SPECIAL CHRISTMAS SHOPPING EDITION!! THE NEXT FEW EDITIONS WE’LL COVER JAZZ RELEASES THAT WILL MAKE PERFECT GIFTS FOR THAT SPECIAL JAZZ FAN IN THE FAMILY.

Bing Crosby
The Bing Crosby CBS Radio Recordings (1954-56)
Mosaic Records
www.mosaicrecords.com
By George W. Harris

I know I’ve said this a million times before, but I’ve still got to say
it, “Mosaic Records has done it AGAIN.” There, I feel much better now.

Within the past year or so, they’ve put out unbelievable sets on Chu
Berry, Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw and Louis Armstrong. This one just might top them
all, as almost all of the music on these 7 discs has never graced the
ears of the listening public before. You think you’ve heard Bing
before? Let me tell ya-YOU HAVEN’T HEARD BING CROSBY until you
experience these one of a kind recordings.

In case you only think of The Bingster as a star of the famous “Road”
movies, a priest, a golfer or a pitchman for orange juice, then you’re
in for the treat of a lifetime. Back in the 20s, he, along with Louis
Armstrong set the style and standard for jazz singing and conquered the
world of movies, recordings and radio in one fell swoop. The problem
for the jazz fan was that once Crosby became world famous, he
essentially turned into a pop star, surrounding himself with lush
string and orchestral arrangements on tunes like “Don’t Fence Me In.”
The only time he was able to return to his musical roots (and joy) was
during his daily radio show (which we have here in our possession),
where he recorded with pianist/keyboardist Buddy Cole some of the most
fun, loose, and above all, SWINGING versions of the Great American
Songbook when the canon was still being assembled. The backup band
included drummer Nick Fatool (made famous with Goodman, Shaw, James and
Garner, among others), bassist Don Whitaker (who played with Clooney,
Christy, Thornhill and Garland) and guitarist Vince Terri (most notably
with Gus Bivona’s band). A small horn section that includes clarinetist
Matty Matlock shows up for a baker’s dozen of two beat tunes like
“Muskrat Ramble” and “Just Around The Corner” which keeps things a bit
fresh and varied, but for the most part, it’s Bing at his most
intimate, loose and hep.

The music presented here is a priceless find on numerous fronts. First,
Crosby had never sung a number of these tunes before, so hits like “My
Baby Cares For Me” and “I’ve Grown Accustomed To Her Face” and a hot
version of “The Lady Is a Tramp” are like fresh manna from heaven.
Other songs which he is more recognized with, like “Softly As A Morning
Sunrise” and “Way Down Yonder In New Orleans” have a relaxed feel that
Bing rarely employed at this stage in his career. Of course, his voice
is one of the wonders of modern music, and he does stuff by Porter,
Gershwin and Mercer that could easily be considered definitive. He can be gentle and reassuring as on “The Nearness Of You” buoyant as in “’Deed I Do,” or penetratingly passionate as in his powerful take of “Unchained Melody.” No matter the song, he has a warmth, calmness and avuncular patience with the music that is missing in everything done by today’s singers. More than anything else, this set is an indictment against the 21st century angst ridden crooning charlatans and posing pop stars.

There are a plethora of joys on this collection. Songs he made famous in the cinema like “Mandy” and “Count Your Every Blessings…” are given relaxed and by-the-fireplace renditions here. I bet you never knew that there were lyrics to the theme of the movie “Gone With The Wind” either, but Crosby delivers it here, and perfectly so. There are scores of songs here that have been ignored or overlooked by present day singers (and musicians) that beg to be brought back to life again, such as “How Important Can It Be?” and “You’re In Kentucky Sure As You’re Born.” But that’s the whole point of this reissue; Crosby grew up with all of these songs, and he’s simply giving us his musical biography. Present day singers treat these tunes like monuments, while Crosby simply delivers his dna. It’s the difference between a Baby Boomer or their grandchildren singing a Beatles tune.

You can argue until you’re blue in the face about who between Nat,
Frank, Bing and Louis is the actual “all time” best singer, but these
releases here sure add to the arsenal of Bing’s defense. If you want to
hear where Sinatra came from, as well as every other white singer up to
and including Michael Buble’, this set will give you an education worth
a Masters Degree. The liner notes by Gary Giddens, who literally wrote
the book on Der Bingster, is as informative as you could hope. Everyone
should give a tribute to producer Michael Cuscuna for putting this one
together. As always, it’s a limited edition, so get it NOW NOW NOW, and
thank the Good Lord for His many blessings.