Trav'lin' Light/Merely Marvelous

Jimmy Giuffre

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 25, 1999)
• Original Release Date: May 18, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Collectables
• ASIN: B00000J83B
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #245,390 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. Trav'lin' Light - Jimmy Giuffre

2. Swamp People - Jimmy Giuffre

3. Green Country (New England Mood) - Jimmy Giuffre

4. 42nd Street - Jimmy Giuffre

5. Pickin' 'Em up and Layin' 'Em Down - Jimmy Giuffre

6. Lonely Time - Jimmy Giuffre

7. Show Me the Way to Go Home - Jimmy Giuffre

8. California, Here I Come - Jimmy Giuffre

9. Merely Marvelous - Mabel Mercer

10. Let's Begin - Mabel Mercer

11. All in Fun - Mabel Mercer

12. Fifth of July - Mabel Mercer

13. Don't Dream of Anybody But Me - Mabel Mercer

14. Round House Nellie - Mabel Mercer

15. Sell Me! - Mabel Mercer

16. Lovewise - Mabel Mercer

17. Nobody Else But Me - Mabel Mercer

18. You're Nearer - Mabel Mercer

19. I Walk a Little Faster - Mabel Mercer

20. You Fascinate Me So - Mabel Mercer

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For those who are puzzled by the combination, it is worth it, July 31, 2001

By	Indian music lover "Marwa" (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews

Like some of the other reviewers, I was bit puzzled by the combination of the Giuffre 3 and Mabel Mercer on the same CD. However, I wanted to get the Giuffre, so I took the plunge and am very glad that I did. First, the Giuffre-Hall-Brookmeyer part of the CD meets the highest expectations of those who enjoy intelligent, subtle, innovative jazz. Giuffre is one of the true originals in the history of jazz, creating a marvelous blend of several jazz traditions (from show tunes to modern), folk, and 20th century classical. What more can one say about Jim Hall than he is one of the great masters of jazz guitar? The epitome of taste and control. I was not familiar with Bob Brookmeyer's valve trombone work but he never fails to play at the same high level as his fellow musicians. Once you listen to this music, you will have to reassess the need for piano, bass, and drums in a jazz group. The reeds-guitar-trombone combination works that well. As to Mabel Mercer's portion on the CD, what a pleasant surprise! Singer friends of mine had always praised Ms. Mercer, but I had not heard her before. All I can say now is that her music is very intelligent and very unique....and in combination with Jimmy Giuffre 3 ensures that you cannot go wrong in purchasing this CD. Here's an idea for when you have people over: program the CD to play a cut of the Giuffre 3, then some Mercer, back to Giuffre, and so on. Very cool.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great mixture, June 13, 2007

By	Don Steiny (Santa Cruz, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Duke Ellington is quoted as saying that the only types of music were "good music and bad music." It would be safe to say that all recordings ever made by Mabel Mercer or Jimmy Giuffre (or Jim Hall) should be filed under "(extremely) good music." The songs are dijunct because Mercer was one of the earliest influences on jazz and Giuffre is modern, but ... so?

For those of you who come from Jim Hall and Jimmy Giuffre and are a bit surprised by Mabel Mercer, thinking "it sounds old fashioned" it is worthwhile to note that Frank Sinatra said "she taught me everything I know." Billy Holiday used to sneak out of her job as a waitress to listen to Mabel Mercer. She preformed with Django Reinhart to audiences that included Ernest Hemmingway, Gerturide Stein and the "lost generation" in Paris. She is credited with originating the "caberet" style (and barroom style like Holiday, Fitzgerald, Sinatra, Bennett and so on). She is probably the most influental vocalist in the US (and all the world influence by jazz) and it is for a reason. She is really, really good.

If you come to the record from Mabel Mercer and are shocked by the sparse and modern trio of Giuffre (sax), Hall(guitar) and Brookmeyer(trombone) you might be jarred at the lack of vocals and the complex melodies. You might want to listen to it a few times. I, personally, love all three of the insturments, but I am a guitar fan and listen to anything I can find that Jim Hall does. He has never let me down and does not here.

This is a GREAT album. It has been in my 5 CD change for more than a month. I swap out the other 4.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yet another "review" from someone who doesn't own the CD, July 14, 2001

By	P. J. Keating (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

robert-g-near-nyc wondered plaintively in his review what Mabel Mercer has to do with this product since the samples available here (only the first five tracks) do not include her. The answer is that the set consists of two wildly different CD's that were shoe-horned into the same box as an effort of will.

Mabel Mercer recorded four 12" LP's for Atlantic in the fifties, Merely Marvelous being one of them. I own the original LP on black vinyl. What can you say about it? Mabel is unique. You "get her" or you don't. If you want all of her records you need to buy this. If you don't like the Jimmy Giuffre use it as a coaster. It's a separate disk. But you might like it. And remember this is two disks for the price of one.

I specified the size of the LP's above because she also made some 10" LP's which were collected on two 12" LP's as "The Art of Mabel Mercer". This is going to be released in August by the same company that released this album. That one is also going to be "must have" if you love Mabel. I can't wait. Unfortunately it is coming out under a strange title, I forget exactly what, but it is not going to be called "The Art of..." Be warned....