Customer Reviews

Stardust, And Much More

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

 

 

Bix! Venuti! The Dorseys! This one has it all. If you can only own one Hoagy Carmichael CD, this is the one to get. Most of the early stuff is here, and the sound quality is fine and dandy. The session notes are complete, and the accompanying narrative makes for interesting reading. If you want an early look at one of America's (now) most under-appreciated composers, buy this CD.

I 'discovered' Hoagy Charmichael as an undergraduate at Indiana University and this was the first piece of Charmichael's work I ever bought. My original copy was a tape I played again and again until there was nothing left but squeaks. This recording has the best collection I have found of Charmichael performing his own work. I have since purchased many recordings of Charmichael's work but this will always be my favorite.

Carmichael was there on the ground floor of the pre-big band era when jazz was king and the men who would be giants just hung out and played together. Bix, the Dorsey brothers, Goodman, Goldkette and more. Here you can catch how jazz influenced the sound of pop in the late twenties and how perfectly suited to that sound Carmichael's compositions were, while still managing to push the envelope on new and interesting changes.

It's always a pleasure to hear him work. He was cool long before it was in vogue, relaxed and yet always in control. (Trivia note-- Carmichael was Ian Fleming's idea of what James Bond would be like.)

Scene brought to mind by the battered, dust-laden cover of an old Hoagy Carmichael Bluebird Label record found in a back bedroom closet up at Josh Breslin's cozy logwood cabin in wintry outback Maine a couple of years back. Long-fingered, soft-dashed, soft Stetson-brimmed hat slanted to the back of his head just short of falling off, always just short of falling off, cigarette, unfiltered of course, dangling, edge dangling off some forsaken lip, some browned tobacco lip, and the lip hanging off a slapdash calculatedly careless face, a face weary, wary, and just short, just short of yellow jaded, the keyboard, ivories tinkling, black setting off the white in the be-bop, no pre-be-bop night.

Making one think, and think hard, of Carib nights, of some vagrant maddening fragrance as Laren Bacall, full-blown hair falling off to one side of her head, steps into, no, sashays from parts unknown into any gin mill in old Port-o-town, the soft sound of silk against her slender thighs turning heads to watch her shape head toward some grizzled old ancient sea captain, Captain Bogie, and ask for a light for her cigarette, unfiltered of course, and an off-hand drink. Later, naturally, when all dust is settled wise, almost yellow jaded, old Cricket will piano back her up on some song, oh ya, How Little We Know, but who cares for anything then but that arched-browed come hither, and hope, hope against high heaven that she will ditch that lame sea captain, hero or not, and give a young buck a chance. Fat chance. And later still, still sashaying, silky thigh sashaying out some crooked barroom door cooing Am I Blue with that damn monkey of a sea captain in tow. Ya, damn. But don't blame Hoagy.

Any album of Hoagy Carmichael is welcome, and this is generally a fine set.
Offered here are sound and performance anomalies, so the buyer knows what to expect.

Whiteman's "Washboard Blues" shows signs that NoNOISE isn't the be-all in audio clean-up. This is most apparent on the very next song, Goldkette's "So Tired," which is spoiled by constant surface crackle and lathe distortion in loud passages. Nothing short of extreme Dolby could've salvaged this one-- too bad none was applied.

The CD's detailed booklet lists Carmichael as vocalist on both #4 and #6. If so, he's not using his natural voice.

Hoagy sings dreadfully off-key on the 1930 "Georgia," and he does only a bit better on "Havana." This second track is further hampered by odd groove rumblings.

A 1933 solo piano version of "Lazy Bones" includes an intro and lyrics that are never heard anymore. Very non-PC.

The piano "Stardust" (1934) is brilliant but marred but a swoosh that persists for the first 1:15. NoNOISE fails again on piano and vocal "Washboard Blues" from the same session. Half the record is a crackle-fest.

Related item:
Carmichael can be seen singing and playing tavern piano in Howard Hawks' TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT (1944), a William Faulkner adaptation of Hemingway's novel that stars Bogie & Bacall.