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Various: The Milt Gabler Story
ByJazz fans will delight in the five original Commodore sides that lead off 26 selections that include two Billie Holiday signature recordings, "Strange Fruit and "Fine and Mellow. On the DVD we learn that her powerful lyrical indictment of Southern lynchings would not have been waxed were it not for Gabler's agreement to record "Strange Fruit, after Columbia declined it as too controversial. Big names abound, with guitarist Eddie Condon and clarinetist Pee Wee Russell meeting on "Love is Around the Corner, as well as a 1938 version of "Them There Eyes with Buck Clayton on trumpet and a superbly clean clarinet solo by Lester Young.
Gabler's respect for musicians resulted in his recordings being the first to include the names of session players. That practice is happily duplicated here so we can enjoy the fact that it's bassist Ray Brown doing the honors on both Ella Fitzgerald's "How High the Moon and her duet with Satchmo, "Dream a Little Dream of Me. As we move through the Decca years, some of the heavily arranged and highly choral numbers may not appeal to all but they historically set the stage for Gabler's final all out assault on the musical tastes of mainstream America. For you see, the seeds of rock and roll lay in those rockin' Louis Jordan sides, like the included "Choo Choo Ch' Boogie, that Gabler produced years before he convinced Bill Haley to alter his sound for "Rock Around the Clock.
Track Listing
1. Love Is Just Around the Corner 2. Them There Eyes 3. Strange Fruit 4. Fine and Mellow 5. That
Personnel
1. Eddie Condon and his Windy City Seven 2. The Kansas City Six 3. Billie Holiday 4. Billie Holiday 5. Wild Bill Davison and his Commodores 6. Lionel Hampton and his Orchestra 7. Dick Haymes and the Song Spinners 8. Billie Holiday 9. The Andrews Sisters 10. Bing Crosby and the Jesters 11. Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five 12. Ella Fitzgerald 13. Ella Fitzgerald 14. Louis Armstrong 15. The Weavers 16. Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald 17. Peggy Lee 18. The Mills Brothers 19. Pearl Bailey 20. Kitty Kallen 21. The Four Aces 22. Bill Haley and his Comets 23. Sammy Davis Jr. 24. Roberta Sherwood 25. Wayne Newton 26. Nat "King" Cole
Album information
Title: The Milt Gabler Story | Year Released: 2005 | Record Label: Verve Music Group
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