Modern Jazz Performances Of Songs From My Fair Lady [GOLD CD]

Shelly Manne And His Friends, Andre Previn, Leroy Vinnegar, My Fair Lady (Related Recordings), Shelly Manne

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 31, 1993)
• Original Release Date: August 17, 1956
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Gold CD
• Label: Dcc Compact Classics
• ASIN: B000000174
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #422,372 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
While jazz musicians had long drawn an essential portion of their repertoire from the Broadway stage, this jazz version of Lerner and Loewe's My Fair Lady was something new in 1956. Drummer Shelly Manne leads a trio with pianist Andre Previn and bassist Leroy Vinnegar here, and they bring a lightly sophisticated touch to the material, which had debuted just a few months before the recording. It's a testament to the quality of score and players alike that the tunes already feel like standards in their hands, both in the arrangements and in the solos. "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face" is the shimmering ballad that one might expect, but the trio applies a similar approach with almost equally successful results to the unlikely "With a Little Bit of Luck." Tempos are pushed toward the bop dimension for "Ascot Gavotte" and "Danced All Night," and Previn acquits himself well, generating imaginative lines. Vinnegar is a rock-solid timekeeper, while Manne provides brisk brush work, a lively beat, and creative accents. He's not obtrusive, but Manne's superb drumming is a focal point in this trio, highlighted by the 20-bit K2 super coding. --Stuart Broomer

Product Description
Japanese limited edition issue of the album classic in a deluxe, miniaturized LP sleeve replica of the original vinyl album artwork. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "must have" jazz CD featuring Andre Previn at his best., December 12, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Modern Jazz Performances Of Songs From My Fair Lady (Audio CD)

If you are into jazz, this is a "don't miss" CD. I first bought the album in the mid-fifties and it quickly became a particular favorite of mine. It features Andre Previn in his best jazz mode, and the instrumental give and take with Manne and Vinnegar yields some truly memorable riffs. It is as fresh and listenable forty years later as it was innovative when originally released.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars amazon I love you!, May 29, 2000

By	"sallygal" (u.s.a.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Modern Jazz Performances Of Songs From My Fair Lady (Audio CD)

Have searched high & low for this album, so Amazon thank you. Andre Previn is so cool on this album along with all of the other musicians. My favorite since college days. From "On the Street Where You Live" to the end, the musical interpretation from the Broadway play is magnificant and has haunted me all these years. Can't wait to hear it again!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning music from an under rated trio, March 6, 2004

By	J. Janssen (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: My Fair Lady (20 Bit Mastering) (Audio CD)

For those of a certain age "My Fair Lady" was the definition of popular musical theatre. During it's heyday on stage and film a number of jazz ensembles added individual MFL tunes to their repetoire and a dozen or more jazz LP's covered the entire Lerner & Loewe score. (The Verve LP "Oscar Peterson Plays My Fair Lady" ranks at the very top.)

One of the best is still with us and has been gloriously remastered with the K2 20bit process. These cuts sound like they were recorded last week rather than almost 50 years ago. While Shelly Manne (who, along with bassist Leroy Vinnegar, was THE rhythm of the "West Coast Sound") is one of my favorite drummers he often "takes charge" of his groups, which is fine in his horn based quarts and quints but he can overpower a trio with ease. Here he wisely dials it back a notch or two allowing Andre Previn and Leroy Vinnegar to investigate and develop some of the most beautiful music to ever enter the American (English?) Songbook.

Previn, in particular, seem to be at home with this material. His tempo and harmonic interplay breath life and vitality into tunes that were pop hits of their day. While everyone's favorite will likely be the beautiful "On the Street Where You Live", my personal pick is the haunting and lovely "I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face" which Previn handles better than ANYONE (including the aforementioned Oscar Peterson).

The ensuing album is a true classic that has withstood the test of time. Besides being a stunning take on what many consider to be the twentieth century's finest example of musical theatre (OK, that's my opinion) it is also a testament to mid century "modern jazz" before that term became perjoritive.

Buy this CD, it's timeless.