Teasing the Korean

Forget it, J. It's Doodletown.

That approach is often used by the lower-end PD labels to mask the fact that they are using vinyl.

Yes, that's it. If the distortion is increasing toward the center, it's vinyl. Of course, if they were using pristine vinyl and very high end turntable, cartridge, and tone arm, you wouldn't hear this. But someone with that kind of money probably wouldn't waste their time or resources re-issuing Sauter-Finegan records from the 1950s.

Tell tale signs include a combination of minor clicks/pops during quiet passages and inner groove distortion. If tracks 6 and 12 sound more distorted than the rest, there you have it.

Oh, that sounds promising. Do you think it was mastered from vinyl?

Jack Wilson is someone whom I missed entirely when I was first discovering jazz. Several years back, I picked up a couple of Blue Note albums on CD. I need to re-spin these.

Here's another Legrand tune with Bergman lyrics, beautifully sung by Jack:

Listening now. Great stuff on here!

Of course. I am writing with my own set of prejudices and expectations, just like anyone else. My problem so far with Sauter-Finegan is that I think some of their stuff is very good - I just can't find an entire album like that (although Inside and Concert come the closest so far). I think my taste in S-F leans more closely to what Jsngry is seeking, even though we may be using slightly different terminology. For a comparison, I think of someone like Les Baxter, who did IMO top-shelf stuff (exotica) and schmaltzy stuff, but he did not mix the two styles on the same album. Regardless of your preference, it is relatively easy (though at times pricey) to just get what you want and avoid what you don't want. Again, I am looking forward to hearing about S-F's Adventure in Time album, which seems promising.

Bump. I have been listening to lots for Morton Feldman on YouTube for the past few years. The longer I listen to him, the more awestruck I am. He seems to link together many of my musical interests but in a completely singular way.

We have the Demy DVD box set and we watched that for the first time a few months back. Yes, the music is great, as is the film.

Funny, I was almost going to write, "Well, at least Legrand didn't work with Gene Lees." (Or did he ever?) Plus, all of Legrand's music is available in instrumental versions, but I realize that is not the same thing as getting a lyric you don't like out of your head.

Not sure what you mean. I was interested to get the back story regarding the alleged plagiarism, but I still like some of their tunes, including the Jack Jones tune I posted, regardless of who wrote them.

Aw, shucks, thanks. But please, for the last time, I'm not going to see Kenny G with you.

That is interesting. I never knew this. I always thought the Bergmans nicely captured the adult ennui of the so-called silent generation, those who were a little too young for WWII and a little too old for the 60s counterculture. The people who would buy a Moog album at the checkout of the A&P. Bergman lyrics remind me of a woman who wears heavy eye makeup to conceal the fact that she's been crying because her husband is having an affair with his young secretary. Here is a Legrand Bergman tune that I really like, and Jack nails it.

Thank you!

Yes, Demoiselles. Try to find that instrumental version if you can.

Great, please report back! I have apparently missed an album in the chronology, another that I don't have: The Sons of Sauter-Finegan - RCA LPM 1104. Cover art: Jim Flora. Now drinking: Passion Fruit La Croix sparkling water. (I don't drink alcohol Monday through Thursday.) This may be only marginally a Sauter-Finegan album. It is apparently members of the band blowing through head arrangements, thus making a potentially "jazzier" album than some of the others in the S-F catalog. Does anyone have this and can you describe it?

Next up: Adventure in Time - RCA Victor LPM-1240 Cover Art: Minimalist moderne scientific Now Drinking: Lemon ginger tea This album has eluded me, and judging by the cover art and track titles, I suspect that it is one of their best. There are no references to Doodletown. I have only one track, "Swingcussion," on an RCA Space-Age Pop volume. It is rapped by Joe Venuto. I can't find it on YouTube. Does anyone here have this album, and can you describe it? A1 The Jukes Family Takes A Holiday A2 E = MC² A3 Time Machine A4 World Without Time A5 The Minute A6 The Stone Age B1 Whoo Doo Voodoo B2 A Chinese Painting B3 Abstraction B4 Kinetic Energy B5 Swingcussion B6 Roulette - P.S. He Lost

I love Legrand's instrumental version of this album. In the US, it was released on a United Artists LP. It is part of the aforementioned Demy box set on CD, but I don't know if it has ever had a decent stand-alone release.

Yes, I have that! What is frustrating about the box sets is they all contain music that is not available elsewhere.

The Anthology, which I believe has 15 discs, is I believe out of print. https://www.amazon.com/Anthology-Michel-Legrand/dp/B00F570JN6/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1548634137&sr=1-1&keywords=legrand+anthology I also have the Legrand/Demy box set: https://www.amazon.fr/Intégrale-Michel-Legrand-Jacques-Coffret/dp/B00B2HQYBE/ref=sr_1_2?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1548634186&sr=1-2&keywords=legrand+demy and the Cinema box set, which may also be out of print, based on the price: https://www.amazon.com/Cinema-Michel-Legrand/dp/B0009F7FPY/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1548633990&sr=1-1&keywords=cinema+michel+legrand

Here is a GREAT 1960 Buick commercial with Sauter-Finegan!

I would tend to agree, but in fairness, I think a lot of arrangers during this period were trying to take jazz in new directions, and also incorporate elements of jazz into other music. I'm guessing Sauter-Finegan were taking a "something for everybody" approach. They would probably tell you that they could play jazz, but that they could play any other type of music just as well, regardless of how we may contextualize it many decades later. I should add here that whether I like or don't like this arrangement or that, EVERYTHING I've heard is very well executed. These were top-shelf players and obviously very adept at playing in varying styles.

Now Playing: New Directions in Music - RCA Victor LPM 1227. Cover art: Modern minimalist abstract. Now drinking: Cabernet Sauvignon This 1956 album may be a compilation of earlier singles, but I'm not sure. Side 1: Doodletown Fifers - No. Just no. April in Paris - a ballad featuring wordless female vocals (Sally Sweetland?) and a few lines sung with lyrics. This has some nice touches, but I wouldn't include it on my imaginary S-F compilation. Midnight Sleighride - More Doodletown silliness. I'm guessing they wanted to get in on some Leroy Anderson/David Rose action for a while. Unfortunately, this doesn't come close to the best of either. Rain - Nice, mid-tempo ensemble work including harp and marimba. A space-age gem. Camptown Races - This sounds like something that Glenn Miller may have done as a novelty number. I was expecting this to be really awful, but I kind of like it. Did they succeed here, or are the Doodletown pheromones starting to work on me? I'm getting concerned. A Doodletown Yankee - See "Doodletown Fifers" notes above. Side 2: Azure-Te (Paris Blues) - A quiet ballad featuring alto flute. Nice colors with muted trumpets and harp accents. Stop! Sit Down! Relax! Think! - This sounds like another Glenn Miller novelty number, with the band singing in unison in parts. Moonlight on the Ganges - Full-on exotica with nice orchestral colors. I have DJed this track during exotica sets. Axel Stordahl referenced parts of this arrangement when he included it on his 1960 exotica masterpiece Jasmine and Jade (Dot), and I like Stordahl's version better. When Hearts are Young - Subdued mid-tempo swing, with space-age touches, but it's missing the mark for me. It's Mutual - A vocal number, a ballad. I don't know this song. Is it famous in jazz circles? The singer is not identified. The backing is overall quiet, but it has some intricate, dissonant ensemble work that is very good. This is the first S-F vocal number I've liked. Exactly Like You - Medium up. Another vocal, at least for one chorus. Teeters into corny territory in several spots. Overall: A letdown after Concert Jazz. I wouldn't recommend this album to Jsngry, or most others, for that matter, but when BMG hires me to do a Sauter-Finegan compilation, I will include a few of these tracks.