Showing posts with label Marlene VerPlanck. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marlene VerPlanck. Show all posts

Saturday, December 17, 2022

Marlene VerPlanck - The Title Tracks

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2021
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:24
Size: 102,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:23) 1. (I Think Of You) With Every Breath I Take
(2:38) 2. You'd Better Love Me
(2:57) 3. South To A Warmer Place
(2:37) 4. I Like To Sing!
(3:37) 5. A Quiet Storm
(4:13) 6. What Are We Going To Do With All This Moonlight?
(4:35) 7. Speaking Of Love (Feat. Roy Babbington)
(3:59) 8. It's How You Play The Game
(3:26) 9. My Impetuous Heart (Feat. Hank Jones, Gary Mazzaroppi & Joe Cocuzzo)
(2:43) 10. Once There Was A Moon
(3:10) 11. One Dream At A Time
(3:21) 12. I Give Up, I'm In Love (Feat. Warren Vaché & Glen Francke's Big Band)
(3:39) 13. The Mood I'm In

Marlene Paula VerPlanck was an American jazz and pop vocalist whose body of work centered on big band jazz, the American songbook, and cabaret.

VerPlanck was born and raised in Newark, New Jersey Her father, Anthony J. Pampinella (1908–1993), operated a gasoline station there, and her mother, Pauline A. Biase (1913–2008), whose family ran an Italian restaurant. She married trombonist, composer, and arranger J. William "Billy" VerPlanck (1930–2009) in 1955, and he became her musical collaborator and champion. They were married for 52 years, until his death in 2009.

VerPlank graduated from Bloomfield High School, and considered a career in journalism. She began performing as a teenager at the age of 19, at a nightclub in Newark, the Well. Her debut album, I Think of You with Every Breath I Take, was released in 1955 when she was 21, and featured Hank Jones, Joe Wilder, Wendell Marshall, Kenny Clarke, and Herbie Mann (uncredited). VerPlanck then went to work as a vocalist for Charlie Spivak's band, and later sang with the Tommy Dorsey band and with Tex Beneke's band.

VerPlanck was a prolific studio vocalist for commercial jingles during the 1960s and 1970s, and by the 1960s became known as the "New York jingle queen." She recorded thousands of jingles, often for low pay, although her fortunes changed when she sang an arrangement of the 1930s Campbell's Soup "M'm M'm Good" song, which became widely known. Other notable jingles she recorded included "Nationwide is on your side" for the Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company and "Weekends were made for Michelob" for Anheuser-Busch's Michelob beer. She later told the press that the latter was highly lucrative for her, because she put a "Yeah!" at the end of the jingle that was used over and over again in versions of the jingle recorded by Billy Eckstine, Vic Damone, and Brook Benton, earning her continued royalties. Her jingle work allowed her to hone the clarity of her diction when singing, and she became known for her ability to enunciate the lyrics of songs clearly even while investing them with emotion. Although she toiled largely in obscurity, her voice became widely known to millions of people during the 1960s and 1970s through the familiarity and popularity of her jingles.

VerPlanck also sang backup for Tony Bennett, Perry Como, Frank Sinatra, and Mel Torme, and she performed around the United States and internationally as a cabaret singer. Despite her long and successful career in jingles and as a studio backing vocalist, her second solo album, Marlene VerPlanck Loves Johnny Mercer, was not recorded until 1979, 24 years after her first album. Her solo career then began in earnest, and she released more than 20 albums, mostly on the Audiophile label, and toured extensively as a soloist. She specialized in the Great American Songbook, especially the works of Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Johnny Mercer, Cole Porter, and Richard Rodgers, and gained a reputation as one of the most accomplished interpreters of the genre.

In January 1983, VerPlanck took part in recording In the Digital Mood, an early all-digital recording of the music of Glenn Miller by the Glenn Miller Orchestra. The album included two vocal tracks – "Chattanooga Choo-Choo" and "(I've Got a Gal In) Kalamazoo", and VerPlanck was invited to sing the female vocals in a recreation of the singing group The Modernaires, which consisted of one female and four male vocalists, and to bring four male colleagues with her to sing the four male vocal parts. The album's producers expected her to bring unknown session and back-up singers with her, but she surprised and delighted the producers and the orchestra by arriving with Julius LaRosa, Mel Torme, Michael Mark, and Marty Nelson for the recording session on January 20, 1983.

VerPlanck last performed in December 2017 at a jazz club in New York City. She died of pancreatic cancer at a hospital in Manhattan, New York City on January 14, 2018, aged 84 and was buried at Mt. Olivet cemetery in Bloomfield.https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/marlene-verplanck

The Title Tracks

Friday, July 9, 2021

Marlene VerPlanck - Loves Johnny Mercer

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1979
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:56
Size: 123,3 MB
Art: Front

(2:03) 1. I Remember You
(2:12) 2. That Old Black Magic
(2:19) 3. Early Autumn
(2:12) 4. Hit the Road to Dreamland
(2:33) 5. Skylark
(3:31) 6. Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home
(2:16) 7. Fools Rush In
(2:09) 8. Day In - Day Out
(1:58) 9. Lets Take the Long Way Home
(2:19) 10. I'm Old Fashioned
(2:05) 11. Jeepers Creepers
(3:36) 12. Midnight Sun
(2:58) 13. Something's Gotta Give
(3:03) 14. I Thought About You
(1:44) 15. Out of This World
(2:27) 16. P.S. I Love You
(2:09) 17. My Shining Hour
(2:57) 18. How Do You Say Auf Wiedersehn
(2:39) 19. Summer Wind
(2:57) 20. Charade
(2:40) 21. Love's Got Me in a Lazy Mood

Marlene Ver Planck is a perfect person to interpret the lyrics of Johnny Mercer because she has both a beautiful voice and a straightforward approach. The original LP had 16 selections and found the singer accompanied by pianist Tony Monte, guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, bassist Milt Hinton and drummer Butch Miles in 1978. Ten years later to fill out the CD reissue, the same cast returned to record five additional songs. The performances are quite concise (only four of the 21 pieces are over three minutes) but each is long enough to get its point across. Highlights include "I Remember You," "Early Autumn," "Skylark," "Something's Gotta Give," "I Thought About You" and "Love's Got Me in a Lazy Mood." Recommended.~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/loves-johnny-mercer-mw0000200393

Personnel: Marlene Ver Planck; Tony Monte: piano; Bucky Pizzarelli: guitar; Milt Hinton: bass; Butch Miles: drums

Loves Johnny Mercer

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Marlene VerPlanck - A Breath of Fresh Air

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1993
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:41
Size: 137,3 MB
Art: Front

(3:07)  1. Mr. Lucky
(2:47)  2. Growing Old Gracefully
(2:22)  3. Brasiliero
(2:19)  4. Where Is Love?
(2:44)  5. There Won't Be Trumpets
(2:28)  6. I Concentrate on You
(2:15)  7. Rainbow Hill
(3:15)  8. Baby Elephant Walk
(2:21)  9. Sunday
(3:41) 10. Show Me
(3:02) 11. This Happy Feeling
(3:35) 12. How Can I Be Sure?
(2:16) 13. Down Here on the Ground
(4:33) 14. I Have Dreamed
(2:26) 15. I'm All Smiles
(2:42) 16. The More I See You
(2:40) 17. Go Fly a Kite
(2:58) 18. Wave
(2:43) 19. Mission Impossible
(2:05) 20. A Little Love Should Rub off on Us
(2:11) 21. I Chase a Rainbow Dream

The jazz content of this CD reissue is pretty light as singer Marlene Ver Planck (who as usual displays a beautiful voice with a wide range) is backed by rather commercial arrangements on a repertoire dominated by then-current show and movie tunes that often sound quite dated today. She certainly does her best (as can be heard on wordless versions of "Baby Elephant Walk" and "Mission Impossible") but Ver Planck's later recordings are much more valuable from the jazz standpoint. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/a-breath-of-fresh-air-mw0000097157

A Breath of Fresh Air

Monday, October 14, 2019

Marlene VerPlanck - Live! In London

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1993
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:23
Size: 124,1 MB
Art: Front

(2:48)  1. Music Is My Best Friend
(2:13)  2. Get out of Town
(5:46)  3. Body and Soul
(4:00)  4. The Happy Madness
(3:18)  5. Let's Begin
(5:26)  6. Someone to Light up My Life
(3:26)  7. I Wanna Be Around
(3:10)  8. Say It Isn't So
(2:03)  9. Let's Face the Music and Dance
(2:03) 10. Watching You
(4:14) 11. Lover
(2:28) 12. Falling in Love with You
(2:39) 13. It's Bad for Me
(7:27) 14. "Doctor Doolittle" Medley: Something in Your Eyes / I Think I Like You / When I Look in Your Eyes
(2:16) 15. So in Love

Marlene VerPlanck, a wonderful singer whose style falls somewhere between jazz and cabaret, is in fine form on this live CD. VerPlanck, although her improvisations are quite subtle, always swings and manages to find beauty in each song she interprets. This set has a wide variety of material which ranges from such classics as "Body and Soul" and "Let's Face the Music" to the potentially sticky "So in Love" and even a medley from "Doctor Doolittle." Backed by a solid if somewhat anonymous English rhythm section, VerPlanck (who is virtually the whole show) uplifts each song and surprises listeners with her occasional jumps into the stratosphere (her range is remarkable) although she mostly vocalizes in her warm middle register. Recommended. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/live%21-in-london-mw0000236211

Live! In London

Monday, December 10, 2018

Marlene VerPlanck - Ballads...Mostly

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:54
Size: 150,1 MB
Art: Front

(3:46)  1. I Wish I Knew
(3:48)  2. Witchcraft
(5:03)  3. My Dream Is Yours
(5:50)  4. Love Dance
(4:59)  5. I Only Have Eyes for You
(4:36)  6. It Amazes Me
(2:54)  7. Baby Dream Your Dream
(4:35)  8. There Will Never Be Another You
(3:24)  9. The Rules of the Road
(4:29) 10. I'm Gonna Laugh You Right out of My Life
(5:45) 11. I Walk a Little Faster
(3:33) 12. Listen to the Piano Man
(4:33) 13. Why Try to Change Me Now
(3:13) 14. You Fascinate Me So
(4:20) 15. Why Was I Thinking of Springtime

As the title says, this 2013 collection finds Marlene VerPlanck singing Ballads...Mostly, which isn't especially a surprise this singer. Then again, surprise isn't the name of the game here, at least in terms of approach. She's relying on eight arrangment sby her late husband J. Billy VerPlanck, she sings nearly as many songs by Cy Coleman, and she's working with a familiar cast of supporting musicians including drummer Ron Vincent, bassist Boots Maleson, bassist Jay Leonhart, pianist Tedd Firth, trumpter Claudio Roditi, pianist Mike Renzi and saxophonist Houston Person. Comfort doesn't necessarily mean complacent, however, as all involved do take their time to deliver precise, yet robust, versions of late-night supperclub vocal jazz. It's a warm bath of a record, one that soothes and relaxes. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine https://www.allmusic.com/album/ballads-mostly-mw0002545542

Ballads...Mostly

Thursday, December 6, 2018

Marlene VerPlanck - A Quiet Storm

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:23
Size: 119,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:07)  1. I Wished on the Moon
(3:15)  2. Things Are Looking Up
(5:33)  3. Medley: Soft Lights and Sweet Music/When Lights Are Low
(3:35)  4. The Lies of Handsome Men
(3:54)  5. Sister Moon
(3:37)  6. A Quiet Storm
(2:42)  7. Lovers in New York
(2:01)  8. Cinnamon and Clove
(3:25)  9. Taking a Chance on Love
(2:28) 10. Dream Dancing
(2:57) 11. Who Can I Turn To?
(2:39) 12. I've Got Just About Everything
(3:14) 13. To Late Now
(4:42) 14. Medley: I Love to Dance/The Last Dance
(4:07) 15. So Long Sadness

Marlene VerPlanck paid tribute to the Great American Songbook. VerPlanck, who grew up in Newark, New Jersey listening to Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald on WNEW radio, collaborated throughout her long career with her husband, arranger, composer, and conductor Billy VerPlanck. Her 17th album, 2000's My Impetuous Heart, reunited her with some old friends, including jazz pianist Hank Jones and special guests jazz pianists George Shearing and Marian McPartland and guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli. VerPlanck's career was a long string of success stories, which showcased her as a versatile singer with a gorgeous, pliable voice that knew how to tell a story. She started singing at age 19. Her career stretched back to the '50s when she worked with Tex Beneke and Charlie Spivak. Her first big break came in 1955 when she teamed up with pianist Hank Jones, flutist Herbie Mann, trumpeter Joe Wilder, bassist Wendell Marshall, and drummer Kenny Clarke on I Think of You with Every Breath I Take on Savoy Records. She met her husband while performing with Charlie Spivak's band, then both moved over to the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra. Tommy Dorsey died in 1956, so the VerPlancks decided to stay in New York City to pursue studio work with the likes of Sinatra, Perry Como, Tony Bennett, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Blood, Sweat & Tears, and even Kiss. Millions of people outside the jazz world first heard VerPlanck's voice, though, doing jingles in the '60s: "Weekends were made for Michelob/Yeah!" and "Winston tastes good like a cigarette should!" and "Mmm good/Mm-mm good/That's what Campbell's Soups are/Mm-mm good." After thousands of commercial jingles and hours and hours of studio session work in New York, the VerPlancks decided to settle down in their house in Clifton, New Jersey, and began performing and recording together. Their first recording together was A Breath of Fresh Air, arranged, produced, and conducted by Billy VerPlanck in 1968. 

In 1976, Marlene VerPlanck hooked up with North Carolina-based composer/pianist Loonis McGlohon, who hired her to do two installments of a radio show he co-hosted called Alec Wilder's American Popular Song. Afterwards, she recorded Marlene VerPlanck Sings Alec Wilder, and later, after Wilder's death, she appeared on the radio show The American Popular Singers, co-hosted by McGlohon and opera singer Eileen Farrell. Ver Planck performed at Carnegie Hall, Michael's Pub, and the Rainbow Room in New York City. She appeared on Entertainment Tonight, The Today Show, and CBS Sunday Morning. In the Digital Mood, featuring VerPlanck, Mel Tormé, and Julius La Rosa with the Glenn Miller Orchestra, became the first big-band CD to go gold in the '90s. VerPlanck remained active as a live performer and recording artist in the 2000s and 2010s, following up the aforementioned My Impetuous Heart with such albums as Once There Was a Moon (2008), One Dream at a Time (2010), Ballads... Mostly (2013), and The Mood I'm In (2016), all released by the Audiophile Records label. Marlene VerPlanck died in January 2018 in Manhattan at the age of 84. ~ Robert Hicks https://itunes.apple.com/lk/album/a-quiet-storm/826266784

A Quiet Storm

Saturday, September 29, 2018

Marlene VerPlanck - Marlene VerPlanck Sings Alec Wilder

Size: 141,0 MB
Time: 59:37
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1986
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front & Back

01. Where Is The One (3:19)
02. Crazy In The Heart (4:07)
03. Love Among The Young (3:09)
04. I'm Alone Again (4:03)
05. Please Stay With Me (2:51)
06. The Lady Sings The Blues (2:41)
07. I Like It Here (2:03)
08. Lovers And Losers (2:05)
09. Remember, My Child (1:54)
10. Give Me Time (3:20)
11. That's My Guy (1:49)
12. (So You've Had A) Change Of Heart (4:44)
13. I Wish I Had The Blues Again (3:39)
14. No One Ever Told Me (1:51)
15. I'll Be Around (2:32)
16. Blackberry Winter (3:37)
17. The Wrong Blues (4:28)
18. I Like It Here (And This Is Where I'll Stay) (2:44)
19. Be A Child (2:19)
20. Where Is The One (2:10)

He's been called "the Quincy Jones of Gospel," and besides being one of the best-selling instrumentalists in Christian music, keyboard player Ben Tankard has justified his tag, producing many stellar gospel projects as well as serving as an executive vice-president at Tribute Records, for which he has recorded extensively. Born in Florida to a minister father and a missionary mother, he began playing drums in church at the age of three. He later graduated to tuba and was offered several music scholarships to college, though he eventually accepted a basketball scholarship instead.

Tankard endured a rough period of depression and homelessness when a knee injury prevented him from turning professional (though he was drafted by the NBA). A visit to a revival service put him on the right track, and almost overnight, he became a very talented keyboard/organ player. Tankard began his witness in song with 1990's Keynote Speaker, recorded for Tribute. He continued recording and soon moved into production and arranging as well, calling on his reserves of early musical training to provide impeccable jobs for Yolanda Adams, the Alabama State Mass Choir, and Michael Bruce. His albums were often light jazz works, offering soothing, reflective gospel instrumentals that were similar to mainstream efforts from George Benson and Kenny G. In addition to his numerous solo albums, Tankard has earned a plethora of Gold and Platinum records via his production work, collaborating with a host of Grammy-winning artists including Take 6, Fred Hammond, Kelly Price, John P. Kee, Shirley Murdock, Twinkie Clark, and Gerald Albright. ~by John Bush

Marlene VerPlanck Sings Alec Wilder

Thursday, September 13, 2018

Marlene Verplanck - You'd Better Love Me

Size: 145,7 MB
Time: 61:31
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1977/1997
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front & Back

01. While We're Young (4:29)
02. You Leave Me Breathless (3:47)
03. What I Was Warned About (2:20)
04. Easy Street (2:27)
05. Tenderly (2:18)
06. An Occasional Man (2:39)
07. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (2:27)
08. Love (3:08)
09. Love All The Quiet Flower People (2:58)
10. If I Gave You (2:49)
11. Accent On Youth (2:28)
12. You Go To My Head (2:30)
13. The Boy Next Door (2:09)
14. The Crickets Are Calling (1:38)
15. I Know Your Heart (2:45)
16. This Funny World (3:09)
17. The Winter Of My Discontent (2:29)
18. Gone With The Wind (2:15)
19. You Are For Loving (2:38)
20. Ev'ry Time (4:19)
21. Tiny Room (2:56)
22. You'd Better Love Me (2:43)

Marlene VerPlanck paid tribute to the Great American Songbook. VerPlanck, who grew up in Newark, New Jersey listening to Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald on WNEW radio, collaborated throughout her long career with her husband, arranger, composer, and conductor Billy VerPlanck. Her 17th album, 2000's My Impetuous Heart, reunited her with some old friends, including jazz pianist Hank Jones and special guests jazz pianists George Shearing and Marian McPartland and guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli. VerPlanck's career was a long string of success stories, which showcased her as a versatile singer with a gorgeous, pliable voice that knew how to tell a story.

She started singing at age 19. Her career stretched back to the '50s when she worked with Tex Beneke and Charlie Spivak. Her first big break came in 1955 when she teamed up with pianist Hank Jones, flutist Herbie Mann, trumpeter Joe Wilder, bassist Wendell Marshall, and drummer Kenny Clarke on I Think of You with Every Breath I Take on Savoy Records. She met her husband while performing with Charlie Spivak's band, then both moved over to the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra. Tommy Dorsey died in 1956, so the VerPlancks decided to stay in New York City to pursue studio work with the likes of Sinatra, Perry Como, Tony Bennett, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Blood, Sweat & Tears, and even Kiss. Millions of people outside the jazz world first heard VerPlanck's voice, though, doing jingles in the '60s: "Weekends were made for Michelob/Yeah!" and "Winston tastes good like a cigarette should!" and "Mmm good/Mm-mm good/That's what Campbell's Soups are/Mm-mm good." After thousands of commercial jingles and hours and hours of studio session work in New York, the VerPlancks decided to settle down in their house in Clifton, New Jersey, and began performing and recording together.

Their first recording together was A Breath of Fresh Air, arranged, produced, and conducted by Billy VerPlanck in 1968. In 1976, Marlene VerPlanck hooked up with North Carolina-based composer/pianist Loonis McGlohon, who hired her to do two installments of a radio show he co-hosted called Alec Wilder's American Popular Song. Afterwards, she recorded Marlene VerPlanck Sings Alec Wilder, and later, after Wilder's death, she appeared on the radio show The American Popular Singers, co-hosted by McGlohon and opera singer Eileen Farrell. Ver Planck performed at Carnegie Hall, Michael's Pub, and the Rainbow Room in New York City. She appeared on Entertainment Tonight, The Today Show, and CBS Sunday Morning. In the Digital Mood, featuring VerPlanck, Mel Tormé, and Julius La Rosa with the Glenn Miller Orchestra, became the first big-band CD to go gold in the '90s. VerPlanck remained active as a live performer and recording artist in the 2000s and 2010s, following up the aforementioned My Impetuous Heart with such albums as Once There Was a Moon (2008), One Dream at a Time (2010), Ballads... Mostly (2013), and The Mood I'm In (2016), all released by the Audiophile Records label. Marlene VerPlanck died in January 2018 in Manhattan at the age of 84. ~ by Robert Hicks

You'd Better Love Me

Wednesday, September 12, 2018

Marlene VerPlanck - I Think Of You With Every Breath I Take

Size: 96,5 MB
Time: 41:15
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1983/1993
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. (I Think Of You) With Every Breath I Take (3:20)
02. Accent On Youth (4:37)
03. Snuggle On Your Shoulder (Cuddle In Your Arms) (3:52)
04. Some Other Time (4:21)
05. If I Love Again (3:36)
06. We Could Make Such Beautiful Music (3:05)
07. Deep In A Dream (6:01)
08. Two Cigarettes In The Dark (5:08)
09. Without A Word Of Warning (3:24)
10. You Leave Me Breathless (3:47)

This 1983 CD is a straight reissue of Marlene Ver Planck's first album, a Savoy set that has since been reissued on CD by Denon in their Savoy series. With assistance from trumpeter Joe Wilder, flutist Herbie Mann, pianist Hank Jones, bassist Wendell Marshall and drummer Kenny Clarke, Ver Planck (who had a very impressive voice from the start) brings sincere emotion and a light swing to her renditions of ten ballads from the 1932-44 period. ~by Scott Yanow

I Think Of You With Every Breath I Take

Monday, January 22, 2018

Marlene VerPlanck - What Are We Going To Do With All This Moonlight

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 1999
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:32
Size: 155,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:08)  1. Nobody Else But Me
(3:53)  2. The Real Thing
(4:44)  3. Close Enough For Love
(4:36)  4. Beautiful Friendship
(3:38)  5. Star Eyes
(5:23)  6. Detour Ahead
(2:47)  7. Embraceable You
(3:30)  8. Sing Me To Sleep
(4:56)  9. Wonder Why
(5:21) 10. Sweet And Slow
(3:13) 11. My Future Just Began
(2:47) 12. When In Rome
(3:29) 13. I Never Had A Chance
(3:30) 14. Nobody, But Nobody
(2:29) 15. I've Got Your Number
(4:45) 16. I'm Sticking With You, Baby
(4:13) 17. What Are We Going To Do With All This Moonlig

Recorded at two separate sessions in Paris, this album reveals why Marlene Ver Planck continues to occupy a place in the upper echelon of contemporary interpreters of the Great American Songbook. Many of the tunes are from the movies and Broadway musicals. The subtitle for the album, "Saxomania-Reeds and Rhythm," recognizes the contribution made by the excellent group of French reedmen and the rhythm section, which affords consistently first-rate accompaniment for Ver Planck throughout the session. For a pleasant diversion from the usual, the album features not just standards, but songs that are not heard all that frequently. Despite Ver Planck's valiant efforts, it becomes clear very quickly why one doesn't hear some of these ditties very often: They simply are not very good. On the other hand, there are some real gems that Ver Planck has brought to light. The Harry Warren/Al Dubin track "Sweet and Slow," from the 1935 film Broadway Gondolier, is done in a syncopated style which makes the music interesting, even though the lyrics are a bit simplistic. There's some great ensemble work on this tune and it accommodates to Ver Planck's scatting style quite nicely. The Gerry Mulligan Mel Torme-penned "The Real Thing," a truly beautiful tune, gets a gorgeous rendering from Ver Planck, with plenty of help from the sax section and Stanley Laferrier's piano. "This Is the End of a Beautiful Friendship" is a vehicle for each member of the band to solo. Claude Tissendier's clarinet and Claude Braud's tenor especially stand out. Marlene's talented husband, J. "Billy" Ver Planck composed several tunes for this session; "Nobody, But Nobody" is the best of these, with a nice fox trot arrangement that may well encourage listeners to get up and dance. Braud's tenor gets some solo space on this tune. "Star Eyes" is kicked off with a fast-paced sax ensemble, slowing down to a manageable beat for Ver Planck's vocal. This is one of the highlights of the set. All in all, whether familiar standards or not, all of the 17 tunes on the play list are done with style and grace, and mostly in a sprightly, uptempo beat. Even "Embraceable You," usually played slowly and soulfully, gets a rare uptempo reading from Ver Planck and the group. As expected, Ver Planck's diction, phrasing, and handling of the lyrics are impeccable. What Are We Going to Do With All This Moonlight is another in a long run of Ver Planck classic vocal albums and is a fun-filled, toe-tapping collection. Recommended. ~ Dave Nathan https://www.allmusic.com/album/what-are-we-going-to-do-with-all-this-moonlight-mw0000725400

R.I.P.

Born: November 11, 1933, Newark, New Jersey, United States
Died: January 14, 2018

What Are We Going To Do With All This Moonlight

Sunday, November 12, 2017

Marlene VerPlanck - I Like To Sing!

Styles: Vocal Jazz 
Year: 1984
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:44
Size: 141,3 MB
Art: Front

(2:33)  1. I Like To Sing!
(2:47)  2. Highly Emotional State
(3:57) 3. Medley  It Could Happen To You Love Walked In
(2:42)  4. Here I Go Again
(2:58)  5. Let Yourself Go
(4:32)  6. All The Things You Are
(2:52)  7. Here's That Sunny Day
(4:05)  8. (I Think Of You) With Every Breath I Take
(1:45)  9. All Or Nothing At All
(3:19) 10. Incurably Romantic
(2:47) 11. The One I Love Belongs To Somebody Else
(2:37) 12. Instead Of Saying Goodbye
(4:02) 13. The Man That Got Away
(2:35) 14. Song On The Sand
(2:29) 15. Where Am I Going
(4:23) 16. Don't Worry 'bout Me
(3:57) 17. That's How I Love The Blues
(3:48) 18. Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry
(2:27) 19. Just One Of Those Things

Marlene Ver Planck paid tribute to the great American songbook. Ver Planck, who grew up in Newark, NJ, listening to Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald on WNEW radio, collaborated throughout her long career with her husband, arranger, composer, and conductor Billy Ver Planck. Her 2000 CD, My Impetuous Heart (DRG), her 17th album, reunited her with some old friends, including jazz pianist Hank Jones and special guests jazz pianists George Shearing and Marian McPartland and guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli. Ver Planck's career was a long string of success stories, which showcased her as a versatile singer with a gorgeous, pliable voice that knew how to tell a story.

She started singing at age 19. Her career stretched back to the '50s when she worked with Tex Beneke and Charlie Spivak. Her first big break came in 1955 when she teamed up with pianist Hank Jones, flutist Herbie Mann, trumpeter Joe Wilder, bassist Wendell Marshall, and drummer Kenny Clarke on I Think of You with Every Breath I Take on Savoy Records. She met her husband while performing with Charlie Spivak's band, then both moved over to the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra. Tommy Dorsey died in 1956, so the Ver Plancks decided to stay in New York City to pursue studio work with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Tony Bennett, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Blood Sweat and Tears, and Kiss. Millions of people outside the jazz world first heard Ver Planck's voice, though, doing jingles in the '60s : "Weekends were made for Michelob/Yeah!" and "Winston tastes good like a cigarette should!" and "Mmm good/mm-mm good/that's what Campbell's Soups are/mm mm good." After thousands of commercial jingles and hours and hours of studio session work in New York, the Ver Plancks decided to settle down in their house in Clifton, NJ, and began performing and recording together.

Their first recording together was A Breath of Fresh Air, arranged, produced, and conducted by Billy Ver Planck in 1968. In 1976, Marlene Ver Planck hooked up with North Carolina-based composer/pianist Loonis McGlohon, who hired her to do two installments of a radio show he co-hosted called Alec Wilder's American Popular Song. Afterwards, she recorded Marlene Ver Planck Sings Alec Wilder, and later, after Wilder's death, she appeared on the radio show The American Popular Singers, co-hosted by McGlohon and opera singer Eileen Farrell. Ver Planck performed at Carnegie Hall, Michael's Pub, and the Rainbow Room in New York City. She appeared on Entertainment Tonight, The Today Show, and CBS's Sunday Morning. In The Digital Mood, featuring Ver Planck, Mel Torme, and Julius La Rosa with the Glenn Miller Orchestra, became the first big band CD to go gold in the '90s. Ver Planck planned to record again in late 2001 in tribute to her love for the music of Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, and Cole Porter. ~ Robert HicksMarlene Ver Planck paid tribute to the great American songbook. Ver Planck, who grew up in Newark, NJ, listening to Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald on WNEW radio, collaborated throughout her long career with her husband, arranger, composer, and conductor Billy Ver Planck. Her 2000 CD, My Impetuous Heart (DRG), her 17th album, reunited her with some old friends, including jazz pianist Hank Jones and special guests jazz pianists George Shearing and Marian McPartland and guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli. Ver Planck's career was a long string of success stories, which showcased her as a versatile singer with a gorgeous, pliable voice that knew how to tell a story.

She started singing at age 19. Her career stretched back to the '50s when she worked with Tex Beneke and Charlie Spivak. Her first big break came in 1955 when she teamed up with pianist Hank Jones, flutist Herbie Mann, trumpeter Joe Wilder, bassist Wendell Marshall, and drummer Kenny Clarke on I Think of You with Every Breath I Take on Savoy Records. She met her husband while performing with Charlie Spivak's band, then both moved over to the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra. Tommy Dorsey died in 1956, so the Ver Plancks decided to stay in New York City to pursue studio work with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Tony Bennett, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Blood Sweat and Tears, and Kiss. Millions of people outside the jazz world first heard Ver Planck's voice, though, doing jingles in the '60s : "Weekends were made for Michelob/Yeah!" and "Winston tastes good like a cigarette should!" and "Mmm good/mm-mm good/that's what Campbell's Soups are/mm mm good." After thousands of commercial jingles and hours and hours of studio session work in New York, the Ver Plancks decided to settle down in their house in Clifton, NJ, and began performing and recording together.

Their first recording together was A Breath of Fresh Air, arranged, produced, and conducted by Billy Ver Planck in 1968. In 1976, Marlene Ver Planck hooked up with North Carolina-based composer/pianist Loonis McGlohon, who hired her to do two installments of a radio show he co-hosted called Alec Wilder's American Popular Song. Afterwards, she recorded Marlene Ver Planck Sings Alec Wilder, and later, after Wilder's death, she appeared on the radio show The American Popular Singers, co-hosted by McGlohon and opera singer Eileen Farrell. Ver Planck performed at Carnegie Hall, Michael's Pub, and the Rainbow Room in New York City. She appeared on Entertainment Tonight, The Today Show, and CBS's Sunday Morning. In The Digital Mood, featuring Ver Planck, Mel Torme, and Julius La Rosa with the Glenn Miller Orchestra, became the first big band CD to go gold in the '90s. Ver Planck planned to record again in late 2001 in tribute to her love for the music of Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, and Cole Porter. ~ Robert Hicks  https://itunes.apple.com/tt/album/i-like-to-sing!/id826388231

Personnel:  Vocal - Marlene Ver Planck;  Bass – Jay Leonhart;  Drums – Luther Rix;  Piano – Ben Aronov

I Like To Sing!

Sunday, June 25, 2017

Glenn Miller Orchestra - In The Digital Mood

Styles: Jazz, Swing, Big Band
Year: 1983
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:25
Size: 79,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:39)  1. In The Mood
(3:41)  2. Chattanooga Choo-Choo
(3:25)  3. The American Patrol
(3:16)  4. A String Of Pearls
(3:08)  5. Little Brown Jug
(2:42)  6. Kalamazoo
(3:39)  7. Tuxedo Junction
(4:19)  8. St. Louis Blues March
(3:13)  9. Pennsylvania 6-5000
(3:18) 10. Moonlight Serenade

This CD may be scoffed at by serious jazz listeners, and even by big-band devotees wary of modern "ghost band" performances, but the fact is that it sold over 100,000 pieces when it first appeared in 1983, and its CD version was among the very earliest compact discs ever released commercially in the United States (indeed, so early that the actual CDs had to be imported from Japan). The second-ever release by GRP Records, it put the label on the map, and it also stood as testimony to how good those original arrangements of the Glenn Miller Orchestra were. So how is it as music? At worst entertaining, and at best revealing, and also at times a little frustrating on the plus side, even heard in 2007, twenty-four years after the fact, the sound here is damned impressive; you can safely rank this release as one of the very earliest, if not the very first audiophile CDs to be released. The fact that it features 18 top-flight musicians under the baton of Larry O'Brien, then the leader of the touring Glenn Miller Orchestra, only makes it more impressive. What's more, with the quality of the playing, one will be able to make out minuscule elements of the original arrangements that were long obscured on the classic late-'30s/early-'40s Glenn Miller sides. Musicians with an appreciation of these arrangements will probably love this recording, and casual fans should embrace it heartily: these boys swing in 1983 about as well as their predecessors from 41 years earlier did. And the vocal numbers are no exception -- in contrast to Columbia Records' mid-'60s efforts to revive the Miller orchestra as a recording unit (which failed not just because of the timing of the project but also the uneven quality of the resulting albums), numbers like "Pennsylvania 6-5000" and "(I've Got a Gal In) Kalamazoo" are as hot here as there were four decades before. And the singers include Mel Tormé and Julius LaRosa (doing a solo) in their ranks. Still, it's the instrumentals that make up the bulk of this album, and on that level it's similarly unimpeachable, at least most of the way through "Tuxedo Junction" (which includes Dave Grusin sitting in on piano) is so close to the original that it's easy to forget who you're listening to and when they put this track down; and serious listeners should probably hold out for the "Gold Disc" edition or the Japanese version of this CD, which contain a bonus track, "At Last," featuring a trombone solo by Urbie Green that is worth the price of the CD by itself. Now, all of that said, there are a couple of quibbles: the absence of the cowbell on "In the Mood," and the "clever" notion on "Pennsylvania 6-5000" of ending the number with well, you can guess. This is still one cool, swinging release and, with its virtuoso musicianship, offers many of the same appealing qualities as the original Miller recordings. ~ Bruce Eder http://www.allmusic.com/album/in-the-digital-mood-mw0000188430

Personnel: Marlene VerPlanck, Michael Mark, Julius La Rosa, Mel Tormé, Marty Nelson (vocals); Bucky Pizzarelli (guitar); Walter Levinsky (clarinet, saxophone); Morty Lewis, Phil Bodner, Sol Schlinger, Billy Slapin (saxophone); Irvin "Marky" Markowitz, Marvin Stamm, Jimmy Maxwell, John Frosk (trumpet); Sonny Russo, George Masso, Urbie Green, Wayne Andre, Paul Faulise (trombone); Dave Grusin, Bernie Leighton (piano); Ronald Zito (drums).

In The Digital Mood

Thursday, January 7, 2016

Marlene VerPlanck - Once There Was A Moon

Size: 108,8 MB
Time: 41:28
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2008
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. I'm In Love Again (2:11)
02. Where Do You Go From Love (4:11)
03. The Best Thing For You (1:50)
04. Around About Half Past Nine (3:42)
05. It Might As Well Be Spring (2:37)
06. I've Got You Under My Skin (3:59)
07. What Are You Afraid Of (3:30)
08. Evening Star (3:03)
09. Then Say It's Spring (2:03)
10. Better Luck Next Time (2:40)
11. You're Laughing At Me (3:01)
12. Ev'rything I Love (2:49)
13. Dearly Beloved (3:05)
14. Once There Was A Moon (2:41)

Marlene VerPlanck is a singing canary of the old- fashioned sort—one who consistently picks great songs and then sings them in a brightly chirping soprano so that every single lyric is quite intelligible. The songs come out radiating an aura of a singer in love with what she's doing. Maybe that all ought to be commonplace in music, but it isn't. On Once There Was A Moon she continues to demonstrate what a reliable custodian she is of the American Songbook.

Although some of the songs here are well-known, VerPlanck has a way of going her own fresh way with them. For instance, Irving Berlin's "The Best Thing For You" (and the simplicity of Berlin's song fits hand-in-glove with her style) gets a racing-breathlessly-down-the-street-in-love-hooray delivery. By contrast, Cole Porter's "I've Got You Under My Skin" finds her in an after-hours meditation, the mood somehow both insouciant and cheerfully obsessed.

Happily, along with those gems there are more than a few old treasures to (re)discover. Among them is Segal/Wells' slyly seductive "What Are You Afraid Of?" When she invitingly warbles "Take your shoes off, baby," surely only a fool would delay. Resonant and haunting, Benny Carter's romantic "Evening Star" offers an irrefutable reminder of what a fine songwriter that great musician also was. Another gem is Bob Haymes/Marty Clarke's "They Say It's Spring." A breathless consideration of love in bloom, it's irresistible and, as throughout, Tedd Firth's piano accompaniment is the keyboard Baccarat for serving up VerPlanck's dry martini vocalizing. ~Andrew Velez

Personnel: Marlene Ver Planck: vocals; Tedd Firth: piano; Rich DeRosa: drums; Steve LaSpina: bass.

Once There Was A Moon

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Marlene Verplanck - Speaking Of Love

Size: 168,3 MB
Time: 71:31
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2002
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. But Not For Me (4:09)
02. Blues In My Heart (4:35)
03. It Was Written In The Stars (4:13)
04. What Comes After The Rainbow (2:31)
05. I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart (2:37)
06. Listen To The Silence (5:37)
07. Jamaica Rumba (3:01)
08. Romance Medley: I'll Take Romance/Isn't It Romantic (5:37)
09. The Moment Of Truth (3:00)
10. A Christmas Love Song (2:56)
11. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve (3:36)
12. Little Jazz Bird (2:32)
13. Daydream (2:34)
14. Nearer To Your Love (2:09)
15. Unless It's You (3:33)
16. My Love Went To London (3:43)
17. Make Some Magic (2:42)
18. The Singer (2:39)
19. Speaking Of Love (4:32)
20. My Bluebird (5:07)

Every March, Marlene Ver Planck travels to London, where she works with the Roy Babbington. This time around, one of the additional benefits of the London sojourn is a CD which not only includes the Babbington combo, but a big band conducted by Billy Ver Planck. Ver Planck is one of the most accomplished cabaret singers now or ever. The songs she selects are based on the story they tell, not on their familiarity to the public. This, her umpteenth album, is no exception. After hearing tunes such as "Listen to the Silence" and "My Love Went to London," one asks why they are not in the play books of more performers. Then the realization hits that they sound so good because of the special treatment they get from a doyenne of song like Ver Planck. The music is split between the small group and the big band. One of the zingers with the latter involved is a Brazilian bouncer, "Jamaica Rumba," where Ver Planck shows that a cabaret singer can scat wildly, too. On the more familiar melody side is a mellow version of "But Not for Me," where the singer takes the opening measures with just Babbington's bass in support. Here, as with most of her other releases, credit must go to Billy Ver Planck's arrangements which provide the perfect musical pad for his wife's voice and interpretive preferences. "My Bluebird," written by Tommy Flanagan, is the sweet/sad icing on the cake for this fine album. Recorded in New York in September of 2001 by Ver Planck and Flanagan, it was the last time he was in the studio before passing away in November. This sad note notwithstanding, the latest Ver Planck album is one more smashing success. ~by Dave Nathan

Speaking Of Love

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Marlene Verplanck - Meets Saxomania In Paris

Size: 130,7 MB
Time: 55:35
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1994
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. You Turned The Tables On Me (3:43)
02. El Cajon (4:02)
03. Left Bank Blues (3:47)
04. Rain Sometimes (2:57)
05. Close Your Eyes (3:25)
06. Sooner Or Later (2:53)
07. I Got The Sun In The Morning (3:10)
08. Here's To Life (4:13)
09. Speak Low (2:34)
10. Namely You (3:07)
11. Medley What's The Rush - Five Brothers (6:00)
12. Something To Live For (3:35)
13. Everything But You (4:22)
14. I Ain't Got Nothin' But The Blues (4:42)
15. I'm Just A Lucky So And So (2:58)

Marlene Ver Planck possesses one of the world's great voices; every note she hits is perfectly in tune. Despite this talent, she is a subtle improviser who goes out of her way to bring out the beauty of the lyrics she interprets. Occasionally she will throw in a high note (as if to remind listeners of her wide range), but it is all in the service of uplifting the song. Her husband/arranger, Billy Ver Planck, wrote colorful charts on this CD for the French seven-piece, four-reed unit called Saxomania to accompany her. He left plenty of room for solos and gave the ensembles the feel of a big band despite the absence of any brass instruments. Marlene Ver Planck is in peak form, and even if a few of the newer songs ("Sooner or Later" from the Dick Tracy film and the overrated "Here's to Life") are not worthy of her, she is particularly delightful on "You Turned the Tables on Me," "Close Your Eyes," "Speak Low," and a quartet of Ellington and Strayhorn tunes. ~Scott Yanow

Meets Saxomania In Paris

Saturday, December 26, 2015

Marlene VerPlanck - The Mood I'm In

Size: 116,0 MB
Time: 49:34
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. The Mood I'm In (3:39)
02. Me And The Blues (5:35)
03. Free And Easy (2:49)
04. It Shouldn't Happen To A Dream (4:17)
05. Certain People (5:01)
06. I Want To Talk About You (4:19)
07. Come On Strong (3:56)
08. All Too Soon (4:26)
09. Medley It Started All Over Again/The Second Time Around (4:02)
10. This Is Always (4:48)
11. My Kind Of Trouble Is You (3:49)
12. Too Late Now (2:48)

Marlene has just recorded a new CD, "The Mood I'm In," with, John Pearce, Paul Morgan, Bobbie Worth, Mark Nightingale, and Andy Panyii.

"Marlene VerPlanck keeps acquiring superlatives in reviews of her albums and performances, and The Mood I'm In, shows exactly why!" -- Joe Lang, NNJS

"A wildly winning set throughout, this is a master class on jazz vocal that you better show up on time for. Killer stuff, once again". -- Chris Spector, Editor and Publisher, Midwest Record. Read entire review here.

"Congrats! THE MOOD I'M IN is top notch and handsome looking." -- Elliott Eames

"Great album. Pearce is a killer accompanist and the album is perfectly mixed. Terrific quintet." -- Marc Myers, Wall St Journal

The Mood I'm In

Sunday, November 23, 2014

Marlene VerPlanck - I Give Up, I'm In Love

Size: 100,0 MB
Time: 41:07
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. I Give Up, I'm In Love (Feat. Warren Vache & Glen Francke's Big Band) (3:21)
02. Good Thing Going (3:12)
03. How Little We Know (Feat. Harry Allen) (2:36)
04. The Way You Look Tonight (Feat. Warren Vache & Glen Francke's Big Band) (3:46)
05. I Love The Way You Dance (4:40)
06. So Long My Love (Feat. Harry Allen) (3:08)
07. Sleigh Ride In July (2:26)
08. My Little Brown Book (Feat. Harry Allen) (3:00)
09. Where Can I Go Without You (Feat. Warren Vache) (5:24)
10. I Didn't Know What Time It Was (Feat. Glen Francke's Big Band) (3:04)
11. You're Really Someone To Write Home About (Feat. Harry Allen) (2:27)
12. So Many People (Feat. Warren Vache) (3:57)

Marlene VerPlanck is the type of vocal artists others can only aspire to become.

Aside from the somewhat old school looking cover art, there are a great many positives with I Give Up, I'm In Love. VerPlanck works more as a story teller than a true vocalist, combine this natural gift with a plethora of ensemble settings and an eclectic if not deep catalog few might be familiar with and you have a vocal jazz release with some muscle.

Guests such as tenor great Harry Allen drop by and Glenn Franke's Big Band provides the perfect background for an artist that has been working her vocal side of the jazz street about as long as I have been on the planet. Big band and trios are the wheelhouse for I Give Up, I'm In Love with each showcasing the various sides of the chameleon like ability that VerPlanck has to move effortlessly through a wide variety of lyrical ensembles while never missing a beat.

Those familiar with my work know I am at times brutal on female vocalists. Marlene VerPlanck is the embodiment of what a true vocal artist should embrace. Know the tunes, don't sing the words but instead make the music. 4 Stars. ~Brent Black

I Give Up, I'm In Love

Monday, October 27, 2014

Marlene VerPlanck - One Dream At A Time

Size: 130,6 MB
Time: 55:35
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2010
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Haven't We Met (2:43)
02. In April (4:00)
03. Some Fine Day (3:50)
04. You Can Depend On Me (3:12)
05. I'm Falling For You (4:31)
06. Rio Carioca (4:53)
07. Quietly (3:12)
08. There's No Holding Me (2:50)
09. The Heather On The Hill (3:49)
10. What A Difference A Day Made (4:22)
11. But Beautiful (4:17)
12. As Far As I'm Concerned (2:43)
13. Moon Dreams (3:37)
14. Invitation To The Blues (4:19)
15. One Dream At A Time (3:10)

Marlene Ver Planck paid tribute to the great American songbook. Ver Planck, who grew up in Newark, NJ, listening to Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald on WNEW radio, collaborated throughout her long career with her husband, arranger, composer, and conductor Billy Ver Planck. Her 2000 CD, My Impetuous Heart (DRG), her 17th album, reunited her with some old friends, including jazz pianist Hank Jones and special guests jazz pianists George Shearing and Marian McPartland and guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli. Ver Planck's career was a long string of success stories, which showcased her as a versatile singer with a gorgeous, pliable voice that knew how to tell a story.

She started singing at age 19. Her career stretched back to the '50s when she worked with Tex Beneke and Charlie Spivak. Her first big break came in 1955 when she teamed up with pianist Hank Jones, flutist Herbie Mann, trumpeter Joe Wilder, bassist Wendell Marshall, and drummer Kenny Clarke on I Think of You with Every Breath I Take on Savoy Records. She met her husband while performing with Charlie Spivak's band, then both moved over to the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra. Tommy Dorsey died in 1956, so the Ver Plancks decided to stay in New York City to pursue studio work with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Tony Bennett, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Blood Sweat and Tears, and Kiss. Millions of people outside the jazz world first heard Ver Planck's voice, though, doing jingles in the '60s : "Weekends were made for Michelob/Yeah!" and "Winston tastes good like a cigarette should!" and "Mmm good/mm-mm good/that's what Campbell's Soups are/mm mm good." After thousands of commercial jingles and hours and hours of studio session work in New York, the Ver Plancks decided to settle down in their house in Clifton, NJ, and began performing and recording together.

Their first recording together was A Breath of Fresh Air, arranged, produced, and conducted by Billy Ver Planck in 1968. In 1976, Marlene Ver Planck hooked up with North Carolina-based composer/pianist Loonis McGlohon, who hired her to do two installments of a radio show he co-hosted called Alec Wilder's American Popular Song. Afterwards, she recorded Marlene Ver Planck Sings Alec Wilder, and later, after Wilder's death, she appeared on the radio show The American Popular Singers, co-hosted by McGlohon and opera singer Eileen Farrell. Ver Planck performed at Carnegie Hall, Michael's Pub, and the Rainbow Room in New York City. She appeared on Entertainment Tonight, The Today Show, and CBS's Sunday Morning. In The Digital Mood, featuring Ver Planck, Mel Torme, and Julius La Rosa with the Glenn Miller Orchestra, became the first big band CD to go gold in the '90s. Ver Planck planned to record again in late 2001 in tribute to her love for the music of Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, and Cole Porter. ~Biography by Robert Hicks

One Dream At A Time

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Marlene VerPlanck - A Warmer Place

Size: 146,0 MB
Time: 62:05
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1999
Styles: Jazz Vocals, Cabaret
Art: Front

01. In The Still Of The Night (2:13)
02. Then I'd Be Tired Of You (2:53)
03. They Can't Take That Away From Me (2:38)
04. My Heart Stood Still (2:58)
05. Not A Moment Too Soon (2:13)
06. For You, For Me, For Evermore (4:55)
07. You Know What (1:50)
08. When He Makes Magic (4:09)
09. Petite Suite (2:44)
10. Oh, You Crazy Moon (3:00)
11. Medley Day By Day Day By Day (2:28)
12. I Used To Be Color Blind (4:08)
13. Sing (2:49)
14. Old Devil Moon (3:14)
15. Two For The Road (2:56)
16. I've Got You To Lean On (2:41)
17. The Touch Of Your Lips (2:52)
18. Looking For A Boy (3:27)
19. Isn't This A Lovely Day (3:10)
20. I Walk With Music (1:40)
21. South To A Warmer Place (2:57)

Marlene Ver Planck paid tribute to the great American songbook. Ver Planck, who grew up in Newark, NJ, listening to Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald on WNEW radio, collaborated throughout her long career with her husband, arranger, composer, and conductor Billy Ver Planck. Her 2000 CD, My Impetuous Heart (DRG), her 17th album, reunited her with some old friends, including jazz pianist Hank Jones and special guests jazz pianists George Shearing and Marian McPartland and guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli. Ver Planck's career was a long string of success stories, which showcased her as a versatile singer with a gorgeous, pliable voice that knew how to tell a story.

She started singing at age 19. Her career stretched back to the '50s when she worked with Tex Beneke and Charlie Spivak. Her first big break came in 1955 when she teamed up with pianist Hank Jones, flutist Herbie Mann, trumpeter Joe Wilder, bassist Wendell Marshall, and drummer Kenny Clarke on I Think of You with Every Breath I Take on Savoy Records. She met her husband while performing with Charlie Spivak's band, then both moved over to the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra. Tommy Dorsey died in 1956, so the Ver Plancks decided to stay in New York City to pursue studio work with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Tony Bennett, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Blood Sweat and Tears, and Kiss. Millions of people outside the jazz world first heard Ver Planck's voice, though, doing jingles in the '60s : "Weekends were made for Michelob/Yeah!" and "Winston tastes good like a cigarette should!" and "Mmm good/mm-mm good/that's what Campbell's Soups are/mm mm good." After thousands of commercial jingles and hours and hours of studio session work in New York, the Ver Plancks decided to settle down in their house in Clifton, NJ, and began performing and recording together.

Their first recording together was A Breath of Fresh Air, arranged, produced, and conducted by Billy Ver Planck in 1968. In 1976, Marlene Ver Planck hooked up with North Carolina-based composer/pianist Loonis McGlohon, who hired her to do two installments of a radio show he co-hosted called Alec Wilder's American Popular Song. Afterwards, she recorded Marlene Ver Planck Sings Alec Wilder, and later, after Wilder's death, she appeared on the radio show The American Popular Singers, co-hosted by McGlohon and opera singer Eileen Farrell. Ver Planck performed at Carnegie Hall, Michael's Pub, and the Rainbow Room in New York City. She appeared on Entertainment Tonight, The Today Show, and CBS's Sunday Morning. In The Digital Mood, featuring Ver Planck, Mel Torme, and Julius La Rosa with the Glenn Miller Orchestra, became the first big band CD to go gold in the '90s. Ver Planck planned to record again in late 2001 in tribute to her love for the music of Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, and Cole Porter. ~Biography by Robert Hicks

A Warmer Place

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Marlene VerPlanck - Now!

Size: 136,9 MB
Time: 58:23
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2005
Styles: Jazz Vocals, Cabaret
Art: Front

01. The Party Upstairs (4:11)
02. I Keep Goin' Back To Joe's (4:03)
03. Don't Fall In Love Without Me (3:01)
04. Is It Raining In New York (4:24)
05. Pretty Blue (4:48)
06. Nothing Ever Changes My Love For You (3:08)
07. Something Always Happens (4:36)
08. Moments Like This (3:03)
09. Quietly There (4:04)
10. The End Of A Love Affair (3:10)
11. Little Did I Dream (2:41)
12. Fool That I Am (5:00)
13. Yes! (2:22)
14. Drinking Again (4:15)
15. Look Who's Singing Your Song (2:49)
16. Now! (2:41)

This particular recording by singer Marlene Ver Planck is noteworthy in that most of the songs, with the exception of "I Keep Goin' Back to Joe's," "Moments Like This," "The End of a Love Affair," and "Drinking Again," are quite obscure. As usual, Ver Planck sings perfectly in tune, gives beauty and sensitivity to the lyrics, swings lightly, and is joined by top-notch musicians, with the performances being arranged by her husband, Billy Ver Planck. Most selections feature a trio with pianist Tedd Firth. Pianists Billy Taylor and Norman Simmons are on a song apiece (tunes that they wrote), and guitarists Bucky Pizzarelli and Jerry Bruno sit in on "Is It Raining in New York" and "Quietly There." Marlene Ver Planck's voice remains beautiful and her interpretations serve each of the songs. Overall, Now! is a delight, and particularly recommended to listeners and singers who are interested in hearing fresh material sung by one of the best. ~Review by Scott Yanow

Now!