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THE SONGS OF JIMMY VAN HEUSEN SWINGING ON A STAR His 52 Finest 1933-1962 |
RETROSPECTIVE RTS 4381 \
DISC ONE (1933-1945)
1. Swinging On A Star Bing Crosby
2. There’s A House In Harlem For Sale Henry “Red” Allen
3. It’s The Dreamer In Me Harry James & Helen Humes
4. So Help Me If I Don’t Love You Mildred Bailey
5. Do You Wanna Jump, Children? Erskine Hawkins & Jimmy Mitchell
6. Deep In A Dream Connee Boswell & Woody Herman
7. Good For Nothing But Love Fats Waller
8. Heaven Can Wait Glen Gray & Clyde Burke
9. Oh, You Crazy Moon Bea Wain
10. Blue Rain Glenn Miller & Ray Eberle
11. I Thought About You Benny Goodman & Mildred Bailey
12. Darn That Dream Benny Goodman & Mildred Bailey
13. Peace, Brother! Benny Goodman & Mildred Bailey
14. Imagination Ella Fitzgerald
15. Shake Down The Stars Glenn Miller & Ray Eberle
16. Polka Dots And Moonbeams Frank Sinatra & Tommy Dorsey
17. All This And Heaven Too Jimmy Dorsey & Bob Eberly
18. It’s Always You Bing Crosby
19. Absent-Minded Moon Artie Shaw & Georgia Gibbs
20. Road To Morocco Bing Crosby & Bob Hope
21. Moonlight Becomes You Bing Crosby
22. Sunday, Monday Or Always Bing Crosby
23. If You Please Bing Crosby
24. It Could Happen To You Jo Stafford
25. Nancy With The Laughing Face Frank Sinatra
26. Put It There, Pal Bing Crosby & Bob Hope
DISC ONE TOTAL PLAYING TIME: [77:47]
DISC TWO (1944-1962)
1. Sleigh Ride In July Dinah Shore
2. Like Someone In Love Bing Crosby
3. Yah-Ta-Ta, Yah-Ta-Ta, Talk, Talk, Talk Judy Garland & Bing Crosby
4. Personality Johnny Mercer & The Pied Pipers
5. Aren’t You Glad You’re You? Bing Crosby
6. But Beautiful Frank Sinatra
7. You Don’t Have To Know The Language Bing Crosby & The Andrew Sisters
8. Busy Doing Nothing Bing Crosby, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, & William Bendix
9. Once And For Always Jo Stafford
10. Sunshine Cake Bing Crosby & Carol Richards
11. Life Is So Peculiar Louis Armstrong & Louis Jordan
12. Somewhere Along The Way Nat King Cole
13. Here’s That Rainy Day Peggy Lee
14. Love And Marriage Frank Sinatra
15. Love Is The Tender Trap Frank Sinatra
16. All The Way Frank Sinatra
17. Come Fly With Me Frank Sinatra
18. It’s Nice To Go Trav’ling Frank Sinatra
19. Fancy Meeting You Here Bing Crosby & Rosemary Clooney
20. To Love And Be Loved Frank Sinatra
21. High Hopes Frank Sinatra
22. All My Tomorrows Frank Sinatra
23. Ain’t That A Kick In The Head Dean Martin
24. Incurably Romantic Yves Montand & Marilyn Monroe
25. The Second Time Around Jane Morgan
26. Call Me Irresponsible Jack Jones
DISC TWO TOTAL PLAYING TIME: [78:50]
Jimmy Van Heusen (1913-1990) was born Edward Chester Babcock in Syracuse, New York and learned to play piano as a young child. At age 16 he borrowed the name Van Heusen from a shirt manufacturer and the name Jimmy from a friend’s cousin and began playing at a local radio station as Jimmy Van Heusen. In 1933 he began writing music for Cotton Club revues, and soon began composing for stage musicals and films. Jimmy was a skillful and prolific song writer, and his warm and playful personality were reflected in his work, ranging from romantic ballads to light novelty tunes, adding a rich chapter to the Great American Songbook. This 2-disc set features 52 delightful numbers from his long career.
The earliest song in this collection is There’s A House For Sale in Harlem, a slow, bluesy trad jazz favorite composed with Jerry Arlen and recorded in 1934 by trumpeter Henry “Red” Allen and his Orchestra. It features clarinetist Buster Bailey and Hilton Jefferson on alto sax. The latest song is Call Me Irresponsible, with lyrics by Sammy Cahn and recorded in 1962 by Jack Jones. The lovely ballad won the Oscar for Best Song for the 1963 film Papa’s Delicate Condition. Jimmy also won Oscars for three other tunes. Swinging On A Star, with lyrics by Johnny Burke, appeared in the 1944 film Going My Way, and was sung by Bing Crosby backed up by a young Andy Williams and the Williams Brothers. In 1957 he won an Oscar for All The Way, written with lyricist Sammy Cahn, and sung by Frank Sinatra in the film The Joker Is Wild. In 1959 Jimmy and Sammy won Oscars again for the song High Hopes, sung by Frank and “ a bunch of kids”, for the movie A Hole In The Head. Both Sinatra tunes are marvelously arranged and accompanied by Nelson Riddle and his Orchestra.
One of Jimmy’s early hit songs was Heaven Can Wait, with lyrics by Eddie DeLange. The tune was recorded in 1939 and features the fine baritone vocalist Clyde Burke, accompanied by Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra. The same year they co-wrote the classic Darn That Dream, sung by Mildred Bailey with Benny Goodman and his Orchestra, for the Broadway musical Swingin’ The Dream. In 1941 Jimmy teamed with Johnny Burke and wrote Absent-Minded Moon, recorded the following year by singer Georgia Gibbs. Artie Shaw performs a fine clarinet solo along with his full Orchestra. Jimmy composed the music for 23 of Bing Crosby’s movies, including most of the Road series. The theme song for 1942 film Road To Morocco is sung here in a 1944 Decca recording by Bing Cosby and Bob Hope, accompanied by Vic Schoen and his Orchestra. Jimmy wrote the song Here’s That Rainy Day with Johnny Burke for the 1953 musical Carnival In Flanders, sung here by Peggy Lee accompanied by Quincy Jones and his Orchestra in a 1961 recording. One of my favorite tunes in this set is Ain’t That A Kick In The Head, composed by Jimmy and lyricist Sammy Cahn for the 1960 film Ocean’s 11. The swinging Dean Martin is in fine form, accompanied by Nelson Riddle and the band.
This music was compiled by Ray Crick, and restored and re-mastered by Martin Haskell. A 12-page booklet is included with comments by Ray Crick and Peter Dempsey. The sound quality is excellent.
Bruce McCollum