Album Cover: I Haven't Got Anything Better To Do

One of Astrud Gilberto's best recordings provided the title of this album. It also contains her effective version of Trains and Boats and Planes which is included in this week's play list. The album was released in 1970 on Verve, complete with an enigmatic album cover.

Playlist: 26 May 2012

Intro: If You Could Read My Mind - Todd Gordon & Jacqui Dankworth: Ballads from the Midnight Hotel

1. I Get a Kick Out of You - Billie Holiday: Music for Torching

2. I Want to be Happy - The Four Freshmen: Voices in Fun

3. The Man I Love - Keely Smith: Swingin' Pretty

4. Maybe You'll Be There - Frank Sinatra: Where Are You?

5. When a Woman Loves a Man - Ella Fitzgerald: Johnny Mercer Songbook

6. Down Home Blues - Ernestine Anderson: Ow! The Concord All Stars

7. Love for Sale - Diane Schuur: In Tribute

8. A Stranger Called the Blues - Sammy Davis Jr: Sings Mel Tormé's California Suite

9. I Only Have Eyes for You - Claire Martin: Too Much In Love to Care

10. You Turned the Tables on Me - Claire Martin: Too Much In Love to Care

11. Embraceable You - Claire Martin: Too Much In Love to Care

12. Still Crazy After All These Years - Ray Charles: My World

13. Trains and Boats and Planes - Astrud Gilberto: I Haven't Got Anything Better to Do

Outro: Holding On - Todd Gordon: Made in Korea

Album Cover: Sing to Me, Mr C

Centenary celebration! Perry Como - aka Mr Relaxation - was born on May 18th, 1912.

One of his finest releases is Sing to Me, Mr C, with the Mitchell Ayres Orchestra and a line up including guitarist, Tony Mottola and the Ray Charles Singers. We featured one of album's the six medleys in this week's program, which is representative of the format on his highly popular Kraft Music Hall TV shows.

The album has materialised with a few different covers/formats, including these...

Playlist: 19 May 2012 - UK Jazz Radio & Europe Jazz Radio

Intro: If You Could Read My Mind - Todd Gordon & Jacqui Dankworth: Ballads from the Midnight Hotel

1. What Is This Thing Called Love? - Dinah Washington: Dinah

2. Say It Isn't So/Blue Skies/Here's That Rainy Day - Perry Como: Sing to Me, Mr C

3. Here Comes the Sun - Nina Simone: Here Comes the Sun

4. Tangerine - Tony Bennett: Here's to the Ladies

5. Linda - Frank Sinatra: Reprise Studio Recordings (Disc 17)

6. What Will I Tell My Heart? - Ella Fitzgerald: Like Someone In Love

7. Just One of Those Things/Green Dolphin Street - Mel Tormé & George Shearing: An Evening at Charlie's

8. Dinner with Gershwin - Donna Summer: All Systems Go

9. There! I've Said It Again - Vic Damone: Linger a While with Vic Damone

10. Mean to Me - Barbara Morrison: Live at the Dakota

Outro: Holding On - Todd Gordon: Made in Korea

Album Cover: Judy at Carnegie Hall

MORT LINDSAY (March 21, 1923 - May 4, 2012)

On Saturday, I included Judy Garland's live version of I Can't Give You Anything but Love. Just a few days later, I learned that Mort Lindsay, the musical director on that recording, had passed away, aged 89. 

Mr Lindsay also worked as MD for Barbra Streisand who recently stated in the Los Angeles Times:

"I first saw him when I was a teenager and got to attend a free Judy Garland concert," she recalled. 

"They were either taping it as a show or for a recording. Mort was on stage conducting for Judy, and I could sense how safe she felt with his judgments and encouragements.

"I stood there fantasizing that one day I would work with him too. And then, that one day arrived and we worked together many wonderful times. He was great."

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/05/11/2794823/mort-lindsay-musical-director.html#storylink=cpy

Judy at Carnegie Hall - recorded on April 23rd 1961 - was released as a double album and became a huge best seller, charting for 73 weeks on Billboard. It reached the No 1 spot for a significant 13 week period, and went on to win four Grammy Awards for Album of the Year, Best Female Vocal Performance, Best Engineered Album and Best Album Cover. The album has never been out of print and, in 2003, was one of 50 recordings chosen that year by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry.

Playlist: 12 May 2012 - UK Jazz Radio & Europe Jazz Radio

Intro: If You Could Read My Mind - Todd Gordon & Jacqui Dankworth: Ballads from the Midnight Hotel

1. For Once in My Life - Harry Connick Jr: Only You

2. Every Day I Have the Blues - Tony Bennett & Stevie Wonder: Playing with My Friends

3. You're Blasé - Ella Fitzgerald & Joe Pass: Take Love Easy

4. Talk to Me, Baby - Mark Murphy: Who Can I Turn To?

5. Gee Baby, Ain't I Good to You - Billie Holiday: Body and Soul

6. Almost Like Being in Love - Perry Como: Saturday Night with Mr C

7. Love for Sale - Elaine Delmar: Ev'rything I Love (Elaine Delmar Sings Cole Porter)

8. Love Is the Greatest Thing - Mae West: The Fabulous Mae West

9. Only Trust Your Heart - Roberta Gambarini: Easy to Love

10.  Some of These Days - Dale Corn: I've Been Around

11. Loads of Love - Erin Dickins: Nice Girls

12. I Can't Give You Anything But Love - Judy Garland: Judy at Carnegie Hall

13. On a Clear Day (You Can See Forever) - Matt Monro: This Is the Life

Outro: Holding On - Todd Gordon: Made in Korea

Album Cover: Norma Deloris Egstrom

To accompany the wistful track on this week's show, It Takes Too Long to Learn to Live Alone, here is the wonderful cover of Peggy Lee's last album for the Capitol label. Released in 1973, it bears an equally enigmatic title (referring to Ms Lee's birth name), Norma Deloris Egstrom from Jamestown, North Dakota. 

Playlist: 5 May 2012 - UK Jazz Radio & Europe Jazz Radio

THE JAMES GAVIN COLLECTION (Part 1) 
for fascinating articles and liner notes by James, visit www.jamesgavin.com 

Intro: If You Could Read My Mind - Todd Gordon & Jacqui Dankworth: Ballads from the Midnight Hotel

1. How High the Moon - Ella Fitzgerald: The Legendary Decca Recordings

2. Stormy Weather - Lena Horne: Stormy Weather

3. The Circle Game - Maureen McGovern: Concert performance 

4. Goodbye - Dianne Reeves: Bridges

5. Anything Goes - Dakota Staton: Dynamic!

6. It Takes Too Long to Learn to Live Alone - Peggy Lee: Norma Deloris Egstrom

7. Because of Toledo - The Blue Nile: High

8. Something's Coming: Chris Connor: Chis Connor at the Village Gate

9. Confession - Shirley Horn: Travelin' Light

10. Day In - Day Out - Mark Murphy: This Could Be the Start of Something

11. Ode to Billie Joe - Nancy Wilson: Welcome to My Love

12. I Hold No Grudge - Nina Simone: High Priestess of Soul

Outro: Holding On - Todd Gordon: Made in Korea