JSngry Posted February 27, 2009 Report Share Posted February 27, 2009 Well, it seems pretty corny, and in a sense it was, but otoh, the audience was all of an age and type where playing to "parental pride" was also smart showmanship. Still, I got no sense that it was phony, and when she came back the next year, she remembered me, and asked me how my dad was doing. I got the very real sense that she was a person who had long ago separated the "real" in life from the hype and was perfectly comfortable with herself for/from having done so. Like I said, there was a lesson to be taken there... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted February 27, 2009 Report Share Posted February 27, 2009 If clarification is needed, I meant that in a sincere and honest way. Your story moved me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted February 27, 2009 Report Share Posted February 27, 2009 No clarification needed, Lon. It's just that it is the type of thing that could have been, and more often than not would have been, quite cheesy & contrived. But in this case, not. This was at a time when my "cheese detector" was working double overtime, if you know what I mean. Ego, insecurity, hype, assholery, I understand all that and can live with no small amount of it as "the cost of doing business". But people like Helen Forrest showed that it doesn't have to be that way all your life. Again, a lesson to be learned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost of miles Posted February 27, 2009 Report Share Posted February 27, 2009 (edited) HIGHLY recommended: I'll double that recommendation--went on a big HF kick a couple of years ago and picked this one up, along with the single disc that compiles her recordings with Harry James. There are also some good Forrest vocals on the Hindsight boxes of live James and Artie Shaw. Edited February 27, 2009 by ghost of miles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceH Posted February 27, 2009 Report Share Posted February 27, 2009 (edited) Also nice to hear there are some Eddie Sauter fans out there. I always thought he was one of the best arrangers Goodman ever had. Edited February 27, 2009 by BruceH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted February 27, 2009 Report Share Posted February 27, 2009 One of the best arrangers ever, imo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllenLowe Posted February 27, 2009 Report Share Posted February 27, 2009 moonlight on the ganges - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceH Posted February 27, 2009 Report Share Posted February 27, 2009 Does anyone have any opinion on the Helen Forrest Jasmine 4-disc set? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceH Posted February 27, 2009 Report Share Posted February 27, 2009 I found that Anita O'Day rendition of "Skylark"---it was with the Gene Krupa orchestra, recorded for OKeh, November 25th, 1941. I've got it on a Columbia vinyl compilation, "1940's Jazz--The Singers." Liner notes by one Chris Albertson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted December 21, 2013 Report Share Posted December 21, 2013 Forrest was blessed to be w/Goodman when Eddie Sauter was cranking out one gem after another. Great band, great singer, great charts, each as good as they could be. Check out "Perfidia": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-vo-w-D4W4 I mean, DAMN! THIS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Kart Posted December 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2013 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Forrest "Soon, Helen's mother and stepfather turned the family's home into a brothel. Whew! 'Helen was born Helen Fogel in Atlantic City, New Jersey on April 12, 1917. Her parents, Louis and Rebecca Fogel, were Russian-born Jews. 'While she was still an infant, Helen's father died from influenza. Helen was raised by her mother, who often blamed her husband's death on the birth of Helen. She believed that God had taken her husband because she had wished so much for a baby girl.[1] Helen had three older brothers: Harry, Ed, and Sam. The family relocated to Brooklyn when Helen was in her early teenage years. Her mother married a house painter, a man that Helen disliked. Soon, Helen's mother and stepfather turned the family's home into a brothel.[1] At age 14, Helen was nearly raped by her stepfather. Helen defended herself with a kitchen knife, injuring him. Following this, she was permitted by her mother to live with her piano teacher, Honey Silverman, and her family.[1] While learning piano, Honey noticed Helen's singing ability and encouraged her to focus on singing instead. Anxious to find a career in singing, Helen dropped out of high school to pursue her dream.[1] ' And so forth. P.S. I have an album of Forrest mid-1940s airchecks on my I-Pod. Heart and soul, heart and soul. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmonahan Posted December 21, 2013 Report Share Posted December 21, 2013 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Forrest "Soon, Helen's mother and stepfather turned the family's home into a brothel. Whew! 'Helen was born Helen Fogel in Atlantic City, New Jersey on April 12, 1917. Her parents, Louis and Rebecca Fogel, were Russian-born Jews. 'While she was still an infant, Helen's father died from influenza. Helen was raised by her mother, who often blamed her husband's death on the birth of Helen. She believed that God had taken her husband because she had wished so much for a baby girl.[1] Helen had three older brothers: Harry, Ed, and Sam. The family relocated to Brooklyn when Helen was in her early teenage years. Her mother married a house painter, a man that Helen disliked. Soon, Helen's mother and stepfather turned the family's home into a brothel.[1] At age 14, Helen was nearly raped by her stepfather. Helen defended herself with a kitchen knife, injuring him. Following this, she was permitted by her mother to live with her piano teacher, Honey Silverman, and her family.[1] While learning piano, Honey noticed Helen's singing ability and encouraged her to focus on singing instead. Anxious to find a career in singing, Helen dropped out of high school to pursue her dream.[1] ' And so forth. P.S. I have an album of Forrest mid-1940s airchecks on my I-Pod. Heart and soul, heart and soul. So, working for Benny Goodman was not, after all, the worst experience of her life! Definitely one of the greatest of the classic big band singers. gregmo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danasgoodstuff Posted December 22, 2013 Report Share Posted December 22, 2013 Forrest was blessed to be w/Goodman when Eddie Sauter was cranking out one gem after another. Great band, great singer, great charts, each as good as they could be. Check out "Perfidia": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-vo-w-D4W4 I mean, DAMN! Great clarinet too, difficult although he no doubt was, BG could certainly play some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmonahan Posted December 29, 2013 Report Share Posted December 29, 2013 Forrest was blessed to be w/Goodman when Eddie Sauter was cranking out one gem after another. Great band, great singer, great charts, each as good as they could be. Check out "Perfidia": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-vo-w-D4W4 I mean, DAMN! Great clarinet too, difficult although he no doubt was, BG could certainly play some. True that! gregmo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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