Customer Reviews

After The Ball plus Highlights from Vaudeville

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the concert that on LP introduced me not only to this marvelous mezzo but got me interested in musical Americana. What with my personal listening and my seminars, I played the LP until it became unlistenable; so the appearance of the CD was quite a boon. Morris sings these old-time tunes as they should be: with utter commitment and the feeling that not only were just written today but that today is yesterday. The latter means that while we can smile indulgently at the seeming innocence of the lyrics, we can also understand how tears were shed back then at the Bird in the Gilded Cage and other victims of the social system and how smiles were elicited by the "purer" sort of eternal love that made a man still love his wife as he did when she was Sweet Sixteen. This is an absolutely marvelous time-trip; and any social studies teacher who does not use this CD when covering turn of the century (last century, that is) America should be forced to do so.

Thirty years after this wonderful collection appeared, it still warms hearts and wets eyes across generations. This classic recording is likely to be around forever, and it certainly deserves to be. Joan Morris provides full emotional commitment along with smart style and a beautiful voice. William Bolcom is an ideal accompanist: he's obviously of a heart with Morris but never intrudes.

One overlooked asset of this recording is the superb sonics. Listen through state-of-the-art speakers and subwoofer, and the space in the room is recreated extraordinarily well. You will seldom hear piano and voice recorded this well.

You may not admit it to your friends, but you'll listen to this masterpiece over and over. It goes straight to the Hall of Fame.

I first bought this album as a record in the early 1970's, and enjoyed it over and over. I tried to buy another copy but couldn't find it and gave up years ago. Suddenly I find... it and I can hardly wait to get it once more.... and with bonus tracks, too. Great! The best thing about this recording was how authentic it sounded... not "updated" in style or rendition, but with the genuine music hall ambiance that one would imagine these catchy tunes must have sounded like at the time. I guarantee if the CD is half as good as the record, this is a real treasure! There are 2 songs that were recreated for Judy Garland in "Meet Me in Saint Louis", and the originals as Joan Morris sings them will give you visions of the old Vaudeville theatre, complete with peanut gallery.

A very well performed selection of gilded age songs, some so hopelessly sentimental, they are funny! Great for historians, nostalgia buffs, and anyone who enjoys a good song well played and well sung. I love this recording!

A most excellent CD with a beautiful singer and brilliant pianist
presenting an unsual collection of lovely songs. I was unable to
purchase in the UK and thank Amazon for making it possible.

Great to hear a singer able (and willing) to perform this kind of music: it make the songs I knew from music sheets come alive. This performance has (with a slightly different repertoire, and a different backing) been equalled recently by Jody Dall'Armi, with the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra (CD "On the Level, You're a Little Devil")

This Cd was very enjoyable. Joan Morris' voice was clear and flexible, William Bolcom's piano was crisp .
I enjoyed the musical choices- a good montage of the era.

If you liked the music from the movie Meet Me in Saint Louis you will enjoy this album with the top hits of that era. Fine singers and music well played on this CD. It was fun historically to hear the music from the early 1900's.

Bolcom and Morris are surely the greatest of artists for this particular type of music. Wonderful.

Mezzo-soprano Joan Morris and pianist William Bolcom have made a specialty of "period" songs, and the 1974 Grammy-nominated AFTER THE BALL may well be their best known recording. The recording includes a wide sampling of Victorian parlor music as well as a number of songs that were popular on the Vaudeville stage.

I personally find Morris' voice a bit overstudied; that said, she performs the style very precisely, with each word and note meticulously rendered. She is at her best on such delicate ballads as "Just A Song at Twilight," but more up-tempo songs as "Waltz Me Around Again Willie" are also memorable. Bolcom's piano is flawless throughout.

The combination of a single voice and single piano, particularly when both are so formal in nature and when each selection is stylistically similar--well, it becomes somewhat wearing when heard at length. Charming as the recording is, it is perhaps best heard in small doses.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer