[Tradjazz] SWEET LORRAINE

[Harry Callaghan]

Following his post re: Joe Klee/Frank Sinatra yesterday, I sent an e-mail directly to Bruce McNichols as I'm not in the habit of posting my "Leo Tolstoy" length comments here.

However, when I saw today's post from Bill Haesler from down under, I thought I might perhaps share my thoughts with the rest of the OKOM world.

What was particularly significant about this '46 Metronome All-Stars recording was that it re-united Frank with Buddy Rich, who had played drums with the Tommy Dorsey orchestra when Sinatra was vocalist.  It had Nat "King" Cole, who had not yet achieved much notoriety  as a vocalist playing piano.  I remember that Charlie Shavers was on trumpet but the rest of the personnel becomes rather vague.  At my age, a lot becomes vague lately.

The recording always stood out to me, I guess attributed to its freewheeling jazz style that was in sharp contrast to the stringy Axel Stordahl arrangements that made up much of the repertoire of "The Voice" during those Columbia years.

To borrow the title of a Cy Coleman-Carolyn Leigh compostion that Frank was to record many years hence, I think that "Sweet Lorraine" truly showed that "The Best is Yet to Come"......history tells us the rest.

Hey, Bill.  Is Slim Dusty still alive and kicking down there?  A friend of mine many years ago toured Australia and New Zealand and brought me one of his CDs.  It's my understanding that he was regarded as the Willie Nelson of the kangaroo and dingo community.

Best,
Harry Callaghan

Music you grew up listening to
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