New Pop Records - Time - April 28, 1952

Mildred Bailey once admitted that "I couldn't sing big if I wanted to." But if her voice was one of the smallest around, it was also the sweetest and the sighing-est; and she had a natural rhythm to her phrasing that made her (with the Rhythm Boys—Bing Crosby, Harry Barris and her brother Al Rinker) one of the idols of the early '30s. Since those days, many of Mildred's old records have become collectors' items.

Out this month is the first album commemorating the roly-poly singer who died last December. Mildred Bailey (Decca, 2 sides LP) includes eight of her best-known songs, if not the best versions of all of them. Even so, Lover, Come Back to Me, More than You Know, and the song Hoagy Carmichael wrote for her, Rockin' Chair, are still outstanding. Recording: good.

Other new records:
Raminay! (Jo Stafford; Columbia) was a New Orleans chimney sweeps' cry. Judging from this song, neither the tunesmith (Sammy Fain) nor pseudo Blues Singer Stafford ever got within good hearing distance of the South's "Cradle of Jazz."

Jeannine (Louis Armstrong and Gordon Jenkins' Orchestra; Decca). An oldtimer, given a Hollywood nightmare of swooping strings, burning trumpet and gravel-voiced singing. Indian Love Call, on the other side, is even more unbelievable.

Blue Tango (Leroy Anderson; Decca). A sort of poor man's Third Man Theme, set to jolting Latin rhythm. This version by the composer triumphs over those by Xavier Cugat, Guy Lombardo, et al.

Runnin' Wild (Teddy Wilson and the All Stars; MGM, 8 sides). Old favorites such as Bugle Call Rag, Stompin' at the Savoy, I Surrender Dear, well played by the pixie-fingered professor (of jazz piano at Juilliard School of Music) and such cohorts as Trumpeter Buck Clayton, Vibraphonist Red Norvo. Not too well recorded.

Easy Does It! (Benny Goodman; Capitol, 6 sides). The lion of the licorice stick in some of the best of his more intimate work with the trio, quintet, sextet and septet. Includes Puttin' on the Ritz, Henderson Stomp, Makin' Whoopee.

What's the Use? (Johnnie Ray; Columbia). Sobber Ray restrains his tears but not his gulping and gobbling of the lyrics; the song, above an "Arabian" Latin rhythm, is thoroughly ordinary. For those who can stand larger doses, Columbia has also issued his first album (Johnnie Ray, 8 sides), including Don't Blame Me, All of Me.

The Polka Dot Door

A long time ago, when I was 22, my first child was born. That kid grew up on a little Canadian kid's show called Polka Dot Door, produced by the TV Ontario network. And Dad, more often than not, sat through those shows with his little one. Nine or so years later when a brother, and a year after that when a sister came along number one son was moving on to Knight Rider and The Dukes of Hazzard. But there was a nice overlap where his siblings picked up where he had left off with Polka Dot Door. And Dad was right there to welcome them. So you're looking at a Polka Dot Door veteran. The show began in 1971 and ran to 1993. I didn't watch the full run but I did get in my fair share. The formula was pretty simple. A young male and female host, which seemed to change every week, sang songs, told stories, made crafts and generally did their best stimulate little brains. The show opened as follows... Imagination Day! Oh boy! ...

My Back Pages - October

Well, folks, I read seven (count 'em) seven books in October. One I didn't finish but even at that I hit the magic number 50 I estimated for myself by the end of the year. The six books I successfully waded through were, firstly, What Happened, Hillary Clinton's book on her bid for the Presidency. I''m a bit of a political junkie so I get off on this stuff but still it kinda struck me as one long whine over losing. Next up was the excellent Canyon of Dreams: The Magic and Music of Laurel Canyon. Laurel Canyon was the fabled area outside of Los Angeles where many musicians and artists lived. Known as a 60s enclave, the book takes a look at just who lived there over the last 80 years. A fascinating read. Next up was Lightfoot, a biography of Canadian folk singer Gordon Lightfoot. He may have been responsible for some iconic folk songs but he was also quite the womanizer and boozer. Enough said. Then I read Dan Brown's new tome Origin, the fifth ...

30 Days of Photos III #4 Sour

Check out Ziva's Inferno for the rest of today's photos.

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