Mel Tormé Albums (43)
'The Great American Songbook: Live at Michael's Pub'
Release Date 6/16/2009
Tracks 15
Label Telarc
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What The Critics Say
Mel Tormé, 67 at the time of this recording, proves to still be very much in his musical prime. His range remains impressive, his creative abilities have grown through the years and his breath control is remarkable; as proof Tormé holds some very long notes at the conclusion of some of the ballads. This live set finds Tormé backed by what he dubbed "the Great American Songbook Orchestra," his usual trio plus a dozen horns. The band gets "Ya Gotta Try" as an instrumental and Tormé sits in on drums on "Rockin' in Rhythm" but otherwise the orchestra sticks to its anonymous role in the background. The singer wrote ten of the 15 arrangements and programmed plenty of variety in moods and tempos for his voice including a seven-song Duke Ellington mini-set. His masterful interpretation of "Stardust" is a highpoint. Recommended. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
'Live at the Playboy Jazz Festival'
Release Date 9/10/2002
Tracks 6
Label Playboy Jazz
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What The Critics Say
Three years before a stroke ended Mel Tormé's career, he appeared with his trio and Ray Anthony & His Big Band at the 1993 Playboy Jazz Festival, though the CD wasn't issued until some nine years later. Tormé sounds as if he has just a touch of hoarseness, though he never fluffs a note and his rhythm is flawless during the set, though it relies rather too heavily on medleys. The cavernous sound quality of playing in the bandshell and the somewhat poor mix (the big band occasionally nearly drowns out Tormé) are also a bit distracting. Those reservations aside, the veteran is full of energy, especially in his swinging arrangement of Duke Ellington's "I'm Gonna Go Fishin'," and he scats up a storm in "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)." Tormé's pianist, John Colianni, is a consummate accompanist, and the big band has a few strong soloists, though none of them are identified. It would be difficult to label this as one of the best releases by Mel Tormé during the latter part of his career since there are many far better live recordings available through Concord, but fans of the Velvet Fog will want to pick up this previously unreleased disc as well. ~ Ken Dryden, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
More than two years after recording his first-ever concert LP, Live at the Crescendo for Coral, Mel Tormé returned to the Los Angeles nightclub for the Bethlehem release At the Crescendo, cut February 22, 1957. Backed by a small combo comprised of pianist/arranger Marty Paich, trumpeter Don Fagerquist, vibraphonist Larry Bunker, bassist Max Bennett, and drummer Mel Lewis, Tormé approaches familiar material like "One for My Baby," "It's Only a Paper Moon," and "I'm Beginning to See the Light" with a matchless combination of sensitivity and sass -- as always, Paich's nimble arrangements inspire Tormé's most adventurous vocals, and the sheer imagination and soulfulness on display throughout the set laid to rest any lingering question of whether he was a jazz artist or merely an easy listening balladeer. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
'An Evening with Mel Tormé'
Release Date 10/22/1996
Tracks 13
Label Concord Jazz
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What The Critics Say
This was singer Mel Tormé's last recording before he was stricken with a serious stroke. Remarkably, Tormé had gradually improved both as a singer and as a jazz improviser all throughout his sixties (his voice was in phenomenal shape), and he is heard on this live set, filmed for a television special, in peak form despite being 70. Joined by his regular trio (pianist Mike Renzi, bassist John Leitham, and drummer Donny Osborne), Tormé performs a typical swing-oriented program that includes a Benny Goodman medley, a memorable rendition of "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" (he could hold notes on ballads endlessly without wavering), a heated "Pick Yourself Up," and a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald on "Oh, Lady Be Good," among other numbers. Ironically, Tormé concluded what may be his final recording with a touching rendition of "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye." ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
'It's a Blue World'
Release Date 10/17/1995
Tracks 12
Label Bethlehem
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What The Critics Say
Mel Tormé had spent the first decade of his solo career being treated by record companies as a pop singer when Bethlehem offered to treat him as a jazz artist in 1955. The label requested that his first album be a collection of ballads, probably noting the recent success of Frank Sinatra's In the Wee Small Hours. But Tormé picked the songs, ranging from Jerome Kern and P.G. Wodehouse's "Till the Clouds Roll By" from 1917 to Duke Ellington and Paul Webster's "I've Got It Bad and That Ain't Good" from 1941. The 15-piece orchestra assembled by his accompanist Al Pellegrini backed the singer, and Pellegrini, Sandy Courage, Andre Previn, Marty Paich, and Russ Garcia wrote the arrangements Tormé sang with delicate precision, caressing the lyrics. Despite the album title, his interpretations had none of the darkness of Sinatra. Rather, Tormé invested the songs with warmth and confidence. Recorded and released around the time he turned 30, It's a Blue World marked a turning point in Mel Tormé's recording career. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Mel Tormé is in excellent voice for this matchup with Rob McConnell's Boss Brass "My Sweetie Went Away" and "On the Swing Shift" are two lesser-known songs among the more familiar ones. There are more ballads than swingers here, and a few excellent short solos. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Though it's sometimes relegated to second or third place among Tormé's best albums of the '50s (behind Mel Tormé and the Marty Paich Dek-Tette and It's a Blue World), it's difficult to hear how Mel Tormé Sings Fred Astaire can't be the best album of his entire career. Featuring an artist at the peak of his ability and talent, a collection of top-drawer songs from the best pop composers ever, and a swinging ten-piece that forms the perfect accompaniment, Sings Fred Astaire is one of the best up-tempo vocal albums ever recorded. Coming hot on the heels of Mel Tormé and the Marty Paich Dek-Tette in 1956, this tribute to Hollywood's most stylish dancer finds Tormé obliging with his nimblest and most elegant singing. Even while Marty Paich's band takes "The Way You Look Tonight" and "Cheek to Cheek" at a breakneck pace that Astaire himself would've had trouble with, Tormé floats over the top with death-defying vocal acrobatics. He's breezy and sophisticated on "They Can't Take That Away from Me," ecstatic and effervescent on "Top Hat, White Tie and Tails" (matching an exuberant solo by trumpeter Pete Candoli), and even breaks out an affectionate croon for "A Foggy Day." A collection of perfect hard-swinging pop with a few ballads thrown in for good measure makes Sings Fred Astaire a masterpiece of the vocal era. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
'A Tribute to Bing Crosby'
Release Date 8/24/1994
Tracks 16
Label Concord Jazz
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What The Critics Say
Although 14 minutes of this CD is a specific "Tribute to Benny Goodman," the entire release is actually at least an indirect homage to the King of Swing. Mel Tormé and his trio (pianist John Colianni, bassist John Leitham, and drummer Donny Osborne) are joined by clarinetist Ken Peplowski and vibraphonist Peter Appleyard (who are very reminiscent of Goodman and Lionel Hampton), and the emphasis is on swing-era standards. Tormé is in typically fine form on such tunes as "It's All Right with Me," "These Foolish Things," "Three Little Words," and the closing "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye." The singer even has some additional fun during this concert (recorded live in Japan) by switching to drums for a rousing "Sing, Sing, Sing," which climaxes the Goodman medley. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Because Mel Tormé co-wrote "The Christmas Song," it was a surprise to many of his fans that when he recorded this full-length Christmas album for Telarc in 1992, it was his first. Since he is backed by a large orchestra (conducted by Keith Lockhart) in addition to his regular trio and the emphasis is on ballad renditions, Tormé does not get many opportunities to scat and swing on this pleasing but unadventurous set. However his interpretations of 18 Christmas-associated songs (along with three instrumentals for the orchestra) are tasteful and melodic. Not essential but worthwhile. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
