[Dixielandjazz] "Originals: Musical Comedy, 1909-1935" reviewed

[Robert Ringwald]

"Originals: Musical Comedy, 1909-1935" reviewed
Broadway/Arkivmusic)
by Steven Suskin
Playbill.com, February 6, 2011
Broadway entered the original cast album era, as all good fans know, when Dave Kapp
took "Oklahoma!" into the recording studio in 1943. Not true, in fact; there were
earlier original cast albums, notably including Marc Blitzstein's 1938 "The Cradle
Will Rock" and selections featuring original "Porgy and Bess" cast members recorded
in 1940 and 1942.
Whatever. Prior to this, it was not uncommon for a popular performer to take some
of their stage songs into the recording studio. In most cases these were studio arrangements
and studio orchestras; in a very few cases, the original orchestrations and sometimes
the pit orchestra were used.
In 1968, RCA decided to go through their archives to assemble an LP consisting of
16 vintage performances. "Originals: Musical Comedy, 1909-1935" they called it, with
the subtitle "Broadway's Great Performers of Yesterday and the Day Before." This
was a rather curious collection, as we shall see. Yes, it sounds good; not in the
aural sense, but in the description. But the greatness of the performers and the
importance of the selections are questionable. In any event, Masterworks Broadway
has seen fit to dust it off and release it on demand (with hard copies available
from Arkivmusic).
There is no question that Fanny Brice, Eddie Cantor and Al Jolson belong in any group
of greatest. Ms. Brice is present with "Second Hand Rose," and this is indeed an
historic and still viable recording. Mr. Cantor sings a song from his biggest hit,
the 1929 musical "Whoopee." We don't get "Makin' Whoopee," though, a song that I
am happy to listen to repeatedly; instead we get something called "Hungry Women."
Amusing, at least the couple of times I've played it, but hardly historic, imperishable
or any shade of great. And Jolson, who sang so many hits that he could cut himself
in on the author's royalties at will, is here with "That Haunting Melody" from "Vera
Violetta." Don't remember that one, show or song, do you? This 1914 revue helped
establish Jolson as a star, but the song isn't much of anything. What's more, the
voice is early Jolson to such an extent that you might not even recognize him.
"Originals" gives us Blanche Ring, Nora Bayes, and Elsie Janis; stars for a while,
yes, but not legendary icons. Edith Day, J. Harold Murray, Louise Groody, Charles
King -- greats? Hardly so. The great Bea Lillie is onboard, which is helpful, and
she is accompanied at the keys by the equally great Vincent Youmans. But the song
she sings, "Like He Loves Me" from the instantly forgotten 1926 musical "Oh, Please!",
doesn't recommend Lillie or Youmans. Two other composers -- Eubie Blake and Cole
Porter -- are present singing, which doesn't quite fit in under the "great performers
of yesterday" label.
There are a few selections which are worth their salt, and our attention. These include
Ms. Brice's aforementioned ditty; Helen Morgan singing the glorious "Why Was I Born?"
from Kern and Hammerstein's "Sweet Adeline;" and Libby Holman almost equaling Ms.
Morgan with "You and the Night and the Music" from Schwartz and Dietz's "Revenge
With Music." An unexpected treat is the latest of the selections, Eleanor Powell
singing and tapping away to "Oh, What a Wonderful World" from the 1935 Schwartz-Dietz
revue "At Home Abroad." But those are four of the 16 selections.
Included are the 1968 liner notes written by some NYU professor, who tells us that
"the one staggering truth about musicals is that most of them are incapable of surviving
for as much as a decade, and when revived prove to be so rheumatic, so banal, so
ludicrous that we groan at the shattering of our illusions and depart sadly and silently."
Thanks, mister! Who invited him to the celebration?


--Bob Ringwald
www.ringwald.com
Fulton Street Jazz Band
530/ 642-9551 Office
916/ 806-9551 Cell
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After a night of drink, drugs and wild sex Bill woke up to find himself next to a
really ugly woman.
That's when he realized he had made it home safely.