Philip’s Demo at Sound Sanctuary, Austin (Part II of III)

Philip’s Demo at Sound Sanctuary, Austin (Part II of III) is part of our 3-part series highlighting 11 albums with curator’s notes for an event in Austin early April.

>> Go to Philip’s Demo at Sound Sanctuary, Austin (Part III)

> Return to Philip’s Demo at Sound Sanctuary, Austin (Part I)

 

~ Moondance ~

~ Crazy Love ~

Following the commercial flop of Astral Weeks,  which took at least a decade to find favour among music lovers, in the meantime, Van Morrison was under pressure from Warner Brothers to deliver a hit album.

To clear his mind, from the chaos of New York City, Van Morrison and his wife, Janet Planet, moved to upstate New York, near Woodstock, to sketch out the songs and rehearse with his new band for his new album “Moondance”,  an R&B-influenced collection of Celtic soul songs, with sweet jazz undertones.

While the first song on the album, “And It Stoned Me,” kicks off the album, most listeners are waiting for the title song, “Moondance”.  Such a wonderful cry from the heart; clearly Van was a happily married, surrounded by stellar musicians who locked into a groove with him, Jeff Labes’ piano is tasteful and slips into those small spaces between the verses.
The lovemaking continues with “Crazy Love”. This is probably the happiest point in Van’s musical career.  Credit should be given to the wonderful backing singers – Judy Clay, Jackie Verdell & Emily Houston.

The release in America at the end of February 1970 was met with unanimous, well-deserved praise from all of the rock critics at the time, and for good reason. It is universally lauded as a warm, jazzy, and soulful masterpiece, featuring impeccably clean production with tasteful bass, saxophone, and acoustic guitar.  A wonderful album to gift to your children, who will thank you later for your wonderful taste in music.

The double 45 RPM treatment adds a greater foundation to the music; the bass is big & fat, though not overblown, has greater dynamic range and wider frequency resonance compared to original pressings. Not to mention that it’s also quieter, with more subtle details.

 

Frank Sinatra – Songs For Swingin’ Lovers. (Capitol 1956) Tone Poets. 2026

~ You Make Me Feel So Young ~

~ I’ve Got You Under My Skin ~

 

Following his separation from Ava Gardner (separated 1953/1954, divorced 1957), Sinatra delivered his melancholy masterpiece “In The Wee Small Hours”.  After Ava  Gardner, he was famously involved with several women, including a short-lived romance with actress Lauren Bacall, and subsequently Elizabeth Taylor.

After Ava’s heartbreak dust had settled, Sinatra was able to resume life, his exuberance returned in full swing for his next album, also produced by Voyle Gilmore, with conductor & arranger Nelson Riddle; the jazzier, hipper: “Songs For Swingin’ Lovers”.  

 

Kicking off with “You Make Me Feel So Young,” Sinatra is at his most joyful, in terrific voice, accompanied by a wonderful orchestra, with the deft touch of Nelson Riddle, intertwining Sinatra’s vocal instrument around his first-rate orchestra.

  

“I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” sung with a little sly conviction, a man who knows that he is on top of his game, rendered with wonderful phrasing, is another classic from the Great American Songbook.

 

Other stand-outs include:  “Pennies From Heaven” is a little more languid; its smooth, velvet delivery contrasts nicely with the biting brass, not to mention a gorgeous vibraphone solo between verses.

  

“Makin’ Whoopee” – you can almost hear the martini glasses clinking around him. The brass is evocative and delivers a contrasting counterpoint to Sinatra’s swinging vocals.

 

There is a Capitol reissue from a few years ago that is less expensive ($30 on Amazon) and still in circulation.  The Tone Poets reissue was released at the end of March, is more expensive ($39 on Amazon, and their #1 best-seller), and harder to find, but worth the effort and expense, as it sounds glorious. Frank’s voice is richer, with more gravitas. A noticeable improvement in resolution, without thinning out the midrange.  The orchestra sounds wonderful,  Nelson Riddle’s arrangements are fresh and hold up well after 70 years.

 

 

 ~ Gone Into It ~

 

For many younger jazz fans, their first exposure to Curtis Amy may well have been on the Doors’ live performance of Touch Me, where he played tenor sax.

 

Amy arrived in  Los Angeles in the late 1950’s, originally from Texas, where he recorded for Pacific Jazz. “Groovin’ Blue” was his second album for the label.

 

Frank Butler co-led this hard-swinging set of hard bop, infused with a nice dose of R&B. As a session musician, Frank Butler had already played with Art Pepper, Ben Webster, Dave Brubeck, Curtis Counce, Hampton Hawes, Harold Land… 

 

Amy & Butler were certainly groovin’ with Carmell Jones on trumpet (his recording debut), Bobby Hutcherson on vibraphone, who was only 19 at the time, Frank Strazzeri on piano, and Jimmy Bond on bass. 

 

Groovin’ Blue kicks off with a Curtis Amy & Frank Butler’s composition “Gone Into It”  – a driving hard bop number, driven initially by Amy’s sax, before handing over to the trumpet, then Hutcherson’s vibes, all the while the groove is locked down steady by the rhythm section of Bond on bass & Butler on drums. Strazzeri delivers some lovely, tasty piano.

 

 Butler kicks “Annsome” off with a short but sweet solo, and sets the pace for the other musicians to breathe & expand on the melody. It sounds as if everyone is enjoying themselves & the band is cohesive.

 

Beautiful You is a ballad that revolves around Bobby Hutcherson’s melody, and certainly is sensual & romantic, as befits its title.

 

This is one of those obscure jazz titles that, up until now, was almost impossible to find in great condition.

 

Originally released in 1961, re-released in 1965, then in 1975 in South Africa, 1992 in Japan. Let’s forget about the dubious provenance of the Spanish reissue of 2016.  The Blue Note Tone Poet reissue of 2025 is certainly the album to buy.

 

 

 

~ These are Days ~

~ Jolene ~

  

On April 21, 1993, 10,000 Maniacs gathered at Sony Music Studios in New York City, where they filmed an hour-plus performance for MTV Unplugged that aired as a 30-minute episode in June 1993.  This is a better-sounding recording than any of their hitherto studio albums.

 

“MTVUnplugged” is an intimate live album, a greatest hits compilation if you will, featuring the hits from their previous three studio albums. It also benefits from the added instrumentation of a string section & piano. It was to be the last Natalie Merchant album with 10,000 Maniacs. A fitting swan song.

 

I usually start with the moody “Don’t Talk”. a pleasant & relaxed glide into the album.

“Hey Jack Kerouac”; here the band steps into gear, easily one of their greatest hits.

“What Matters Here” – simply glorious with a beautiful banjo solo in the middle.

“Stockton Gala Days” sweeps through the soul; the band is in full swing, with wonderful energy.

“Jolene” Dolly must have been thrilled when she heard her song so beautifully covered by Natalie Merchant & David Byrne, with a gorgeous string section.

 

The album was originally released on CD, cassette & Minidisc in 1993. This reissue was only released on LP for the first time in 2024, with three extra songs, featuring David Byrne: Iris DeMent’s “Let The Mystery Be”, Jimmie Dale Gilmore’s “Dallas” & Dolly Parton’s “Jolene”. 

 

>> Go to Philip’s Demo at Sound Sanctuary, Austin (Part III)

>> Return to Philip’s Demo at Sound Sanctuary, Austin (Part I)