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

[Ron L'Herault]

Jolson only recorded a couple of disks or so for Victor and Haunting, I
think may be his first.  After that, it was on to Columbia for the greater
part of his recording career until his post "Jolson Story" comeback when he
recorded for Decca.

Ron L

-----Original Message-----
From: dixielandjazz-bounces at ml.islandnet.com
[mailto:dixielandjazz-bounces at ml.islandnet.com] On Behalf Of Robert Ringwald
Sent: Tuesday, February 08, 2011 2:02 PM
To: lherault at bu.edu
Cc: Dixieland Jazz Mailing List
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] "Originals: Musical Comedy, 1909-1935" reviewed

"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
Amateur (Ham) Radio K6YBV

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.


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