Mel Torme – Mel Torme Sings Fred Astaire (1957/2014) [PrestoClassical FLAC 24bit/96kHz]

Mel Torme & The Marty Paich Dek-Tette – Mel Torme Sings Fred Astaire (1957/2014)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 35:05 minutes | 710 MB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download – Source: PrestoClassical | Front Cover | © Bethlehem Records

Mel Tormé reunites with arranger and conductor Marty Paich and his 10-piece ensemble the Dek-tette on this 1956 recordings dedicated to Fred Astaire, Tormé’s favourite singer. Heavy on material from the Gershwins and Irving Berlin, these songs all appeared in Astaire’s films.

Though it’s sometimes relegated to second or third place among Tormé’s best albums of the ’50s (behind Mel Tormé and the Marty Paich Dek-Tette and It’s a Blue World), it’s difficult to hear how Mel Tormé Sings Fred Astaire can’t be the best album of his entire career. Featuring an artist at the peak of his ability and talent, a collection of top-drawer songs from the best pop composers ever, and a swinging ten-piece that forms the perfect accompaniment, Sings Fred Astaire is one of the best up-tempo vocal albums ever recorded. Coming hot on the heels of Mel Tormé and the Marty Paich Dek-Tette in 1956, this tribute to Hollywood’s most stylish dancer finds Tormé obliging with his nimblest and most elegant singing. Even while Marty Paich’s band takes “The Way You Look Tonight” and “Cheek to Cheek” at a breakneck pace that Astaire himself would’ve had trouble with, Tormé floats over the top with death-defying vocal acrobatics. He’s breezy and sophisticated on “They Can’t Take That Away from Me,” ecstatic and effervescent on “Top Hat, White Tie and Tails” (matching an exuberant solo by trumpeter Pete Candoli), and even breaks out an affectionate croon for “A Foggy Day.” A collection of perfect hard-swinging pop with a few ballads thrown in for good measure makes Sings Fred Astaire a masterpiece of the vocal era.

Tracklist:
01 – Nice Work If You Can Get It
02 – Something’s Gotta Give
03 – Nice Work If You Can Get It: A Foggy Day
04 – The Way You Look Tonight: A Fine Romance
05 – They Can’t Take That Away From Me: Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off
06 – Cheek To Cheek: Top Hat, White Tie And Tales
07 – The Way You Look Tonight
08 – Cheek To Cheek: The Piccolino
09 – They Can’t Take That Away From Me
10 – Cheek To Cheek
11 – Let’s Face The Music And Dance
12 – They Can’t Take That Away From Me: They All Laughed

Arranged & Conducted by Marty Paich.
Recorded on November 10-11, 1956 in Hollywood, California by BETHLEHEM.
Remastered in 2013.

Musicians:
Mel Tormé – vocals
Marty Paich – piano
Herb Geller – alto saxophone
Jack DuLong – baritone saxophone
Jack Montrose – tenor saxophone
Bob Enevoldsen – trombone, tenor saxophone
Don Fagerquist – trumpet
Pete Candoli – trumpet
Albert Pollan – tuba
John Cave – french horn
Vince DeRosa – french horn
Max Bennett – bass
Alvin Stoller – drums

Download:

mqs.link_MelTrmeMelTrmeSingsFredAstaire19572014PrestClassical2496.rar