Molly Picon

Molly Picon was about 50 when these recordings were made circa 1947, but she was already a legendary figure on both the Yiddish- and English-language stage. She had had her own theatre for many years and had already starred in a play based on her own life.

Picon specialized in comedic and sentimental roles, but also had a vaudeville act and was heard on radio. She later appeared on American television into the 1970s.

"Busy Busy," one of her most famous numbers, is a good introduction to her art. In it, Picon gives us a day in the life of a shopgirl, from the moment she gets up, through a subway ride, entanglements at work, and a night out at the fights. The humor and music are entirely expected, but completely charming.

While "Busy Busy" is primarily in English, with mainly familiar Yiddish terms thrown in, the flip side ("Believe It or Not") is entirely in Yiddish. I have no idea what it is about, but it involves a shiksa.

Abe Ellstein was a noted composer and conductor who accompanied Picon for many years.

Banner Records was formed to issue products for the Jewish market in 1946, was active for a few years, then reactivated in the early 1950s. The sound on this record is fair and the pressing is a bit noisy.

Margaret Whiting Sings Jimmy Clanton

I've written often about the fate of pop vocalists as the 50s wound on. In the constant quest for hits, they broadened their repertoire to encompass country, gospel, rhythm & blues, novelty songs, and anything else that seemed to have any chance of succeeding with the increasingly inscrutable record-buying public.

The superb pop singer Margaret Whiting was an old hand at this, having had success with country songs as far back as the 40s, especially in duets with former cowboy star Jimmy Wakely. In 1958, she had moved to Dot records, and was covering country hits and doing fairly well at it. Her offering for July was, however, something a little different - a cover of "Just a Dream" by the Baton Rouge teen singer Jimmy Clanton.

Neither Maggie nor the musicians are entirely comfortable with the song nor the New Orleans style arrangement. (Objectively it isn't a very good song, although wonderfully convincing in Clanton's version.) They are much more at home with the flip side, the rhythm song "Pretty-Eyed Baby", which has been recorded by any number of artists and was a mild hit for Jo Stafford and Frankie Laine in 1951.

I think these are non-LP songs, but I don't have access to my collection, so can't be sure.

Dancing with Napoleon XIV

I've had this promo record for quite some time, and always assumed it was by an obscure pop vocalist. (Jerry Simms looks like an obscure pop vocalist, doesn't he?) Then I decided to listen to it, and discovered it is actually a mild form of rock 'n' roll. And when I looked into the identity of Jerry Simms, I discovered something completely unexpected - Simms (real name Jerry Samuels) later became Napoleon XIV.

For those not tuned in to mid-60s American popular music, Napoleon XIV was responsible for an unlikely hit in 1966 titled "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha Haaa!" As may be apparent, this was a novelty song, and it told the tale of the singer being removed "to the funny farm, where life is beautiful all the time." It was fully as tasteless as it sounds. (However, I did enjoy the title of one of his other songs, "Photogenic, Schizophrenic You".)

This 1959 single, in contrast, does not deal with mental health issues, rather dancing - "Dancing Partners" and "Dancing with a Memory" - and displays all the usual influences of the time - Elvis, calypso, doo-wop, big-voice belters and even a little Nashville sound. It's actually a reasonably good record.

Diz Sings for the Butchers of America

I love records of jazz musicians singing, so I was happy to acquire this Dizzy Gillespie effort a while back. The title "Hey Pete" sounded familiar to me, but I couldn't place it. Turns out I have heard it before, and the full lyrics are as follows:

"Hey Pete, let's eat more meat.
"Hey Pete, let's eat more meat.
"Cause the meat from the Texas cows is cheap."

These are shouted by the ensemble (apparently led by Diz) in the time-dishonored band vocal style. It has a certain jaunty character, but not enough to give one an impression of Gillespie's prowess as a vocalist. (He would, however, undoubtedly be effective in a butcher shop.)

Otherwise, it is a lively bop item with a spectacular solo by the leader. The other side, "One Alone," is NOT the aria from The Desert Song, but rather a dull bop ballad. Better they should have done the Romberg.

These items were recorded in May 1954 in New York's Fine Sound Studios, with the following personnel: Hank Mobley (ts) Wade Legge (p) Lou Hackney (b) Charlie Persip (d). "Hey Pete" also appeared on the LP "Dizzy Gillespie and His Orchestra." Another take of "One Alone" was on "Diz and Getz" even though Stan is not the man on tenor here.

Oh, and I was familiar with "Hey Pete" because Dizzy had recorded it five years earlier for RCA Victor.

This record has now been remastered in meaty ambient stereo.