The last time I wrote about an exceptional tribute album to Frank Sinatra by a jazz artist was in January. The album was Oscar Peterson's A Jazz Portrait of Frank Sinatra, recorded in May 1959. Now I want to hip you to another gem. It's Here's to the Losers, a glorious little-known album by tenor saxophonist Georgie Auld and produced by Jack Tracy for Philips Records in July 1963.
While Sinatra isn't named on the cover or the liner notes, the album features Auld playing saloon songs closely associated with the singer. Interestingly, according to Jack's liner notes, the title song appeared for the fist time on this album, before Sinatra's Softly As I Leave You was released in 1964. But since Here's to the Losers was recorded by Sinatra the exact same month and year as Auld's, clearly songwriters Robert Wells, Jack Segal sold it to both of them at around the same time.
Auld was a major player in the 1940s and '50s. His recording career began in 1936 in Bunny Berigan's band. He joined Artie Shaw next in 1938 and then Benny Goodman starting in 1940. Auld's leadership recording career began in 1944 and he made records with Coleman Hawkins, Sarah Vaughan and Dizzy Gillespie that same year. In the mid-1940s, Auld led a terrific band with Tadd Dameron and Budd Johnson as arrangers. In 1950, Auld was in Chubby Jackson's all-star band and he led quintets that were impossibly excellent. Throughout the 1950s, Auld's saxophone was in great demand, turning up on Maynard Ferguson's Octet and Around the Horn, both on EmArcy in 1955. His discography in the late 1950s is equally astonishing. The last time I posted about Auld was in 2015 here. [Photo above of Georgie Auld. In background, Tiny Kahn on drums, Red Rodney on trumpet and Serge Charloff on baritone saxophone, by William P. Gottlieb]
On Here's to the Losers, Auld was backed by a terrific, swinging West Coast ensemble: Larry Bunker (vib), Lou Levy (p), John Gray (g), Leroy Vinnegar (b) and Mel Lewis (d). The tracks are Here's to the Losers, In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning, That Old Feeling, Everything Happens to Me, Drinking Again, Blue and Sentimental, Learnin' the Blues, Auld and Vinnegar's For Losers and Boozers and One for My Baby (and One More for the Road).
Sinatra clearly had nothing to do with For Losers and Boozers and he never recorded Blue and Sentimental. But the rest were ballads recorded by the Chairman of the Board. As for Auld, he works his broad, flinty tenor saxophone through the batch, giving them a hoarse after-hours fell. Months earlier, Auld recorded Georgie Auld Plays the Winners for Philips backed by Frank Rosolino (tb) Lou Levy (p) Leroy Vinnegar (b) and Mel Lewis (d). A good album but not as blue as this one.
Georgie Auld died in 1990.
JazzWax clips: Here's Here's to the Losers...
And here's In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning...
While Sinatra isn't named on the cover or the liner notes, the album features Auld playing saloon songs closely associated with the singer. Interestingly, according to Jack's liner notes, the title song appeared for the fist time on this album, before Sinatra's Softly As I Leave You was released in 1964. But since Here's to the Losers was recorded by Sinatra the exact same month and year as Auld's, clearly songwriters Robert Wells, Jack Segal sold it to both of them at around the same time.
Auld was a major player in the 1940s and '50s. His recording career began in 1936 in Bunny Berigan's band. He joined Artie Shaw next in 1938 and then Benny Goodman starting in 1940. Auld's leadership recording career began in 1944 and he made records with Coleman Hawkins, Sarah Vaughan and Dizzy Gillespie that same year. In the mid-1940s, Auld led a terrific band with Tadd Dameron and Budd Johnson as arrangers. In 1950, Auld was in Chubby Jackson's all-star band and he led quintets that were impossibly excellent. Throughout the 1950s, Auld's saxophone was in great demand, turning up on Maynard Ferguson's Octet and Around the Horn, both on EmArcy in 1955. His discography in the late 1950s is equally astonishing. The last time I posted about Auld was in 2015 here. [Photo above of Georgie Auld. In background, Tiny Kahn on drums, Red Rodney on trumpet and Serge Charloff on baritone saxophone, by William P. Gottlieb]
On Here's to the Losers, Auld was backed by a terrific, swinging West Coast ensemble: Larry Bunker (vib), Lou Levy (p), John Gray (g), Leroy Vinnegar (b) and Mel Lewis (d). The tracks are Here's to the Losers, In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning, That Old Feeling, Everything Happens to Me, Drinking Again, Blue and Sentimental, Learnin' the Blues, Auld and Vinnegar's For Losers and Boozers and One for My Baby (and One More for the Road).
Sinatra clearly had nothing to do with For Losers and Boozers and he never recorded Blue and Sentimental. But the rest were ballads recorded by the Chairman of the Board. As for Auld, he works his broad, flinty tenor saxophone through the batch, giving them a hoarse after-hours fell. Months earlier, Auld recorded Georgie Auld Plays the Winners for Philips backed by Frank Rosolino (tb) Lou Levy (p) Leroy Vinnegar (b) and Mel Lewis (d). A good album but not as blue as this one.
Georgie Auld died in 1990.
JazzWax clips: Here's Here's to the Losers...
And here's In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning...
This story appears courtesy of JazzWax by Marc Myers.
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