Mel Tormé – Mel Tormé Sings Fred Astaire (Original Recording Remastered 2013) (1957/2014) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Mel Tormé – Mel Tormé Sings Fred Astaire (Original Recording Remastered 2013) (1957/2014)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 35:05 minutes | 710 MB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Bethlehem Records

Mel Tormé reunites with arranger and conductor Marty Paich and his 10-piece ensemble the Dek-tette on this 1956 recordings dedicated to Fred Astaire, Tormé’s favourite singer. Heavy on material from the Gershwins and Irving Berlin, these songs all appeared in Astaire’s films.

Though it’s sometimes relegated to second or third place among Tormé’s best albums of the ’50s (behind Mel Tormé and the Marty Paich Dek-Tette and It’s a Blue World), it’s difficult to hear how Mel Tormé Sings Fred Astaire can’t be the best album of his entire career. Featuring an artist at the peak of his ability and talent, a collection of top-drawer songs from the best pop composers ever, and a swinging ten-piece that forms the perfect accompaniment, Sings Fred Astaire is one of the best up-tempo vocal albums ever recorded. Coming hot on the heels of Mel Tormé and the Marty Paich Dek-Tette in 1956, this tribute to Hollywood’s most stylish dancer finds Tormé obliging with his nimblest and most elegant singing. Even while Marty Paich’s band takes “The Way You Look Tonight” and “Cheek to Cheek” at a breakneck pace that Astaire himself would’ve had trouble with, Tormé floats over the top with death-defying vocal acrobatics. He’s breezy and sophisticated on “They Can’t Take That Away from Me,” ecstatic and effervescent on “Top Hat, White Tie and Tails” (matching an exuberant solo by trumpeter Pete Candoli), and even breaks out an affectionate croon for “A Foggy Day.” A collection of perfect hard-swinging pop with a few ballads thrown in for good measure makes Sings Fred Astaire a masterpiece of the vocal era.

Tracklist:
1. Mel Tormé, The Marty Paich Dek-Tette – Nice Work If You Can Get It (03:08)
2. Mel Tormé, The Marty Paich Dek-Tette – Something’s Gotta Give (03:56)
3. Mel Tormé, The Marty Paich Dek-Tette – Nice Work If You Can Get It: A Foggy Day (02:36)
4. Mel Tormé, The Marty Paich Dek-Tette – The Way You Look Tonight: A Fine Romance (03:01)
5. Mel Tormé, The Marty Paich Dek-Tette – They Can’t Take That Away From Me: Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off (03:27)
6. Mel Tormé, The Marty Paich Dek-Tette – Cheek To Cheek: Top Hat, White Tie And Tales (03:10)
7. Mel Tormé, The Marty Paich Dek-Tette – The Way You Look Tonight (02:22)
8. Mel Tormé, The Marty Paich Dek-Tette – Cheek To Cheek: The Piccolino (02:34)
9. Mel Tormé, The Marty Paich Dek-Tette – They Can’t Take That Away From Me (03:01)
10. Mel Tormé, The Marty Paich Dek-Tette – Cheek To Cheek (02:58)
11. Mel Tormé, The Marty Paich Dek-Tette – Let’s Face The Music And Dance (02:19)
12. Mel Tormé, The Marty Paich Dek-Tette – They Can’t Take That Away From Me: They All Laughed (02:30)

Personnel:
Mel Tormé – vocals
Marty Paich – piano
Herb Geller – alto saxophone
Jack DuLong – baritone saxophone
Jack Montrose – tenor saxophone
Bob Enevoldsen – trombone, tenor saxophone
Don Fagerquist – trumpet
Pete Candoli – trumpet
Albert Pollan – tuba
John Cave – french horn
Vince DeRosa – french horn
Max Bennett – bass
Alvin Stoller – drums

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