Steppin Out: Astaire Sings

Fred Astaire | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 21, 1994)
• Original Release Date: June 21, 1994
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Verve/PolyGram
• ASIN: B0000046V0
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #28,939 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #79 in Music > Miscellaneous > Nostalgia

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great American Songbook, March 17, 2001

By 

"pspa" (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Steppin Out: Astaire Sings (Audio CD)

In an album that contains many of the finest songs ever written by Berlin, Porter, Gershwin and others, Fred Astaire proves that it phrasing and timing, and not voice, that make a great singer. This is a truly remarkable CD in all aspects. The sound quality, considering it was recorded in 1952, is superb. Astaire is in incomparable form, with the songs sounding much better than some of his earlier versions. And the sextet supporting Astaire, including the marvelous Oscar Peterson at the keyboard, is as fine as any. Not to be missed for anyone who loves this genre. There is also a 2 CD, complete recording of this session on Amazon.com called The Astaire Story.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic Jazz With Fred Astaire, January 23, 2008

By 

Scott T. Rivers (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Steppin Out: Astaire Sings (Audio CD)

According to Hollywood legend, Fred Astaire's 1933 screen test for RKO resulted in this studio memo: "Can't sing. Can't act. Can dance a little." In reality, the dance visionary was an underrated vocal stylist who brought out the best in the compositions of George and Ira Gershwin, Irving Berlin and Cole Porter. Originally produced by Norman Granz, "Steppin' Out" compiles 17 recordings from Astaire's classic 1952 session - accompanied by a stellar jazz combo featuring pianist Oscar Peterson. The sound quality and musicianship are impeccable, with Fred smoothly gliding from one standard to another. A particularly nice touch is the three-minute interview that follows "Cheek to Cheek." If you cannot find the 38-track "Astaire Story," this hour-long Verve CD makes for an excellent overview.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Bridge Between the 1930's and 1950's, September 8, 2005

By 

Marco Antonio Abarca (Colorado) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Steppin Out: Astaire Sings (Audio CD)

The Great American Song Book reached its highest point in the 1950's with Verve's Jazz recordings of the classic American music of the 1930's. All the Jazz greats stepped back twenty years and breathed new life into the works of Irving Berlin, Rogers and Hart and Cole Porter.

"Steppin' Out" is brilliant because it serves as a link between the Broadway and Hollywood Music of the 1930's and the new Jazz interpretations of the 1950's. Many of the songs covered in this album were written for and first performed by Fred Astaire.

Verve had a first rate idea in asking Fred Astaire to work with Oscar Peterson. The arrangements show all the brilliance that Peterson was capable of achieving and Astaire stepped up to the musical challange. The jazz pace and phrasing worked perfectly for Astaire. His voice and delivery had only improved with time. In my opinion, his voice in the 1930's had a tinny quality to it. But by the 1950's he had matured and there is deepness to his voice that works well in a jazz setting.

There can be little argument that Fred Astaire was one of the great dancers of the Twentieth Century. Although not as well respected as a vocalist, this album quite clearly shows that Astaire could do it all.