Search - Bobby Troup :: Bobby Troup & His Stars of Jazz

A brilliant album; a very cool singer

R. H. Roth Jr. | East Lansing, Michigan USA | 05/08/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Close on the heals of hosting the (KABC & ABC) classic television program "The Stars of Jazz," uniquely cool vocalist Bobby Troup brings from the show a top flight crew of side men for this remarkable album. Among those musicians, for example: on sax, Benny Carter and Bud Shank; on trumpet, the Candoli brothers and Shorty Rogers; on drums, Shelly Manne and Mel Lewis; on guitar, Barney Kessel... you get the idea. The 12 standards Bobby covers include "I'm Through With Love," "Perdido" and "Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby." The only downside is that this great songwriter ("Route 66," "Daddy," "The Meaning Of The Blues"...) only sings one of his own on this album, "Free and Easy" (which he co-wrote with Henry Mancini). The arrangements are superlative and if you haven't been introduced to Bobby Troup's vocalizing (called "ultra-sophisticated" by several critics), start here. If you love West Coast and/or Cool Jazz, this is worth every nickel."