OSCAR PETERSON & FRED ASTAIRE - Complete Norman Granz Sessions - Disconforme JFCD 22877 : Jazz CD Reviews

Only an astute entrepreneur like Norman Granz would have the idea of taking Fred Astaire into a studio with a small group of jazz musicians to record enough tracks to fill four LPs. The sessions took place in 1952, and the songs were mostly ones that Fred had performed in his numerous films and stage appearances. These songs mostly come from the Great American Songbook, composed by such experts as Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Cole Porter and the Gershwin brothers.

So the material is of guaranteed quality and Astaire conveys each song with attention to the lyrics and phrasing which matches the freedom of his jazz accompanists. Fred had shown his rhythmic sense in his peerless dancing in so many films and he enjoyed playing the drums as well as the piano. His experience and sensitivity make him one of the best interpreters of the American Songbook. His pleasantly distinctive voice is never loud but it has an inner swing and a care to transmit faithfully the witty lyrics of such urbane writers as Lorenz Hart and Ira Gershwin.

For this session, Norman Granz chose his favourite pianist – Oscar Peterson, who is ideal for accompanying Astaire. The supporting sextet provides admirable backing, with Charlie Shavers’ virtuosic trumpet and Flip Phillips’ warm tenor sax joined by a superb rhythm section. Alvin Stoller adds several well-judged drum breaks to such numbers as Puttin’ on the Ritz. A Fine Romance has a delicate guitar solo from Barney Kessel and a gently swinging solo from Oscar Peterson, as well as subtle saxophone behind Astaire’s vocals. The vocalist displays his expertise with lyrics, changing from singing to speaking halfway through “You never give the orchids I send a glance, No – you like cactus plants”. This album reinforces my view that vocalists are often best when backed by a small group rather than a large orchestra.

Astaire gives spoken introductions to some of the songs, including Night and Day, which he says is a song from the only stage show of his which was turned into a film (The Gay Divorce became The Gay Divorcee). It has delicate trumpet from Charlie Shavers behind the vocals, as does They Can’t Take That Away from Me. Astaire’s dancing abilities are not forgotten, as he does some percussive “hoofing” on several tracks, showing that he certainly had a sense of rhythm.

As well as familiar items from the American songbook, there are some rarities, such as Irving Berlin’s You’re Easy to Dance With (from the 1942 film Holiday Inn) and Cole Porter’s So Near and So Far Away (from the 1941 film You’ll Never Get Rich). Astaire reveals that he co-wrote two of the songs: the fairly well-known I’m Building Up to an Awful Letdown and the almost-unknown Not My Girl. Fred plays piano on the first chorus of Not My Girl. And he steps out of the last three tracks on the second CD, leaving Oscar Peterson and his group to jam cheerfully.

So is this a jazz CD? Fred Astaire says “This album is a kind of jazz album” and the presence of six fine jazz musicians suggests it must be. And although Fred is not a jazz vocalist as such, his uninhibited phrasing and relaxed delivery are qualities that any jazz singer would like to have. However you categorise it, this is a marvellous album – nearly 156 minutes of sophisticated but unassuming brilliance.

Tony Augarde
www.augardebooks.co.uk

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