The Standards Era

Mention the word ‘Standards’ in a casual conversation about the music of the 1950’s and 1960’s, and the chances are, if anyone comes to mind, it will be Frank Sinatra. If the participants in that discussion are more well-informed, they might come up with the additional names of Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Junior; such is the fame, fortune and occasional notoriety that preceded 3/5 of the group of men who became known to an adoring public, and an even more adoring Royalty, as The Rat Pack.

Almost forty years after the original members of The Rat Pack last performed together, and more than a generation since Francis Albert Sinatra first tickled our musical ears with his Songs for Swinging Lovers album, memories of the great pop icons of that era are fading – Frank and an increasingly small number of his contemporaries excepted. After all, any teen that might have swooned over the first airing of that still famous concept album, will most likely be drawing their social security by now. Even great musical memories are not immune to the inevitable passage of time.

If the audience in that casual conversation are themselves under the age of forty, any attempt to broaden the discussion further by interjecting additional names of  singers of the period such as June Christy, Johnny Desmond, Dick Haymes, Johnny Hartman or Helen O’Connell, to name but five of hundreds, is likely to elicit a response such as, “Dick who??”

As one of those ‘exceptions that proves the rule,’ my interest has prompted me to research, as well as to enjoy, the music of that wonderful era.

In an article of this length I can only scratch the surface of these musical treasures.  Nevertheless, I would like to try and convey a picture of some of the best and most memorable aspects of the music of the period. What follows is, most definitely, a personal view, cross-referenced with historical fact.

To understand what is meant by a song standard it is first necessary to reference a group of compositions known generally as The Great American Songbook. Between the early years of the twentieth century and the late nineteen fifties, a number of talented popular songwriters peddled their wares to a music and entertainment-hungry public.

Many of these names have passed into legend with their ability to write words and music, either individually or with a partner, creating songs of amazing dexterity, sophistication and melodiousness. Moreover, these songs were written in such a way as to allow considerable flexibility of interpretation; many are thirty-two bar arrangements.

It is impossible not to namedrop;  Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, George and Ira Gershwin, Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, Jerome Kern, Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen, Hoagy Carmichael. These and others have passed into legend.

Originally many of the songs were written for the theatre; later as accompaniment to movie sound tracks.  In the latter case both entire scores of original material, and a rescoring of earlier works, were transposed from stage to film and found their way onto the big screen.

It is a fascinating exercise in its own right to listen to some of these songs, first in their original context, and then as they evolved in the hands of one or more talented arrangers, to the ‘standard’ we may best recall today.

For example, if you have both the time and inclination, search out the original version of Alexander’s Ragtime Band (1911, Irving Berlin), and compare those syncopated ragtime rhythms with the swing era version arranged for the Glenn Miller Army Air Force Band by Jerry Gray (1943), and finally, the ‘standard’ song version so exquisitely orchestrated for Ella Fitzgerald by Paul Weston in 1958 for her Irving Berlin Songbook album.

If you want to take that comparison a step further, there are two movies that contain the song; a dual performance by Alice Faye and Ethel Merman in the movie Alexander’s Ragtime Band (1938), and it also receives production number treatment in There’s No Business Like Show Business (1955).

There are of course other examples of the song, as well as many similar examples of this kind of musical recycling, often spanning several decades of popular music in their ongoing transformation.

Such is the durability, adaptability and sheer staying power of a song standard.

Investigation of actual performances by singers across a similar time span also reveals an evolution in presentation style.  Each successive performer is influenced by a variety of factors, including the developing sophistication of orchestral arrangements, changing social circumstances that influenced when and where a performance occurred, and increasingly, the technology available to enable the performance.

In the first twenty years of the twentieth century, performers were entirely reliant on their own lung power combined with the acoustics of the venue, good, bad or indifferent.  The electric microphone had not yet been invented and the Megaphone was the only mechanical means of voice projection available. This is the era in which the great stage performers flourished, such as Al Jolson and George Jessel.

The invention of the microphone enabled a far more intimate style of musical interpretation, and hence contact with the audience by the performing artist.  It was the era of the Crooner. The man who mastered the new technology more than anyone else, changing the face of popular music forever with his warm and intimate style, and along the way enjoying a career longevity, and more charted number one records than any other performer before or since, was of course, Bing Crosby. Others were quick to exploit the new medium; Russ Columbo, Rudy Vallee, Skinnay Ennis and Dick Powell are a few of the names that made it into the big league.  However, none of them rose to the stature of Crosby.

Eventually, as the century progressed, these early masters of microphone technique were themselves surpassed (except for Crosby) by the next generation of crooners. Partly through evolution of style and technology, and partly through world events,  these ‘second generation crooners’ created the first stirrings of listener adulation as fans craved the attention of their idols – storming the stage, screaming non stop and refusing to leave at the end of the performance. Behavior that would be reminiscent of ‘Beatlemania’ a generation later, and an era heralded in by the Bobby Soxers and a skinny baritone named Frank Sinatra.

Many, but not all of these nineteen forties singers started their careers with the swing bands, some with their own smaller jazz-oriented groups, and a few as solo performers. It is these individuals, along with the aforementioned arrangers, that took the song standard to a new level of interpretation, jazz tinged, accompanied by lush orchestrations, and often presented in chic places. An intelligent, witty and sophisticated presentation packaged for an equally sophisticated clientele. A music that catered to the relatively affluent post world war two population of men and women who craved quality entertainment. All backed by those wonderful arrangements by equally talented arrangers; Nelson Riddle, Billy May, Paul Weston, Duke Ellington, Gordon Jenkins, Robert Farnon again represent only a few of the illustrious.

What of the singers themselves? As already mentioned, there are hundreds of names that one could draw from. While it’s true to say that some of these made it to mega star status, it seems unfair to single out any one group of names, but I will try to convey some highlights. If I miss your particular favorite, write me at drew.savage@yahoo.com and I will update the list!

I have already mentioned a few of the giants; Sinatra of course, Nat King Cole, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Junior, Bing Crosby.  And not forgetting Perry Como, Doris Day, Mel Torme, Peggy Lee, Rosemary Clooney, Keely Smith and Jo Stafford, all good examples of those who enjoyed exceptionally long careers. Of the names on this list only Smith is still an active performer; Day is living but retired from singing a number of years ago, as did Stafford. A few transcended the era to enjoy success in more recent times, such as Clooney and Torme. Aside from Smith though all are gone from the performing circuit and live on only in their recordings and the memories of fans.

In the league of those once great but whose career was less expansive, I could include Eddie Fisher, June Christy, Polly Bergen, Anita O’Day, Dick Haymes, Denny Dennis, Michael Holliday, Denis Lotis, Mindy Carson, Ethel Ennis, Billie Holliday, June Hutton, Margaret Whiting, Toni Arden and Jerry Vale. Even at that I know I’ve missed a lot from such a brief listing.

Sadly, many of these are gone too, although a few continue to delight audiences with increasingly rare appearances. I hope I have given you enough of a reference point to be inspired to go and seek out their albums, or catch one of those rare performances. (Believe me, it’s worth it!)

I could write entire articles on each of these performers and that will form a future project.  As this is a summary article I’ve had to be content with providing web links to sites containing information about individual performers and must leave you to explore these on your own time.

On the evening of January 18th 1956, a shock wave rippled through a cross-section of middle class America; those with television sets. A further shocking revelation by McCartheyites perhaps? Maybe some new outrage of racial tension, or a significant crime? It was none of these.

On that evening, Tommy Dorsey, one time doyen of a very different musical period come to be known as The Swing Era, was master of ceremonies on a TV variety program devised by the entertainer Jackie Gleason called Stage Show . Dorsey introduced for the first time on national television, in the second guest spot, a raw, young ‘hillbilly’ singer named Elvis Aaron Presley.

While ‘TD’s’ band played the most spirited accompaniment it could muster. Elvis sang Shake, Rattle and Roll and Flip, Flop and Fly, two Joe Turner numbers. The cameras caught his every move as he gyrated his hips, shook his whole body, and danced around the confined spaces of the TV stage.

The result was a sensation as Elvis stopped the show, and the theatre switchboards were jammed with callers reflecting the enormous span of emotion that had been precipitated.

There were vociferous complaints from Middle America about the outrageous behavior of the singer, and the apparent loss of judgment by Dorsey in allowing such a guest to perform on his relatively conservative program.

There was equal adulation from teenagers already beginning to swoon and scream over a talent that, quite simply, struck exactly the right chord, at the right moment, with the new Youth. Even today, watching videotapes of that show and the subsequent five Stage Shows on which Presley appeared, it is impossible to escape the culture clash, the sheer polarity of the musical styles of those present. At the same time, the sheer excitement of something completely new is also evident. It served to give a mighty shove off to stage left, the relatively respectable and clean-cut image portrayed, at least on stage, by the stars of the standards era. Popular music was heading off in a whole new direction, quickly accompanied by its own entourage of contemporaries; Bill Haley, Little Richard, The Platters, Elvis A new cast of hundreds to help usher in the Rock n’ Roll and R&B eras of song and music, riding on the back of the tag of respectability an appearance by Elvis on the Tommy Dorsey show had afforded them.

A few weeks later Elvis’ introduction to the Nation became official when he appeared on the Ed Sullivan show for the first time.

What is not too surprising for anyone in the know musically, is that Elvis should first have been thrust into the national limelight on a show of innate respectability, hosted by Tommy Dorsey, ‘The sentimental gentleman of Swing.’. Not only was Dorsey an exceptional musician whose tone and phrasing on the trombone has rarely, if ever, been equaled, he was also a talent spotter extraordinaire. There again, as the man who plucked Frank Sinatra from the relative obscurity of the 1939 Harry James Orchestra, nurtured him, taught him how to breathe when singing, and so provided the base from which Sinatra was able to catapult himself to his first round of musical fame – well, it really shouldn’t be too surprising.

As has oft been said, that of course, is another story.

In the meantime, as we continue to advance into the twenty-first century it is, sadly, without the actual presence of the most influential singers of the Standards era.  October 14th 2007 marks the thirtieth anniversary of the passing of Bing Crosby. As remarked above most of the performers of that era are gone and we have only their recordings to remind us why they were once the idols of our parents and grandparents.  I hope we continue to enjoy being reminded for many years to come.

Postscript:  Currently Available Recordings.

The advances in digital media technology are proving to be something of a double-edged sword for lovers of the music and singers of the Standards era.  In many cases the original vinyl LP’s and more recent CD reissues did not sell in large numbers.  Often a project of this nature was funded only because of the success in sales of contemporary artistes.  The decline in CD sales generally with the shift to MP3 technology means funding for these special projects has also diminished. For example, Sony and RCA have closed down their jazz music divisions completely. While a number of smaller specialist labels continue to issue excellent albums in the genre, there is, most definitely cause for concern.  It is not at all clear how many of the classic performances from the artistes mentioned above will make it into digital download formats such as MP3, or indeed, who will buy them if they do.

This said, it is not yet all doom and gloom!

Mention should be made of the outstanding CD reissues on the Collector’s Choice label in the USA and Jasmine, Sepia and Vocalion in the UK.  The owner of Sepia in particular has gone out of his way to issue lesser heard items from many of the Standards era performers, often appearing for the first time on CD.  Likewise, if you are seeking complete collections by a specific artiste then the Bear Family boxed sets may hold the answer.

The performances of Frank Sinatra continue to be available in reasonable measure, from his earliest days with Harry James, onward through the Columbia years and into the nineteen fifties Capitol sessions that provide the epitome of standard song interpretation. The Complete Capitol recordings have been reissued several times and provide a rich pastel of material.

Bing Crosby material is also available. Try the Jasmine (UK) double CD’sof Bing Crosby in Hollywood (4 volumes) or the Proper 4 CD set for a good cross section of his popular output across the years. If you can find it, the Tenth Anniversary 3 CD set is a treasurehouse of standards that Bing cut with the Buddy Cole quartet in the 1950’s, and which was reissued with an added orchestral accompaniment. (Warwick) More recently, the complete Bing and Al Jolson duets have been issued on 2 CD’s by Sepia, culled from their radio show appearances together between 1946 and 1950. The same label has issued two volumes titled Bing, Good and Rare, collections of his lesser heard recordings, mostly from the early 1950’s.

Similarly, the Ella Fitzgerald Songbooks (Verve) represent a high point in her career, and also give a chance to hear well known and little heard items from most of the major ‘songbook’ writers.

Nat King Cole also enjoyed a long career that was tragically cut short by cancer. Fortunately, he too was a prolific recording artiste in the 1950’s and early 1960’s.  All are captured in the marvelous HiFi of Capitol records. There are also albums of his earlier work including the complete Trio recordings.

Doris Day is known as much for her movie appearances as she is for her songs. Another frequent visitor to the recording studios, you will find much to delight you in the ‘2 on 1’ Collector’s Choice reissues of her LP albums onto CD.

Rosemary Clooney will forever be remembered as one half of The Haynes Sisters and her on-off-on love interest for Bing Crosby in the movie White Christmas (1954) but movie appearances aside, Clooney enjoyed a fifty year career as a singing artiste, from her initial waxings in the 1940’s with sister Betty in front of The Tony Pastor Band, to her thirty year association with Concord records from the 1970’s. Both the Concord and her earlier work in the 1950’s and 1960’s contain a significant number of song standards and examples continue to be available on CD.

Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Junior have both appeared on reissued Reprise and Collector’s Choice albums in abundance, and also some compilation material including The Rat Pack years, although Dean and Sammy as solo artistes recorded a much wider repertoire of material and with less reliance on standards than their contemporaries. For an emphasis on the standards try Dino’s Sleep Warm, This Time I’m Swingin’ and Pretty Baby albums, while Sammy’s ‘I’ve Got to Be Me’ and ‘Salutes the Stars of the London Palladium’ would be good choices.  All have been reissued by Collector’s Choice.

Perry Como evolved his career into super relaxed TV show host of note in the 1960’s and 1970’s, and an easy listening style of singing beloved by many. Nevertheless, he performed many standards.  A collection of his recordings from the 1940’s is on Rhino, or try the pairing of ‘Como Swings/Young at Heart’ on Collector’s Choice for something more upbeat from his later work.

Mel Torme was performing in concerts almost right up to the time of his passing in 1999. Over the years he evolved his style into jazz singer par excellence. His earlier work with the Mel-Tones in the 1940’s and his Capitol recordings from the 1950’sare well laced with standards, sung by the man known as ‘The Velvet Fog.’  Examples of both may be found on Capitol reissues, Collector’s Choice or Concord for his later works.

Keely Smith is still out there performing and is well represented in album reissues; Jo Stafford is no longer singing, but as one of the most popular female singers of the period, and thanks to the purity of her voice and easy to listen to singing style, her records are also being constantly reissued.

Post Postscript
Finally, if you’re still not convinced about the genre in general, then try some of the contemporary interpretations of song standards by such artistes as Diana Krall, Jane Monheit, Claire Martin and Michael Buble, not to mention the recent offerings by Rod Stewart and Carly Simon.

References
1. Tommy Dorsey: Livin’ In A Great Big Way. Peter Levinson, Da Capo Press (2005)
2. Al Jolson. Michael Freedland, Abacus Books (1975)
3. The Hollywood Musical. Clive Hirschorn, Octopus Books (1981)
4. The American Songbook. Ken Bloom, Black Dog and Leventhal (2005)
5. Showtunes. Steven Suskin, Oxford University Press (2000)
6. The Ballad Years by Don Wicks.  Twelve volumes of thumbnail sketches of the great ballad singers and bandleaders from the 1940’s to the 1970’s.  Private publication 1996 - 1998
7. Numerous record album sleeve notes.

Let me know what you think about this article. Email me at info@drewsavage.com.  You can also ask me questions about the singers of the Standards era and I’ll do my best to answer you or refer you to a source that might know the answer in the event that I don’t.

Best Wishes and Happy Listening!

Drew

Drew Savage is a British enthusiast of the genre and has presented programs of standards, big band and movie music on radio and to live audiences, he is also a management consultant and an author and currently resides in Carlsbad, Southern California. His novel ‘The Deceivers’, is published by PublishAmerica.