Customer Reviews

Tawny/Music, Martinis and Memories

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I, having just turned 36 years old, am not old enough to have been around when this music was first presented. Thanks to my father I found out about Mr. Gleason and his many albums. MUSIC, MARTINIS, AND MEMORIES (MM&M) has been a favorite album of mine for years. I was pleased to find it on cd. This cd has been combined with another of Gleason's albums, TAWNY. It is a shame that people of my generation (Generation X, it's hard to believe we're almost if not middle age now) and the younger generations dismiss Gleason and other musical artists of the 1950's as elevator music.

Gleason's band, along with other instrumental bands and orchestras of the 50's, such as Mantovani and 101 Strings, really have detailed arrangements. Songs like "I'll Be Seeing You" are so detailed you can practically hear the lyrics everytime the horn tunes up during the chours. Also, each song blends, almost unnoticeably, into the next. The mood that Gleason helps create is not broken by a musical selection that clashes with the one preceding it.

I should note, for those people who have either of the indivdual albums, that the songs are not in album form. They are mixed in together. This is not a bad thing, only for those of us who are used to hearing the songs in a certain order may be caught off guard. We'll be expecting one song but get another.

The title says it all. This "music" will bring back "memories", "martinis" are optional. By the way, I love the cover art for MM&M. It fits the title and songs just perfect.

If you've heard Jackie Gleason's music, in particular MUSIC, MARTINIES, AND MEMORIES, than you probably know what I mean. This music sounds like it came from one of those great old movies. It is sad, and sweet, and very, very lush. If you want to feel like you're living in a Joan Crawford or Lana Turner melodrama all day and suffer grandly, simply put on this cd and you will be transported back into a distant era when one could sit back with a martini and think about "memories" without seeming anti-social, just a little bit corny maybe and sentimental. It's music for people who have big, broken hearts.

I have always had a love for eras past, especially the early 50s glamour, and this album tops them all. I first heard it at my grandpa's. He had the original record in his collection and I was hooked. Certainly not elevator music--these are the arrangements that prove melody is sometimes greater than lyrics. It's all about the melody here--and that gorgeous trumpet! I am 20--so don't assume this is music only the older generations could appreciate. It's timeless.

The 1950s yielded some excellent romantic "mood music" by artists such as Percy Faith, Frank Chacksfield, and Ray Anthony. But the best romantic albums were the early albums by Jackie Gleason which featured a lush string orchestra -- with no percussion to jar the romantic mood -- and incredibly smooth and mellow solos by the great trumpeter/cornetist Bobby Hackett. Gleason's first album was the super hit Music for Lover's Only. But Music, Martinis and Memories was just as good and the sound was much better. The extra songs from the album Tawny are a welcome bonus. Unfortunately, most so-called "mood music" played today is justly dismissed as "musical wallpaper" or "elevator music." If you want to hear how good the best romantic music was, listen to the early albums by Jackie Gleason and Bobby Hackett. This album is a great one to start with.

At over an hour & fifteen minutes this 53 year old recording still sounds fresh & goes to show why Jackie Gleason who although he couldn't read a note of music knew what sounded great. For years Gleason's recordings were staples on now defunct Muzak/Easy Listening Stations that were heard in supermarkets & dentist offices across the land. Unfortunately today many only remember
Jackie as the sherrif in the Smokey & The Bandit films. His early carreer on the Dumont TV Network, his hit easy listening albums, The Honeymooners & performance in films such as "The Hustler" were career highlights. I also highly recommend Gleason's 1956 Christmas Album also available on CD. Enjoy!

This CD is great for just taking it all in, preferably with a classic cocktail. It works equally well as background music for dinner or as the focus of the night. I wouldn't listen to this if were trying to wash the windows though. You'll wind up with a Martini in your hand and your feet up on the ottoman. This entire CD is remarkable, but some of the highlights for me are as follows: "Some Day", "I Got It Bad", "I Love You", "Shangri-La", and "Time on My Hands".

If you want to relax with your girl this is the CD. You want to relax by yourself. Forget it, get a girl and play this CD. As Sinatra said "Loners are Losers".

ANYONE WHO REMEMBERS FM MUSIC BACK IN THE EARLY 1960'S, WHEN MANY EASY LISTENING STATIONS DOMINATED THE FM BAND ON THE RADIO, ONE OF THE ARTISTS THAT I HEARD QUITE A BIT WAS THE JACKIE GLEASON ORCHESTRA. SONGS LIKE "SHANGRI LA" AND "IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU" PLEASANTLY AROUSED ME WHEN I HEARD THEM ON THIS CD. I RECALLED THESE SONGS SOME 40 YEARS AGO BUT HAD NO IDEA WHAT THE SONG TITLES WERE TILL NOW. THIS CD IS A MUST FOR ANYONE WHO ENJOYS EASY LISTENING MUSIC.

This is a wonderful place to order Music from, I love the way it is presented and Jackie Gleason is one of the best. His music is so smooth and so romantic. I own several of his CD's and they are all simply wonderful.

The CD package was well packed and shipped promptly. If you like easy listening of the 'classics' of the forties, fifties and sixties, you will enjoy these.

I am the rare boomer who has always disliked most rock music. The Gleason albums were part of my music listening experience growing up. These albums received considerable play on "adult" radio stations throughout the 1950's and 60's. There were more substantial orchestral recordings of this genre in the same timeframe, namely the works of Miles Davis and Gil Evans. Unfortunately, these albums were never marketed to the masses, like Gleason, Montovani, Percy Faith, etc.

The Gleason albums are well produced, and the musicians are those who honed their skills during the big band era. With the tide of popular music turning towards the near exclusive use of guitars, these men were forced into session work in order to earn a living. Hence, with the exception of the fine trumpeter Bobby Hackett, the others are toiling in obscurity over somewhat pedestrian arrangements.

It is easy for succeeding generations to dismiss this as "elevator" music. And few have the attention span to listen anyway. However, the musicianship is not to be overlooked.

Music Martinis and Memories CD by Jackie Gleason brings back one of
the best easy listening sound from the 50s it was not all r&r