Customer Reviews

Evening at Charlie's

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

 

 

The smoothness of tone, clarity of diction, perfection of pitch, in this album are remarkable. "Then I'll Be Tired of You" is just breathtaking. And to hear George on Nica's Dream is wonderful.

This is my favorite Mel Torme album--I can't recommend it enough.

If you are looking for Torme's finest, look elsewhere. Try "Live at the Red Hill/Live at the Maisonette", or "Live at Marty's"--or for that matter, his previous Concord recording with George Shearing. Nevertheless, it's worth having. I loved his romp through "Just Around the Corner". This was one of Torme's staples (like "Mountain Greenery") that he seemed to reinvent throughout his career. It's interesting to contrast this cover with the one done on the "Red Hill" album. I loved "Chase Me Charlie"--a Noel Coward tune too seldomly done. The basic problem with this album is that it's too short; so, if you find it on sale, go for it.

If you only know Mel from his appearances on the "Night Court" tv sitcom, get this disc to understand why Harry Anderson's character, Judge Stone, idolized him as a jazz singer. Mel was a good scat singer, but he also had lovely phrasing and diction and control, even in 1984, much closer to the end of his career than to the start. This live recording of a nightclub date is about two-thirds Torme, one-third Shearing, and both perform well. I give it four stars instead of five simply because the bulk of it features lesser-known songs with average lyrics. Mel is a bit too mellow for me on a couple of numbers, but I'm not a knowledgeable Torme fan. I bought this for the Shearing piano portions, which are excellent. Still, it is worthy for fans of either performer's latter periods. As with most live jazz dates, the recording can't capture the full magic, and listening just makes you wish you could have been there in person.

Mel Torme was one of the rare singers who sounded better as he got older, and this 1984 album was from the period when his voice was at its peak. It's an intimate album, with Torme accompanied by a trio including George Shearing on piano. It's not quite a classic album, but it's got plenty of great moments. Some highlights include the lovely floating note Torme hits at the end of "Welcome to the Club," the very clever Noel Coward song "Chase Me Charlie" about an amorous cat attempting to lure her beau over the garden wall, and a wonderful instrumental of "Nica's Dream" featuring George Shearing.

The album also includes one of the best versions of Dave Frishberg and Bob Dorough's funny tune, "I'm Hip." "Now I'm deep into zen meditation and macrobiotics/and as soon as I can, I intend to get into narcotics." I love those lyrics.

I saw Torme several times late in his career in a concert hall setting, but I would have given a lot to see him in a nightclub setting which I think was a more natural fit for him. As other reviewers have said, there are better live Torme albums - my choice would be "Mel Torme and Friends" from a few years before which is a genuinely great album (no longer available I think), but this rewards repeated listenings.