1. Sweet Georgia Brown
2. On the Street Where You Live
3. Just One of Those Things / Green Dolphin Street
4. When You Wish Upon a Star / I’m Wishing
5. Trolley Song / Get Me to the Church on Time
6. Ridin' High / Shootin' High
7. Comin’ Home Baby
8. Mountain Greenery
9. Born to be Blue
10. Ruby
11. The Folks Who Live on the Hill
12. Lulu’s Back in Town
13. It Don’t Mean a Thing (If it Ain’t Got That Swing)
14. The Christmas Song
Steve March Tormé, Mel Tormé – Vocals
Steve Rawlins – Leader/piano
Jim DeJulio – Bass
Gordon Peeke – Drums
Lanny Morgan – Alto sax
Gary Herbig – Tenor sax
Jennifer Hall – Baritone sax
Walt Johnson, Bobby Rodriguez – Trumpets
Ira Nepus, Wendall Kelly – Trombones
This is without any doubt the best jazz DVD I have seen and heard
to date. The picture quality is excellent and so is the sound. It
tells the story of the son of the great Mel Tormé and what a son he
is. He is not just a copy of his amazing father, but he has an excellent
voice in his own right. He does not set out to copy the performances
of his illustrious father, but gives his own interpretation of some
of the songs Mel made famous, backed by the Marty Paich Dek-tette.
Most of the arrangements were written by Marty Paich for Mel and they
are played here for Steve by a great band, which includes alto genius
Lanny Morgan, himself a great arranger, who was in the original band.
The programme selection is first class, which always helps enormously
with the enjoyment, and the musicianship throughout is not to be confused
with the average.
The DVD tells the story of how Steve, who despite only being reunited
with Mel in the latter part of his life, took total advantage of his
opportunity. This latter-day meeting had a great influence on young
Steve, who up to this time had been a high-range pop singer. He worked
hard on the lower part of his range and he is now the complete artist:
great voice, great range, crystal-clear diction, perfect intonation
plus a great stage presence. My wife and I had a really good time
watching and listening, and without doubt it lifted our spirits enormously;
it should be available on the NHS!
A couple of tracks featuring Mel are also included and it is always
great to hear him, he was also a musical giant!
The whole production is a quality package and this adds to the enjoyment.
The package includes 2 discs:
Disc 1
Complete Session Video - Side one
Linear Programme Video - Side two (the Music without the Story)
Disc 2
Audio CD Track – Side one
DVD Audio Tracks – Side two (DVD Audio Player required)
I recommend this without hesitation. It is the one of the most pleasant
experiences I have had in ten years or so of record and DVD reviewing.
Don Mather
CD Reviews
AIX 83042
