Grofe-athon continues: Grand Canyon, Mississippi Suites (1954, 1958, and 1947)

We have Ferde Grofe, from 1954, conducting his own Grand Canyon (ripped from an original 10" LP); Andre Kostelanetz conducting Grofe's 1926 Mississippi Suite in 1947; and Eugene Ormandy, from 1958, giving Canyon its best-ever reading, and from the very copy my brother and I grew up listening to on my Dad's mono hi-fi. It doesn't get grander or suiter than this.

Happy (extended) Birthday, Ferde!













Click on the following links to reach the sounds:

1) Grand Canyon Suite, Grofe c. Capitol Symphony, 1954. Part One.
(Sunrise, The Painted Desert, On the Trail)

Grand Canyon Suite, Grofe c. Capitol Symphony, 1954. Part Two.
(Sunset, Cloudburst)

2) Mississippi Suite, Andre Kostelanetz, 1947.
(Father of Waters, Huckleberry Finn, Old Creole Days, Mardi Gras)

3) Grand Canyon Suite, Ormandy, 1958. Part One.
(Sunrise, The Painted Desert, On the Trail)

Grand Canyon Suite, Ormandy, 1958. Part Two.
(Sunset, Cloudburst)

Lee

Grofe's Birthday, Part 4--On the Trail-athon!

On the Trail, the third movement of Ferde Grofe's Grand Canyon Suite, was used as the theme music for Philip Morris cigarettes--as such, it served as the original opening music for I Love Lucy! Don't have exact details at this point, but I recall reading that the Grofe music was used for two or seasons before it was replaced by the more familiar theme. However, according to the Classic Themes site, On the Trail shared duties with the latter theme, and from the start.

I do know that On the Trail is featured as the I Love Lucy theme on the 1956 Hugo Winterhalter LP, The Great Music Themes of Television.

And it was massively popular apart from its cigarette-selling duties, too--in this playlist, we have Roger Williams, Al Caiola, Lew White, Ray Conniff, and Myron Floren lending their clops (I mean, chops) to the great instrumental. And there's an ultra-easy-listening treatment by Robert Farnon, a hip honky-tonk run-through by Paul Smith (with the Johnny Maddox orchestra), a Moogish mash by Charles (The Thing) Grean, a peppy Paul Whiteman rendition straight from the original score, and a thrilling Three-Suns-esque arrangement performed by the ever-popular No Artists Listed.

I can't stop thinking that, had I made this a mix, I could have called it On the Trail Mix. But I didn't, and so I can't.

To the -athon: On The Trail-athon.


ON THE TRAIL PLAYLIST

Myron Floren, 1982.
Ray Conniff and His O. and Cho., 1958.
Al Caiola, 1964.
Robert Farnon and His Orch., 1960.
Paul Whiteman and His Orch. (Radio)
No Artists Listed (Allegro/Royale 1609)
Roger Wiliams with Ralph Carmichael Orch., 1963.
Johnny Maddox Orch., featuring Paul Smith, piano.
The Charles Randolph Grean Sounde, 1969.
Lew White, organ, 1941.



Lee

An Ancient Prejudice Has Been Removed: "Toasting Did It."

"Gone is that ancient prejudice against cigarettes--Progress has been made."

From Scribner's Magazine, Oct., 1929. (Click for larger image.)

Isn't Progress wonderful?



Lee

Do the Ferde: Some off-the-trail Grofe selections

We continue the Ferde Grofe Birthday celebration with some off-the-beaten-trail Grofe, including a dance band version of Mardi Gras, a fabulous Ampico piano roll from the 1920s, and a radio performance of the 1947 mood piece, Deep Nocturne. You won't Grofe--I mean, go 'way--disappointed.

Click here for zip file: Do the Ferde.

PLAYLIST

HYMN TO THE SUN (Rimsky-Korsakov; Arr: Grofe)--Paul Whiteman O., 1936 radio performance.
DEEP NOCTURNE (Grofe)--Paul Whiteman O., circa-1947 radio performance.
MISSISSIPPI SUITE--MARDI GRAS--No artist credited; Allegro/Royale 1609.
MISSISSIPPI SUITE--HUCKLEBERRY FINN--No artist credited; Allegro/Royale 1609.
HARD HEARTED HANNAH (Yellen-Bigelow-Bates)--Ferde Grofe, Ampico piano roll.



Lee

Sunday morning gospel--He, I Believe, Army of the Lord, more!

Some gospel pop (i.e., pop tunes of a sacred nature), a Christian comedy track, and a terrific performance by Les Paul and Mary Ford. Or... is it the Millie Pace Trio with Bob Summers? Hm.

Yes, come to think of it. The Millie Pace Trio with Bob Summers.

Besides the McGuire Sisters, Al Hibbler and The Righteous Brothers recorded He, which we're going to hear in two versions--the Sisters', and an uncredited track from a Royale label LP called An Hour of Tops in Pops. (I have no idea what I just typed.) And we've got Nick Noble's hit 1955 version of The Bible Tells Me So, along with its excellent flip, the Stuart Hamblen gem Army of the Lord.

June Valli, The McGuire Sisters, and Frankie Laine give us, respectively, Crying in the Chapel, If You Believe, and (as if in response) I Believe. We'll never see the end of the urban legend that white, pre-Elvis pop singers neither rocked nor belted, but at least we have June Valli to lay waste to the latter smear. Not only did June sing loud, she often sounded like a female Elvis when she did so--as on this side. A stronger, fuller voice, to boot. Laine's I Believe is full of hissing s's, at least in my edition. It's the only track on the LP that sounds that way, so I suspect it's bad mastering. I'm a great fan of Laine, but this is not one of his better performances. Just my opinion (belief?).

We close with Wendy Bagwell's hilarious Here Come the Rattlesnakes, a huge gospel comedy hit from 1970, and a fabulous version of When God Dips His Love in My Heart, a well-known gospel title also recorded by Elvis Presley, Alison Kraus, Connie Smith, The Blackwood Brothers Quartet, and... well, just about everybody else, looks like.

Except me. I never recorded it. To the Sunday morning gospel: Sunday Morning Gospel, Mar. 30.


TRACKLIST

HE--No artist credited (Royale 1389N)
THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO--Nick Noble
ARMY OF THE LORD--Nick Noble
CRYING IN THE CHAPEL--June Valli w. Joe Reisman Orch., 1953.
HE--The McGuire Sisters, 1955.
IF YOU BELIEVE--The McGuire Sisters, 1955.
I BELIEVE--Frankie Laine, 1953.
HERE COME THE RATTLESNAKES--Wendy Bagwell, 1970.
WHEN GOD DIPS HIS LOVE IN MY HEART--Millie Pace Trio with Bob Summers, 1965 or 1966.




Lee