The Old Mercer Magic!

Jalala | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 16, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Dare Records
• ASIN: B0028R1M3C
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #99,369 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Spring, Spring, Spring

2. You Must Have Been A Beautiful Baby

3. Jeepers Creepers

4. My Shining Hour

5. Accentuate The Positive

6. Dream

7. I m Old Fashioned

8. Riding On The Moon

9. Moon River/Moon Country

10. Have You Got Any Castles Baby?

11. Too Marvelous For Words

12. The Dance Of Life

Editorial Reviews

John Herndon Mercer, aka Johnny Mercer, was more than just a lyricist of popular song; he was a true American poet and That Old Mercer Magic! is an amazing new project from three equally amazing ladies called JaLaLa; Janis Siegel of The Manhattan Transfer, Laurel Masse´ (an original founding and former member of The Manhattan Transfer) and Lauren Kinhan of New York Voices fame.

Siegel, a nine-time Grammy winner, seventeen-time Grammy nominee and one of the founding members of the vocal group The Manhattan Transfer jumped at the chance to do a full project of Mercer songs. The most difficult challenge of the project, which is a testament to Mercer s true genius, was picking just 12 songs that would encompass a well-rounded representation of his popular compositions, said Siegel. Yet the easiest part for Janis was creating the vocal group JaLaLa in collaboration with two of her favorite singers Laurel Masse´ and Lauren Kinhan, both being acclaimed vocalists whether singing in harmony or showing off their solo chops.

Standout tracks are; Spring, Spring, Spring from the Tony Award winning Broadway musical Li l Abner and You Must Have Been A Beautiful Baby, which starts off with an underutilized verse and then shifts into a funky party gear with a New Orleans feel featuring Lew Soloff on trumpet. Fans new and old will also enjoy the signature Dream, which was highlighted in the OSCAR nominated musical film Daddy Long Legs that featured Fred Astaire and Leslie Caron, one of the few songs that Mercer penned both music and lyric. Another Mercer classic, Moon River, written with Henry Mancini for the movie Breakfast at Tiffany s, is given a heartrending wistful treatment by Laurel Masse´ and Frank Vignola, then languidly glides into Moon Country a Mercer/Hoagy Carmichael collaboration. JaLaLa will certainly please the legion of Mercer fans while irresistibly enticing today s music listening generation with That Old Mercer Magic!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Great Ladies Magic!, June 17, 2009

By 

david "@balhisay (twitter)" (Granada, Spain) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Old Mercer Magic! (Audio CD)

Listen to these wonderful singers singin' twelve great selections from the Johnny Mercer songbook.

Great and swingin' versions of 'Jeepers Creepers' (by Janis Siegel), 'I'm old Fashioned' (by Laurel Massé in a voice & bass duet) and 'Riding on the Moon' (by Lauren Kinham).

We find the trio singin' charming harmonies on five tracks (Spring, Spring, Spring, You Must Have Been A Beautiful Baby, Accentuate de Positive, Dream and Moon Country).

Talkin' about the ladies Janis is member of The Manhattan Transfer and Bobby McFerrin's Voicestra, Lauren is member of New York Voices and Moss and Laurel Massé is founding member of The Manhattan Transfer.

At the instrumental side of the recording there are relevant names like Cindy Cashdollar, David Finck, Yaron Gershovsky, Lew Soloff, Frank Vignola or Matt Wilson.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bravo JaLaLa!!, June 26, 2009

By 

St. Paul Guy - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Old Mercer Magic! (Audio CD)

THAT OLD MERCER MAGIC! is an exquisite collection of both familiar and unfamiliar Johnny Mercer tunes featuring tight, lush vocal harmonies and clever, fresh arrangements. And my gosh, how wonderful it is to hear Laurel Massé and Janis Siegel sing together again!! New York Voices singer Lauren Kinhan's pure vocals blend perfectly with theirs on the group numbers. Added bonus: each of these great singers has the opportunity to shine on her own solo numbers. THAT OLD MERCER MAGIC! is without a doubt an instant classic.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hope They Do More, August 8, 2009

By 

Howard Wexler (White Plains, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Old Mercer Magic! (Audio CD)

Great vocals, great voices, and Johnny Mercer. Thank you Janis Siegal for all your hard work on this joyous CD.