockier songs (including the infamous "Mama Will Bark" with Dagmar), and that Sinatra, desperate for a hit and knowing how dumb the songs were, went along anyway. "Mama Will Bark" is definitely a hoot, and not exactly a high point of Sinatra's discography!

gregmo

[bertrand]

Sinatra recorded with Dagmar Krause?

Bertrand.

[Hardbopjazz]

My parents had a number of his recordings. RIP Mitch.

[MartyJazz]

I recently read, more accurately glossed through, a book about the founding and history of the Columbia record label in which, Miller's role there is gone over in much detail. THE LABEL by Gary Marmorstein:

Also includes much of interest re Goddard Lieberson, George Avakian, John Hammond, and many more.

Edited August 3, 2010 by MartyJazz

[7/4]

dig these photos:

or:

[gmonahan]

Sinatra recorded with Dagmar Krause?

Bertrand.

Uh...no...different Dagmar I think! Dagmar

gregmo