Contact Us
WXDU 88.7 FM
PO Box 90689
Duke Station
Durham, NC 27708
919-684-2957
wxdu@duke.edu
WXDU 88.7 FM
PO Box 90689
Duke Station
Durham, NC 27708
919-684-2957
wxdu@duke.edu
Artist | Song | Album | Label | Comments | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mel Torme o/ Sonny Burke | Comin' Home Baby | Mel Torme Collection | Rhino | happy birthday Mel Torme! today's show - 2 hour tribute | |||
Mel Torme o/ Chico Marx | Abraham | The Best of Mel Torme | Torme's very first recording! He was 17 years old, his first real singing gig was with Chico Marx' orchestra. Due to the recording strike this 1942 radio broadcast is the only surviving recording of Torme from this era. THe announcer at the beginning gets his name wrong, calls him "Mel Tornay" | ||||
Mel Torme o/ Sonny Burke | Born to Be Blue | Mel Torme Collection | Rhino | rec. 1944 written by Mel Torme & Bob Wells | |||
Mel Torme & the Mel-Tones o/ Artie Shaw | What Is This Thing Called Love | Jazz and Velvet | Proper UK | rec. 1946 Torme idolized Shaw & loved working with him. Torme wrote the arrangements for the Mel-Tones & said he emulated Jimmie Lunceford's sax section in the Mel-Tones' arrangements | |||
Mel Torme o/ Artie Shaw | Get Out of Town | Jazz and Velvet | Proper UK | rec. 1946 Shaw was so happy with Torme's work he hired him to do additional tracks as a solo vocalist | |||
Mel Torme & the Mel-Tones | How High the Moon | The Mel Torme Collection | Rhino | rec. 1948 radio broadcast Mel scats a riff of Charlie Parker at the end of the song | |||
Artie Shaw | I'm Coming Virginia | King of the Clarinet | inst. | ||||
Mel Torme | Love Me or Leave | Jazz and Velvet | Proper UK | rec. 1947 Torme moved to the Musicraft label and developed a strong jazz sound in this era | |||
Mel Torme | Three Little Words | The Mel Torme Collection | Rhino | rec. 1947 | |||
Mel Torme | Night and Day | The Mel Torme Collection | Rhio | rec. 1948 | |||
Mel Torme | Careless Hands | Spotlight on Mel Torme: Great Gentlemen of Song | Capitol | rec. 1949 Torme moved to Capitol and with this song had his first big hit | |||
Mel Torme | Blue Moon | 20th Century Masters | Capitol | rec. 1949 this song was the cause of huge conflict between Torme and composer Richard Rodgers on the set of the film WORDS AND MUSIC. Rodgers got the song recorded his way for the film; the next year Torme did it his way. That's the recording we're hearing now & that's the performance that has endured | |||
Oscar Peterson Trio | They Can't Take That Away from Me | Oscar Peterson Plays Pretty | Verve | inst. | |||
Mel Torme | Mountain Greenery | Mel Torme in Hollywood | Verve | rec 1955 live at the Crescendo in Hollywood | |||
Mel Torme | My Shining Hour | Mel Torme in Hollywood | Verve | rec 1955 live at the Crescendo in Hollywood | |||
Mel Torme | That Old Black Magic | Mel Torme Collection | Rhino | rec 1955 live at the Crescendo in Hollywood, note late in the piece Torme weaves other tunes into the melody while he continues singing the primary song. THis was a favorite arranging technique of Torme's especially using "Adios" in other songs | |||
Mel Torme w/ Jimmy Wisner Trio | It's Delovely | Mel Torme at the Red Hill | Rhino | rec 1962 | |||
Mel Torme | I'm Beginning to See the Light | Mel Torme at the Crescendo | Bethlehem | rec 1957 live at the Crescendo in Hollywood, this is the first track we hear today w/ Marty Paich who led the orchestra in some of Torme's best work | |||
Mel Torme and Ella Fitzgerald | Song Medley | The Garry Moore Show | rec. 1961 for television. Torme loved Fitzgerald and always wanted to record with her, but even though they were both on Verve for years it never happened. Torme blamed Norman Granz with whom he had a bad relationship | ||||
George Shearing | Pick Yourself Up | The Complete Jerome Kern Songbook | inst. | ||||
Mel Torme o/ Marty Paich Dek-tette | Lullaby of Birdland | Mel Torme and the Marty Paich Dek-tette | Bethlehem | rec. 1957 composer George Shearing, with whom Torme toured for many years late in their careers. Some of Torme's best work was recorded with Paich. The "Dek-tette" was modeled after Gerry Mulligan's Mulligan Tentet | |||
Mel Torme o/ Marty Paich Dek-tette | Nice Work if You Can Get It | Mel Torme Sings Fred Astaire | Bethlehem | rec. 1957 Torme recorded many songs Astaire had popularized | |||
Mel Torme o/ Marty Paich Dek-tette | I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart | Prelude to a Kiss | Bethlehem | rec. 1957 Torme admired Ellington, he said later than in the 40s he would go see Ellington perform and Ellington would invite Torme up on stage, call him "my first chair percussionist" and let him play with the band during "Rockin' in Rhythm" | |||
Mel Torme o/ Marty Paich Dek-tette | Too Close for Comfort | Mel Torme Swings Schubert Alley | Verve | rec. 1960 sadly the Bethlehem label folded after Torme and Paich had only made a few albums with them | |||
Mel Torme, vocal & solo piano | These Foolish Things | The Mel Torme Collection | Rhino | rec 1957 in London | |||
Mel Torme o/ Billy May | At the Crossroads (Malaguena) | Ole Torme | UMVD | rec 1959, Torme and May did a Latin album together | |||
Mel Torme o Russell Garcia | Swingin' on the Moon | Swingin' on the Moon | Verve | rec 1960, written by Mel Torme, this was the title song from a concept album of moon songs | |||
BIlly May Orchestra | Lean Baby | Capitol Records from the Vaults v. 3 | Capitol | inst. | |||
Mel Torme & the Mel-Tones | A Stranger in Town | The Mel Torme Collection | Rhino | rec. 1944, written by Mel Torme & Robert Wells | |||
Peggy Lee & Mel Torme | Bless You (For the Good that's In You) | Peggy Lee The Singles Collection | Capitol | written by Mel Torme | |||
Mel Torme | County Fair | Mel Torme in Hollywood | Verve | rec 1955 live at the Crescendo in Hollywood, written by Mel Torme & Robert Wells | |||
Mel Torme | The Christmas Song | Compact Jazz | Torme's most famous composition, he and Wells wrote the song in 40 minutes sitting on the patio of a California hotel in high summer | ||||
Mel Torme | A Day in the Life of Bonnie and Clyde | The Mel Torme Collection | Rhino | rec 1968 this was probably the most successful (musically speaking) part of Torme's attempt to incorporate modern styles into his sound. He was briefly with Columbia and Capitol, both of which forced him to make terrible covers of songs like "Sunshine Superman" and "Games People Play." He said later he felt like they were trying to destroy him, and he considered leaving the music business entirely and becoming a private airplane pilot instead | |||
George Shearing | September in the Rain | Unforgettable Instrumental Hits | inst. | ||||
Mel Torme | Theme from "Arthur" | Mel Torme Collection | Rhino | rec. 1958 in NYC | |||
Mel Torme | SUnday in New York | Bachelor in Paradise | Rhino | ||||
Mel Torme w/ George Shearing | New York, New York | Instant Party | Concord | rec 1978 | |||
Mel Torme o/ Hal Mooney | Gone with the Wind | Mel Torme Collection | Rhino | rec. 1948 another example of layering the song "Adios" under another melody |