Customer Reviews

Best of the Concord Years

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Concord Jazz presents one of the ultimate vocalist of our time, "Girl Singer" (aka) Rosemary Clooney in the essential musical companion special 2-CD set "Best of the Concord Years" ~ her warmth and personality comes through with wonderful performances, only matched by a God given talent ~ what a distinctive voice. Always a pleasure serving up a relaxing and soothing style, so list enable. All thirty-two tracks are beautiful, Rosie puts her heart and soul into the lyrics.

This collection has to be one of her best, the tunes cover many years of recordings with the Concord Label. Many stand outs come to mind "LOVER MAN" (Davis/Ramirez/Sherman), "A NIGHTINGALE SANG IN BERKELEY SQUARE" (Mashwitz/Sherwin), "SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY" (Brown/Green/Horner), "I'M BEGINNING TO SEE THE LIGHT" (Ellington/George/Hodges/James), comprised of so many great arrangements by Nelson Riddle, Peter Matz and John Oddo. Rosie's voice is still strong with unwavering interpretations, in my opinion still one of the great interpreters of a song. Given to ballads or swing, she's in complete control and the polish is extraordinary.

Needless to say, I am a "Girl Singer" fan, Rosie performs each song in a straight ahead style (which she is famous for) ~ her approach is still as fresh and you know you're going to hear the best...gotta love it!

Total Time: Two Disc Set ~ Concord Jazz 2163 ~ (10/07/2003)

Rosemary Clooney: The Best Of The Concord Years is a superbly recorded, two-CD set collection showcasing some of the most memorable and beloved works of popular singer Rosemary Clooney as drawn from more than 25 years of her remarkable career. These selections range from her remarkable and attention-getting 50's debut, to music from her grand comeback album in 1977. An audio treat for Rosemary Clooney fans, Disc One has tracks Hey There (2:36), I've Got A Crush On You (3:19), Pennies From Heaven (4:15), Lover Man (4:30), I Cover The Waterfront (3:35), How Long Has This Been Going On? (4:53), Meditation (4:43), Will You Still Be Mine? (3:04), Just One Of Those Things (4:07), Stormy Weather (5:42), I'm Beginning To See The Light (3:37), Cheek To Cheek (5:15), A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square (3:10), I Thought About You (5:11), and Something's Got To Give (3:16). Disc Two has tracks I Wish I Were In Love Again (3:03), People Will Say We're In Love (4:51), Sentimental Journey (4:23), Straighten up And Fly Right (4:53), Nice 'N' Easy (3:08), Do You Miss New York? (5:09), As Long As I Live (3:19), Let's Get Away From It All (4:06), The Coffee Song (2:42), Mambo Italiano (2:29), A Foggy Day (3:16), Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams (3:16), Old Devil Moon (4:00), Brazil (6:50), I'm The Big Band Singer (2:26), God Bless America/They Can't Take That Away From Me (4:14), and White Christmas (3:32).

"It is with great love and affection that we invite you to sit back and listen to this special two-disc-set containing some of Rosemary's most incredible performances. We hope that these gems will touch you the way Rosemary touched all of us. Here's to the Girl Singer. With love and remembrance." ~ Glen A. Barros, President, Concord Records ~

The material on this double-disc compilation represents Rosemary Clooney's very best recordings from 1967 through 2002 under Concord Records where she had the exclusive privilege of selecting the particular songs that she would record. Her choices have always been impressive. I totally agree with Nick Clooney when he wrote on the album's Liner Notes that his sister's "musical taste was always impeccable."

The Wall Street Journal once described Rosemary Clooney as "a Pop icon and spoken in the same breath as Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald." In addition, the music world has unamimously named her as "Girl Singer" and "a song's best friend."

Clooney brings along on this two-disc-set a touch of happiness, a tinge of melancholy, a trace of Christmas, a dose of wistful thinking, a little bit of sadness, a dash of fun, an ounce of patriotism, and a hint of hope.

"As a singer, I can just tuck my songs under my arm and go sing them anywhere." ~ Rosemary Clooney ~

Each song--all 32 of them--is very special and memorable. Her exceptional and distinctive voice blends flawlessly with the instrumentations by some of the greatest musicians in the industry - the likes of John Clayton, Monty Budwig (bass), Scott Hamilton (tenor sax), Bucky Pizzarelli, John Pizzarelli, Cal Collins (guitar), Warren Vache (cornet), Nat Pierce, Dave McKenna (piano), Jeff Hamilton (drums), Cal Tjader (vibes), from among many others. The superb musicianship on all performances can be attributed to the top-notch arrangements courtesy of Nelson Riddle, John Oddo, Earl Brown and Peter Matz.

While I especially enjoyed listening to the complete set, I have to say that I'm extremely pleased with her renditions of "Hey, There," "How Long Has This Been Going On?" and "Meditation" on Disc One. On Disc Two, the standout tracks include "A Foggy Day," "Brazil" and "Let's Get Away From It All," a delightful song from the pens of a great pair of songwriters, Thomas Adair and Matt Dennis.

"Let's take a boat to Bermuda
Let's take a plane to Saint Paul
Let's take a kayak to Quincy or Nyack
Let's get away from it all..."

On February 28, 2002, four months before her death, Clooney was honored with the highest award given to any long-standing artist who made an impressive mark in the music industry--the Grammy for Lifetime Achievement Award. She truly deserved it and this double disc set,"The Best of The Concord Years," is one of the testaments of the Girl Singer's greatness.

Try not to miss this amazing collection put together by some truly caring folks from Ms. Clooney's Concord years . I'd previously purchased her jazz singer collection from the 50s . I have her LOVE disc as well as her Concord debut . Additionally , i had a large collection of her novelty recordings . Nothing could have prepaired me for "Rose in her element" as i'll put it . About 3/5ths small combo with a few duets . About 2/5ths big band . And i mean BIG BAND . There are far too many outstanding musicians than i wish to list . Every track a winner . Trust me , as stated in the liner notes , "Rosemary's intent when she matured as a singer was always the same . To bring honestly to every audience the most important poetry American popular music had to offer in her lifetime . She would present it with no excess baggage . Not an extra note , not a superfluous gesture , not a hint of histrionics". Similar in EXCELLENCE to Mel Torme's BRILLIANT two disc Concord collection , clutch this absolutely golden and deeply loving overview . Now i KNOW . WOW , THRILLING!!! . A serving suggestion , i listen , as i do with ALL my jazz recordings , with ear buds or earphones on , set at loud conversation level . Check it out...Benstarbuck

This Concord Jazz collection from her various brilliant recordings were put together after her untimely death. This is not to say this is a bad CD, Rosie couldn't make one during her 25 years with the label, I frown a little on the commercial aspect of cashing in on her demise. This is nothing new in the industry and I hope they continue to keep her catalog in print (3 are no longer available).

I can't categorize this as a "best of" because it is missing several great Rosie tunes: "Here's That Rainy Day", "I Concentrate on You" among others. This CD is gathered collection from her catalog and I would like to think it is "homage" to this great talent. She was warm, witty, funny, relaxed and tremendously professional. Despite her superstar status, she never considered herself more than what has become her moniker "girl singer". She is far more than that.

When she come to the pubic attention, it was through a series of novelty songs. No one really took her seriously. She suffered most of her life with bi-polar disorder, and later an addition to pills. After a doomed romance with long time conductor Nelson Riddle, she slipped out the spotlight, triggered off by the death of RFK (she was in the hotel's kitchen when he was shot), sending her spiraling downward. It wouldn't be until 1977 when old pal Bing Crosby took her along on the Concord Jazz Heritage tour. She recorded one dedication song for a Duke Ellington CD. The rest is history. She remade her fortune and also established herself as a premier artist. She was an older woman recording/working steadily when her female peers were not.

This is a nice testament to our beloved Rosemary. I think it could have been longer, I suppose you have to stop somewhere or Concord Jazz would have had to offer her entire catalog in a box set! And wouldn't that be wonderful if it was done in SACD or 24-bit. I'd pay the outrageous sum to own it.

Other reviewers have commented sincerely on the music. It is all prime Clooney. Now I wish they would start putting out more of her work in a higher definition other than the 4 from Japan (more if you include her work for other labels).

You're always in our hearts. You didn't have the strongest voice in jazz, but in an intimate combo setting, you knocked us on our ears, and continue to do so.

Terry Robertson
Author
Fill My Eyes
Broken Windows, Reflections of a Fool