Search - Mel Torme :: The London Sessions

Torme's most beautiful album!

Mary Whipple | New England | 12/27/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As an unabashed fan of Mel Torme, I love his late albums, full of jazz, scat, and complex rhythms, as he takes songs in new directions, always on perfect pitch. In this incredible album, recorded in 1977, one hears an earlier Mel Torme, a crooner whose magnificent voice is controlled to perfection, and ranges from the highest of the high notes to the lowest kinds of whispery confessions. Gifted with the ability to give new meanings to familiar songs through unique phrasing and unusual pacing, Torme here records songs of the seventies (six of which are more than five minutes long), documenting the loss of love and the sadness which follows.



Recorded while Torme was in the midst of a divorce from his wife of ten years, a marriage he thought would last forever, Torme's voice conveys his heartbreak through these narrative songs. Though most of these ballads are associated with other singers, they sound new and fresh in Torme's hands. Accompanied by a full orchestra but supported on some of his best tracks by the sax of Phil Woods, Torme creates moods--dramatic, personal, and intimate--and records what may be his most gorgeous album.



"All in Love is Fair," a Stevie Wonder song, never sounded so touching as Torme, his voice set off by Phil Woods's sax solo and later accompaniment, creates a pensive ballad which gradually becomes a jazzier, more passionate wail in his highest register. Roberta Flack's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," featuring a guitar solo, is subtle, with Torme crooning softly and romantically, his mellow voice contrasting with Flack's harsher one.



Billy Joel's "New York State of Mind," is bluesy and restrained, and his interpretation of Janis Ian's "Stars," one of my favorites on the album, is sadder than hers and more meditative, without a trace of folkiness. "Send in the Clowns," becomes upbeat and jazzy, full of off-tempo variations and unusual phrasing, while "Bye, Bye, Blackbird," the only old favorite on the CD, is sung with agonizing slowness and melancholy before veering into wailing jazz.



Beautiful, emotional narrative songs, in which Torme seems to confess his innermost thoughts, accompanied by full orchestra, take on new meanings and showcase Torme's voice and his expression, rather than his jazz talent on this CD. Soft and mellow, these ballads are among the best Torme has ever recorded, and this CD has become one of my new favorites. n Mary Whipple

"

Gorgeous!

Mary Whipple | New England | 01/19/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Though Mel Torme will probably be best remembered for his late albums, full of jazz, scat, and complex rhythms (and always on perfect pitch), he was a crooner in his earlier career. In this gorgeous, early album, recorded in 1977, one hears a Mel Torme whose magnificent voice is controlled to perfection and ranges from the highest of the high notes to the lowest kinds of whispery confessions. Gifted with the ability to give new meanings to familiar songs through unique phrasing and unusual pacing, Torme here records songs of the seventies (six of which are more than five minutes long), documenting the loss of love and the sadness which follows.



Recorded while Torme was in the midst of a divorce from his wife of ten years, Torme's voice conveys his heartbreak through these narrative songs. Though most of these ballads are associated with other singers, they sound new and fresh in Torme's hands. Accompanied by a full orchestra but supported on some of his best tracks by the sax of Phil Woods, Torme creates moods--dramatic, personal, and intimate--and records what may be his most gorgeous album.



"All in Love is Fair," a Stevie Wonder song, never sounded so touching as Torme, his voice set off by Phil Woods's sax solo and later accompaniment, creates a pensive ballad which gradually becomes a jazzier, more passionate wail in his highest register. Roberta Flack's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," featuring a guitar solo, is subtle, with Torme crooning softly and romantically, his mellow voice contrasting with Flack's harsher one.



Billy Joel's "New York State of Mind," is bluesy and restrained, and his interpretation of Janis Ian's "Stars," one of my favorites on the album, is sadder than hers and more meditative, without a trace of folkiness. "Send in the Clowns," becomes upbeat and jazzy, full of irony and off-tempo variations and unusual phrasing.



Beautiful, emotional narrative songs, in which Torme seems to confess his innermost thoughts, accompanied by full orchestra, take on new meanings and showcase Torme's voice and his expression, rather than his jazz talent on this CD. Soft and mellow, these ballads are among the best Torme has ever recorded. Mary Whipple

"

The Love Sessions

Clinton Desveaux | 07/02/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The pain and emotion of lost love flows through Mel's voice on this album. "New York State of Mind" is simply a classic Mel Torme song. "Send in the Clowns" is fast, and the line, "Losing my timing this late in my career" seems to hint at the recent divorce that Mel was going through when this album was being recorded in London England. "All in Love is Fair" is sung with passion and pain! A classic"