Wednesday, February 2, 2011

BING AND SOME JAZZ FRIENDS

Here is a review I discovered online that I did for Amazon way back in 2001. I think I still have this CD, even though I have all of the tracks now on the "Chronological" from Jonzo. Those were the days... This masterpiece of a CD was issued by Decca/MCA in 1991, and I can not believe that it is taking me this long to review it. Unfortunately, sales of the CD was not what they expected, but I see no reason not to like it. Bing Crosby is often remembered only for "White Christmas" and pitching Minute Maid orange juice, and that is not the case. Bing could sing ANY type of song from country to jazz, and he also sang with the best of them. Actress Jane Wyman once said "if you can't sing with Bing, you can't sing!" This CD is full of goodies. Included is Bing's two great duets with Louis Jordan, "Your Socks Don't Match" and (my favorite)"My Baby Said Yes". Louis was kind of the Fats Waller of the late 1940s, but Bing actually sounded great with him. There are also a few duets that Bing did with the underrated Connee Boswell. I think that Connee was the best white jazz singer of all-time. Other favorites on the disc include:"On The Sunny Side Of The Street" with Lionel Hampton,"I Still Suits Me" with Lee Wiley, and "When My Dreamboat Comes Home" with Bob Crosby. The only track that I think was a poor choice for this collection was "Pennies From Heaven" with Louis Armstrong and Frances Langford. It's a good recording, but not really a jazz selection. Once again, I can not say enough about this CD. The sound is of high quality, and the selections are nearly perfect. Even if you are not a huge fan of Bing Crosby, if you are looking for some great jazz, then this is your CD...

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