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120655bk Eckstine 20/3/03 3:23 pm Page 2 Billy Eckstine & His Orchestra: 8. Jealousy 3:23 15. Be My Love 3:01 19. I Guess I’ll Have To Dream The Rest 1. All I Sing Is Blues 2:54 (Jacob Gade–Rube Bloom) (Irving Brodszky–Sammy Cahn) 3:05 (Fred Gray) MGM 49S 225 MGM 50S 264-2 (M. Stoner–M. Block–H. Green) National NSC 71 Recorded April 1949, Los Angeles Recorded August 1950, New York With The Quartones Recorded October 1945, New York MGM 50S 337 With Russ Case & His Orchestra: 16. Only A Moment Ago 3:10 2. Prisoner Of Love 2:56 (Milton Ager) Recorded December 1950, New York 9. Sitting By The Window 3:09 (Leo Robin–Russ Columbo–Clarence Gaskill) MGM 50S 263-3 (Paul Insetta) With Nelson Riddle & His Orchestra: National NSC 62 Recorded August 1950, New York With The Quartones Recorded September 1945, New York 17. I’m So Crazy For Love 3:01 20. Take Me Back 2:53 MGM 49S 413-2 (Abner Spector–Don Marcotte) Recorded December 1949, New York (Lester Fontaine) With Hugo Winterhalter’s Orchestra: With The Quartones MGM 51S 3147 3. Intrigue 3:02 10. My Foolish Heart 3:07 MGM 50S 336 Recorded 1951, Los Angeles (Harry Akst–Alan Jay Lerner) (Victor Young–Ned Washington) Recorded December 1950, New York MGM 47S 254-2 MGM 49S 422-4 Transfers, Production & Digital Noise Recorded December 1949, New York 18. I’ve Never Been In Love Before 3:05 Reduction by Peter Dempsey Recorded May 1947, Los Angeles (Frank Loesser) 4. I’m Out To Forget Tonight 3:13 With Buddy Baker & His Orchestra: MGM 50S 262-4 Original monochrome photo of Billy Eckstine (Allen) 11. Free 3:04 Recorded August 1950, New York from Michael Ochs Archives / Redferns MGM 47S 255) (David Saxon–Sammy Gallop) Recorded May 1947, Los Angeles MGM 49S 3164-3 5. Somehow 3:16 Recorded September 1949, Los Angeles (Mort Maser) With The Quartones With Pete Rugolo & His Orchestra: Also available in the Naxos Jazz Legends series ... MGM 10383-A 12. I Apologise 2:56 Recorded December 1948, Los Angeles (Al Hoffman–Al Goodhart–Ed Nelson) 6. What’s My Name? 2:46 MGM 50S 3182-4 (David Saxon–Bob Wells) Recorded December 1950, Los Angeles MGM 10383-B Recorded December 1948, Los Angeles With Russ Case & His Orchestra: 13. The Show Must Go On 2:53 With Buddy Baker & His Orchestra: (Milton Ager) 7. Body And Soul 3:00 MGM 10778-A (John W. Green–Edward Heyman– Recorded c. May 1950, New York Robert Sour–Frank Eyton) 14. You’ve Got Me Crying Again 2:41 MGM 49S 224-9 (Isham Jones–C. Newman) Recorded April 1949, Los Angeles MGM 10778-B 8.120572 8.120581 8.120708* Recorded c. May 1950, New York * Not available in the USA 5 8.120655 6 8.120655 120655bk Eckstine 20/3/03 3:23 pm Page 1 BILLY ECKSTINE the vocalists Sarah Vaughan and Lena Horne. ‘woman’s picture’ of that name, this provided Personnel Eckstine with No.6 cover which became his During 1945-46, apart from leading his band virtual theme-tune) and (in 1951) a further October & September 1945: bassoon; Lloyd Rathburn, oboe; Mischa ‘My Foolish Heart’ Original Recordings 1945-1951 and penning various characteristic numbers in a Golden Disc with I Apologize (a resurrection of BILLY ECKSTINE & HIS ORCHESTRA Russell, Harry Bluestone, Nicholas Pisani, blues idiom of his own composition (notably a 1931-vintage Bing Crosby vehicle) and US Fats Navarro, Shorts McConnell, Boonie Olcott Vail, Marshall Sosson, Dan Lube, One of the most immediately recognisable – became resident vocalist at the De Liso. He was ‘Blowing The Blues Away’ and ‘Lonesome Lover No.26 cover-version of Be My Love, an Oscar- Hazel, Raymond Orr, trumpets; Jerry Edward Bergman, David Polikoff, violins; Paul and, on account of its vibrato, most imitated – first heard there by Earl Hines (1903-83) and it Blues’) Billy clocked up the first in a long series nominated song introduced by Mario Lanza in Valentine, Howard Scott, Chippy Outcalt, Robyn, David Sterkin, violas; Cy Bernard, Kurt of the jazz-singers, during the mid-1940s the was through Hines he got his first big break, as of US popular hits as a cult soloist, first for MGM’s 1950 film-musical Toast Of New Orleans. Walter Knox, trombones; John Cobbs, Budd Reher, ’cellos; Katherine Thompson, personable Billy Eckstine evolved from would-be principal vocalist with that piano giant’s National, then for MGM. In 1945 he recorded Johnson, alto-sax; Gene Ammons, Arthur harpsichord; Milt Raskin, piano; Al bebop bandleader and promoter into the bigband, in late 1939. Eckstine would remain his first hit, a million-selling revival of ‘A Thanks to his musicality, his magnetic persona Sammons, tenor-sax; Teddy Cypron, baritone; Hendrickson, guitar; Phil Stevens, bass; Louis sartorially elegant ‘Mr B’, the first real Afro- with Hines for four years: noted already for his Cottage For Sale’ which reached No.8 in the US and that husky voice with its special vibrato, Richard ‘Duke’ Ellington, piano; Connie Singer, Frank Carlson, drums American pop idol, a black star who appealed specialising in blues vocals, he occasionally also pop charts and by January 1946, he had Eckstine carved a reputation on the nightclub Wainwright, guitar; Tommy Potter, bass; Art December 1949: directly to both black and white audiences in an doubled on trumpet, which he had learned to repeated this success with another golden-disc circuit which would endure for several decades. Blakey, drums RUSS CASE & HIS ORCHESTRA era when it was ‘radical’ rather than play in spare moments during the band’s tours. in a revival of Prisoner Of Love, a number which He first toured Europe in 1954 (that same year May 1947 & December 1948: Personnel unknown commonplace to do so. The multi-talented Billy The Hines Orchestra became a renowned ‘prep had earlier proved a hit for its composer, Russ he scored a UK charts No.3 hit with ‘No One HUGO WINTERHALTER’S ORCHESTRA December 1950: (who apart from winning world fame with that school’ for modern jazz luminaries, including Columbo, in 1932. In 1947-48 his hits list was But You’) and returned to the Continent for Personnel unknown PETE RUGOLO & HIS ORCHESTRA massively resonant and highly distinctive Dizzy Gillespie, and through Eckstein’s influence further extended with, among other numbers, many subsequent seasons. His 1959 recording April 1949: Uan Rasey, Buddy Childers, Ray Linn, baritone voice was also at various stages in his Hines hired several young talents, notably ‘The Wildest Gal In Town’, ‘True’, ‘Intrigue’ and of ‘Gigi’ reached No.8 and he was latterly to BUDDY BAKER & HIS ORCHESTRA trumpets; Si Zentner, Pulman Pederson, career trumpeter, trombonist and guitarist) was Charlie Parker and Sarah Vaughan, whom ‘Sophisticated Lady’ (this last accompanied by a find extended popularity via various duets with Si Zentner, James Jamison, Ed Kusby, trombones; John Cave, flugelhorn; Skeets born Clarence William Eckstein in Pittsburgh, Eckstine had heard singing at an amateur night band which featured Miles Davis). Sarah Vaughan, particularly ‘Passing Strangers’ Pennsylvania, on 8 July 1914. After making his at the New York Apollo. trombones; Bill Hinshaw, flugelhorn; Six Herfurt, Jules Kinsler, Jack Stacey, Mort By 1947, however, Billy was tiring of one-night which, recorded in 1957, charted at No.17, in singing début at a church bazaar at the age of unknown flutes & clarinets; Edward Bergman, Friedman, saxes; Mischa Russell, Jacques By 1943 Eckstine had quit Hines’ outfit and stands as a bandleader and, disbanding his 1969. The eclecticism of Eckstine’s repertoire, eleven, he began taking piano lessons but had Samuel Cytron, Walter Edelstein, David Gasselin, Bill Miller, David Frisina, Nicholas almost immediately embarked on a solo career orchestra he regained his solo identity. Now allied to its high commercial rating, has led to no formal vocal training. In his youth his Frisina, George Kast, Nicholas Pisani, Mischa Pisani, Victor Arno, violins; Paul Robyn, David at New York’s Onyx Club, but at the instigation billed as ‘The Fabulous Mr B’ and armed with a his being classified in some circles as a greatest interest by far was football; indeed, he Russell, Olcott Vail, violins; Paul Robyn, David Sterkin, violas; Cy Bernard, Armand Kaproff, of his agent Budd Johnson, in June 1944 he lucrative five-year MGM recording contract, he commercially-driven balladeer with jazz was the recipient of an athletic scholarship to Sterkin, violas; Cyrus Witjas, Eleanor Slatkin, ’cellos; Arnold Ross, piano; Barney Kessel, formed his short-lived but influential (and since was at the peak of his popularity in this latter influences rather than a pure jazz-singer, but St. Paul’s University, Lawrenceville and it took ’cellos; Katherine Thompson, harpsichord; guitar; Harry Babasin, bass; Nick Fatool, highly acclaimed) big-band. A large-scale capacity and between 1949 and 1953 hits nonetheless Billy was indisputably one of the Milt Raskin, piano; Al Hendrickson, guitar; drums the misfortune of a broken collarbone to first of the jazz-derived vocalists to achieve jazzband struggling for survival at the tail-end of became more numerous for America’s most Art Bernstein, bass; Sam Weiss, drums c.May, August & December 1950: refocus him towards music. stardom in a world-class cabaret career which the Swing Era, this enterprise was a dinosaur, popular vocalist. These included (in 1949) September 1949: RUSS CASE & HIS ORCHESTRA extended, intermittently, until 1989, when a Initially, Billy had worked as a vocalist-MC in but proved nonetheless monumentally impor- Somehow (at No. 25) and a revival of the 1930 BUDDY BAKER & HIS ORCHESTRA Bobby Tucker, piano; other personnel unknown stroke robbed him of his mobility.