If you thought having a collecton of Jackie Paris recordings made you a fan of obscure but great jazz vocalists, David Allyn is going to take you to the next level. Mezzo-baritone in voice, sounding a bit like a mix of Dick Haymes and Pat Boone (if he had a sense of swing), he was “the rave” for a while in the 40s before a series of misfortunes and “personal problems” (which are well documented in the liner notes) side tracked a promising career. This collection of 25 tunes, bookended by ’41 and ’63 incredibly boss takes of “Where You At?” has him emphasizing artsy and blue moods, with bands ranging from leaders like mainstreamers like Jack Teagarden to outward thinking Boyd Raeburn and Johnny Richards. The mood portrayed is akin to flipping through Picasso’s Blue Period; fascinating and alluring.
Highlights have Allyn mourning over a “Sweet and Lovely” that melds his voice with Lucky Thompson’s gloriously smoky tenor, while a thoughtful “Flamingo” includes the saxist as well as heavyweights Gerald Wilson and Ted Nash. Modern sounding “I Don’t Care Who Knows It” include studio studs Britt Woodman, Thompson, Harry Klee and Dodo Marmarosa. There is simply no one to compare his take of “The Touch of Your Lips” in a small group setting with Paul Smith, or his Johnny Richards-backing “It Never Entered My Mind.” He’s just so intriguingly set apart from other singers of the time-completely different from the other Italian-American vocalists of the time. His voice is still in excellent shape while Bud Shank , Howard Roberts and other West Coast coolers fit in with Bob Florence’s band on the ’63. You’ll want to listen to this one over and over, and use it as the ultimate Blindfold Contest-he’ll draw you into his lonely world like few others.
Hep Jazz Records