Anyone seeking evidence of
Woody Herman's abilities as a vocalist need look no further than this fourth volume of his complete recordings in chronological sequence. There are no less than 12 examples of the clarinetist's singing voice included in this interesting historical compilation. On the slow and sentimental songs, his romantic crooning style (similar to that of
Perry Como or
Matt Dennis) should serve as a reminder that long before assembling his own band, young
Woody Herman learned to sing in
vaudeville and paid his dues by airing his tonsils in front of
the Isham Jones Orchestra. On zippier tracks like "Fine and Dandy"
Herman added a bit of sauce to his delivery. There were several vocalists involved with the band during this time period. Warm-voiced
Mary Ann McCall, who switched over to
Charlie Barnet in December of 1939, sounds right at home in this company. Her replacement was
Carol Kay, a regular-sounding gal who also worked with
Russ Morgan and
Jan Garber. There's also a rare unissued recording of "Long Time No See" sung by
the Andrews Sisters, left over from earlier in the Classics
Woody Herman chronology. Thanks to singing trumpeter
Steady Nelson, interested parties may learn the words to
Donald Heywood and
Will Marion Cook's "I'm Comin', Virginia," a fine old melody almost always presented instrumentally. Speaking of instrumentals, "Blues on Parade," "Pick-A-Rib" (which admittedly opens with a chanted vocal by the band), and "Say 'Si Si'" all swing like the dickens. ~ arwulf arwulf, All Music Guide
