Best Of Sam Taylor (Japan comp of MGM EZ Listening Sides)

[JSngry]

A friend hipped me to this thing: http://www.dustygroove.com/item.php?id=2s9...p%3Bincl_cs%3D1

And I'm... I don't know what I am. Intrigued, perplexed, curious, and terrified all come to mind, and more or less at the same time.

The guy's playing, no doubt, sometimes giving of these blatant Hodges-ism that sound really wack coming out of a tenor, plus his own eccentiricies. And the arrangements, although sometimes face-value cheesy, more often than not are fo the type that if you listen "inside" them, well, there's all sorts of shit going on, either in the phrasing, or the voicings, or sometimes both. Some of them have a Marni Nixon-esque female lead too, which just ups the "better pay attention" quotient, which is such an anti-EZ thing to do that you gotta wonder what kind of perverts were conceptualizing this shit, kinda ike Oliver Nelson's charts for that Johnny Hodges Verve EZ side, although this ain't that out there.

Web detail on these sides is virtually non-existent, and all the old LP jackets seem to say is "Sam Taylor & His Orchestra", yeah, AS IF.

This is a whole 'nother bag than his earlier, honking R&B work. This is "jazzy" (only sometimes) EZ Listening, standards and "pop" drek aimed at god knows who, not unlike a Boots Randlolph w/strings record, only Sam Taylor brings shit to the table that Boots Randolph didn't even know was available at the grocery. These performances not "good music" by any stretch of the imagination, but what's that got to do with anything?

WHO PUT THESE RECORDS TOGETHER IN THE FIRST PLACE?

Is Sam Taylor still alive? Seems as if he is!

Edited May 2, 2008 by JSngry

[Niko]

according to this site

http://www.rocknroll.freeserve.co.uk/july.htm

(and maybe also according to his japanese wikipedia entry) he died in 1990

[JSngry]

So I guess he wouldn't be the guy to ask who arranged all this stuff was then, eh?

Bummer...

[Chuck Nessa]

Dick Hyman played on some of the MGM sessions and might be a source of information.

LeRoy Holmes is listed as arranger on a couple of strings sessions.

[JSngry]

Dick Hyman played on some of the MGM sessions and might be a source of information.

LeRoy Holmes is listed as arranger on a couple of strings sessions.

Interesting...Thanks!

What about Raymond Scott, any mention? Some of the more..."stealth" stuff kinda sounds like him...

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

I have a Sam "The Man" Taylor 45 from 1956 on MGM. "Nightfall"/"A Sunday kind of love". Agree with all you say Jim.

If you see "The bad and the beautiful" on Prestige Moodsville, don't hesitate. There's a bit more out in the open there - and I don't mean the girl on the cover in her undies. Not that it's exactly good, you know.

MG

[JSngry]

Most of this stuff seems to be a lot later than 1956...one of the songs is "Go Away Little Girl", which Andy Williams hit with in...1962? 63?

Also some pretty nice bossa material.

Thing is, everything, EVERYTHING, is in Japanese!

[Chuck Nessa]

Go Away Little Girl was recorded for Decca Feb 14, 1963. His last MGM session was in 1962.

-It's a blue world- : Sam "The Man" Taylor (ts) with orchestra and chorus, Bill Sanford (dir)

New York, February 13, 1963

113119 Jet De DL(7)4417

113120 Ebb tide -

113121 Stardust - , 25600 (ed)

113122 Stormy wethare -

Sam "The Man" Taylor (ts) with unknown orchestra and vcl chorus, Bill Sanford (dir)

New York, February 14, 1963

113123 Lover come back to me De DL(7)4417, 25600

113124 Bossa nova mas royalt - , 31657

113125 Go away, little girl -

Sam "The Man" Taylor (ts) with unknown orchestra and vcl chorus, Bill Sanford (dir)

New York, February 20, 1963

113126 Lights out De DL(7)4417

113127 All night long -

113128 It's a blue night -

113129 Lonelyville -

113130 Long lonely nights -

Edited May 2, 2008 by Chuck Nessa

[JSngry]

Yes, many (maybe all, I can't read Japanese) are included in this compilation, including "Stormy Wethare".

Now, I gotta find out who "Bill Sanford" is. Probably some guy with high hopes & low interest, but ain't that the way of the world...

Thanks, Chuck!

[JSngry]

Same Bill Sanford that worked w/The Ravens? Probably not, but...

[Tom in RI]

I remember seeing the Sam Taylor titles on MGM used and always passing them by, strings and vocal choruses send up a red flag for me. The issue that Verve put out on their Swingsation series has always bugged me since they opted to include Alan Freed's dubbed in vocals and cowbell (I guess he was way ahead of the curve in the "needs more cowbell" thing).

[Stereojack]

Most of Taylor's records are easy listening shlock - he plays well, but the settings are pretty light.

If you can find any of these, they contain his best work:

"The Big Beat" (MGM)

"Jazz For Commuters" (Metrojazz)

"Claude Cloud & His Orchestra" (pseudonym for studio group w/ Taylor, Leroy Kirkland, & Panama Francis) (MGM)

The Claude Cloud LP contains the original version of "Cloudburst", one of Sam's greatest recorded solos, later covered by Lambert, Hendricks & Ross.

[JSngry]

Ok, here's another song that's on this comp, so probably the album is too.

Maybe, contrary to what the Dusty Bastards say, this is a comp of Decca stuff, not MGM. Today it's all the same thing, but then....not.

Arranger for Somewhere In the Night anybody?

[Chuck Nessa]

Here are the rest of the Deccas:

-Misty mood- : Sam "The Man" Taylor (ts) with unknown orchestra and chorus

New York, March 5, 1962

111852 Come rain or come shine De DL(7)4302

111853 Flamingo -

111854 'Round midnight -

111855 Deep purple -

111856 Don't let the sun catch you crying -

111857 Warm valley -

Sam "The Man" Taylor (ts) with unknown orchestra and chorus

New York, March 8, 1962

111858 Between two loves De DL(7)4302

111859 When I fall in love -

111860 Darn that dream - , 25571

111861 Misty - , -

111862 Little girl blue -

111863 Don't get around much anymore -

-Somewhere in the night- : Sam "The Man" Taylor (ts) acc by unknown orchestra

New York, April 29, 1964

114842 Midnight sun De DL(7)4573

114843 Jitterbug waltz -

114844 Somewhere in the night -

114845 The night we called it a day -

Sam "The Man" Taylor (ts) acc by unknown orchestra

New York, May 12, 1964

114846 Moonglow De DL(7)4573

114847 Lament -

114848 Where are you tonight -

114849 Night train -

114850 Moonlight becomes you -

114851 Marnie - , 31657

114852 Easy living -

114853 Cry me a river -

Note : The above also on Decca DL(7)4302 & DL(7)4417.

Sam "The Man" Taylor (ts) with unknown orchestra

New York, February 26, 1965

115730 Yogiri no blues (unissued) De

115731 Harlem nocturne -

115732 Kimi wasureji, no blues -

115733 Ams zisa ku hana -

115734 Ore wa matter uze -

115735 Summertime -

115736 Akashiya no ame ga yahutoki -

115737 Londonderry air -

115738 Johnny of the glass -

115738 Autumn leaves -

115740 Shanghai blues -

115741 Save the last dance for me -

[JSngry]

Thanks again, Chuck, and yep, this is all Decca stuff on the comp.

[Joe G]

Ok, here's another song that's on this comp, so probably the album is too.

Maybe, contrary to what the Dusty Bastards say, this is a comp of Decca stuff, not MGM. Today it's all the same thing, but then....not.

Arranger for Somewhere In the Night anybody?

For some odd reason, I totally dig that cover.

[JSngry]

Turquoise & salmon, although probably not welcome as a food combination, work quite well together as colors.