Nobody Else But Me - Joe Mooney, Hammerstein, Oscar
Once upon a Summertime - Joe Mooney, Barclay, Eddie
Lollipops and Roses - Joe Mooney, Velona, Tony
This Is All I Ask - Joe Mooney, Jenkins, Gordon [1]
What Kind of Fool Am I - Joe Mooney, Bricusse, Leslie
Days of Wine and Roses - Joe Mooney, Mancini, Henry
The Good Life - Joe Mooney, Distel, Sacha
Cute - Joe Mooney, Hefti, Neal
When I Fall in Love - Joe Mooney, Heyman, Edward
Emily - Joe Mooney, Mandel, Johnny
You Irritate Me So - Joe Mooney, Porter, Cole
I Wonder What Became of Me - Joe Mooney, Arlen, Harold
Honeysuckle Rose - Joe Mooney, Razaf, Andy
Happiness Is You - Joe Mooney, Huddleston, F.
She's Not for You - Joe Mooney, Nelson, Willie
I Wanna Be Around - Joe Mooney, Mercer, Johnny
When the World Is at Rest - Joe Mooney, Davis, Lou
When Sunny Gets Blue - Joe Mooney, Fisher, Marvin
This Is the Life - Joe Mooney, Adams, Lee [1]
Singer-keyboardist Joe Mooney, who died in 1975, was simply too hip and classy for his time. His innovative New York quartet of the 1940s, admired by the likes of Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett never scored with the public... more ». His mid-1960s solo comeback attempt with the two Columbia LPs repackaged here met similar fates: acclaim within the industry, indifference elsewhere despite their warm, lithe vocals, fleet-fingered keyboard accompaniment and airy, clever arrangements, rendering each number a concert in miniature. On Happiness, he brought his joi de vivre to "What Kind of Fool Am I" and "I Wish You Love" and infused "Lollipops and Roses" with a bright, easy swing light-years from Jack Jones 's hit version. Greatness maintained a similar vein: toying with Neal Hefti's "Cute" and drenching "I Wanna Be Around" with a bluesy, 3 A.M. flavor. And on "Honeysuckle Rose," an organ instrumental, he can be heard cheerfully scat-singing away beneath his solo. With much of Mooney's work now available on reissues and John Pizzarelli paying a small homage on each album, perhaps the public is ready at last. --Rich Kienzle« less
Singer-keyboardist Joe Mooney, who died in 1975, was simply too hip and classy for his time. His innovative New York quartet of the 1940s, admired by the likes of Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett never scored with the public. His mid-1960s solo comeback attempt with the two Columbia LPs repackaged here met similar fates: acclaim within the industry, indifference elsewhere despite their warm, lithe vocals, fleet-fingered keyboard accompaniment and airy, clever arrangements, rendering each number a concert in miniature. On Happiness, he brought his joi de vivre to "What Kind of Fool Am I" and "I Wish You Love" and infused "Lollipops and Roses" with a bright, easy swing light-years from Jack Jones 's hit version. Greatness maintained a similar vein: toying with Neal Hefti's "Cute" and drenching "I Wanna Be Around" with a bluesy, 3 A.M. flavor. And on "Honeysuckle Rose," an organ instrumental, he can be heard cheerfully scat-singing away beneath his solo. With much of Mooney's work now available on reissues and John Pizzarelli paying a small homage on each album, perhaps the public is ready at last. --Rich Kienzle
CD Reviews
Pure Genius !
Roberto Callage | Porto Alegre - RS - Brazil | 03/14/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Joe Mooney singing and playing is absolutely delicate, extraordinary, sophisticated, elegant, refined. Thanks to Koch Jazz to reissue his solo albums on CD. He was a genius and made something uniquely special that belong to jazz history. Listen and you will fall in love."
Light and Smmoooooth
Tom_McT | Denver, CO USA | 07/23/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I tripped over the name of Joe Mooney when searching for crooners who performed "When Sunny Gets Blue". I bought this CD based on the two reviews listed above and can re-affirm their convictions. The organ grooves under the light-phrased, honest singing of Joe. For a man with such a sad story, the optimism and genius come out with warm clarity in "the Happiness of... and the Greatness of..." Thanks, Koch, for this re-issue."