R-E-S-P-E-C-T-I-N-G the Past

Before Aretha Franklin signed with Atlantic Records and gained worldwide ‘Respect’ for being a ‘Natural Woman’, she recorded a string of albums for Columbia Records.

Aretha was just 19 when the legendary auteur John Hammond (who ‘discovered’ Billie Holliday and Bob Dylan) began grooming her for stardom.

Many of the period’s best producers, arrangers and conductors came on board to work with Aretha, including Robert Mersey (Barbra Streisand, Johnny Mathis, Andy Williams) and Richard Wess (Bobby Darin).

With a voice that was matured way beyond her years, Hammond decided that the future Queen of Soul record material tailored for an adult audience, so naturally they turned to the Great American Songbook.

It goes without saying (but we’ll say it anyway) that at the top of the Aretha’s song list was Jimmy McHugh’s Where Are You.

Click the link below to enjoy the results:

http://theseconddisc.com/2011/04/04/review-aretha-franklin-take-a-look-aretha-franklin-complete-on-columbia/

A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening

Jimmy McHugh & Bobby Darin

One summer night in 1959, at The Hollywood Bowl, Bobby Darin headlined a salute to the music of Jimmy McHugh. It was called I Feel a Song Coming On.

The 21-year old wunderkind had just exploded onto the national scene, winning Record of the Year for his breakthrough hit, Mack The Knife, at the first ever Grammy Awards Ceremony.

Bobby sang I Feel A Song Comin' On, On The Sunny Side Of The Street, Comin' In On A Wing And A Prayer, I Won't Dance, I Can't Give You Anything But Love, I Couldn't Sleep A Wink Last Night and Let's Get Lost.

Conductor Buddy Bregman led the mammoth 105 piece orchestra, which included a 55 member string section!

Rounding out the salute to Jimmy’s music was Vic Damone and the gorgeous Italian actress and singer Anna Maria Alberghetti. Among the McHugh songs they performed was Can't Get Out Of This Mood, When You and I Were Young Maggie Blues and When My Sugar Walks Down The Street.

The show ended with Jimmy Bobby, Vic and Anna Marie singing A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening.

Indeed it was.

Click to hear:

Bobby Darin/I Can’t Give You Anything But Love, Baby

SONG SPOTTING: The Cotton Club

Most recently screening on CineMax’s MAX HD channel, this epic crime drama, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, is centered around the famed Harlem Jazz Club of the 1920’s, The Cotton Club.

The 1984 film features several Jimmy McHugh songs including Exactly Like You and his iconic ‘hot jazz’ barn-burner, Diga Diga Doo.

Jimmy was the club’s first Musical Director a coveted position which he held during the Club’s most celebrated years. Under his musical direction he discovered Duke Ellington and brought the young, novice songwriter Dorothy Fields to the Club to write songs with him.

Richard Gere, Diane Lane and Gregory Hines head up the cast which includes Nicolas Cage, Bob Hoskins, Laurence Fishburne, Maurice Hines and Gwen Verdon.

The film received several Golden Globe © and Academy Award© nominations.

Try to catch The Cotton Club on the tube- you wont be disappointed!

Click to hear:

Duke Ellington & His Orchestra performing

Jimmy McHugh’s Diga Diga Doo

The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Kinks & Jimmy McHugh

Doo Wop idols, The Duprees, held their own during the British Invasion, scoring a string of hits between 1962-1966 with standards like Jimmy McHugh’s Where Are You.

The Duprees were formed in the streets of New Jersey, just like those other Jersey Boys, Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons.
Every night these five leather-jacketed high school buddies rehearsed on the same street corner, under the same street light and every night they were chased away by the same local beat cop!


Luckily a friend of one of the boys had a cousin who had a friend who knew former big band leader George Paxton, who had just started up a label, Coed Records.
Having written arrangements for Bunny Berigan, Charlie Spivak, Vaughn Monroe and Sammy Kaye, Paxton recognized the potential for recording updated versions of classic American standards.
Guided by Paxton, The Duprees, perfected their signature sound which blended Joey Vann’s lead vocals and classic doo wop harmonies with big band arrangements.

http://youtu.be/zVCg9MxrLL8

http://www.duprees.com/home.html

http://www.globaldogproductions.info/c/coed.html

Amy Winehouse: An Artist of Immense Proportions

All of us at Jimmy McHugh Music are saddened by the death of Amy Winehouse.

Tony Bennett was the last person to work with the singer- having recently recorded a duet together.

When reached for comment, the legendary singer remarked Winehouse was "an artist of immense proportions.”


He continued. “I am deeply saddened to learn of her tragic passing. She was an extraordinary musician with a rare intuition as a vocalist and I am truly devastated that her exceptional talent and has come to such an early end."


We were delighted that the 27-year old vocal phenom had chosen to include Jimmy McHugh’s Moody’s Mood For Love on her 2003 debut album.
We’ll treasure that recording and the memory of the brilliant Amy Winehouse.

The World of Tomorrow

In 1939, The New York Worlds Fair, trumpeted as The World of Tomorrow, was the big national news on radio and in newspapers.

Among the hundreds of thousands of visitors to Gotham that summer was an unknown vocal group, The Quintones, who made their way East to record with legendary producer and manager, Buck Ram.

Ram recognized that a proven jazz standard was just the thing needed to pull a hit from the young untried vocal quintet.

He quickly decided on one of his own personal favorites, Jimmy McHugh’s When My Sugar Walks Down The Street.

Buck Ram

Having decided on the perfect song for their sound, Buck took the group into the studio and recorded ‘Sugar’ on September 5, 1939.

Remarkably, only six weeks later, just as the Worlds Fair was closing, the record had already made it’s way to the top of America’s Hit Parade.

The Quintones

Buck Ram later went on to earning his place in Rock & Roll history for his work with The Platters.

http://youtu.be/n-9gpFE1_Hw

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buck_Ram

http://xroads.virginia.edu/~1930s/display/39wf/frame.htm

John Coltrane: Ballads

One winter night, in 1962, John Coltrane gathered in a drafty New York recording studio with pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Jimmy Garrison, drummer Elvin Jones and legendary engineer, Rudy Van Gelder.

After a minimum of rehearsal and then recording just one take each of eight songs, John Coltrane’s landmark album, Ballads was complete.

Coltrane included two Jimmy McHugh tunes on the LP, Say It (Over and Over) & Too Young To Go Steady.

This is definitely essential listening for anyone who loves jazz.

Here are links to John Coltrane performing the music of Jimmy McHugh:

Say It (Over & Over)

http://youtu.be/JFp6FxdcDv8

Too Young To Go Steady

http://youtu.be/vgOY_e64mbk

More about John Coltrane including a rare 1966 Interview:

http://youtu.be/IqCPFRRWZic

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Coltrane