[Tradjazz] Metronome All Stars (was SWEET LORRAINE)

[Bill Haesler]

Harry Callaghan wrote [in part]:
> What was particularly significant about this '46 Metronome All-Stars 
> recording was that it re-united Frank with Buddy Rich.......  It had 
> Nat "King" Cole,...........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.

Dear Harry,
Console yourself with the thought that while your memory may be getting 
vaguer, your forgetter's improving.
My "which take?" tongue-in-cheek reply to Bruce McNichols was based on 
my preference for the test 'take' of "Sweet Lorraine", and that Buddy 
Rich fumbles his break in the introduction to the issued version.
To answer your unasked question, that particular all-star Metronome 
band (12 Dec 1946) had: Charlie Shavers, Lawrence Brown, Johnny Hodges, 
Coleman Hawkins, Harry Carney, Nat 'King' Cole, Bob Ahern, Eddie 
Safranski, Buddy Rich and Frank Sinatra.

> 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.
Our band has been playing that Cy Coleman/Sinatra song for several 
years. It was introduced to us by our clarinet player Jack Wiard.

>  Is Slim Dusty still alive and kicking down there?
No. Sadly, this fine Australian performer and prolific recording artist 
died on 19 Sept 2003. Cancer got him. He was 76 (born on 13 June 1927).
Kind regards,
Bill.