',Mr. Music Master',

Jazz / Vocal, Big Band, Show Tunes, Swing, Classic Jazz, American Popular Song, Standards, Traditional Pop, Tin Pan Alley Pop, Vocal JazzHoagy Carmichael - BassAdelaide Hall Artie Bernstein , BassBilly Eckstine Bing Crosby Chick Webb Colin Brown Compilation, Producer, Compilation ProducerCyril Grantham Vocals, Earl Hines & His Orchestra Ella Fitzgerald Fela Sowande Organ, Frankie Trumbauer & His Orchestra Geraldo & His Orchestra Gracie Fields Jimmy Messini VocalsMildred Bailey Paul Whiteman Orchestra Spike Jones , DrumsTony Watts Compilation Producer, Producer, Compilation, Liner Notes The most offbeat and proto-bohemian of the great songwriters who have contributed to the Great American Songbook, Hoagy Carmichael was as apt to write about actual places in memory, or the sheer passing of time or everyday tasks like doing laundry, as he was to spin out a traditional love song, and it has made his musical legacy a rich and varied one. This nice collection works as a fine introduction to Carmichael"s unique voice, and it features his own versions of "Moon Country," "Hong Kong Blues," "Lazy River," and "Lazy Bones" (Carmichael had an almost Zen-like fascination with the art of doing nothing and he wrote countless songs about the glorious inertia of being lazy), as well as versions of his songs by other artists, including Frank Sinatra"s early take on "Stardust," Carmichael"s most famous composition, and Nat Gonella"s wonderful orchestral version of "Georgia on My Mind," another stone cold Carmichael classic. ~ Steve Leggett, All Music GuideHoagy CarmichaelActive Decades: "20s, "30s, "40s, "50s and "60sBorn: Nov 11, 1899 in Bloomington, INDied: Dec 27, 1981 in Palm Springs, CAGenre: JazzOne of the great composers of the American popular song, Hoagy Carmichael differed from most of the others (with the obvious exception of Duke Ellington) in that he was also a fine performer. Such Carmichael songs as "Stardust," "Georgia on My Mind," "Up the Lazy River," "Rockin" Chair," "The Nearness of You," "Heart and Soul," "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening," "Skylark," and "New Orleans" have long been standards, each flexible enough to receive definitive treatment numerous times. Carmichael, who was briefly a lawyer, loved jazz almost from the start, and particularly the cornet playing of Bix Beiderbecke. His first composition, "Riverboat Shuffle," was recorded by Bix and the Wolverines in 1924, and became a Dixieland standard. Carmichael, as a pianist, vocalist, and occasional trumpeter, eventually abandoned law to concentrate on jazz, particularly after recording "Washboard Blues" with Paul Whiteman in 1927. He led a few jazz sessions of his own in the late "20s (including one that interpreted "Stardust" as an up-tempo stomp), but became more popular as a skilled songwriter. By 1935, he was working in Hollywood and became an occasional character actor, appearing in 14 films including To Have and Have Not and The Best Years of Our Lives, generally playing a philosophical and world weary pianist/vocalist. In the 1940s, Carmichael recorded some trio versions of his hits, and in 1956, he cut a full set of vocals while backed by a modern jazz group that included Art Pepper. After that, he drifted into semi-retirement, dissatisfied with how the music business had changed. His two autobiographies (1946"s -The Stardust Road and 1965"s -Sometimes I Wonder) are worth picking up. --- Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

• 1.
• The Old Music Master

• 2.
• Stardust

• 3.
• Rockin" Chair

• 4.
• Moon Country

• 5.
• Riverboat Shuffle

• 6.
• Two Sleepy People

• 7.
• Judy

• 8.
• Skylark

• 9.
• Moonburn

• 10.
• Hong Kong Blues

• 11.
• One Morning in May

• 12.
• Lazy River

• 13.
• I Get Along Without You Very Well

• 14.
• Blue Orchids

• 15.
• Little Old Lady

• 16.
• Georgia on My Mind

• 17.
• Sing Me a Swing Song (And Let Me Dance)

• 18.
• Lazy Bones

• 19.
• Washboard Blues

• 20.
• Snowball

• 21.
• Small Fry

• 22.
• Sing It Way Down Low