It was actually simply called “Rhythm and Blues,” but the specific style of harmonized vocals that began with the Mills Brothers and formulized by the Ink Spots that became what we now know as “Doo-Wop” essentially began in the late 1940s by this group, the Orioles, lead by the delicately passionate voice of Sonny Til. (Not sure how all these groups got named after birds, such as The Ravens, The Larks and The Flamingos, but that’s another story) They actually had a few popular hits in “It’s Too Soon To Know” which precedes this ’51 gig and “Crying In The Chapel” a couple years later, so what you get here is the band on “just another night” making a living on a bill with Roy Eldridge’s band with Zoot Sims (does Uptown have THAT gig recorded?!?) and the results are vocal heaven.
The ensemble of Til with Alex Sharp/ten, George Nelson/bar, Johnny Reed/b voc-b, and Ralph Williams/g-ten delivers two 20+ minute sets here, mixing standards of the day with vocal workouts. The harmonies on “I May Be Wrong” and the unptempo “Oooh! Look-A-Thre, Ain’t She Pretty” sets the standard for these street corner symphonies, as Sharp croons with sensitive and glowing delight on the heart felt “When You’re A Long, Long Way From Home.” Reed takes the lead on a riveting “Old Man River” and the band has a fun time together on “I’ve Got A Gal 65, And I’m Just 23.” This type of music is the embodiment of the idea that ‘it ain’t what you say, it’s the way that you say it,” with tunes that would normally be trite or hokey sounding like arias from Verdi. This night at The Blue Note Jazz Club in Chicago was like a night in La Scala with these vocal delights. Read the copious liner notes, and check this out to re-discover the last type of happy American music.
Uptown Records