Crooners exude charisma, stale

Press, 7 August 1985, Page 14

Crooners exude charisma, stale

By

ALLAN FRANCIS

THEY CALLED IT CROONING. The singers of the twenties and thirties. WORLD RECORDS WT 5996 from ASV. First impressions provoke thoughts that many of these crooners all sounded alike. Just as there was a wave of Frank Sinatras in the fifties, a surge of sound-alike Bing Crosbies before that, so there seems to be a host of singers imitating Al Bowlly in the gay twenties. Moreover, unless one was completely familiar with all the names of those times it is unlikely that such singers as Seger Ellis, Jack Smith or Smith Ballew would mean much. Everyone knows the opening singer, Bing Crosby, but how long, I wonder, before some shining new generation will say “Bing — who?” Yet in spite of the carbon copies, there is much material here that bears the stamp of originality, the inevitable singers who provided just cause for the imitators. Bing Crosby must be one of those — there was a rumour that a freak physical condition in his

throat caused the attractive resonance. Rudy Vallee was undoubtedly another pioneer, as was Sam Browne, with Al Bowlly being perhaps the most famous of all. None of the crooners were any great shakes as singers, but many possessed elegance, charisma or style. Many of the croners came from obscurity and went back there without making much dust. Many of the

tunes were equally undistinguished and the orchestration, by today’s standards, was thin and tinny. Coming through all these clouded issues, though, are many islands of genuine interest; many highpoints that must have indeed been revolutionary at the time and still manage to make their mark today. “Am I Blue” is one of those. Carroll Gibbons was always good value, the stamp of quality still evident in this 1929 recording of “She’s Wonderful,” sung by Harry Shalson. Pat O’Malley’s “Got A Date With An Angel” conjures up almost forgotten memories of Dick Powell, not present on any date

here. Also with Gibbons was George Metaxa in a 1928 recording of Victor Young’s immortal standard, “Sweet Sue.” Many of the tunes did not survive like this one, or the great Fats Waller tune, “Ain’t Misbehaving,” sung here by Gene Austin. One element not in short supply is atmosphere; how easy to conjure up pictues of the tea dance and aspidistras, slick hair and white gloves! The exaggerated vibrato and sometimes forgettable lyrics create a sense of wonder at how. much fashions have changed. Cliff Edwards, last heard as “Pinocchio” in the film of that name, sings “Orange Blossom Time” and Bing Crosby’s “Where the Blue of the Night” with the Brunswick Studio Orchestra, add much to the over-all attraction of the programme. Russ Colombo’s “Living in Dreams” is all that succeeding generations imagine the twenties should sound like — dreamy, lyrical messages span the years with the same magic that was the hallmark of Al Bowlly. In the end, the two factors that mark the whole issue are the freshness and enthusiasm of all concerned, as well as the clarity of the vocals, an art which has almost been lost. AL DI MEOLA. Cielo e Terra. Nine tracks by Al Di Meola, guitar, of original compositions. EMI ST 53002.

This guitarist has had the good fortune to brush up against some highly talented giants in lofty circles and, as may have been expected, a good deal of that aura has brushed off. It is easy to recognise many of the signposts of others in Al Di Meola’s playing. His intensely spiritual themes and aspirations comprise most of the heady -ideas in this album, with the sole exception of one, Keith Jarrett’s “Coral.” This lone outsider fits in extremely well in the overall picture that Meola paints. The music is highly imaginative, with soaring flights of fancy within its descriptive range. The guitarist, who was so much at home in ensemble, is equally responsive as a soloist. His only backing here is the occasional use of the percussionist, Airto Moreira. The responsible use by Meola of both acoustic and synclavier instruments ensures that his end results are of the highest order. On first hearing, there is a mistaken impression of superficiality, but this is corrected on further playings. The music is consumed with impressionistic sensations (earth ans sky, sorrow, loneliness or twilight), the accent being on the primitive. Hence the spartan orchestration and the potent force of the composer’s message.