Wake up to Otto Cesana's "Night Train"

Wakey-wakey time. Where I am, it's 12:21 PM, but I could use some waking up. Being a night person, "morning" for me includes the early PM hours, like 2 PM. My brain wakes up around then. "Hey, it's morning!" "No, it's afternoon." "For you, maybe."

It's some weirdness of chemistry. I suspect it has something to do with pulling too many moonlight watches in the Navy. Once you've learned to become fully awake at 4 AM, it kind of sticks with you. Some sleep centers recover; others don't. The one in my CNS didn't. I should get some kind of compensation, dang it.

Ironically, Otto Cesana's Night Train (not the famous Jimmy Forrest number) is the perfect wake-up music. It's an amazing piece of not-so-easy easy-listening, from the superb orchestration to the sureness of composition. I've always wanted to type "sureness of composition"--another one I can cross off the list. (Sound of pen on paper.) So many more to go, though.

So, wake up, already. Otto Ceasana will help:

Night Train (Cesana), Otto Cesana and His Orchestra, 1953. From 1955 12" reissue of the Ecstasy LP.

I love it when skilled arranger/composers use simple devices to maximum effect. That's talent.

While we're listening to 1953 Cesana, here's Marionette, a light work that hardly erases the memory of Nola or Flapperette but which twirls skillfully enough. Cesana's musical ideas can't be called deep, but he sure knows how to develop and dress them:

Marionette (Cesana), 1953. Otto Cesana and His Orch., from 1955 12" reissue of Ecstasy.

Cesana's excellent Symphony in Jazz (from 1950 or so) will be going up at my Vintage Lounge blog, which I recently brought back to life. A great light concert piece not to be missed.


Lee

Valentine's Day Playlist, Part 1

Valentine's Day is coming. Woo-hoo. I do so look forward, every year, to Valentine's.

Just kidding. However, as much as I can live without V-Day, I can't live without love songs. Especially seeing as how they make up about 80 percent of all pop music.

More playlists to come, though it'll take you a while to get through this one. Maybe. Probably.

I think I'll dump them in alphabetical order. The first title, not exactly a feminist document, dates from a quainter time, back when male-bashing was a more discreet part of pop culture:

A Good Man Is Hard to Find, Ted Lewis and His Orch., with vocal by Ted. 1928. From a New World LP; sound doctored by MAGIX.

A Little Kiss Goodnight, Guy Mitchell and Doris Day, 1952. With Paul Weston and His Orch.

Al-Di-La, The Ray Charles Singers, 1964. From the Command Performances LP. (Forgive the VG- sound! A bit needle-worn.)

Bali Ha'i (Rodgers--Hammerstein II), Rosemary Clooney with Perez Prado Orch., 1959. From RCA Victor LP.

Gently, Johnny (Twomey, Wise, Weisman), Guy Mitchell and Doris Day, 1952. (Probably my favorite guy-gal pop duet, ever. Or should I say "Guy-gal"?)

I Love Him So Much I Could Scream, Peggy Lloyd, w. Nick and His Gang (1954). From 78. (I was hoping this would end with a literal scream, but no such luck. 78 is packed away; otherwise, I'd have label info handy.)

If I Give My Heart to You (Crane, Jacobs, Brewster), Doris Day, with the Mellomen and Frank DeVol's Orchestra, 1954. From Dutch EP. (Pretty rock and roll in feel--ultra-mild r&r, but r&r, still.)

Marrying for Love (Irving Berlin), Rosemary Clooney and Guy Mitchell, with Percy Faith and His Orch., 1950. From Columbia 45. (I take it back--this is my favorite guy-gal pop duet, ever. Guy-Rosie, whatever.)

Mutual Admiration Society Jaye P. Morgan and Eddy Arnold, 1956. (I'd been thinking of dedicating this to Oprah Winfrey and The Smoking Gun/Court TV, but it's better as a V-Day number, I suppose.)

Secret Love (Sammy Fain/ Paul Francis Webster, from "Calamity Jane"), Doris Day, with Orch. directed by Ray Heindorf, 1954. (I never realized what a gorgeous side this is....)

That's-a Why (Bob Merill), Mindy Carson and Guy Mitchell, with Mitch Miller and His Orch., 1952. (Great Bob Merrill song, and my favorite guy-gal pop duet. Er, wait a minute....)

Here's a change of pace:

To Be or Not to Be (Barry Gibbs), The Bee Gees, 1965. Recorded in Australia. (Maybe it should have been called To Bee or Not to Bee?)

More sweet sounds to come....


Lee

Maximizing voter participation, Ohio-style

Lee, wondering whether he can trust Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell, Jr. Hmmmm--tough call.

When the Columbus Dispatch tells the good folks of Ohio not to worry, it's time to jump in the car and head for the hills.

Just kidding--I trust the 'Patch totally. Except when it plays down the truth. Or ignores it completely. Or utterly contradicts itself, as it did when it ran editorials pointing out that Intelligent Design doesn't qualify as a scientific theory, only to turn around and run an article in which Intelligent Design was described as a "theory." For example. It plays both sides of the fence so skillfully and consistently that I'm wondering if the paper hasn't had itself cloned. ("Over here!" "No, over here!" "Ignore him--I'm the real Dispatch!" "Don't listen to him--he's lying!")

Anyway, the 'Patch assures us that recent changes to Ohio voting law are nothing to worry about, especially the voter-ID rule. Such a measure is only reasonable, says the Dis-, because people prevented from voting by this rule "had little interest in exercising their civic duty," anyway. So there.

The main piece of ID mentioned by the 'Patch--and every other source, it seems--is the Ohio driver's license, which Ohio actually calls a "driver license." (I'm not kidding.) Curious to see if my, er, driver license will allow me to vote on Nov. 7, I called two county boards of election and asked. The answer, from both places: no.

That's correct--no, it will not. I'll have to have additional ID or sign an affidavit. Why? Because I've moved since last renewing my license, something people do all of the time these days. Since the address on my license isn't current, I can forget about using my "driver" license to vote with, at least by itself. I guess the Columbus Dispatch didn't think about that. They were so busy investigating the new laws, they had little time to consider such a remote and abstract scenario as someone moving to a new address.

The first BOE person I spoke to seemed unable to follow what I was asking--in fact, she sent me an "Application for Absent Voter's (sic) Ballots." Come on now--I'm not always the most alert person on the block, but I wouldn't describe myself as "absent." I feel rather insulted, frankly.

The second person I spoke to mentioned a database (a "statewide registration database," says the 'Patch) containing voter data. She told me that poll books will be "flagged" for any data that is missing from that program or otherwise in dispute--voters will be asked to verify said data. This raises the possibility of long lines and/or people rushing home to get documentation (or staying and signing an affidavit). Missing data probably means having to vote by provisional ballot, which means the ballot will be "counted later," which means it won't count. I hate to say it, but I think that's the whole idea.

I know--we're all tired of hearing that Ohio's Secretary of State/Chief Elections Officer/former Bush-Cheney campaigner J. Kenneth Blackwell stole the vote from hundreds of thousands of voters, most of them minorities and/or Democrats. Like, where's the proof? Has anyone ever looked into this matter and concluded that all of these votes were, in fact, swiped? If so, who?

Glad you asked. The U.S. House of Representatives, for one. Specifically, The House Judiciary Committee Democratic Staff, which wrote a report entitled Preserving Democracy: What Went Wrong in Ohio. Lots of fun stuff there, such as: "With regards to our factual finding, in brief, we find that there were massive and unprecedented voter irregularities and anomalies in Ohio. In many cases these irregularities were caused by intentional misconduct and illegal behavior, much of it involving Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell, the co-chair of the Bush-Cheney campaign in Ohio."

The "hundreds of thousands of Ohio citizens disenfranchised" were "predominantly minority and Democratic voters."

So, J. Kenneth is sledge-hammering rocks as we speak, right? Ah.... no. In fact, he's running for governor. And he's been allowed to continue in his role as Chief Elections Officer. While running for governor. He's running for governor, and he's in charge of the vote.

So, I'm concerned that J. may pull another Florida 2000 on our vegetative state, especially since he may very well be on the ticket. I guess my faith in people is so slight that I actually believe that an official who has already pulled Jim Crow measures on his fellow citizens might--I don't know--turn around two years later and do it again. Especially since he's already gotten away with it. Gosh, have you ever encountered such cynicism in your life? Shame on me.

It's all about "maximizing voter participation" and "making voting easy and convenient," says the Dispatch. Yeah, they're probably right. It was silly of me to be concerned. I've been a baaaaad Ohioan, asking all these questions and stuff.

As for any notion that the ID measure will prevent (or discourage) anyone from voting, "The Dispatch believes such predictions are overwrought." O.K.

I wonder if there's reason for concern. Which should I believe--a Dispatch editorial or a report written by the Democratic staff of the House Judiciary Committee? A report which likely wasn't followed up on because--I don't know--the House of Reps, as a whole, wasn't interested in going after Blackwell? Or dealing with evidence of election tampering, in general?

This ought to be Ohio's theme song:

It's a Gas, MAD Magazine, 1963. Performed by Mike Russo, Jeanne Hayes, and The Dellwoods.

Actually, this situation isn't much of a gas at all....


Lee

Tracks that have been waiting to go up

Here are six MP3 files that have been waiting for their day in the blog--some, for a while; others, for only a week or two. But all have displayed admirable patience while stuck in storage, and I owe them a place beside their already-shared brothers and sisters. And this is getting sillier with each sentence, so let's get to the sounds real quick. Here, then, are the six Tracks That Have Been Waiting to Go Up:

Cafe Rio (Gould), Morton Gould and His Orchestra, 1957. From RCA 45.

Flag Waver (Gray), Jerry Gray and His Orchestra, 1951. From a Vocalion LP. (Great bop-style boogie-woogie. I was sure I'd already linked to this one. I guess not!)

Guaracha (Morton Gould, from Latin-American Symphonette, 1941), Elliot Everett and His Orch., 1952? (Not Elliot Everett, apparently--don't know who it is really is. The suspense is killing all of us, I'm sure.)

What the World Needs Now (H. David-B. Bacharach), Harold Smith Majestic Choir, 1968, Checker 45.

The Crazy Otto Rag, Hugo and Luigi, w. The Hoffbrau Singers (1955)

That Piano Man (Evelyn Clancy-Teresa Brewer),, Teresa Brewer (1960), from Coral 45.

The last two files were waiting for the next "Life before the ragtime revival of 1973" post, but that series has sort of petered out. Maybe it's because the examples have proven too easy to find--there are just so many of them. Yet, the idea persists that The Sting reintroduced ragtime to the public. Sorry, Joe "Fingers" Carr (Lou Busch), and Big Tiny Little, and the rest. You folks apparently never existed.

Once a stupid idea like that achieves received status, no amount of pointing to the facts will ever dislodge it from the Book of B.S.


Lee

Boogie-woogie with MY(P)WHAE, Part 4--Ray, Andy, Art, and Lou

Three great b.w. selections this evening, beginning with Andy Kirk and His Clouds of Joy in a 1957 remake of Little Joe from Chicago

Little Joe from Chicago (M.L. Williams, Henry Wells), Andy Kirk and His Clouds of Joy, 1957. From RCA LP.










Next, Ray Charles' Kissa Me Baby, recorded for the Swing Time label in 1952:

Kissa Me Baby, Ray Charles, 1952. From LP on Baronet label under title All Night Long.


















Last, and quite a feast, is Ferrante and Teicher's Boogie Express, recorded for Joe Davis' Davis label in 1952. Along with three other titles, their first studio recording:

Boogie Express, Ferrante and Teicher, 1952. (From reissue on the crappy Guest Star label. Sounds pretty good, considering!)

Boogie woogie will never go out of style--as long as MY(P)WHAE is here, anyway.

Here's a cool label scan from the excellent Ferrante and Teicher site http://www.lobue-digital.com/twingrands/news.html














Lee

Start your day with Day!

Doris Day, of course. Here are four selections guaranteed to wake you up, fill you with pep, and generally make your day. We begin with When the Red, Red Robin..., which I ripped from the EP pictured above. It was one of the records I found in that row of antique stores in Hong Kong all those years ago:

When the Red, Red Robin Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin' Along (Harry Woods), Doris Day with Paul Weston and His Orchestra, 1953. From EP made in Holland.

From the same Dutch EP, 1954's Ready, Willing and Able:

Ready, Willing, and Able (Rinker, Huddleston, Gleason), Doris Day with Buddy Cole and His Orchestra, 1954.

The next selection is hardly a rare track, but it is one of the best big band performances ever. Fine tune, great arrangement, and one impressive young vocalist:

Sentimental Journey (B. Green, Les Brown, Homer), Doris Day with Les Brown and His Orchestra, 1944. From 10" Columbia LP, The Hot Canaries.

To wrap up this morning of Day, we have 1960's Please Don't Eat the Daisies, which I love even though Doris insists on singing sharp throughout. There are a few Ouch! moments in that regard, to borrow a term from my late piano teacher:

Please Don't Eat the Daisies (J. Lubin), Doris Day with Bill Marx and His Orchestra, 1960. From Columbia 45.

We hope that Day made your morning....


Lee

Tape music, 1952- and 1966-style

We've heard some tape music (to use an old term) by George Martin in the form of 1962's excellent Time Beat and Waltz in Orbit. Now it's time for some more magnetically-manipulated sounds by way of Otto Luening's brilliant Incantation (1952) and John Lennon's fun-with-tape-loops classic, Tomorrow Never Knows, which had a mind-blowing impact on this blogger when he first heard it around... oh, 1970. Wonder what I would have made of Luening's effort?

We'll do this backwards, beginning with Lennon and (George) Martin's famous 1966 Revolver track, here in its mono mix, which memory tells me is very different in places from the stereo result. Anymore, the stereo mix isn't so fresh in memory, but when I first heard this, I could have sworn I was hearing a new number:

Tomorrow Never Knows (Lennon--McCartney), 1966. From mono copy of (U.S.) Revolver.

And here's Otto Lueing's Incantation, a magnetic tape piece (as opposed to a piece of magnetic tape) from a 1952 Museum of Modern Art concert that featured works by Luening and Vladimir Ussachevsky. Imagine how bizarre this stuff must have sounded then. 54 years later, it still manages to spook. What an honor to feature this masterful montage, taken from vinyl:

Incantation (Otto Luening), from 1952 Museum of Modern Art concert.

Other titles from that 1952 concert included: Moonflight (my favorite of the bunch), Fantasy in Space, and Sonic Contours. And I used to think such stuff originated in rock. Not hardly!


Lee

R.I.P., Betty

Another great person was born on February 4--Betty Friedan. Wow. She and Dietrich Bonhoeffer shared the same birthday. And she died on that date, yesterday, at the age of 85. May she rest in peace.

She was never a radical feminist, save for in the beginning, when any concept of expanded rights for women was, by definition, radical. Then again, most of the feminists I know are fairly "traditional" women, like Betty. Of course, we're conditioned from birth to expect feminists to not be like us normal, regular, everyday, flag-saluting folk. They're a kind of "Other." A bad kind, the White House--I mean, the status quo--tells us.

Just kidding. Our society is perfectly O.K. with powerful women. Just ask Hilary.

In my late 20s, I had misgivings about the women's movement--not sure why. (Because I'm male, you answer?) A friend helped me out. She said, "If you were a woman, wouldn't you be a feminist?" I didn't even have to think about it. "Yes," I said.

After that, my support has been unconditional. It's just a matter of putting your dogs in the other person's footwear. Though I dread the idea of wearing ladies' shoes (they look like no fun). Plus, my feet are way too big. If I ever go the TV route, I'll be paying a fortune for super-large pumps.

R.I.P., Betty. Must dig up some music for this occasion. Hm....


Lee