Sammy Davis Jr., Carmen Mcrae - Porgy And Bess

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:02
Size: 86,8 MB
Art: Front

(2:57) 1. Summertime
(3:39) 2. A Woman Is A Sometime Thing
(4:15) 3. My Man's Gone Now
(3:27) 4. I Got Plenty O' Nuttin'
(4:50) 5. Bess, You Is My Woman
(3:54) 6. It Ain't Necessarily So
(3:47) 7. I Loves You Porgy
(3:58) 8. There's A Boat Dat's Leavin' Soon For New York
(3:26) 9. Oh Bess, Where's My Bess
(2:44) 10. Oh Lawd, I'm On My Way

The 1959 film Porgy and Bess was supposed to be the crowning achievement of the legendarily tyrannical producer Samuel Goldwyn’s career; he had wanted to film the Gershwin brothers’ ‘American folk opera’ since seeing it on stage in 1935. Instead, it was a disaster: the director was fired and replaced, the sets burned down just before filming started, the actors were suspicious of potentially insulting stereotypes, the critics didn’t like it, and the Gershwins hated it. About the only thing to recommend it was Sammy Davis, Jr.’s turn as the serpent-tongued Sportin’ Life. Nonetheless, the widespread anticipation for the movie, coupled with the manifest genius of the opera’s score led to the Porgy-and-Bess-ification of music in jazz circles in 1959. No fewer than ten jazz albums of Porgy and Bess’ score were released in 1959: Miles Davis, Oscar Peterson, Ralph Burns, Mundell Lowe, Hank Jones, Bill Potts, Buddy Collette, Rex Stewart and Cootie Williams, Diahann Carroll with the André Previn Trio, and a duet album featuring Harry Belafonte and Lena Horne.

While shooting Porgy and Bess in Hollywood in the second half of 1958, Sammy Davis, Jr. also laid down tracks for his own Porgy and Bess album, with which to capitalise on his star billing in the film. Joining him would be his Decca stablemate Carmen McRae, with whom he had already recorded a duet album, Boy Meets Girl. Carmen provided two cuts (“Summertime” and “My Man’s Gone Now”, both recorded in New York), and joined Sammy in Los Angeles for one duet (“I Loves You Porgy”). Sammy recorded the remaining songs solo. Sporting notable cover art by pop artist James Meese, Decca’s Porgy and Bess was released in March 1959, exactly three months before the film’s premiere at the end of June. Columbia also released an official Porgy and Bess soundtrack album in June, but contractually Sammy could not appear in it. Cab Calloway subbed in for Sportin’ Life’s two songs from the film, “It Ain’t Necessarily So” and “There’s a Boat Dat’s Leaving Soon For New York”. Despite this, the name Sammy Davis, Jr. is emblazoned across the reverse of the LP sleeve, and so for many years many people have assumed it is Sammy when it is not.

Decca’s Porgy and Bess marked Sammy’s first collaboration on record with arranger Buddy Bregman, well known at the time for his work with Ella Fitzgerald and Bing Crosby. Bregman and Sammy had been friends for years, and while Bregman was working on the charts for Porgy and Bess, the two were actually rehearsing together for a stage play production of The Desperate Hours at the Hollywood Centre Theatre. A full string orchestra and The Bill Thompson Singers were brought in to back Sammy and, believe it or not, the arrangements manage to overcome even Sammy’s powerful voice, at times swallowing him with brass or suffocating him with strings (perhaps an audio mixing issue). Despite this, you can tell that Sammy isn’t holding anything back Porgy and Bess was a labour of love for him, especially given how hard he lobbied Goldwyn for his role in the film in the first place. http://sammydavisjr.info/music/releases/original-albums/porgy-and-bess/

Personnel: Sammy Davis, Jr. - vocals (on all tracks but 1 and 3)Carmen McRae - vocals (1, 3, 7)

Porgy And Bess

---

Sammy Davis Jr.- A Man Called Adam

Styles: Soundtracks, Jazz 
Year: 1966
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:56
Size: 105,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:01)  1. Main Title - All That Jazz
(3:22)  2. I Want To Be Wanted (Song)
(2:06)  3. Go Now
(3:09)  4. Someday Sweetheart (Song)
(3:17)  5. Ain't I
(3:55)  6. Soft Touch
(2:57)  7. Claudia
(3:06)  8. All That Jazz (Song)
(5:09)  9. Back Of Town Blues (Song)
(3:57) 10. Night Walk
(3:16) 11. Whisper To One (Song)
(3:55) 12. Claudia
(2:54) 13. Crack Up (Playboy Theme)
(1:46) 14. All That Jazz (Song)

FSM revives the "Retrograde Records" label for its first new release since 1998: A Man Called Adam, a classic jazz album as well as movie soundtrack. A Man Called Adam (1966) was an independent production starring Sammy Davis Jr. as a troubled jazz trumpet player, costarring Cicely Tyson, Ossie Davis and ratpacker Peter Lawford. Louis Armstrong and Mel Torme appear in the film and on the soundtrack album as does the famously versatile Davis. Adam was notable for its prominence of African Americans both in front of and behind the camera (it was produced by Ike Jones, an associate of Nat "King" Cole). The film's composer was Benny Carter (1907-2003), who may be little-known to soundtrack collectors, but was a hugely respected jazz artist as well as a pioneering figure for African Americans in fact, the first black composer to receive screen credit for an original score for television (on M Squad). Carter worked on numerous classic musicals of the 1940s and '50s and became, on A Man Called Adam, one of only a small number of African Americans to score a motion picture.

The musical requirements of A Man Called Adam called almost entirely for jazz source music, particularly that for the lead character's band (the reason we are issuing it on our Retrograde label). Carter composed and arranged a variety of small band numbers, taking care to achieve not only musical excellence but story appropriateness in reflecting the on-screen performers. ("Night Walk," track 10, is the only score cue on the CD.) The studio musicians include Nat Adderley (who "ghosted" Davis's trumpet performances), Bill Berry, Kai Winding, Tyree Glenn, Junior Mance, Billy Kyle, Buster Bailey, Danny Barcelona and Jo Jones. Original lyrics are by Al Stillman. Unavailable since the Reprise Records LP in 1966, A Man Called Adam is a jazz classic soundtrack with historical significance, and has been remixed here from the three and four-track master tapes for excellent stereo sound. Liner notes are by Jon Burlingame, documenting the film, Carter's importance, and the various selections. https://www.filmscoremonthly.com/cds/detail.cfm/CDID/382/Man-Called-Adam-A/

A Man Called Adam

---

Sammy Davis Jr - I've Gotta Be Me: The Best Of Sammy Davis Jr

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:40
Size: 97.7 MB
Styles: Vocal
Year: 2005
Art: Front

[3:45] 1. Lush Life
[3:45] 2. A Stranger In Town
[3:24] 3. What Kind Of Fool Am I
[2:12] 4. Once In A Lifetime
[2:23] 5. Someone Nice Like You
[3:04] 6. As Long As She Needs Me
[2:58] 7. Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)
[2:16] 8. Here's That Rainy Day (With Laurindo Almeida)
[3:05] 9. I Want To Be With You
[2:41] 10. Night Song
[2:53] 11. The Shelter Of Your Arms
[2:57] 12. I've Gotta Be Me
[2:14] 13. Yes I Can
[2:21] 14. Gonna Build A Mountain
[2:34] 15. If I Ruled The World

I've Gotta Be Me: The Best of Sammy Davis, Jr. on Reprise is a thorough 15-track retrospective of Davis' '60s recordings for Reprise, featuring the bulk of his hit singles -- including "What Kind of Fool Am I," "As Long as She Needs Me," "The Shelter of Your Arms," and "I've Gotta Be Me" -- plus album tracks that illustrate Davis' depth as a singer. The album is assembled as an argument for Davis' skills as a vocalist and entertainer, shunning many of his lighter numbers for show tunes and interpretations of '60s professional songwriters. The gambit works, since I've Gotta Be Me not only showcases Davis' immense vocal talent, but also the variety of his '60s recordings. Though these sometimes exhibit a glossy Vegas sheen, they are more varied and intriguing than his later work, while they demonstrate a versatility that his earlier Decca work only hinted at. In short, I've Gotta Be Me captures much of the essence of Sammy Davis, Jr. ~Stephen Thomas Erlewine

I've Gotta Be Me: The Best Of Sammy Davis Jr mc
I've Gotta Be Me: The Best Of Sammy Davis Jr zippy

---

Various - Capitol Records From The Vaults: Capitol Goes To The Movies

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 73:07
Size: 167.4 MB
Styles: Vocal, Stage & Screen, Standards
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[3:02] 1. Johnny Mercer - On The Atchison, Topeka & The Sante Fe
[3:10] 2. Jo Stafford - It Could Happen To You
[2:54] 3. Johnny Mercer - San Fernando Valle
[2:57] 4. Margaret Whiting - In Love In Vain
[2:38] 5. Paul Weston And His Orchestra - Ole Buttermilk Sky
[2:51] 6. Johnny Mercer - Baby, It's Cold Outside
[2:55] 7. The Dinning Sisters - Buttons And Bows
[3:15] 8. Jo Stafford - Blues In The Night
[2:58] 9. The Pied Pipers - The Trolley Song
[3:03] 10. Johnny Mercer - If I Had A Talking Picture Of You
[2:59] 11. Gordon Macrae - It's Magic
[2:55] 12. Mel Blanc - I Taut I Taw A Puddy Tat
[3:08] 13. Mel Tormé - Again
[2:48] 14. Bob Hope - Home Cookin'
[2:30] 15. Sammy Davis Jr. - Laura
[3:03] 16. Peggy Lee - Where Are You
[3:17] 17. Nat King Cole - Mona Lisa
[2:52] 18. Les Baxter - Ruby
[2:43] 19. Tex Ritter - High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me)
[2:59] 20. Jane Froman - I'll Walk Alone
[2:39] 21. Bob Hope - Wing-Ding Tonight
[2:51] 22. Hoagy Carmichael - When Love Goes Wrong
[2:31] 23. Tennessee Ernie Ford - River Of No Return
[3:14] 24. June Hutton - Never In A Million Years
[2:43] 25. Les Baxter - The High And The Mighty

It's a no-brainer that the Capitol From the Vaults series would dedicate a volume to their affluent association with the cinematic side of Hollywood. This is especially true since label co-founder Buddy de Sylva was previously the head of production for Paramount Pictures. As pop music artist and scholar Billy Vera points out in his liner notes essay, the label's first hit -- "Cow Cow Boogie" by Ella Mae Morse -- was featured in the all-star propaganda film Reveille With Beverly (1943). The tradition served Capitol well throughout their first decade and there are over two dozen examples -- which Vera also notes as being nowhere near complete -- on this single CD compilation. Many of these sides not only scored big at the box office, but held their own on the national pop and country & western charts as well. Included are a bevy of Top Ten hits such as "The High and the Mighty" (Les Baxter), "It Could Happen to You" (Jo Stafford), "Buttons and Bows" (Dinning Sisters), and even the animated antics of "I Taut I Taw a Puddy Tat" (Mel Blanc). This collection also features a couple of chart-toppers -- "On the Atchison, Topeka & the Santa Fe" (Johnny Mercer) as well as "Mona Lisa," the latter of which was also given an Oscar as "Best Song" in 1950 for its use in Captain Carey U.S.A. As an obvious labor of love, the audio in the Capitol From the Vaults series is unsurpassed -- rising to the occasion of such memorable pop music. ~Lindsay Planer

Capitol Records From The Vaults: Capitol Goes To The Movies

---

Sammy Davis Jr. - Laughing Out Loud

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 75:05
Size: 171.9 MB
Styles: Vocal
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[2:14] 1. Easy To Love
[2:21] 2. I'm Sorry Dear
[3:16] 3. That Old Black Magic
[2:55] 4. My Funny Valentine
[3:16] 5. Frankie And Johnny
[2:17] 6. Too Close For Comfort
[3:20] 7. Hey Won't You Play (Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song)
[2:37] 8. Hey There
[2:52] 9. Glad To Be Unhappy
[2:00] 10. Lonesome Road
[2:41] 11. And This Is My Beloved
[3:11] 12. You're Gonna Love Yourself (In The Morning)
[2:41] 13. All Of You
[2:44] 14. Spoken For
[2:56] 15. Love Me Or Leave Me
[3:13] 16. We Could Have Been The Closest Of Friends
[2:44] 17. Be Bop The Beguine
[2:21] 18. Got A Great Big Shovel
[2:21] 19. Oh, Lonesome Me
[2:40] 20. September Song
[3:00] 21. Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)
[2:44] 22. What I've Got In Mind
[2:03] 23. Something's Gotta Give
[3:15] 24. Birth Of The Blues
[2:41] 25. The River's Too Wide
[3:06] 26. What Can I Do
[3:23] 27. Please Don't Tell Me How The Story Ends

Sammy Davis Jr. was an actor, comedian, singer and dancer, and part of the Rat Pack with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, with whom he starred in several films.

Born on December 8, 1925, in New York City, Sammy Davis Jr. overcame prevailing racism to become an entertaining legend. He was a successful comedian, actor, dancer and singer. As part of the Rat Pack, with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, Davis was known for his films and his partying ways. As his fame grew, his refusal to appear in any clubs that practiced racial segregation led to the integration of several venues in Miami Beach and Las Vegas. Davis died of throat cancer on May 16, 1990.

Laughing Out Loud

---

Sammy Davis, Jr. - The Definitive Collection

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 63:34

Size: 145.5 MB

Styles: Vocal

Year: 2006

Art: Front

[2:46] 1. Hey There

[3:16] 2. Birth Of The Blues

[2:04] 3. Something's Gotta Give

[2:56] 4. Love Me Or Leave Me

[3:17] 5. That Old Black Magic

[2:20] 6. Too Close For Comfort

[3:59] 7. There's A Boat Dat's Leavin' Soon For New York

[4:20] 8. The Lady Is A Tramp

[3:21] 9. What Kind Of Fool Am I

[2:21] 10. Gonna Build A Mountain

[2:49] 11. The Shelter Of Your Arms

[4:03] 12. Night Song

[2:09] 13. My Shining Hour

[3:11] 14. Lonely Is The Name

[2:53] 15. I've Gotta Be Me

[3:52] 16. The Rhythm Of Life

[3:10] 17. The Candy Man

[5:43] 18. Mr. Bojangles

[2:29] 19. The People Tree

[2:24] 20. Keep Your Eye On The Sparrow (Baretta's Theme)

Sammy Davis, Jr. was an outsized talent. Whether dancing or singing or acting (or drumming, or doing impersonations), he spent more energy, carried more emotion, and involved himself more deeply in his performances than any other artist of his caliber. His earliest hit material -- "Something's Gotta Give," "Love Me or Leave Me," "That Old Black Magic" -- signalled the advent of a show-biz vocalist who could blow the roof off the joint like a blues shouter, and though Davis was impeccably refined, he was obviously channeling Broadway figures like Ethel Merman or Al Jolson rather than the mellowed, mellifluous sound of swing-influenced vocalists. (As such, he earned more fans in the showrooms of Las Vegas than the nightclubs of New York.) Hip-O's Definitive Collection is not only a fine compilation of Sammy Davis, Jr. highlights, it's the best single-disc overview of his career, beginning with his '50s Decca material and ending in the mid-'70s, when his hits petered out after a late chart-topper ("The Candy Man").

It features all of his hits and it's the first single-disc compilation to include songs from every one of his movie or Broadway hits -- "Too Close for Comfort" (Mr. Wonderful), "There's a Boat Dat's Leavin' Soon for New York" (Porgy and Bess), "Night Song" (Golden Boy), "The Rhythm of Life" (Sweet Charity), "The Candy Man" (Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory), even "Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow (Baretta's Theme)." It also includes a pair of well-chosen album tracks, "My Shining Hour" from his collaboration with the Count Basie Orchestra, and "Lonely Is the Name," the title song from a very good mid-'60s LP. ~John Bush

The Definitive Collection 

---

Sammy Davis, Jr. - Lonely Is The Name

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1968
File: MP3@256K/s
Time: 29:21
Size: 54,1 MB
Art: Front

(3:15)  1. Lonely Is The Name
(3:28)  2. Up Up And Away
(2:43)  3. The Good Life
(3:02)  4. Shake Shake Shake
(2:50)  5. We'll Be Together Again
(2:38)  6. Don't Take Your Time
(3:26)  7. Children, Children
(3:05)  8. Medley: Uptight / You've Got Your Troubles
(2:16)  9. All That Jazz
(2:34) 10. Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye

For Lonely Is the Name (1968), Sammy Davis, Jr. once again blended his interminable hipness with a batch of popular standards and fresh interpretations of selections that he had previously delivered in a distinctly different style. Although Davis' emphasis remained ensconced within orchestral and big band-backed melodies for a decidedly adult-oriented audience, his take on "Up, Up and Away" and the medley pairing Stevie Wonder's "Uptight" with "You've Got Your Troubles" is evidence that he was trying to broaden his appeal. Driving that point home is the sassy and swinging "Shake, Shake, Shake," which is arguably over the top when considering modern pop and soul music in 1968. The uptempo and soaring arrangement isn't unified when juxtaposed against the comparatively syrupy title track "Lonely Is the Name" or the cool and refined balladry of the noir-tinged "Children, Children." Those incongruities aside, this collection has a few bright moments, particularly on "We'll Be Together Again" and Cole Porter's ageless "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" both of which had been recorded by Davis and Laurindo Almeida (guitar) on their 1966 collaboration Sammy Davis, Jr. Sings/Laurindo Almeida Plays. Another revisitation is an unquestionable return to form on the Benny Carter composition "All That Jazz" from the motion picture A Man Called Adam (1966). Of course, Davis had starred in the film, but it was Mel Tormé's (vocal) be-boppin' that gave the number a boost in the context of the movie. Here, Davis gets his chance, taking the tune to a new and similarly jazzy place, giving the Velvet Fog a run for his money with his own deliciously improvised scat vocal. [In 2004 Collectors' Choice Music included Lonely Is the Name as one of their entries in the restoration of Davis' classic 1960s Reprise Records catalog.] ~ Lindsay Planer  http://www.allmusic.com/album/lonely-is-the-name-mw0000672032

Lonely Is The Name

---

Sammy Davis, Jr. - All Star Spectacular

Bitrate: 320K/s

Time: 35:08

Size: 80.4 MB

Styles: Show tunes, Vocal pop

Year: 1962/2012

Art: Front

[3:56] 1. That Lucky Old Sun

[3:24] 2. Be My Love

[2:54] 3. Lulu's Back In Town

[2:36] 4. Stranger In Paradise

[2:18] 5. Ballerina

[3:30] 6. Sonny Boy

[1:56] 7. I Married An Angel

[3:24] 8. Falling In Love Again

[3:06] 9. You Can't Love' Em All

[2:31] 10. If You Are But A Dream

[2:09] 11. 'deed I Do

[3:18] 12. Without A Song

In 1960 Sammy Davis, Jr. signed on to Frank Sinatra's Reprise label at the zenith of his success and association with Ol' Blue Eyes and Dean Martin as a member of the one and only Rat Pack. All-Star Spectacular (1962) presents Davis like never before, both as a dynamic vocalist and as an actor of equally impressive proficiency. As Davis explains during the brief spoken introduction, the idea behind this title is to capture some of the good-natured frivolity of his one-man show onto the grooves of a studio LP. Backed by conductor and arranger Morton Stevens, Davis demonstrates his uncanny abilities on the first half of the affair as an impressionist, singing pop standards under the guise of a wide spectrum of well-known personalities. Among the highlights are his send-up of Raymond Chandler and Frankie Laine on the opener, "That Lucky Old Sun." He moves swiftly between the unlikely pairing of Mel Tormé and comedic genius Jerry Lewis during a rousing rendition of "Lulu's Back in Town." The cheerful mid-tempo Bob Russell ballad "Ballerina" is given a playful workout as Huckleberry Hound, Kingfish from Amos 'n' Andy, and even Nat King Cole -- the voice who made the tune famous to begin with -- all "drop by" to put their proverbial two cents in. Undeniably, the best of them all is Davis' parody of Mario Lanza and Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong on the Sammy Kahn classic "Be My Love." The second half of All-Star Spectacular consists of straightforward interpretations of a half-dozen swinging sides, representing the best of what the artist has to offer as a vibrant singer and consummate performer. The heartfelt "If You Are but a Dream" is given an upbeat delivery set against a scintillating mambo backdrop. Rodgers and Hart's "I Married an Angel" bursts with the brassy verbosity that became Davis' calling card, while "You Can't Love 'Em All" is nothing short of the definitive swingin' space-age-bachelor-pad anthem, not to mention the second of two Sammy Kahn lyrical contributions. Although there are many facets to Sammy Davis, Jr.'s immeasurable talents, All-Star Spectacular is a unique album, cashing in on his sizable talents as a seminal master of melody and allowing for a peek into his infectious sense of humor. ~Lindsay Planer

All Star Spectacular

---

Sammy Davis Jr. - As Long As She Needs Me

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 33:40
Size: 77.1 MB
Styles: Vocal
Year: 1963/2005
Art: Front

[3:03] 1. As Long As She Needs Me
[3:19] 2. Climb Every Mountain
[2:33] 3. (Love Is) The Tender Trap
[3:17] 4. We Kiss In A Shadow
[2:35] 5. There Is Nothin' Like A Dame
[2:55] 6. A Second Chance [from Two For The Seesaw]
[3:14] 7. Out Of This World
[2:45] 8. Back In Your Own Back Yard
[2:46] 9. Bye Bye Blackbird
[2:24] 10. Falling In Love With Love
[2:26] 11. Step Out Of That Dream
[2:15] 12. There Was A Tavern In The Town

As Long As She Needs Me (1963) is a fruitful union between Sammy Davis, Jr. and arrangers Marty Paich and Morty Stevens. With the singer's inimitable sense of style and flair, Davis unleashes another dozen classic reworkings of pop standards and melodies from Broadway and the silver screen. Paich's scores incorporate two distinct backing ensembles, his own ten-piece Dek-tette of heavyweight studio musicians, as well as a larger orchestral aggregate. The title composition, taken from Lionel Bart's Oliver! (1962), is enhanced by a lush accompaniment, showcasing the strength and conviction of Davis' dramatic and emotive interpretation. The same holds for "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" which is lifted by a refined chorus (likewise heard on the revisitation of another Rodgers & Hammerstein tune, "We Kiss in a Shadow" from 1956's The King and I). Conversely, "There Is Nothing Like a Dame," "Falling in Love With Love," and "The Tender Trap" are given hard-hitting and thoroughly pulse-quickening readings, allowing the vocalist to let loose with his trademark passion and high energy. Interestingly, the swinging Stevens collaborations "The Tender Trap," "Back in Your Own Back Yard," and "Out of This World" are from Davis' incipient Reprise sessions some two years earlier. "Bye Bye Blackbird" would become one of Davis' most revered catalog entries thanks to this ultra-hip and finger-snappin' overhaul. He similarly breathes new life into the jazzy and upscale redux of "Song from Two for the Seesaw (A Second Chance)," crooning above Paich's scintillating backdrop. The platter concludes with the tale of Honey Brown on the grooving and rhythmically propulsive "There Was a Tavern in the Town." Although the song commences in a low-key and unassuming manner, it isn't long before Davis pounces, turning it into a suitably show-stopping affair. In 2004 Collectors' Choice Music issued As Long As She Needs Me on CD for the first time as part of their reassessment of Sammy Davis, Jr.'s work on Reprise Records. ~Lindsay Planer

As Long As She Needs Me

---