Album Cover: Helping the Heroes

The Royal Air Force Squadronaires and Todd Gordon release Helping the Heroes in the UK on November 5th. Worldwide digital release to follow shortly.

This is the acclaimed big band's first vocal album and Todd duets on several tracks with wonderful guest vocalists (see artwork). Featuring new arrangements, it's a great "feel-good" album, recorded under the watchful eyes and ears of veteran producer Ken Barnes who's worked with many of "the greats" such as Bing Crosby, Peggy Lee, Fred Astaire, Johnny Mercer and Jack Jones.

All profits from the sale of the album will go to the British charity, Help for Heroes.

You can order it now from Amazon and other online retailers as well as record stores - and click here for the first review...

"Helping The Heroes brings some of Britain's finest singers together with one of the country's best big bands. The result is a definitive big band album: dynamic, technically impressive and hugely enjoyable." - All About Jazz (Canada)

Playlist: 27 Oct 2012

ACROSS AMERICA

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

1. Chicago - Anita O'Day: There's Only One...

2. Basin Street Blues - Dr John: Goin' Back to New Orleans

3. Los Angeles Blues - Peggy Lee: Blues Cross Country with The Quincy Jones Orchestra

4. You're In Kentucky (As Sure As You're Born) - Rosemary Clooney: Dedicated to Nelson

5. Mississippi Mud - Bobby Darin & Johnny Mercer: Two of a Kind

6. St Louis Blues - Ella Fitzgerald & Count Basie: A Perfect Match

7. Spanish Harlem - Aretha Franklin: single

8. Way Down Yonder in New Orleans - Bing Crosby & Louis Armstrong: Bing & Satchmo

9. New York State of Mind - Carmen McRae: Live at Umbria Jazz

10. Moonlight in Vermont - Margaret Whiting: Love Songs by Margaret Whiting

11. (I've Got a Gal in) Kalamazoo - Royal Air Force Squadronaires & Todd Gordon (with The Swingcats): Helping the Heroes

12. Manhattan - Royal Air Force Squadronaires & Todd Gordon (with Jacqui Dankworth): Helping the Heroes

13. Autumn in New York - Royal Air Force Squadronaires & Todd Gordon (with Carol Kidd): Helping the Heroes

14. I Left My Heart in San Francisco - Royal Air Force Squadronaires & Todd Gordon: Helping the Heroes

Outro: Holding On - Todd Gordon: Made in Korea

Album Cover: Rosemary Clooney & Nelson Riddle

This week's opening track, Angry, comes from Rosie Solves the Swingin' Riddle! - a 1960 studio album by Rosemary Clooney (George's aunt!) and arranged by Nelson Riddle. It's the first of a couple of albums that Clooney and Riddle recorded together; the two were having an affair at the time of the recording which broke up their respective marriages. Their second album, Love, was released in 1963 on Frank Sinatra's label, Reprise Records.

Playlist: 20 Oct 2012

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

1. Angry - Rosemary Clooney & Nelson Riddle: Rosie Solves the Swingin' Riddle!

2. Lullaby of the Leaves - Billy Eckstine: Billy Eckstine's Imagination

3. I'll Be Seeing You - Dinah Shore & André Previn: Dinah Sings, Previn Plays

4. When Your Lover Has Gone - Ella Fitzgerald: Twelve Nights in Hollywood

5. When the Wind was Green - Eydie Gormé: Love Is a Season

6. (Love's Got Me in a) Lazy Mood - Bobby Troup: Sings Johnny Mercer

7. The Man I Love - Carmen McRae: Can't Hide Love

8. South of the Border - Keely Smith: Keely Sings Sinatra

9. You're Getting to be a Habit with Me - Dolores Gray: Warm Brandy

10. Love Has a Mind of Its Own - Ray Charles: My World

11. I Wanna Be Loved - Peggy Lee: Pretty Eyes

12. Black Coffee - Chris Connor & Maynard Ferguson: Double Exposure

13. On Green Dolphin Street - Sarah Vaughan: Sassy Swings The Tivoli

14. Time After Time - Sarah Vaughan: Sassy Swings The Tivoli

15. What Is This Thing Called Love? - Sarah Vaughan: Sassy Swings The Tivoli

16. You Do Something to Me - Frank Sinatra: Sinatra's Swingin' Session!!!

Outro: Holding On - Todd Gordon: Made in Korea

Album Cover: Nancy Wilson/Welcome to My Love

There's a track included this week from one of the finest albums Nancy Wilson ever recorded: Welcome to My Love. Also featuring fantastic arrangements by Oliver Nelson.

Playlist: 13 Oct 2012

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

1. The Gal That Got Away - Frank Sinatra: The Great Years

2. Watch What Happens - Sophie Milman: In the Moonlight

3. Once in a While - Johnny Hartman: Unforgettable

4. People Will Say We're in Love - Norma Winstone: Manhattan in the Rain

5. Six Lessons from Madame La Zonga - Mel Tormé: Olé Tormé

6. Use Me - Esther Phillips: Alone Again (Naturally)

7. Goin' Out of My Head - Ella Fitzgerald: Live from The Cave Supper Club, Vancouver

8. Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most - Ian Shaw: A Ghost in Every Bar

9. I'm Always Drunk in San Francisco - Nancy Wilson: Welcome to My Love

10. Let There Be Love - Carmen McRae: Live at Sugar Hill, San Francisco

11. If I Had to Live My Life Over - Lou Rawls: Nobody But Lou

12. I Wanna Be Loved By You - Marilyn Monroe: Some Like It Hot! (Soundtrack)

13. I'm Late - Ann Richards: The Many Moods of Ann Richards

Outro: Holding On - Todd Gordon: Made in Korea

Album Cover: Della / Cha, Cha, Cha

From the pairings we had this week, here are two vintage Della Reese LP covers: Della and Della - Cha, Cha, Cha.

Playlist: 6 Oct 2012

SAD & HAPPY & HAPPY & SAD!

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

1. Two Shots of Happy, One Shot of Sad - Nancy Sinatra: Nancy Sinatra

2. Things - Nancy Sinatra & Dean Martin: Single

3. Baby, Won't You Please Come Home - Della Reese: Della

4. Come-on-a My House - Della Reese: Della - Cha, Cha, Cha

5. Gone with the Wind - Frank Sinatra: Only the Lonely

6. Summer Wind - Frank Sinatra: Strangers in the Night

7. Say It Isn't So - Peggy Lee: If You Go

8. I've Got Those Feelin' Too Good Today Blues - Peggy Lee: Sings Leiber & Stoller (aka Mirrors)

9. Day by Day - Carmen McRae: The Great American Songbook (Disc 1)

10. All By Myself - Carmen McRae: Can't Hide Love

11. Yes Indeed! - Dinah Shore: Dinah, Yes Indeed!

12. I'll Be Seeing You - Dinah Shore & André Previn: Dinah Sings, Previn Plays

13. Help Me Make It Through the Night - Johnny Hartman: Today

14. Isn't It Romantic? - Johnny Hartman: Unforgettable

15. Russian Lullaby - Ella Fitzgerald: The Irving Berlin Song Book, Vol 1

16. Old MacDonald - Ella Fitzgerald: Whisper Not

Outro: Holding On - Todd Gordon: Made in Korea