Record Reviews

GEORGIE FAME ~ BIRTHDAY BIG BAND THREE LINE WHIP 007 (Barcode: 640999906428) ~ UK ~ Big Band Jazz Recorded: 1998 Released: 2004 This is an album by British Jazz vocalist / keyboardist / songwriter Georgie FameFind albums by this artist, recorded live during a concert celebrating his fifty-fifth Birthday, recorded with a fabulous Big Band created especially for the occasion and conducted by composer / arranger Steve GrayFind albums by this artist. The eighteen strong Big Band includes some of the top British Jazz instrumentalists: trumpeters Guy BarkerFind albums by this artist and Derek WatkinsFind albums by this artist, saxophonists Alan SkidmoreFind albums by this artist, Peter KingFind albums by this artist and Art ThemenFind albums by this artist, vibraphonist Anthony KerrFind albums by this artist, bassist Geoff GascoyneFind albums by this artist, drummer Ralph SalminsFind albums by this artist and others. Guest artists include guitarist Jim MullenFind albums by this artist and vocalists Madeline BellFind albums by this artist, Zoot MoneyFind albums by this artist and Ben SidranFind albums by this artist. The 2CD album presents twenty-three songs, fourteen of which were composed or co-composed by Fame. The music presents, as appropriate for the occasion, the entire retrospective of Fame’s musical career, including his greatest hits, as well as the entire scope of his stylistic diversity, presenting Fame as a completely original songwriter and interpreter of Jazz / Rhythm And Blues songs, who had a few equals over time. His feeling for the Blues, which was present in everything he sang and played over the years, was undoubtedly his signature, but in his songwriting Fame contributed some of the most beautiful songs ever written, often with highly whimsical and humorous lyrics. This album, due to the Big Band arrangements, is one of the most Jazz oriented recordings by Fame, but by far not the only one, as he loved to perform and record with Big Bands, something I was lucky to witness in person several times over the years. Fame is definitely one of the very few vocalists who is able to blend in perfectly with a Jazz Big Band and a Rhythm And Blues combo with the same, impeccable result. The album is an orgy of great tunes, superb instrumental performances and brilliant vocals, which simply cannot leave any music lover cold, unless he is already cold dead. What luck this concert was recorded and eventually released on record (six years later, but of course better late than never). It has been one of my favorite Fame recordings since the day it was released and a superb summary of those first fifty-five years. God Bless!

Updated: 08/05/2023Posted: 15/05/2021

CD 2 Recommend To A Friend

STEVE GRAY / GEORGIE FAME / MADELINE BELL ~ SINGER (THE MUSICAL) PROPER 120 (Barcode: 805520031202) ~ UK ~ Jazz-Pop Fusion Recorded: 2004 Released: 2014 This is a live recording of the musical co-written by British composer / arranger / pianist Steve GrayFind albums by this artist and Jazz singer / songwriter Georgie FameFind albums by this artist, which was put together in 1985 and debuted in Holland performed by the Dutch Metropole OrchestraFind albums by this artist with the songs performed by Fame and the fabulous American born but resident in UK since the late 1960s vocalist Madeline BellFind albums by this artist. Almost twenty years later (in 2004) Fame and Bell re-joined the orchestra for a repeated performance, which was recorded by the Dutch NTR Radio, to be finally released on record ten years later. The musical is a collection of fabulous songs, beautifully performed by the two singers and the orchestra and is simply a joy to listen to from start to finish. The music is full of Jazz, Blues and Soul undertones, as usually applied in Fame’s songwriting, and proves that he never wrote a bad song during his long career. Bell is of course a true Jewel and her strong evocative vocals are some of her best performances to date. She is a perfect partner and balances Fame’s Jazzier approach with her Soul accents. Overall it is a real shame that this album (and the musical) made as little impact as they did, since the music and the songs are infinitely more elegant and sophisticated then most of the successful Broadway and West End musicals that hit the stage in the last forty years. Oh well, as usual, it was simply too good for its own good. I wholeheartedly recommend all Fame and Bell fans to grab a copy of this superb album as long as it is still available, as it is definitely a gem not to be missed!

Updated: 24/04/2021Posted: 24/04/2021

CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend