Customer Reviews

A Musical Prodigy [ORIGINAL RECORDINGS REMASTERED] 2CD SET

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This CD includes the first "Manhattan Tower"(1946), along with "California" and "Seven Dreams." Other Jenkins titles such as "Blue Prelude" ,"Maybe You'll Be There" and "My Foolish Heart" are also included. The sound is great, and along with the Sepia CD "The Complete Manhattan Tower"(1955), this gives us the essential Gordon Jenkins. I first heard these titles on WGN radio in the mid nineties when Mike Rapchak played this music during his all night weekend programs. I was able to get the musical narrative sides on used LPs; but what a joy to have this music on CD at last. Highly recommended. This music will grow on you!

Gordon Jenkins was one of the best composers and arrangers of all time, and this is some of his best music. My vinyl record of "Seven Dreams" was worn out long ago, and I thought I'd never find another. This recording had that plus a lot of other wonderful music to take me down memory lane.

To anyone that's into collecting oldies music it's no secret that, among the very best in the business providing this music are Ace, Acrobat and, before they were bought out (and shut down) by Universal, ASV Living Era, all based in the U.K. You can add Jasmine to that list. I have a number of their releases, including volumes covering Don Cornell, Johnny Desmond, Richard Hayes and The McGuire Sisters and with each, quality is a hallmark, in terms of sound, content and background information.

This one covering Gordon Jenkins is no exception. The renowned pianist/arranger/band leader, who was born on May 12, 1910 in Webster Groves, Missouri, did it all in his 74 years of life, from performing/arranging with the likes of the Isham Jones, Paul Whiteman, Benny Goodman, Lenny Hayton and Andre Kostelanetz orchestras, among others, to becoming the Musical Director for Decca Records, to backing many of the hits of Frank Sinatra, Dick Haymes, Nat "King" Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, The Weavers and many more, to composing some of the best songs to emerge in his lifetime: P.S., I Love You, The San Fernando Valley, When A Woman Loves A Man, This Is All I Ask, Blue Prelude, Goodbye. In short, a musical genius.

He also found time to rack up 27 hit singles of his own (including the five on which he shared equal billing with The Weavers) and in this volume you get six of them, beginning with the summer 1948 # 3 smash, Maybe You'll Be There which features the vocal of Charles Lavere (Decca 24403). The Stardusters take over the vocal duties on I Don't See Me In Your Eyes Anymore, a # 5 on Decca 24576 in spring 1949, and on the # 2 Again later that same spring, it's Joe Graydon doing the honours on Decca 24602.

In the fall of 1949, Betty Brewer sang Don't Cry Joe (Let Her Go, Let Her Go, Let Her Go), a # 3 on Decca 24720, and from early 1950 we get My Foolish Heart, another # 3 on Decca 24830, this time with Sandy Evans front and center, and Bewitched, a # 4 on Decca 24983 from the Broadway Musical "Pal Joey" with vocal by Mary Lou Williams.

So, as you can see, unlike many big bands of the era, he did not feature one or two primary vocalists. Others who sang on his hits included Bob Carroll on his version of White Christmas and Connie Haines on He Wears A Pair Of Silver Wings, both in 1942 for Capitol and Carroll again in late 1951 on Charmaine for Decca, as well as Eileen Wilson on A Dreamer's Holiday in late 1949, Cisco Houston and Bob Stephens on the 1951 double-sided hit Rose, Rose I Love You/Unless, Peggy Lee on 1952's Be Anything (But Be Mine), Lover and Just One Of Those Things, and Stuart Foster on 1953's Fury, all for Decca.

Just a great collection of the man's music showing the diversity of his fertile musical imagination. What we need now is a comprehensive compilation of his hits (and their B-sides).

When Gordon passed away on May 1, 1984, eleven days short of his 74th birthday, the world lost a first-class musical talent.

The orchestrations and vocals were very dated. Certainly not Jenkin`s best work, but says a lot about the taste in music at the time. Recomend only if the price is right. Pre stereo recordings.

Musical content of this album suffers from the overly present spoken word. Although that part of the album includes some of the music from his outstanding album, ""Two Classic Albums from Gordon Jenkins" the aside spoken word distracts from its value.